A communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

The application relates to the communication field, and provides a communication method and related devices, in which, in the method, a terminal device can make a decision on synchronous activation of a secondary cell according to information configured by a network side and in combination with a measurement report, and in a subsequent inter-station handover process, the measurement result can be directly used for synchronous activation of the secondary cell, so that network flexibility is improved, and better communication services are provided for the terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method and related apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] In mobile communication networks, when a terminal device moves from the coverage area of ​​one base station to the coverage area of ​​another, the movement may trigger a handover. A handover refers to a situation where the source base station and the target base station belong to different network devices. To reduce service interruption and latency for terminal devices during handovers, a layer 1 / layer 2 triggered mobility (LTM) mechanism has been proposed.

[0003] In carrier aggregation (CA) scenarios, the serving cell of a terminal device includes a primary cell and at least one active secondary cell. During inter-site handover based on the LTM mechanism, the terminal device first connects to the primary cell of the target base station, and then the target base station reconfigures a new secondary cell for the terminal device. However, the current handling of secondary cells is not flexible enough and is inefficient, affecting the service efficiency of the terminal device and resulting in a poor user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus in which a terminal device can autonomously make a decision to synchronously activate a secondary cell based on information configured on the network side and in conjunction with a measurement report, thereby improving network flexibility and providing better communication services for the terminal.

[0005] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal device, or a module in the terminal device (wherein the module in the terminal device includes a communication module and a computing module), or a circuit or chip in the terminal device responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core or a system-in-package (SIP) chip), or the terminal device can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a communication device. The method includes:

[0006] Receive first information from the first communication node, wherein the first information includes one or more of the following: a first parameter, a second parameter, and a first condition, wherein the first parameter is used to indicate the carrier aggregation (CA) type, the second parameter is used to indicate the mobility LTM type triggered by layer 1 / layer 2, and the first condition includes the triggering condition of a first event, wherein the first event includes synchronous activation of the secondary cell when the terminal device performs inter-site handover.

[0007] When the first parameter indicates that the CA type is a co-located CA and the second parameter indicates that the LTM type is a single LTM, a second message is sent to the first communication node in response to satisfying the first condition, wherein the second message includes a third parameter, the third parameter being used to characterize that the terminal device synchronously activates the target secondary cell when performing inter-station handover.

[0008] In some examples, inter-site handover refers to the source cell and the destination cell belonging to different network devices. In an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN) system, the first communication node includes centralized units (CUs) and distributed units (DUs), and inter-site handover includes inter-CU handover.

[0009] In the above method, the network side can configure parameters such as CA type, LTM type and activation event threshold for the terminal device. Then, the terminal device can independently determine the activation conditions based on the above parameters to determine whether the target secondary cell can be activated synchronously when performing inter-site handover. In this way, the secondary cell can be activated synchronously when the network triggers LTM handover, so as to further reduce interruption latency, ensure the service efficiency of the terminal device and improve the user experience.

[0010] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, sending second information to the first communication node in response to satisfying the first condition includes:

[0011] In response to the first measurement result satisfying the first condition, the terminal device sends second information to the first communication node, wherein the first measurement result includes the Layer 1 measurement result of the first serving cell of the terminal device, and the first serving cell includes the target primary cell and the secondary cell to be activated.

[0012] In this embodiment of the application, the target master cell refers to the control function entity that will provide master cell group (MCG) services to the terminal device.

[0013] For example, the network side can configure LTM candidate cells for the terminal device. The LTM candidate cells include special cells (SpCell) and one or more secondary cells in the target cell group. The first measurement result obtained by the terminal device specifically includes the Layer 1 measurement results of the special cells (SpCell) and one or more secondary cells.

[0014] In the above method, when the first measurement result (specifically, the measurement result of the secondary cell to be activated) meets the set L1 triggering condition (e.g., the reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold / reference signal received quality (RSRQ)), the terminal device determines that the target secondary cell can be synchronously activated during inter-site handover. It is understandable that the measurement action is performed by the terminal device; therefore, having the terminal device perform the judgment and provide feedback on the judgment result (i.e., the third parameter) can improve processing efficiency and is consistent with the processing logic.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second information further includes the first measurement result and the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated, wherein the first communication node is used to determine the target secondary cell from the secondary cells to be activated based on the first measurement result and the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated.

[0016] In the above method, when the terminal device determines that the secondary cell can be activated synchronously, the measurement results, activation status and beam synchronization information are reported in one stop, and the secondary cell activation configuration is synchronized to the network side.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information further includes a first version number, which indicates the version number corresponding to the first item in the pre-configuration phase, and the method further includes:

[0018] Receive third information, the third information including a first identifier, a second identifier and a second version number, wherein the first identifier is used to indicate the target primary cell, the second identifier is used to indicate the target secondary cell, and the second version number is used to indicate the version number corresponding to the first item in the handover request phase;

[0019] During the handover to the target primary cell, if the first version number and the second version number are the same, the target secondary cell is activated based on the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated.

[0020] The above method introduces a secondary cell activation configuration version number mechanism. This version number is determined by the network side based on the current network environment. Secondary cells can be activated synchronously when version numbers match, enhancing the rigor of the synchronization activation process. Furthermore, third information can be carried in the medium access control element (MAC CE). MAC CE belongs to Layer 2 signaling and transmits configuration and version numbers during inter-CU handover procedures via Layer 2 signaling. This allows terminal devices to determine and execute activation based on version number matching, i.e., reusing pre-handover measurement results and performing synchronization activation through version number verification. This eliminates the need for configuration changes via inefficient radio resource control (RRC) signaling, improving the signaling efficiency of the synchronization process.

[0021] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0022] Send a fourth message to the second communication node, wherein the fourth message includes a first indication message and a second indication message. The first indication message is used to instruct the terminal device to switch to the target primary cell based on the LTM mechanism, and the second indication message is used to indicate that the target secondary cell has been activated. The target primary cell and the target secondary cell are located within the coverage area of ​​the wireless network of the second communication node.

[0023] In the above method, the fourth information can be carried in the MAC CE. The activation status is synchronously fed back to the target CU through the MAC CE, which can solve the configuration gap problem in the inter-CU scenario, reduce handover interruption delay, improve the activation efficiency and configuration consistency of the target secondary cell, and realize the synchronous activation of the primary cell handover and the secondary cell.

[0024] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a network device (such as a first communication node), or a module in the network device (wherein the module in the network device includes a communication module and a computing module), or a circuit or chip in the network device responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core or a system-in-package (SIP) chip), or the network device can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a communication device. The method includes:

[0025] Send first information to the terminal device, wherein the first information includes one or more of the following: a first parameter, a second parameter and a first condition, wherein the first parameter is used to indicate the carrier aggregation (CA) type, the second parameter is used to indicate the mobility LTM type triggered by layer 1 / layer 2, and the first condition includes the triggering condition of a first event, wherein the first event includes synchronously activating the secondary cell when the terminal device performs inter-station handover.

[0026] The terminal device receives second information, wherein the second information is sent by the terminal device when the first parameter indicates that the CA type is co-located CA, the second parameter indicates that the LTM type is one-time LTM, and the first condition is met. The second information includes a third parameter, which is used to characterize the terminal device synchronously activating the target secondary cell when performing inter-site handover.

[0027] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, satisfying the first condition includes: a first measurement result satisfying the first condition, the first measurement result including a Layer 1 measurement result of a first serving cell of the terminal device, the first serving cell including a target primary cell and a secondary cell to be activated.

[0028] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0029] The second information also includes the first measurement result and the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated;

[0030] The target secondary cell is determined from the secondary cells to be activated based on the first measurement result and the beam synchronization information of the secondary cells to be activated.

[0031] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0032] Send a third message, the third message including a first identifier, a second identifier and a second version number, wherein the first identifier is used to indicate the target primary cell, the second identifier is used to indicate the target secondary cell, and the second version number is used to indicate the version number corresponding to the first item in the handover request phase;

[0033] The first information also includes a first version number, which is used to indicate the version number corresponding to the first item in the pre-configuration stage. During the process of the terminal device switching to the target primary cell, if the first version number and the second version number are the same, the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated is used by the terminal device to activate the target secondary cell.

[0034] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0035] A handover request is sent to a second communication node, wherein the handover request includes the configuration information of the target secondary cell and the beam synchronization information of the target secondary cell. The second communication node is used to reserve resources for the target secondary cell based on the configuration information and the beam synchronization information of the target secondary cell. The target primary cell and the target secondary cell are located within the coverage area of ​​the wireless network of the second communication node.

[0036] The handover request confirmation information from the second communication node is received, wherein the handover request confirmation information is used to indicate that resources have been reserved for the target secondary cell.

[0037] In the above method, the activation configuration of the target secondary cell can be synchronized in the handover request information by leveraging logical interfaces (such as the Xn-application protocol (AP) interface), thereby effectively solving the configuration gap problem in the Inter-CU scenario, reducing handover interruption latency, improving SCell activation efficiency and configuration consistency, and realizing the synchronous activation of the primary cell handover and the secondary cell.

