Communication method and device

Abstract

A communication method and device relate to the technical field of communication. In the method, a terminal receives a perception measurement configuration sent by an access network device of a serving cell, so that the terminal can perform perception measurement according to the perception measurement configuration to obtain a perception measurement result, and the perception measurement result is used for determining whether to execute cell handover. The problem of perception switching when perception performance is reduced or resources of a service cell are insufficient due to terminal movement can be effectively solved, and perception continuity can be improved.

Description

Communication methods and devices Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] With the development and advancement of communication technology, in future cellular networks, base stations will not only be able to interconnect people and things, but will also possess sensing capabilities. This enabling technology, which allows communication and sensing functions to coexist, cooperate, and benefit each other, is called integrated sensing and communication (ISAC). In ISAC, transmitting nodes (such as base stations) can send sensing signals, and receiving nodes (such as terminals) can receive the echo signals of these sensing signals to detect targets and estimate the speed, distance, angle, movement path, shape, size, etc. of the detected targets.

[0003] The current 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defines communication-based cell handover, which means that when the communication quality of a terminal's serving cell degrades to a certain level, a neighboring cell with better communication quality is selected as the terminal's new serving cell to ensure that the communication link between the base station and the terminal is not interrupted due to the terminal's movement. However, existing cell handover does not consider the impact of sensing performance, and therefore cannot cover sensing scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that takes into account the impact of sensing measurement results on cell handover, which is beneficial to improving sensing continuity.

[0005] The present application is described below from different aspects. It should be understood that the different implementation methods and beneficial effects described below can be referenced from each other.

[0006] Firstly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a terminal-side communication device. The communication device can be a terminal device, or a component within the terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, or functional module). Examples include a terminal or a communication / processing module within the terminal, or a circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for communication functions (e.g., 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 a circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for processing functions (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), an artificial intelligence (AI) processor, or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a sensing function processor). Taking the application of this method to a terminal as an example, in this method, the terminal receives a sensing measurement configuration and performs sensing measurements according to the configuration to obtain a sensing measurement result, which is used to determine whether to perform cell handover.

[0007] In this application, the terminal receives the sensing measurement configuration sent by the access network device of the serving cell, so that the terminal can perform sensing measurement according to the sensing measurement configuration and obtain the sensing measurement result. The sensing measurement result is used to determine whether to perform cell handover. This takes into account the impact of the sensing measurement result on cell handover, effectively solves the sensing handover problem when the sensing performance is degraded due to terminal movement or when the resources of the serving cell are insufficient, and is conducive to improving the continuity of sensing.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the sensing measurement configuration indicates one or more of the following information:

[0009] The neighboring cells that support sensing measurement, the sensing priority of the serving cell, the sensing priority of each cell in the neighboring cells that support sensing measurement, or the event triggering quantity;

[0010] The perception priority is used to indicate the degree of support a cell provides for perception services, and the event trigger quantity is used to indicate the type of perception measurement results.

[0011] In this implementation, the access network device of the serving cell can configure one or more of the above-mentioned information for the terminal, which is beneficial for the terminal to perform sensing measurements according to the sensing measurement configuration.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0013] Send the sensing measurement results; or,

[0014] If the third condition is met, the sensing measurement results are sent.

[0015] In this implementation, the terminal can directly send the sensing measurement results to the serving cell, so that the access network device of the serving cell can perform a cell handover decision based on the received sensing measurement results. Alternatively, the terminal can send the sensing measurement results to the serving cell only when certain conditions are met, which helps to save reporting overhead.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the third condition relates to the cell's sensing priority and / or the sensing measurement results; the third condition includes:

[0017] The sensing priority of the neighboring cell is greater than the sensing priority of the serving cell; or...

[0018] The sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than the sensing measurement result of the serving cell; or,

[0019] The sensing measurement result of the serving cell is less than the first threshold; or,

[0020] The sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than the second threshold; or...

[0021] The neighboring cell has a higher sensing priority than the serving cell, and the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than the sensing measurement result of the serving cell; or,

[0022] The sensing priority of the neighboring cell is less than or equal to the sensing priority of the serving cell, and the sensing measurement result of the serving cell is less than a first threshold; or,

[0023] The sensing priority of the neighboring cell is less than or equal to the sensing priority of the serving cell, and the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than the second threshold.