[0038] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which may be a network device, a component of a network device (e.g., a processor, chip, circuit, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include modules, units, or means that correspond one-to-one with the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect. These modules, units, or means may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit, the transceiver unit being configured to receive first information from a first communication node, wherein the first information includes one or more of the following: a first parameter, a second parameter, and a first condition, the first parameter being configured to indicate a carrier aggregation (CA) type, the second parameter being configured to indicate a mobility LTM type triggered by layer 1 / layer 2, and the first condition including a triggering condition for a first event, the first event including synchronous activation of a secondary cell when the terminal device performs inter-site handover;

[0041] The processing unit is configured to, in response to satisfying the first condition, send second information to the first communication node through the transceiver unit when the first parameter indicates that the CA type is a co-located CA and the second parameter indicates that the LTM type is a single LTM, wherein the second information includes a third parameter, the third parameter being used to characterize the terminal device synchronously activating the target secondary cell when performing inter-station handover.

[0042] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which may be a terminal device, a component in the terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, circuit, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include modules, units, or means that correspond one-to-one with the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect. These modules, units, or means may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The processing unit generates first information, and the transceiver unit sends the first information to a terminal device. The first information includes one or more of the following: a first parameter, a second parameter, and a first condition. The first parameter indicates a carrier aggregation (CA) type, the second parameter indicates a mobility LTM type triggered by layer 1 or layer 2, and the first condition includes a triggering condition for a first event, which includes synchronously activating a secondary cell when the terminal device performs an inter-station handover.

[0045] The transceiver unit is also used to receive second information from the terminal device, wherein the second information is sent by the terminal device when the first parameter indicates that the CA type is co-located CA, the second parameter indicates that the LTM type is one-time LTM, and the first condition is met. The second information includes a third parameter, which is used to characterize the terminal device synchronously activating the target secondary cell when performing inter-site handover.

[0046] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes one or more processors. Optionally, it also includes a memory for storing part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary for implementing the functions involved in the first aspect above. The one or more processors can execute the computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first aspect above.

[0047] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0048] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0049] The aforementioned communication device may be a network device, or a communication module in a network device, or a chip in a network device that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core.

[0050] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes one or more processors. Optionally, it also includes a memory for storing part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary for implementing the functions involved in the second aspect above. The one or more processors can execute the computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the second aspect above.

[0051] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0052] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0053] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal device, or a communication module in a terminal device, or a chip in a terminal device that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip that includes a modem module.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip device including at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to invoke computer programs or instructions to implement any of the above aspects or possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in any of the above-mentioned aspects or possible implementations, and the output of the chip device corresponds to the transmitting operation in any of the above-mentioned aspects or possible implementations.

[0056] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0057] Optionally, the chip device may also include a memory in which computer programs or instructions are stored.

[0058] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a processor, implement the methods described above.

[0059] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product that includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a processor, implement the method described in any of the above aspects.

[0060] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication system comprising: the apparatus as described in the fifth aspect and the apparatus as described in the sixth aspect. The communication system may further include a second communication node.

[0061] It should be understood that the descriptions of technical features, technical solutions, beneficial effects, or similar language in this application do not imply that all features and advantages can be achieved in any single embodiment. Rather, it is understood that the description of a feature or beneficial effect means that a specific technical feature, technical solution, or beneficial effect is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, the descriptions of technical features, technical solutions, or beneficial effects in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the technical features, technical solutions, and beneficial effects described in this embodiment can be combined in any suitable manner. Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments can be implemented without one or more specific technical features, technical solutions, or beneficial effects of a particular embodiment. In other embodiments, additional technical features and beneficial effects may be identified in specific embodiments that do not embody all embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0062] The accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application are described below.

[0063] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in this application;

[0064] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the ORAN system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of signaling interaction in a separate architecture of an ORAN system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0070] The terms "system" and "network" in this application are used interchangeably. Unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship; for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this application merely describes the relationship between the related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be one or more. Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solution of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish between network elements and similar items with essentially the same function. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0071] References such as "in one implementation," "exemplarily," or "in one implementation" as described in this application mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including, but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0072] It is understood that in this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing a certain instruction information to indicate A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0073] In this application, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementations, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index; or indirectly indicating the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be instructed; or indicating only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent.

[0074] The information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information messages, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific sending method. The sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be predefined, for example, according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device.

[0075] It is understood that "send" and "receive" in this application refer to the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which can include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission via the air interface from other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which can include direct reception from YY via the air interface or indirect reception from YY via the air interface from other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0076] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via buses, wiring, or interfaces.

[0077] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, between the source and destination, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar statements in this application can be interpreted in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0078] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, 5th generation (5G) systems, or new radio (NR) systems. In addition, they can also be applied to future communication systems, such as 6th generation (6G) communication systems.

[0079] Furthermore, the embodiments of this application can be applied to scenarios of cell handover, such as cell handover scenarios of layer 1 / layer 2 triggered mobility (LTM) mechanism (hereinafter referred to as LTM handover), etc. This application does not limit the specific handover scenario.

[0080] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the communication system architecture provided in the embodiments of this application will first be described by way of example. Please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 1 This application provides a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system. The communication system 100 includes a network device 101 and a terminal device 102. Exemplarily, the network device 101 can provide communication coverage (cell) and can communicate with the terminal device 102 located within the communication coverage (cell). The apparatus provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the network device 101 or to the terminal device 102. It is understood that... Figure 1 This application only illustrates one possible communication system architecture that can be applied to an embodiment of the present application. In other possible scenarios, the communication system architecture may also include other devices.

[0081] Network equipment 101 includes a radio access network (RAN) and may also include core network equipment. For example, a network equipment can be a node in the radio access network, also known as a base station, or a RAN node (or device). Currently, some examples of network equipment 101 include: a transmission reception point (TRP), an evolved Node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., a home evolved Node B, or a home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), a next generation Node B (gNB), a new radio Node B (NR-NB), or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), satellite equipment, or network equipment in a 5G communication system, or network equipment in a possible future communication system. Network device 101 can also be other devices with network device functions. For example, network device 101 can also be a device that performs network device functions in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. Network device 101 can also be a network device in a possible future communication system.

[0082] In some deployments, network devices can also be access network devices in an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN). For example, taking a gNB as the access network device, the gNB can include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The gNB can also include a radio unit (RU). The CU implements some of the gNB's functions, and the DU implements some of the gNB's functions. For example, the CU implements radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer functions, while the DU implements radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layer functions. Since RRC layer information ultimately becomes PHY layer information, or is derived from PHY layer information, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling or PDCP layer signaling, can also be considered as being sent by the DU, or by the DU+RU. It is understood that network devices can be CU nodes, DU nodes, or devices that include both CU and DU nodes. Furthermore, a CU can be classified as a network device in the access network (RAN) or a network device in the core network (CN); no restrictions are placed here.

[0083] For example, network devices provide services to cells, and terminal devices communicate with cells through transmission resources (e.g., frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources) allocated by the network devices. The cell may belong to a macro base station (e.g., a macro eNB or macro gNB) or to a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cell may include: metro cell, micro cell, pico cell, femto cell, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage area and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0084] Terminal equipment 102, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., is a device that provides voice or data connectivity to users, and can also be an Internet of Things (IoT) device. For example, terminal equipment includes handheld devices with wireless connectivity, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. Currently, terminal devices can be: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.), in-vehicle devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), intelligent robots, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in remote surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes, and flying devices (such as intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. Terminal devices can also be other devices with terminal functions; for example, a terminal device can also be a device that performs terminal functions in D2D communication. In this application, terminal devices with wireless transceiver functions and chips that can be installed in the aforementioned terminal devices are collectively referred to as terminal devices. Terminal devices can also be terminal devices in Internet of Things (IoT) systems. IoT is an important part of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network that connects people and machines and things.

[0085] For example, network devices provide services to cells, such as transmission resources (e.g., frequency domain resources or spectrum resources). Terminal device 102 can communicate with network device 101 through cells managed by network device 101. Optionally, the movement of terminal device 102, changes in services, changes in network coverage, or other reasons may cause the current cell to be unable to continue providing services to terminal device 102 or the service quality provided by the current cell to terminal device 102 to deteriorate. In order not to interrupt services, terminal device 102 switches to other more suitable cells, and other cells provide services to terminal device 102. Optionally, the above-mentioned cells may belong to macro base stations (e.g., macro eNB or macro gNB, etc.) or to base stations corresponding to small cells. Small cells can include: metro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femto cells, etc.

[0086] Please see Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the ORAN system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 As shown, the ORAN system includes core network equipment, access network equipment, and terminals. Optionally, the ORAN system may also include... Figure 2 Other components besides those shown are not specifically limited in this application.

[0087] In some examples, access network devices can communicate with the core network (CN) via a backhaul link. Access network devices can also communicate with terminals via an air interface. Specifically, the BBU (Browser Unit) in the access network device communicates with the core network via the backhaul link. The RU (Remote Utility Unit) in the access network device communicates with at least one terminal via an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU via a fronthaul link; the BBU and RU may or may not be co-located.

[0088] For example, the BBU includes at least one CU and at least one DU, and the CU and DU can communicate with each other via at least one middlehaul link.

[0089] First, the relevant names or terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be explained.

[0090] 1. Measurement: Measurement refers to the process by which the UE monitors the communication quality of its serving cell and / or neighboring cells (i.e., non-serving cells) in real time. This allows the UE to change its serving cell based on the measurement results when necessary, through handover or cell selection / reselection operations, thus maintaining the communication link between the network and the UE. In NR, measurement can be divided into cell-level measurement and beam-level measurement.

[0091] Beam-level measurement: The UE measures and reports information related to one or more beams (synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) or channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS)) of the cell. Specifically, the reported information includes the beam index and the measurement results of optional beams (based on network configuration).

[0092] Cell-level measurement: The UE averages the measurement results of one or more beams (SSB or CSI-RS) of a cell to obtain and report the measurement results of that cell (essentially, it also measures several beams of the cell to obtain the cell quality). For example, the UE measures the quality of each beam from beam 0 to beam 7 and averages the quality of these beams to obtain a result as the cell-level quality of the cell.

[0093] 2. Cell: In communication systems, a cell is described by higher layers from the perspective of resource management, mobility management, or service units. The coverage area of ​​each network device can be divided into one or more cells, and each cell can correspond to one or more frequency points. In other words, each cell can be regarded as an area formed by the coverage of one or more frequency points.

[0094] In some examples, one or more cells currently providing radio connectivity services to the UE can be referred to as serving cells. In the case of carrier aggregation (CA), the UE's serving cells can be a set, including a primary cell (PCell) and at least one currently active secondary cell (SCell). The primary cell is responsible for all control plane signaling, security, and basic data transmission, while the secondary cell is used to enhance user plane data transmission rates.

[0095] It should be noted that a cell can be an area within the coverage of a wireless network device, and different cells can correspond to the same or different network devices. For example, the network device belonging to cell 1 and the network device belonging to cell 2 can be different network devices (such as base stations), meaning that cell 1 and cell 2 can be managed by different base stations. Alternatively, the network devices managing cell 1 and cell 2 can also be different radio frequency processing units of the same base station, such as radio remote units (RRUs). In other words, cell 1 and cell 2 can be managed by the same base station, having the same baseband processing unit and intermediate frequency processing unit, but different radio frequency processing units. Or, for yet another example, the network device belonging to cell 1 and the network device belonging to cell 2 can be the same network device (such as a base station). That is, cell 1 and cell 2 can be managed by the same base station, which can be referred to as cell 1 and cell 2 co-located. This application does not impose any special limitations on this.

[0096] In some possible deployments, a base station may include a CU and a DU. In such a deployment, cell 1 and cell 2 may be managed by the same CU and the same DU, i.e., they share the same CU and the same DU; cell 1 and cell 2 may be managed by the same CU and different DUs, i.e., they share the same CU but not the same DU; cell 1 and cell 2 may also be managed by different CUs and different DUs, i.e., they do not share the same CU and do not share the same DU.

[0097] 3. Cell handover: In a communication system, due to the movement of terminal equipment, in order to maintain uninterrupted communication, the terminal equipment can perform cell handover. For ease of distinction and understanding, the cells described in the embodiments of this application are divided into the following three categories:

[0098] (1) Source cell: The cell to which the terminal device belongs before it performs cell handover.

[0099] (2) Candidate cell: At least one cell that the terminal device may switch to when performing a cell handover. For example, the target cell is included among the at least one candidate cell of the terminal device.

[0100] (3) Target cell: The cell that the terminal device will eventually need to switch to.

[0101] (4) Serving cell: In order to communicate with the network device, the terminal device needs to establish a wireless connection with the cell managed by the network device. The cell with which the terminal device has established a wireless connection can be called the serving cell of the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, before the terminal device performs cell handover, the serving cell is the source cell. After the terminal device performs cell handover, the serving cell is the target cell.

[0102] Cell handover includes intra-site handover and inter-site handover. For example, intra-site handover refers to the source cell and target cell belonging to the same network device (e.g., a base station). The source cell and target cell can be the same cell or different cells. In some examples, intra-site handover includes intra-CU handover, that is, handing over from a cell under one DU to a cell under another DU, where both DUs belong to the same CU. In other words, the source cell and target cell belong to different DUs but to the same CU. For example, inter-site handover refers to the source cell and target cell belonging to different network devices (e.g., base stations). In some examples, inter-site handover can also be called inter-CU handover, that is, the control plane anchor point it connects to changes from one CU to another. In other words, the source cell and target cell belong to different CUs.

[0103] It should be understood that a cell is the coverage area of ​​a network device, a source cell corresponds to a source network device (e.g., a source base station), and a candidate cell corresponds to a candidate network device (e.g., a candidate base station).

[0104] 4. LTM handover, also known as mobility condition handover based on L1 / L2 signaling or mobility condition handover based on beam measurement results. In other words, terminal equipment performs cell handover using L1 / L2 signaling, which can reduce handover latency.

[0105] During cell handover based on L1 / L2 signaling, terminal devices are allowed to obtain the uplink timing advance (TA) of the candidate cell to be handed over via random access before the handover. For example, L1 can refer to the physical layer, and L2 can refer to any one or more layers of the media access control (MAC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer. It is understood that L1 / L2 handover can also be understood as L1 and / or L2 handover. In one implementation, when the relationship is "and", the handover process-related operations are mainly completed by L1 and L2. In another implementation, when the relationship is "or", the handover process-related operations are mainly completed by L1 or L2. Since L1 and L2 are located at lower levels of the protocol stack, L1 / L2 handover can also be called low-level handover, or lower-layer handover, or even lower-level handover. This application does not limit the specific name of the handover technology.

[0106] For example, the triggering conditions for LTM switching include one or more of the following:

[0107] (1) Based on signal quality. The signal quality involved in the embodiments of this application refers to the result obtained by measuring signal quality or signal energy based on a reference signal. This includes one or more of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR). The meaning of the above terms can be found in the specifications of communication technology protocols or standards. The triggering condition information for LTM handover may include the trigger event type, trigger quantity, and corresponding threshold value. The trigger event type for LTM handover may include event A3, event A4, event A5, event B1, event B2, or other trigger event types, etc., and can be specifically found in the specifications of communication technology protocols or standards. The trigger quantity is the signal quality of the terminal device. For example, assuming the trigger event type for conditional LTM handover configured for the terminal device is A3 event and the trigger quantity is signal quality, if the signal quality of the candidate cell of the terminal device is higher than the signal quality of the current serving cell by a threshold value, the terminal device can be considered to meet the trigger condition for conditional LTM handover, and the candidate terminal device can perform cell handover.

[0108] For example, the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) is defined as the linear average power of the resource element (RE) carrying the reference signal (SSB or CSI-RS) within the measured bandwidth under consideration. Depending on whether the reference signal is SSB or CSI-RS, the corresponding RSRP can be called SS-RSRP or CSI-RSRP. The unit of RSRP is decibel-milliwatt (dBm).

[0109] Reference signal reception quality (RSRQ) is defined as the ratio. The Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) is the linear average of the total received power observed by the UE across N resource blocks (RBs). Sources include co-channel serving cells and non-serving cells, adjacent channel interference, thermal noise, etc. N represents the number of resource blocks (RBs) in the RSSI measurement. RSRP can be either SS-RSRP or CSI-RSRP. The unit of RSRQ is decibels (dB).

[0110] The Signal-to-Interference-to-Noise Ratio (SINR) is defined as the ratio, within the measured bandwidth under consideration, the linear average power of the RE carrying the reference signal (SSB or CSI-RS) to the linear average power of the noise and interference on the RE. .

[0111] (2) Based on location information. The triggering condition information for LTM handover may include location information. In one possible implementation, the location information may be the location information of the terminal device on the ground, such as latitude and longitude values. These latitude and longitude values ​​can be used to determine a certain area or a fixed point. When the geographical location of the terminal device meets the latitude and longitude requirements (such as when the terminal device moves to the area or fixed point indicated by the latitude and longitude values), the terminal device can perform handover. In another possible implementation, the location information may include the distance between the terminal device and the location reference point 1 corresponding to the source cell and the distance between the terminal device and the location reference point 2 corresponding to the target cell. For example, the triggering condition information for LTM handover may include a first distance threshold and a second distance threshold. When the distance between the terminal device and the location reference point 1 corresponding to the source cell is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold, and the distance between the terminal device and the location reference point 2 corresponding to the target cell is less than or equal to the second distance threshold, the UE can perform handover.