[0024] In this implementation, the third condition for triggering the terminal to send the sensing measurement results can be related to the sensing priority and the sensing measurement results. This approach, which comprehensively considers the sensing priority and the sensing measurement results, is more in line with actual needs.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0026] Obtain the switching decision parameters;

[0027] Whether to perform cell handover is determined based on the sensing measurement results and the handover decision parameters.

[0028] In this implementation, the terminal obtains the handover decision parameters and then combines them with the sensing measurement results to determine whether to execute the cell handover decision, which is highly operable.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the switching decision parameters include one or more of the following:

[0030] Handover hysteresis Hys, given duration T, perceived handover offset P, or the difference D between the perceived priority of the serving cell and the perceived priority of the neighboring cells, wherein D is used to determine the perceived handover offset P.

[0031] In this implementation, the aforementioned handover decision parameters are used for cell handover decisions, which is simple to implement and also facilitates forward compatibility of the protocol.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the handover decision parameters include the handover hysteresis Hys and the given duration T; the sensing measurement results include the sensing measurement results of the neighboring cells and the sensing measurement results of the serving cell; the step of determining whether to perform cell handover based on the sensing measurement results and the handover decision parameters includes:

[0033] If the first condition is met, determine to perform cell handover;

[0034] Wherein, the first condition is Mn>Hys+Ms, and the duration is greater than or equal to a given duration T, where Mn is the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell, and Ms is the sensing measurement result of the serving cell.

[0035] In this implementation, when making a cell handover decision, the perceived measurement results of the neighboring cell are compared with the perceived measurement results of the serving cell and the handover hysteresis. After the perceived measurement results of the neighboring cell are stable for a period of time, it is determined whether to perform a cell handover. This helps to accurately determine whether to perform a cell handover.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the handover decision parameters include the handover hysteresis Hys, the given duration T, and also include a sensed handover offset P or the difference D between the sensed priority of the serving cell and the sensed priority of the neighboring cells; the sensed measurement results include the sensed measurement results of the neighboring cells and the sensed measurement results of the serving cell; determining whether to perform cell handover based on the sensed measurement results and the handover decision parameters includes:

[0037] If the second condition is met, a cell handover will be performed.

[0038] Wherein, the second condition is Mn>Hys+Ms+P, and the duration is greater than or equal to the given duration T, where Mn is the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell, and Ms is the sensing measurement result of the serving cell.

[0039] In this implementation, when making a cell handover decision, in addition to considering the perception measurement results of neighboring cells, the perception measurement results of the serving cell, and handover hysteresis, the influence of cell priority is also taken into account, which further improves the accuracy of cell handover decisions.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0041] If a cell handover is determined to be performed, a random access request is initiated to the target cell;

[0042] The target cell is one of the neighboring cells that satisfy the first condition or the second condition. For example, the target cell is the one with the best / optimal sensing measurement result among the neighboring cells that satisfy the first condition or the second condition.

[0043] In this implementation, if the terminal determines that a cell handover is required, it can initiate random access to the target cell directly after determining the target cell, which can improve the efficiency of cell handover.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the perception priority of any cell is related to the available resources of that cell and / or the service load of that cell.

[0045] In this implementation, the cell's perception priority is lower when the cell has limited available resources or a high service load, and higher when the cell has abundant available resources or a low service load. This method of setting perception priority based on current available resources or service load helps reduce the impact on the cell's current communication services.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the event triggering quantity includes echo signal quality and / or sensing performance.

[0047] In this implementation, the event triggering parameters include echo signal quality and / or sensing performance, enhancing the versatility of the solution.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the echo signal quality includes one or more of the following:

[0049] Reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strengthen indicator (RSSI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), or signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR).

[0050] Wherein, the distance image RSRP is the average received signal power within the sensing distance range, the distance image RSSI is the total received power of all resource units within the sensing distance range, the distance image RSRQ is the ratio of N times the distance image RSRP to the distance image RSSI, where N is the number of resource units, and the distance image SINR is the ratio of the average received signal power within the sensing distance range to the average noise within the sensing distance range; wherein the sensing distance range is related to the distance between the terminal and the sensing area, and the distance between the access network device of the serving cell and the sensing area.

[0051] In this implementation, the quality of the echo signal is specifically represented by the aforementioned distance image information, which is more in line with the perception scenario.