[0112] (3) Based on time information or a timer. The triggering condition information for LTM handover may include time information. In one possible implementation, the triggering condition information for LTM handover may be absolute time, such as a specific moment (Coordinated Universal Time, UTC) 12:00, a specific time period (such as UTC 12:00-UTC 13:00, or a start time and the duration of a time period, etc.). When the absolute time is reached, the terminal device can perform the handover. In another possible implementation, the triggering condition information for LTM handover may be relative time, such as the effective duration of a timer. For example, after receiving the LTM handover configuration information, the terminal device starts a timer, and when the effective duration of the timer is reached, the terminal device can perform the handover.

[0113] In one possible implementation, at least one of the three types of LTM handover triggering conditions can be configured as LTM handover execution conditions. For example, the LTM handover execution event type and the corresponding threshold value and absolute time value can be configured as LTM handover execution conditions. When the absolute time arrives and the signal quality of the corresponding candidate cell meets the conditions, the terminal device can determine the candidate cell as the target cell and perform the handover.

[0114] In another possible implementation, a candidate cell can correspond to one or more LTM handover triggering conditions. The LTM handover triggering conditions corresponding to different candidate cells can be the same or different.

[0115] It should be understood that while the LTM mechanism introduced in 3GPP Release 18 (Rel-18) can reduce the probability of handover interruptions and delays, it only supports intra-CU handover and relies on SSB reference signals, which has limitations. Subsequent Rel-19, through optimizations and enhancements in Mobility Enhancement Node 4 (Ph4), added support for LTM-based inter-CU handover, event-triggered L2 reporting, and CSI-RS reference signals. However, this resulted in lower efficiency for configuration changes because the network side requires extensive signaling coordination to generate the UE's RRC configuration. It should also be understood that in current LTM-based inter-CU handover, the UE first hands over to the target primary cell, and then adds and activates the target secondary cell through the conventional process (i.e., RRC configuration and MAC CE activation). This means that secondary cell activation cannot be controlled within the LTM handover command, and carrier aggregation can only take effect according to the pre-stored RRC configuration. Rel-20 is exploring allowing the network to dynamically activate secondary cells via LTM commands during primary cell handover, in order to improve flexibility.

[0116] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and related apparatus. In this method, the terminal device can make a decision to synchronously activate the secondary cell based on the information configured on the network side and the measurement report. In the subsequent inter-site handover process, the measurement results can be used to synchronously activate the secondary cell to improve network flexibility and provide better communication services for the terminal.

[0117] The following is combined Figure 3The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail. This method can be implemented by a terminal device and a network device. Exemplarily, the network device includes a first communication node and a second communication node. It should be understood that the steps performed by the terminal device in this method can also be performed by components (such as chips, modules, or circuits) in the terminal device, and / or, the steps performed by the network device in this method can also be performed by components (such as chips, modules, or circuits) in the network device. Exemplarily, when the source serving cell of the terminal device and the target serving cell to which the terminal device needs to switch (for example, the target primary cell and the target secondary cell) are managed by different network devices, the first communication node and the second communication node are different network devices. In the following description, the example of the first communication node managing the source serving cell of the terminal device and the second communication node managing the target serving cell of the terminal device will be used.

[0118] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be based on Figure 1 The architecture shown or other architecture implementations. The method includes, but is not limited to, the steps shown in steps S301 to S306, which are described below.

[0119] Step S301: The first communication node sends first information to the terminal device, the first information including one or more of the following: a first parameter, a second parameter, and a first condition. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information.

[0120] Optionally, the first communication node generates the first information before sending it to the terminal device.

[0121] The first piece of information includes one or more of the following:

[0122] The first parameter indicates the carrier aggregation (CA) type. For example, CA types include co-located CA and non-co-located CA. The core difference between co-located and non-co-located CA lies in whether the cells corresponding to the aggregated multiple carriers (CCs) are deployed at the same physical location by the same set of radio frequency equipment (e.g., CU and DU). That is, in co-located CA, the cells corresponding to all aggregated component carriers are provided by the same site and the same set of radio frequency equipment; in non-co-located CA, the cells corresponding to all aggregated component carriers are provided by different sites, or by independent radio frequency equipment at the same site but physically separated. In some examples, the first parameter can be represented as CATypeFlag, which is a 1-bit flag. A value of 1 indicates that the CA type is co-located CA, and a value of 0 indicates that the CA type is non-co-located CA.

[0123] The second parameter indicates the LTM type. For example, LTM types include single LTM and continuous LTM (c-LTM). Single LTM refers to a situation where the terminal device performs only one cell handover in the LTM mechanism, while continuous LTM refers to a situation where the terminal device can perform multiple cell handovers in the LTM mechanism, such as the terminal device handing over from cell 1 to cell 2, and then from cell 2 to cell 3. In some examples, the second parameter can be represented as LTMTypeFlag, which is a 1-bit flag. A value of 1 indicates that the LTM type is single LTM, and a value of 0 indicates that the LTM type is continuous LTM.

[0124] The first condition includes the triggering condition of the first event, which refers to (including) the simultaneous activation of the secondary cell when the terminal device (based on the LTM mechanism) performs inter-site handover. In other words, the first condition includes the triggering condition that allows the secondary cell to be activated simultaneously when the terminal device performs inter-site handover; that is, if the first condition is met, the terminal device can activate the secondary cell simultaneously when performing inter-site handover. In some examples, the first condition can be represented as a secondary cell activation event configuration (SCellActivation EventConfiguration, SCellActEventConfig), specifically including L1 event triggering measurement thresholds (such as RSRP threshold, etc.).

[0125] In one implementation, the first information also includes a first version number, which can be called the secondary cell activation configuration version number (SCellActConfigVersion). This first version number indicates the version number corresponding to the first event during the pre-configuration phase. That is, it represents the version number corresponding to the event of the terminal device activating the secondary cell simultaneously during inter-site handover during the pre-configuration phase. This version number can be determined by the first communication node in conjunction with the network environment conditions during the pre-configuration phase. It is used to ensure the consistency of the secondary cell activation configuration between the target serving cell and the terminal device in inter-site handover scenarios (such as inter-CU). In other words, the secondary cell configuration can only be activated if the version numbers are consistent. In other words, the version number is determined based on the current network environment, so consistent version numbers indicate consistent network environments.

[0126] In another implementation, the first information may further include at least one of the following: a candidate cell list and a secondary cell list, wherein the candidate cell list includes a candidate cell ID and the secondary cell list includes at least one secondary cell ID that the terminal device can use in the carrier aggregation scenario.

[0127] Furthermore, in LTM handover, the first information also includes the configuration information of the candidate cells and the triggering conditions for LTM handover. For example, there may be one or more candidate cells. In LTM handover, these candidate cells are also referred to as LTM candidate cells. Optionally, the configuration information of the candidate cells may include one or more of the following: the temporary radio network identifier assigned to the terminal device by the candidate cell, the random access channel for accessing the candidate cell, the physical layer configuration parameters corresponding to the candidate cell, the media access control layer configuration parameters, the radio link control layer configuration parameters, the packet data aggregation protocol layer configuration parameters, the service data adaptation protocol layer configuration parameters, and the radio resource control layer configuration parameters, etc. Optionally, the first information may also carry an identifier corresponding to the configuration information of the candidate cells.

[0128] As an example, the first information can be carried in RRC signaling (such as RRC reconfiguration signaling). That is, the first communication node can pre-configure the first information for the terminal device through RRC signaling.

[0129] In one possible implementation, in the separated architecture of the ORAN system, the first communication node includes a source CU and a source DU. The source CU is responsible for higher-layer signaling processing, while the source DU is responsible for lower-layer protocol processing. The source DU can directly interact with the terminal via air interface data and execute configuration commands issued by the source CU. When pre-configuring the terminal device, the source CU sends an RRCReconfiguration signaling message to the source DU. This signaling message includes a candidate cell list and a list of secondary cells to be added / modified, as well as a first parameter indicating the CA type, a second parameter indicating the LTM type, and a first condition including the triggering condition of the first event. After receiving this configuration, the source DU can add secondary cells and / or modify the parameters of already configured secondary cells to determine the secondary cell list. Then, it can send the aforementioned first information to the terminal device via the RRCReconfiguration signaling message. The terminal device stores the configuration parameters corresponding to the first information and sends an RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the source DU to confirm the pre-configuration is complete.

[0130] Step S302: If the first parameter indicates that the CA type is a co-located CA and the second parameter indicates that the LTM type is a single LTM, then in response to satisfying the first condition, the second information is sent to the first communication node. Correspondingly, the first communication node receives the first information.

[0131] Optionally, the terminal device generates the second information before sending it to the first communication node.

[0132] The second information includes a third parameter, which is used to characterize whether the terminal device can simultaneously activate the target secondary cell when performing inter-station handover.