[0052] In one possible implementation, the sensing performance includes one or more of the following:

[0053] The reconstruction accuracy, velocity measurement error, ranging error, angle measurement error, positioning accuracy, detection probability, or false alarm probability of the detected target.

[0054] In this implementation, the perception performance is represented by the information in the above dimensions, which better meets the needs of the perception scenario.

[0055] Secondly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to network-side communication devices, such as network-side access network devices, components within the access network device (e.g., processors, circuits, chips or chip systems, or a functional module, such as a processor or sensing module supporting sensing functions), or logical nodes, logical modules, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device. Taking the application of this method to an access network device as an example, in this method, the access network device determines and sends a sensing measurement configuration, wherein the sensing measurement configuration is used for sensing measurements, and the sensing measurement results are used to determine whether to perform cell handover.

[0056] In this application, the access network device of the serving cell sends a sensing measurement configuration to the terminal so that the terminal can perform sensing measurements according to the sensing measurement configuration and obtain sensing measurement results. The sensing measurement results are used to determine whether to perform cell handover. This takes into account the impact of sensing measurement results on cell handover, effectively solves the sensing handover problem caused by terminal movement leading to decreased sensing performance or insufficient resources of the serving cell, and is conducive to improving sensing continuity.

[0057] In one possible implementation, the sensing measurement configuration indicates one or more of the following information:

[0058] The neighboring cells that support sensing measurement, the sensing priority of the serving cell, the sensing priority of each cell in the neighboring cells that support sensing measurement, or the event triggering quantity;

[0059] The perception priority is used to indicate the degree of support a cell provides for perception services, and the event trigger quantity is used to indicate the type of perception measurement results.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0061] Receive the sensing measurement results.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the sensing measurement results include sensing measurement results from neighboring cells and sensing measurement results from the serving cell; the method further includes:

[0063] If the first condition is met, determine to perform cell handover;

[0064] Wherein, the first condition is Mn>Hys+Ms, and the duration is greater than or equal to a given duration T, where Mn is the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell, Ms is the sensing measurement result of the serving cell, and Hys is the handover hysteresis.

[0065] In one possible implementation, the sensing measurement results are used to determine whether to perform a cell handover, including:

[0066] The sensing measurement results and the sensing priority of the cell are used to determine whether to perform a cell handover. Alternatively, it can also be described that the access network device can determine whether the terminal should perform a handover based on / based on the sensing measurement results and the sensing priority of the cell.

[0067] In one possible implementation, the sensing measurement results include the sensing measurement results of the neighboring cells and the sensing measurement results of the serving cell; the method further includes:

[0068] If the second condition is met, a cell handover will be performed.

[0069] Wherein, the second condition is Mn>Hys+Ms+P, and the duration is greater than or equal to a given duration T, where Mn is the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell, Ms is the sensing measurement result of the serving cell, Hys is the handover hysteresis, P is the sensing handover offset, and P is related to the difference D between the sensing priority of the serving cell and the sensing priority of the neighboring cell.

[0070] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0071] If a cell handover is determined to be performed, a handover request is sent to the target cell. The handover request includes a handover reason, which indicates either a decrease in sensing performance or insufficient resources of the serving cell.

[0072] Receive a handover response, the handover response indicating whether the target cell accepts the handover;

[0073] The target cell is one of the neighboring cells that meet the first condition or the second condition.

[0074] In this implementation, when the access network device of the serving cell determines to perform a cell handover, the access network device of the serving cell can send a handover request to the access network device of the target cell, so that the access network device of the target cell can decide whether to accept the handover. This is beneficial for forward compatibility of the protocol. Optionally, the handover request may also include the target cell ID, the terminal identifier, UE context information, etc., without limitation.

[0075] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0076] If the handover response indicates acceptance of the handover, a handover awareness execution command is sent to the terminal, which instructs the terminal to perform a cell handover.

[0077] In this implementation, when the access network device corresponding to the target cell accepts the handover, the access network device of the serving cell can instruct the terminal to perform the handover, which is highly operable and conducive to forward compatibility of the protocol.

[0078] In one possible implementation, if the handover response indicates that the target cell does not accept the handover, the handover response may also include a reason for not accepting the handover, such as the target cell not supporting the sensing function or the target cell having insufficient resources.

[0079] In this implementation, the target cell can assist the serving cell in performing cell handover selection more accurately by providing feedback on the reason why it does not accept the handover. For example, if the reason for not accepting the handover is that the current target cell does not support the sensing function, then the serving cell will no longer use the target cell as the target cell when performing cell handover selection in the future. Conversely, it may still use the target cell as the target cell if the target cell does support the handover function.

[0080] Optionally, if the target cell does not accept the handover, the serving cell can continue to select another cell as the new target cell and re-execute the handover request process. If all cells in the candidate cell set / candidate cell list are unavailable, the handover fails, and the terminal remains camped on the current serving cell. Optionally, in this case, the serving cell can improve performance through other means such as power control and allocating more resources.

[0081] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0082] Send handover decision parameters, which are used by the terminal to decide whether to perform cell handover.

[0083] In this implementation, the access network device of the serving cell sends handover decision parameters to the terminal so that the terminal can determine whether to perform cell handover, which helps to improve the efficiency of cell handover.

[0084] In one possible implementation, the switching decision parameters include one or more of the following:

[0085] The handover hysteresis Hys, given a duration T, the perceived handover offset P, or the difference D between the perceived priority of the serving cell and the perceived priority of the neighboring cells, wherein D is used to determine the P.

[0086] In one possible implementation, the perception priority of any cell is related to the available resources and / or service load of that cell.

[0087] In one possible implementation, the event triggering quantity includes echo signal quality and / or sensing performance.

[0088] In one possible implementation, the echo signal quality includes one or more of the following:

[0089] Distance like RSRP, distance like RSSI, distance like RSRQ, or distance like SINR;

[0090] Wherein, the distance image RSRP is the average received signal power within the sensing distance range, the distance image RSSI is the total received power of all resource units within the sensing distance range, the distance image RSRQ is the ratio of N times the distance image RSRP to the distance image RSSI, where N is the number of resource units, and the distance image SINR is the ratio of the average received signal power within the sensing distance range to the average noise within the sensing distance range; wherein the sensing distance range is related to the distance between the terminal and the sensing area, and the distance between the access network device of the serving cell and the sensing area.

[0091] In one possible implementation, the sensing performance includes one or more of the following:

[0092] The reconstruction accuracy, velocity measurement error, ranging error, angle measurement error, positioning accuracy, detection probability, or false alarm probability of the detected target.

[0093] In one possible implementation, prior to determining the sensing measurement configuration, the method further includes:

[0094] Send a first message, which includes the sensing and measurement configuration requirements;

[0095] A second message is received, which includes the perception priority of the neighboring cell, and the perception priority of the neighboring cell is used to indicate whether the neighboring cell supports the perception measurement configuration requirement.

[0096] In this implementation, the access network device of the serving cell interacts with the access network device of the target cell to negotiate the sensing and measurement configuration before determining the sensing and measurement configuration, which is highly operable.

[0097] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device comprising units, modules, or means for implementing any of the methods in the first to second aspects, or any possible implementations of any of the aspects, wherein the modules, units, or means may be implemented by software, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0098] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device including a processor. The processor is configured to cause the communication device to implement the methods shown in any of the first to second aspects, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0099] Optionally, the communication device further includes a transceiver for sending and receiving information.

[0100] Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory storing a computer program; the processor and transceiver are used to invoke the computer program in the memory, causing the communication device to implement the method shown in any of the first or second aspects, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0101] In one possible design, the communication device may be a terminal in the first aspect described above, or any implementation thereof, or a device containing the terminal, or a device contained in the terminal, such as a chip or chip system; or, the communication device may be a network device in the second aspect described above, or any implementation thereof, or a device containing the network device, or a device contained in the network device, such as a chip or chip system.

[0102] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or contain chips and other discrete components.

[0103] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device comprising one or more processors, which implement, via logic circuits or execution code instructions, any of the methods described in the first or second aspects, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0104] Optionally, the communication device further includes an interface circuit for receiving signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmitting them to the processor, or sending signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device.

[0105] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory for storing part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary to implement the functions involved in the first aspect above.

[0106] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal, a communication module in a terminal, or a chip in a terminal that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip that contains a modem module.

[0107] The aforementioned communication device may be an access network device, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the access network device, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0108] It is understood that when the communication device provided by any of the third to fifth aspects is a chip, the aforementioned sending action / function can be understood as an output, and the aforementioned receiving action / function can be understood as an input.