[0133] It should be understood that in the case of a co-located CA, the cells corresponding to the carriers of the co-located CA are usually included in the same master cell group (MCG). An MCG refers to the cell group in which a terminal device first initiates random access and connection. This cell group includes at least one master cell, and secondary cells can be added through carrier aggregation. Cells within the same cell group share some basic configurations, such as the same transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state set, TA-related parameters, etc. Network devices (such as the first communication node) can pre-send LTM candidate configurations (including the aforementioned basic configurations) to the terminal via RRC signaling. Thus, during cell handover within the same cell group based on the LTM mechanism, the source cell and candidate cell belong to the same cell group and can share some basic configurations, enabling the terminal device to synchronously activate secondary cells.

[0134] In one possible implementation, the terminal device receives and executes the configuration of the first information, and then performs measurements on the first serving cell (including at least one target primary cell and at least one secondary cell to be activated) to determine a first measurement result. The first measurement result includes L1-level measurements of the terminal device's first serving cell, and further, the first measurement result may also include L3-level measurements of the terminal device's first serving cell. Exemplarily, the MCG is configured to the user equipment by the network side. An MCG includes at least one special cell (SpCell) and one or more secondary cells (SCells), where SpCell refers to PCell. In the LTM mechanism, the first communication node can include the SpCell in the target cell group into the LTM candidate cell list. The first communication node sends LTM candidate cell configurations to the terminal device, which receives and stores these configurations and initiates measurements when triggering conditions are met. Exemplarily, the target SpCell measured by the terminal device refers to the primary serving cell of the terminal device after handover. It should be understood that the terminal device can also perform measurements on surrounding / adjacent cells to determine the signal measurement results of the surrounding / adjacent cells when performing measurements.

[0135] Furthermore, the terminal device determines whether it can synchronously activate the secondary cell during inter-site handover based on the parameters in the pre-configured first information. Specifically, if the CA type indicated by the first parameter configured by the first communication node for the terminal device is co-located CA and the LTM type indicated by the second parameter is single LTM, it indicates that the terminal device has the conditions to synchronously activate the secondary cell. When the first measurement result meets the first condition, it indicates that the signal quality measurement result of the first secondary cell has reached the network's pre-configured trigger threshold (including RSRP threshold) and logical conditions. Without going through the complex processing of the L2 / L3 layer, it can be determined that the secondary cell can be synchronously activated during inter-site handover. Then, in response to the first measurement result, the terminal device sends second information to the first communication node. The second information carries a third parameter that characterizes that the terminal device can synchronously activate the target secondary cell during inter-site handover.

[0136] For example, the third parameter can be an activation flag, which is a 1-bit flag. When the value is 1, the third parameter indicates that the terminal device can synchronously activate the target secondary cell when performing inter-station handover. When the value is 0, the third parameter indicates that the terminal device cannot synchronously activate the target secondary cell when performing inter-station handover.

[0137] In one implementation, when the first parameter configured by the first communication node for the terminal device indicates that the CA type is co-located CA and the second parameter indicates that the LTM type is single LTM, if the measured RSRP / RSRP of the first secondary cell is greater than or equal to the trigger threshold, the third parameter is set to 1, and second information carrying the third parameter with a value of 1 is sent to the first communication node. In this case, the terminal device decides that the secondary cell can be activated synchronously.

[0138] In another implementation, when the first parameter configured by the first communication node for the terminal device indicates that the CA type is co-located CA and the second parameter indicates that the LTM type is single LTM, if the measured RSRP / RSRP of the first secondary cell is less than the trigger threshold, the third parameter is set to 0, and second information carrying the third parameter with a value of 0 is sent to the first communication node. In this case, the terminal device decides that the secondary cell cannot be activated synchronously.

[0139] In another implementation, if the first parameter configured by the first communication node for the terminal device indicates that the CA type is a non-co-located CA and / or the second parameter indicates that the LTM type is a continuous LTM, the third parameter is set to 0. That is, in this case, the judgment of the first condition can be omitted, that is, regardless of whether the measured RSRP / RSRP of the first secondary cell is greater than or equal to the trigger threshold, the terminal device decides that the secondary cell cannot be synchronously activated.

[0140] In another possible implementation, the second information may be a measurement report from the terminal device, which includes signal measurement results from surrounding / neighboring cells. Further, if the second information includes a third parameter, the second information sent by the terminal device to the first communication node may also include one or more of the following: first measurement results (including L1 measurement results of the target primary cell and the secondary cell to be activated; optionally, also including L3 measurement results of the target primary cell and the secondary cell to be activated), RSRP / Channel Quality Indication (CQI) information of the secondary cell to be activated, and beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated.

[0141] For example, the RSRP / CQI information of the secondary cell to be activated is associated with the secondary cell association / addition result (SCellAssResult). If the measured RSRP / CQI meets the network's preset threshold, SCellAssResult will be marked as successfully added. At this time, the terminal will report the RSRP / CQI information, and the network can subsequently activate the SCell quickly via MAC CE signaling. If the measured RSRP / CQI does not meet the network's preset threshold, SCellAssResult will be marked as added failed or in an optimization-pending state. At this time, the terminal will report the RSRP / CQI information, and the network can subsequently adjust the SCell configuration via RRC reconfiguration signaling, such as replacing other candidate SCells or resetting the measurement threshold.

[0142] The beam synchronization information (SCellBeamSyncInfo) of the secondary cell to be activated includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: valid timing advance (TA), acquired TCI status information, uplink beam rate correlation parameters, etc. It should be understood that before activating the first secondary cell, the terminal device can receive SCell configuration (including frequency point, physical cell identifier (PCI), SSB transmission period and time domain location, etc.) sent from the network side. After receiving the SCell configuration, the terminal device can perform scanning and synchronization detection of the SCell to be activated, thereby obtaining the beam status information of the secondary cell to be activated and caching this beam status information. In this way, with the help of the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated, RACH-less synchronization can be achieved, meaning the terminal can complete synchronization with the secondary cell (uplink and / or downlink) without initiating a RACH procedure.

[0143] In one possible implementation, in the discrete architecture of the ORAN system, the first communication node includes a source CU and a source DU. The terminal device sends second information to the source DU, which may be a measurement report of the terminal device, and the source DU sends the second information to the source CU.

[0144] Step S303 (optionally): The first communication node determines the target secondary cell.

[0145] As an optional example, step S303 is an optional step.

[0146] Specifically, the first communication node receives second information from the terminal device, which may be a measurement report from the terminal device. In some examples, when the third parameter (such as the activation flag) carried in the second information is set to 1, the first communication node can combine the network load with the reported second information (such as one or more of the first measurement result and the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated) to determine the target secondary cell from the secondary cells to be activated (i.e., candidate secondary cells).

[0147] In some other examples, if the third parameter (e.g., activationflag) carried in the second information is 0, the first communication node performs LTM handover according to the normal procedure, without synchronously activating the secondary cell, that is, steps S303 to S306 are not executed. In this example, the first communication node first determines the target primary cell after the handover, and after the terminal device accesses the target primary cell, it then determines and activates the target secondary cell.

[0148] In one possible implementation, in the split architecture of the ORAN system, the first communication node includes a source CU and a source DU. The source DU receives second information from the terminal device. If the value of the third parameter (e.g., activation flag) carried in the second information is 0, the source DU performs LTM handover according to the normal procedure, without synchronously activating the secondary cell, that is, it does not execute steps S303 to S306. If the value of the third parameter (e.g., activation flag) carried in the second information is 1, the source DU determines the target secondary cell to be activated by combining network load and terminal-reported information, and reports it to the source CU through a UE Mobility Command. In some examples, this command carries a second identifier and the beam synchronization information (SCellBeamSyncInfo) of the target secondary cell. For example, the second identifier can be represented as ActSCellIndex, which is used to indicate the SCell index to be activated.

[0149] Step S304 (optionally): The first communication node sends a handover request to the second communication node. Correspondingly, the second communication node receives the handover request.

[0150] As an optional example, step S304 is an optional step.

[0151] In some examples, during the handover phase, the first communication node can filter eligible LTM candidate cells based on the measurement report messages reported by the terminal device. Then, the first communication node can further determine whether the candidate cells meet the handover criteria based on preset LTM event rules, taking into account the network deployment scenario, thereby identifying the target serving cell from among the candidate cells. After determining the target serving cell, the first communication node sends a handover request to the second communication node where the target serving cell is located. The handover request information includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: the configuration information of the target secondary cell and the beam synchronization information of the target secondary cell. The second communication node can then reserve resources for the target secondary cell based on the configuration information and beam synchronization information of the target secondary cell.

[0152] In one implementation, the handover request information may also include a second version number, which indicates the configuration version number corresponding to the first item during the handover request phase. Specifically, during the handover request phase, the first communication node can determine the second version number based on the current network environment. It should be understood that the network environment during the handover request phase may differ from the network environment during the pre-configuration phase. To ensure the consistency of the secondary cell activation configuration, the current network environment needs to be reassessed during the handover request phase to determine the configuration version number corresponding to the first item during this phase.

[0153] In another implementation, the handover request information can also include a first parameter and a second parameter to synchronize the current network configuration with the second communication node.

[0154] In one possible implementation, in the split architecture of the ORAN system, the first communication node includes a source CU and a source DU, and the second communication node includes a target CU and a target DU. The source CU sends a HANDOVER REQUEST signaling message to the target CU, which adds at least one of the following: sCellActConfiguration information element (configuration information of the target secondary cell) for synchronizing the configuration of the SCell to be activated; SCellBeamSyncInfo (beam synchronization information of the target secondary cell), CATypeFlag (CA type identifier, i.e., the first parameter), LTMTypeFlag (LTM type identifier, i.e., the second parameter); NewSCellActConfigVer (new SCell activation configuration version number, i.e., the second version number) to realize the configuration verification of the target CU. The source CU further sends NewSCellActConfigVer to the source DU through an LTM handover command (LTM_SwitchCommand).

[0155] Step S305 (optionally): The first communication node sends third information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third information.

[0156] As an optional example, step S305 is an optional step.

[0157] In some examples, during handover, i.e., after determining the target secondary cell, the first communication node sends third information to the terminal device. This third information includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a first identifier (e.g., PCellIndex), a second identifier, and a second version number (e.g., NewSCellActConfigVer). The first identifier indicates the target primary cell during inter-site handover, and the second version number indicates the configuration version number corresponding to the first item during the handover request phase. The second identifier includes the index of the target secondary cell (e.g., SCellIndex) and a third parameter (e.g., activationFlag). When the third parameter is 1 (or true), the second identifier indicates that the target secondary cell can be activated synchronously during inter-site handover; when the third parameter is 0 (or false), the second identifier indicates that the target secondary cell is not activated synchronously during inter-site handover.

[0158] In one possible implementation, in the split architecture of the ORAN system, the first communication node includes a source CU and a source DU. During handover, the source DU sends a configuration including activationFlag, SCellIndex, PCellIndex and NewSCellActConfigVer to the terminal device via MAC CE to trigger the handover to the target secondary cell.

[0159] Step S306 (optionally): The terminal device activates the target secondary cell based on third information.

[0160] In some examples, the terminal device receives third information to perform a handover operation. During the handover to the target primary cell corresponding to the first identifier, if the first version number in the pre-configuration phase is consistent with the second version number in the handover phase, it indicates that the current network situation is basically consistent with the network situation of the pre-configured node, indicating that the channel state has not changed much. The terminal device can activate the target secondary cell based on the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated while handing over to the target primary cell, so as to complete the uplink and downlink synchronization with the target secondary cell.

[0161] In some other examples, if the first version number in the pre-configuration phase is inconsistent with the second version number in the handover phase, it indicates that the current network situation is inconsistent with the network situation of the pre-configured node, indicating that the channel state has changed. The terminal device cannot activate the target secondary cell based on the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated. In this case, the terminal device only switches to the target primary cell and does not activate the target secondary cell synchronously.

[0162] In one possible implementation, in the separate architecture of the ORAN system, after the terminal device receives the MACCE from the source CU, it first verifies the consistency of NewSCellActConfigVer. If the two version numbers are consistent, when performing the target PCell handover, the pre-stored SCellBeamSyncInfo is reused to directly complete the SCell synchronization activation, skipping the re-measurement step after the handover.

[0163] In some other examples, after the terminal device switches to the target primary cell and activates the target secondary cell, it sends a fourth message to the second communication node (such as the target DU). The fourth message includes a first indication message and a second indication message. The first indication message is used to instruct the terminal device to switch from the source primary cell to the target primary cell based on the LTM mechanism. The second indication message is used to indicate that the target secondary cell has been activated and that the target primary cell and the target secondary cell are within the coverage area of ​​the second communication node's wireless network.

[0164] In the split architecture of the ORAN system, the second communication node includes a target CU and a target DU. The terminal device sends a MAC CE to the target DU, which indicates that the LTM cell switch is complete. This MAC CE adds SCellIndex and SCellActStatus (i.e., SCell activation status) to provide feedback on the SCell's activation result (e.g., activated, inactive, or dormant). Then, the target DU forwards the terminal's feedback to the target CU via MessageTransfer signaling. The target CU receives the feedback and confirms that both the handover and SCell activation are complete. It then initiates CA resource scheduling for PCells and SCells within the MCG and simultaneously sends a resource-release-command signaling to the source CU to release the relevant resources on the source side.

[0165] For example, in an inter-CU MCG LTM scenario, the cells involved in the handover belong to two different CUs. The handover targets cells within the MCG. For instance, the UE's current MCG's primary cell (i.e., the source primary cell) is managed by the first communication node (e.g., CU1). When the network determines that a handover is needed based on the UE's L1 measurement report, the target cell belongs to the second communication node (e.g., CU2), and the target cell after the handover becomes the new MCG primary cell. To ensure handover efficiency, the network pre-configures the cross-CU target cell as an LTM candidate cell via RRC signaling. In this way, the entire handover process can be completed through the LTM mechanism without complex L3 layer signaling interactions.

[0166] Please see Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:

[0167] S41: The source CU sends the activation configuration to the UE.

[0168] The activation configuration refers to RRC Reconfiguration, including but not limited to at least one of the following: candidateCellId (candidate cell identifier), sCellToAddModList (list of secondary cells to be added / modified), CATypeFlag used to indicate the CA type; LTMTypeFlag used to distinguish between LTM and C-LTM; SCellActConfigVersion used to ensure consistency of SCell activation configuration between the target CU and UE in the Inter-CU scenario; and SCellActEventConfig used to provide L1 event triggering measurement thresholds (such as specific RSRP thresholds / RSRQ thresholds) to support UEs in independently determining activation conditions.

[0169] S42: The UE performs L1 / L3 measurements and autonomously determines the activation conditions, then reports the measurement results to the source DU.

[0170] For example, the UE performs L1 / L3 level measurements on the target SpCell and SCell, and determines the activation conditions according to the pre-configured SCellActEventConfig: only when CATypeFlag=1 (co-located CA), LTMTypeFlag=1 (LTM mode) and the L1 triggering conditions set by SCellActEventConfig are met, the activationFlag is set to 1, indicating that synchronous activation can be performed.

[0171] Afterwards, the UE reports the measurement results to the source DU, namely MeasurementReport. This report must include the L1 / L3 measurement results of the target SpCell / SCell, the sCellAssResult of the RSRP / CQI information of the synchronous feedback SCell, the activationFlag used to determine the activation conditions, and the SCellBeamSyncInfo indicating the DL / UL synchronization status of the SCell to be activated (such as the acquired TCI status and valid TA value) to support RACH-less synchronization activation.

[0172] S43: The source DU determines the SCell to be activated and its configuration and reports it to the source CU.

[0173] For example, if activationFlag=0, the source DU performs LTM handover according to the normal procedure and does not activate SCell synchronously; if activationFlag=1, the source DU determines the SCell to be activated by combining network load and UE-reported information, and reports it to the source CU through UEMobilityCommand. This command needs to add ActsCellIndex (index of the SCell to be activated) and SCellBeamSyncInfo.

[0174] S44: Switchover preparation. The source CU sends a handover request to the target CU to synchronize configurations.

[0175] For example, during the handover preparation phase, the source CU sends a handover request signaling to the target CU. This signaling adds the following elements: sCellActConfiguration, used to synchronize the configuration of the SCell to be activated; SCellBeamSyncInfo, CATypeFlag, and LTMTypeFlag; and NewSCellActConfigVer (the version number of the new SCell activation configuration) to enable configuration verification by the target CU. The source CU further distributes NewSCellActConfigVer to the source DU via LTM_SwitchCommand.

[0176] S45: The source DU sends a MAC CE to the UE to trigger PSCell handover and SCell synchronization activation.

[0177] For example, during handover, the source DU sends the configuration including activationFlag, sCellIndex, and NewSCellActConfigVer to the UE via MAC CE to trigger the handover;

[0178] S46: UE verification version number, and determine whether to perform synchronization activation based on the verification result.

[0179] For example, after the UE receives the MAC CE, it first checks the consistency of NewSCellActConfigVer. If the two version numbers are consistent, it performs the target PCell handover and reuses the pre-stored SCellBeamSyncInfo to directly complete the SCell synchronization activation, skipping the re-measurement step after the handover.

[0180] S47: After the handover is completed, the UE reports the activation status, and the target CU triggers the source CU to release resources.