[0109] This application also provides a chip, including a processor, for calling and executing instructions stored in a memory, causing a communication device on which the chip is installed to perform the methods described in the examples above. The memory may be integrated within the chip or located externally.

[0110] This application also provides another chip, including: an input interface, an output interface, and a processing circuit. The input interface, the output interface, and the processor are connected via an internal connection path. The processing circuit is used to execute code in a memory. When the code is executed, the processing circuit is used to execute the methods in the examples described above. Optionally, the chip also includes a memory for storing computer programs or code. The input interface and the output interface can be independent of each other, or they can be integrated into a single input / output interface.

[0111] The processing circuitry can be all or part of the processing circuitry in one or more processors, or one or more processors.

[0112] Sixthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the method shown in any of the first to second aspects, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0113] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product that, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the methods in the first aspect to the second aspect, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0114] Eighthly, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor and an interface, the processor being configured to read and execute a computer program or instructions in a memory, wherein when the computer program or instructions are executed, the chip performs the method as described in any one of the first or second aspects, or the method shown in any possible implementation of either aspect.

[0115] Ninthly, this application provides a communication system that may include a terminal and an access network device. The terminal is used to perform the method shown in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The access network device is used to perform the method shown in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof. Attached Figure Description

[0116] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system used in an embodiment of this application;

[0117] Figure 1B is another schematic diagram of the communication system architecture used in the embodiments of this application;

[0118] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the O-RAN system provided in this application;

[0119] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the network element function division and protocol layer structure of an O-RAN device provided in this application;

[0120] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0121] Figure 5 is another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0122] Figure 6 is another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0123] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0124] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0125] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0126] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0127] In the description of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between 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. Additionally, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to 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 multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0128] The terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the steps or units listed, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0129] In this application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the words "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0130] It is understood that in this application, "when," "if," and "if" all refer to the device making a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances, and are not time-limited, nor do they require the device to make a judgment when it is implemented, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0131] In this application, the use of singular pronouns for elements is intended to indicate "one or more," rather than "one and only one," unless otherwise specified. The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application are used interchangeably.

[0132] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, "B corresponding to A" means that there is a correspondence between A and B, and B can be determined based on A. Determining B based on A does not mean that B can be determined solely based on A; B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0133] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the system architecture involved in the embodiments of this application will be described first below:

[0134] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, and LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems. The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other communication systems, such as Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) systems, LTE Advanced (LTE-A) systems, the 5th generation (5G) systems, New Radio (NR) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, or other future communication systems, or other wireless communication systems employing wireless access technologies, all of which can adopt the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

[0135] Please refer to Figure 1A, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applied in an embodiment of this application. It should be noted that Figure 1A is a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram. As shown in Figure 1A, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system 10 may also include an Internet 300. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1A, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1A, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1A). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is connected to core network 200 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network elements in core network 200 and RAN nodes 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions, or a single physical device integrating some core network element functions and some RAN node 110 functions. Terminals can be interconnected with each other, and RAN nodes 110 can be interconnected with each other via wired or wireless means. Figure 1A is only a schematic diagram; this communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices. Each device may also include different functional units, which are not shown in Figure 1A.

[0136] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN 100 can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0137] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as a radio access network device, access network apparatus, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, in Figure 1A, network element 120i can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, in Figure 1A, 110a and 110b can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0138] In one possible scenario, RAN node 110 can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. RAN node 110 can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1A, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1A, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, RAN node 110 can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network device in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of RAN node 110 in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). In this application, RAN node 110 can also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of RAN node 110.

[0139] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes 110 collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node 110 implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, a RAN node 110 can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. CUs and DUs can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0140] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0141] For example, please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the O-RAN system provided in this application. Figure 2 is only a schematic diagram, and the O-RAN system may also include other components besides those shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the access network device (e.g., it may be an eNB, gNB, or next-generation access network device) communicates with the core network elements in the CN through a backhaul link and communicates with the terminal through the air interface.

[0142] Specifically, the BBU in the access network device communicates with the core network elements in the CN via a backhaul link, and the RU 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. The BBU includes at least one CU and at least one DU, which can communicate via at least one midhaul link.