[0181] For example, after the handover is complete, the UE sends an LTM Cell Switch Complete MAC CE to the target DU. This MAC CE adds sCellIndex and sCellActStatus (SCell activation status) to reflect the SCell activation result. The target DU then forwards the UE's feedback to the target CU via MessageTransfer signaling. The target CU receives the feedback and confirms that both the handover and SCell activation are complete. It then initiates CA resource scheduling for PCells and SCells within the MCG and simultaneously sends a Resource-Release-Command signaling to the source CU to release the relevant resources on the source side. In this way, the terminal device's MCG link (such as the user plane data path) can be seamlessly migrated from its current primary node CU (i.e., the source CU) to another target CU (the target CU).

[0182] Please see Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of signaling interaction in a separate architecture of an ORAN system provided in an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 5 As shown, the ORAN system includes two control units, CU_A and CU_B. The ORAN system may also include at least one DU under CU_A and CU_B, such as DU_A1 under CU_A. CU_A and DU_A1 belong to the first communication node, and CU_B belongs to the second communication node.

[0183] from Figure 5 It can be seen that terminal device UE1 is located in PCell_A covered by CU_A. Due to the movement of UE1, CU_A detects that UE1 may soon switch to PCell_B of CU_B, and PCell_A, PCell_B, and at least one SCell are in the same MCG. In this case, the signaling interaction includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:

[0184] S1: CU_A sends RRCReconfiguration to DU_A1.

[0185] RRCReconfiguration includes at least one of the following parameters: CATypeFlag=1; LTMTypeFlag=1; SCellActConcurrentVersion=v1.0; SCellActEventConfig, including Activation_Threshold_A1, Threshold: RSRP>-90dBm, RSRQ>=-10dB.

[0186] S2: DU_A1 sends RRCReconfiguration to UE1.

[0187] S3: UE1 performs L1 / L3 measurements and makes a judgment.

[0188] For example, UE1 measures the candidate cell and obtains the target PCell's RSRQ=-95dBm; UE measures the candidate cell and obtains the target SCell's RSRP=-88dBm and RSRQ=-8dB. Since the measured SCell's RSRP=-88dBm satisfies SCellActEventConfig, the determination result activationFlag=1 is set.

[0189] S4: UE1 sends a MeasurementReport to DU_A1.

[0190] Among them, MeasurementReport includes the RSRP / RSRQ measurement results of the target PCell; activationFlag=1; SCellAssResult: includes the RSRP / CQI of the SCell; SCellBeamSyncInfo: includes the synchronized Beamindex=2 and the effective TA offset=1.2μs, etc.

[0191] S5: DU_A1 sends UEMobilityCommand to CU_A.

[0192] Among them, UEMobilityCommand includes ActSCellIndex=5, SCellBeamSyncInfo, etc.

[0193] S6: CU_A sends a handover request to CU_B.

[0194] The handover request includes the target PScell ​​switching information; SCellActConfiguration includes the configuration information of the SCell with ActSCellIndex=5, SCellBeamSyncInfo, and NewSCellActCongfigVersion=v2.0. It can be seen that during the switch, due to changes in the network environment, the configuration changes, and therefore, the SCell activation configuration version number (ActCongfigVersion) also changes.

[0195] S7: CU_A sends an LTM_Switch command to DU_A1.

[0196] The LTM_Switch command includes information such as candidateCellID and NewSCellActConcurrentVersion=v2.0.

[0197] S8: DU_A1 sends MAC CE to UE1.

[0198] The MAC CE includes information such as activationFlag=1, SCellIndex=5, and NewSCellActCongfigVersion=v2.0.

[0199] S9: UE1 performs a handover.

[0200] In some examples, because SCellActConcurrentVersion does not match NewSCellActConcurrentVersion, UE1 only switches to the target PCell and does not activate the target SCell.

[0201] It should be understood that the steps in the above-described method embodiments provided in this application can be implemented by integrated logic circuits in the processor hardware or by instructions in software form. The method steps disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0202] This application divides the communication device into functional modules according to the above-described method embodiments. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules. It should be noted that the module division in this application is illustrative and represents only one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation. The following will combine... Figure 6 and Figure 7 The communication device of the embodiments of this application is described in detail.

[0203] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 6As shown, the communication device includes a processing module 601 and a transceiver module 602. The transceiver module 602 can implement corresponding communication functions; for example, it can also be called an interface, communication interface, or communication module. The processing module 601 is used for data processing, such as generating information. The transceiver module 602 can have its own control logic or can execute corresponding operations under the control of the processing module 601. In some embodiments of this application, the communication device can be used to execute the actions performed by the sending end in the above method embodiments. For example, the sending end can be the device itself or a chip or functional module configurable in the device. The transceiver module 602 is used to execute operations related to information transmission and reception in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 601 is used to execute operations related to data processing in the above method embodiments. The processing module 601 can execute corresponding operations by calling a computer program or by executing corresponding operations through corresponding hardware circuits. The transceiver module 602 can perform transmission and reception operations independently or under the control of the processing module 601.

[0204] For example, Figure 6 The communication device shown can be a terminal device or a component within a terminal device. The processing module 601 and the transceiver module 602 in the communication device can respectively perform the following operations:

[0205] The transceiver module 602 is used to receive first information from the first communication node, wherein the first information includes one or more of the following: a first parameter, a second parameter and a first condition, the first parameter is used to indicate the carrier aggregation (CA) type, the second parameter is used to indicate the mobility LTM type triggered by layer 1 / layer 2, the first condition includes the triggering condition of a first event, and the first event includes the synchronous activation of the secondary cell when the terminal device performs inter-site handover.

[0206] The processing module 601 is used to send second information to the first communication node through the transceiver module 602 in response to satisfying the first condition when the first parameter indicates that the CA type is co-located CA and the second parameter indicates that the LTM type is single LTM. The second information includes a third parameter, which is used to characterize the terminal device synchronously activating the target secondary cell when performing inter-station handover.

[0207] In one possible implementation, the processing module 601 is specifically used to send second information to the first communication node through the transceiver module 602 in response to the first measurement result satisfying the first condition. The first measurement result includes the Layer 1 measurement result of the first serving cell of the terminal device, and the first serving cell includes the target primary cell and the secondary cell to be activated.

[0208] In some examples, the second information also includes the first measurement result and the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated, wherein the first communication node is used to determine the target secondary cell from the secondary cells to be activated based on the first measurement result and the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated.

[0209] In another possible implementation, the first information also includes a first version number, which is used to indicate the version number corresponding to the first item in the pre-configuration stage. The transceiver module 602 is also used to receive third information, which includes a first identifier, a second identifier, and a second version number. The first identifier is used to indicate the target primary cell, the second identifier is used to indicate the target secondary cell, and the second version number is used to indicate the version number corresponding to the first item in the handover request stage.

[0210] During the handover to the target primary cell, if the first version number and the second version number are the same, the transceiver module 602 is used to activate the target secondary cell based on the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated.

[0211] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 602 is further configured to send fourth information to the second communication node, wherein the fourth information includes first indication information and second indication information. The first indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to switch to the target primary cell based on the LTM mechanism, and the second indication information is used to instruct the target secondary cell to be activated. The target primary cell and the target secondary cell are located within the coverage area of ​​the wireless network of the second communication node.

[0212] Reuse Figure 6 In other embodiments of this application, exemplarily, Figure 6 The communication device shown can be a network device (such as the first communication node) or a component of a network device. The processing module 601 and the transceiver module 602 in the communication device can respectively perform the following operations:

[0213] Processing module 601 is used to generate the first information;

[0214] The transceiver module 602 is used to send first information to the terminal device, wherein the first information includes one or more of the following: a first parameter, a second parameter and a first condition, the first parameter is used to indicate the carrier aggregation (CA) type, the second parameter is used to indicate the mobility LTM type triggered by layer 1 / layer 2, and the first condition includes the triggering condition of a first event, the first event including the synchronous activation of the secondary cell when the terminal device performs inter-station handover.

[0215] The transceiver module 602 is also used to receive second information from the terminal device, wherein the second information is sent by the terminal device when the first parameter indicates that the CA type is co-located CA, the second parameter indicates that the LTM type is one-time LTM, and the first condition is met. The second information includes a third parameter, which is used to characterize the terminal device synchronously activating the target secondary cell when performing inter-site handover.

[0216] In some examples, satisfying the first condition includes: the first measurement result satisfies the first condition, the first measurement result includes the Layer 1 measurement result of the first serving cell of the terminal device, the first serving cell includes the target primary cell and the secondary cell to be activated.

[0217] In one possible implementation, the second information further includes the first measurement result and the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated; the processing module 601 is used to determine the target secondary cell from the secondary cells to be activated based on the first measurement result and the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated.

[0218] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 602 is further configured to send third information, which includes a first identifier, a second identifier, and a second version number, wherein the first identifier is used to indicate the target primary cell, the second identifier is used to indicate the target secondary cell, and the second version number is used to indicate the version number corresponding to the first item in the handover request phase.

[0219] The first information also includes a first version number, which is used to indicate the version number corresponding to the first item in the pre-configuration phase. During the process of the terminal device switching to the target primary cell, if the first version number and the second version number are the same, the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated is used by the terminal device to activate the target secondary cell.

[0220] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 602 is further configured to send handover request information to the second communication node, wherein the handover request information includes the configuration information of the target secondary cell and the beam synchronization information of the target secondary cell, and the second communication node is configured to reserve resources for the target secondary cell based on the configuration information of the target secondary cell and the beam synchronization information of the target secondary cell, wherein the target primary cell and the target secondary cell are located within the coverage area of ​​the second communication node's wireless network.

[0221] Receive handover request confirmation information from the second communication node, wherein the handover request confirmation information is used to indicate that resources have been reserved for the target secondary cell.

[0222] The specific descriptions of the transceiver module and processing module shown in the above embodiments are merely examples. For the specific functions or execution steps of the transceiver module and processing module, please refer to the above method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0223] The communication device according to the embodiments of this application has been described above. The following describes possible product forms of the communication device. Any device possessing the above-described... Figure 6 Any product in any form that utilizes the functionality of a communication device falls within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0224] The following description is merely an example and does not limit the product form of the communication device in the embodiments of this application to this.

[0225] In one possible implementation, Figure 6 In the communication device shown, the processing module 601 can be one or more processors, and the transceiver module 602 can be a transceiver, or the transceiver module 602 can also be a transmitting module and a receiving module. The transmitting module can be a transmitter, and the receiving module can be a receiver. The transmitting module and the receiving module are integrated into one device, such as a transceiver. In the embodiments of this application, the processor and the transceiver can be coupled, etc., and the connection method between the processor and the transceiver is not limited in the embodiments of this application. In the process of executing the above method, the process of sending information in the above method can be the process of the processor outputting the above information. When outputting the above information, the processor outputs the above information to the transceiver so that the transceiver can transmit it. After the above information is output by the processor, it may need to undergo other processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above method can be the process of the processor receiving the input above information. When the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the above information and inputs it into the processor. In addition, after the transceiver receives the above information, the above information may need to undergo other processing before being input into the processor.

[0226] like Figure 7 As shown, the communication device 70 includes one or more processors 720 and a transceiver 710. Exemplarily, the transceiver 710 is used to perform actions such as... Figure 6 The transceiver module 602 shown implements the functions or steps, and the processor 720 is used to execute such functions or steps. Figure 6 The processing module 601 shown implements the functions or steps. The transceiver 710 may have its own processing logic, or it may execute related operations under the control of the processor 720. Optionally, the communication device 70 may also include a memory 730, which can store computer programs. The processor 720 performs operations by calling the computer programs in the memory 730, such as generating a first registration request, generating a first inventory response, etc. For detailed descriptions of the processor 720 and transceiver 710, please refer to... Figure 6 Alternatively, the method embodiments shown above will not be described in detail here. For explanations of relevant steps and information in the above embodiments, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments; they will not be detailed here. Figure 7In various implementations of the communication apparatus shown, the transceiver may include a receiver for performing a receiving function (or operation) and a transmitter for performing a transmitting function (or operation). The transceiver is also used to communicate with other devices / appliances via a transmission medium.

[0227] This application also provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor for implementing the functions involved in the methods executed by the communication node, access network device, or core network device in any of the above embodiments.

[0228] In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing program instructions and data, which may be located within or outside the processor.

[0229] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0230] Optionally, the chip system may contain one or more processors. These processors can be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc. When implemented in software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, implemented by reading software code stored in memory.

[0231] Optionally, the chip system may contain one or more memories. The memory may be integrated with the processor or disposed separately from it; this application embodiment does not limit this. For example, the memory may be a non-transient processor, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which may be integrated with the processor on the same chip or disposed separately on different chips. This application embodiment does not specifically limit the type of memory or the arrangement of the memory and processor.

[0232] For example, the chip system may be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a micro controller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0233] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to execute the method performed by the communication node, access network device, or core network device in any of the above embodiments.

[0234] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is run, it causes a computer to perform the method executed by the communication node, access network device, or core network device in any of the above embodiments.

[0235] The various embodiments of this application can be combined arbitrarily to achieve different technical effects.

[0236] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state drive).

[0237] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, it can include the processes described in the above method embodiments. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as ROM or random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0238] In summary, the above description is merely an embodiment of the technical solution of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made based on the disclosure of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

[0239] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0240] In the description of this application, terms such as “first,” “second,” “S301,” or “S302” are used only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and for the convenience of context. The different sequence numbers themselves do not have specific technical meanings and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying the order of execution of operations. The order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal device, the method includes: Receive first information from the first communication node, wherein the first information includes a first parameter, a second parameter and a first condition, the first parameter is used to indicate the carrier aggregation (CA) type, the second parameter is used to indicate the mobility LTM type triggered by layer 1 / layer 2, and the first condition includes the triggering condition of a first event, the first event including the synchronous activation of the secondary cell when the terminal device performs inter-site handover; When the first parameter indicates that the CA type is a co-located CA and the second parameter indicates that the LTM type is a single LTM, a second message is sent to the first communication node in response to satisfying the first condition, wherein the second message includes a third parameter, the third parameter being used to characterize that the terminal device synchronously activates the target secondary cell when performing inter-station handover.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of sending second information to the first communication node in response to satisfying the first condition includes: In response to the first measurement result satisfying the first condition, the terminal device sends second information to the first communication node, wherein the first measurement result includes the Layer 1 measurement result of the first serving cell of the terminal device, and the first serving cell includes the target primary cell and the secondary cell to be activated.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second information also includes the first measurement result and the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated, wherein the first communication node is used to determine the target secondary cell from the secondary cells to be activated based on the first measurement result and the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first information also includes a first version number, which indicates the version number corresponding to the first item in the pre-configuration phase. The method further includes: Receive third information, the third information including a first identifier, a second identifier and a second version number, wherein the first identifier is used to indicate the target primary cell, the second identifier is used to indicate the target secondary cell, and the second version number is used to indicate the version number corresponding to the first item in the handover request phase; During the handover to the target primary cell, if the first version number and the second version number are the same, the target secondary cell is activated based on the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a fourth message to the second communication node, wherein the fourth message includes a first indication message and a second indication message. The first indication message is used to instruct the terminal device to switch to the target primary cell based on the LTM mechanism, and the second indication message is used to indicate that the target secondary cell has been activated. The target primary cell and the target secondary cell are located within the coverage area of ​​the wireless network of the second communication node.

6. A communication method, characterized in that, The method, which utilizes a first communication node, includes: Send first information to the terminal device, wherein the first information includes a first parameter, a second parameter and a first condition, the first parameter is used to indicate the carrier aggregation (CA) type, the second parameter is used to indicate the mobility LTM type triggered by layer 1 / layer 2, and the first condition includes the triggering condition of a first event, the first event including synchronously activating the secondary cell when the terminal device performs inter-station handover; The terminal device receives second information, wherein the second information is sent by the terminal device when the first parameter indicates that the CA type is co-located CA, the second parameter indicates that the LTM type is one-time LTM, and the first condition is met. The second information includes a third parameter, which is used to characterize the terminal device synchronously activating the target secondary cell when performing inter-site handover.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The condition of satisfying the first condition includes: the first measurement result satisfies the first condition, the first measurement result includes the Layer 1 measurement result of the first serving cell of the terminal device, the first serving cell includes the target primary cell and the secondary cell to be activated.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second information also includes the first measurement result and the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated; The target secondary cell is determined from the secondary cells to be activated based on the first measurement result and the beam synchronization information of the secondary cells to be activated.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a third message, the third message including a first identifier, a second identifier and a second version number, wherein the first identifier is used to indicate the target primary cell, the second identifier is used to indicate the target secondary cell, and the second version number is used to indicate the version number corresponding to the first item in the handover request phase; The first information also includes a first version number, which is used to indicate the version number corresponding to the first item in the pre-configuration stage. During the process of the terminal device switching to the target primary cell, if the first version number and the second version number are the same, the beam synchronization information of the secondary cell to be activated is used by the terminal device to activate the target secondary cell.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: A handover request is sent to a second communication node, wherein the handover request includes the configuration information of the target secondary cell and the beam synchronization information of the target secondary cell. The second communication node is used to reserve resources for the target secondary cell based on the configuration information and the beam synchronization information of the target secondary cell. The target primary cell and the target secondary cell are located within the coverage area of ​​the wireless network of the second communication node. The handover request confirmation information from the second communication node is received, wherein the handover request confirmation information is used to indicate that resources have been reserved for the target secondary cell.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, in: The communication device includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5; or, the communication device includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 6 to 10.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor for executing a computer program or computer instructions stored in a memory to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program, which, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

14. A computer program product containing instructions, characterized in that, When the computer program product is run on a processor, it implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

15. A chip system, characterized in that, Including the processor; The processor is configured to execute computer execution instructions to cause a device on which the chip system is mounted to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

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