[0143] Figure 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of the network element function division and protocol layer structure of an O-RAN device. In some examples, the CU is a logical node carrying the radio resource control (RRC) layer, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network device. The CU connects to network nodes such as the core network through interfaces, which can be interfaces such as E2 interfaces. Optionally, the CU can have some core network functions. The CU (e.g., the PDCP layer and higher layers) connects to the DU (e.g., the RLC layer and lower layers) through interfaces, which can be interfaces such as F1 interfaces. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). F1AP is the application protocol of the F1 interface, and in some examples, it defines the signaling procedures of F1. The F1 interface supports the control plane F1-C and the user plane F1-U.

[0144] In some examples, the CU can be split into CU-CP (control unit-control plane) and CU-UP (control unit-user plane). CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC layer and PDCP-C (control plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's control plane functions. CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements in the core network can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G system. The AMF network element is responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal location updates, terminal registration with the network, and terminal handover. CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and PDCP-U (user plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's user plane functions. CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements in the core network, such as the user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, are responsible for data forwarding and receiving in the terminal. The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency. Functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0145] In some examples, a DU is a logical node that carries the radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, higher physical layer (Higher PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, a DU can control at least one RU. The DU connects to the RU through interfaces, which can be fronthaul interfaces. In some examples, the Higher PHY layer includes the PHY layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation.

[0146] In some examples, the RU is a logical node that carries both lower physical layer (PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, the RU can be a 3GPP transmission reception point (TRP), a remote radio head (RRH), or other similar entities. In some examples, the Low-PHY includes PHY processing functions such as fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering. The RU communicates with one or more terminals via a wireless link.

[0147] The DU and RU can be co-located or not. The DU and RU exchange control plane and user plane information via a fronthaul link through the Lower-Layer Split CUS-Plane (LLS-CUS) interface. LLS-CUS may include LLS-C and LLS-U interfaces providing the control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane), respectively. In some examples, the control plane (C-Plane) refers to real-time control between the DU and RU. The DU and RU exchange management information via an LLS-M interface on the fronthaul link; the management plane (M-Plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and RU.

[0148] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0149] A terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. A terminal can also be referred to as terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), user device, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal unit, terminal station, terminal device, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device, etc. A terminal typically contains a communication module / communication unit, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication functions. The terminal may also be configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication functions. Optionally, as shown in Figure 1B, the terminal may also contain a module that implements sensing functions (hereinafter referred to as a sensing module). This module can be a new module or an extension of the functions (e.g., sensing functions) of an existing module. For example, the communication module may be extended so that it can process both communication signals and sensing signals. Optionally, a module that has both communication and sensing functions can be called a communication-sensing integrated module. The perception module is used to support / implement perception functions. Optionally, the perception module may also be called a perception function processor, etc., without limitation.

[0150] For RAN nodes, modules for implementing sensing functions (i.e., sensing modules) can also be configured. These modules can be new modules or extensions of existing modules with functionalities (e.g., sensing functions). The sensing modules support / implement sensing functions, such as processing sensing signals and / or enabling inter-station coordination under sensing capabilities.

[0151] Optionally, in the O-RAN architecture, the sensing module can be a new module set in the CU, or CU-CP, or CU-UP, or DU, or RU. Alternatively, the sensing module can be integrated with existing modules in the CU, or CU-CP, or CU-UP, or DU, or RU, that is, the existing functional modules can be extended to enable them to realize sensing functions.

[0152] Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, and smart cities. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, and roadside units (RSUs) with terminal functions. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0153] For ease of description, the following description uses a base station as an example of RAN node 110. Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. Base stations and terminals can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0154] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0155] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0156] In this application, the base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal, with the downlink information carried on the downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, with the uplink information carried on the uplink channel. To communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a radio connection on a cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a radio connection is called the terminal's serving cell. When the terminal communicates with this serving cell, it is also susceptible to interference from signals from neighboring cells.

[0157] In this application, "sending information" can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or it can also be understood as one logical module within a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "base station sending information" can be understood as the base station sending information to another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the base station sending information to logical module 2 in the base station.

[0158] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "base station receiving information" can be understood as the base station receiving information from another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the base station receiving information from logical module 2 in the base station.

[0159] The communication between different devices involved in this application can refer to direct communication between different devices (i.e., without the need for relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between different devices through other devices (i.e., requiring relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between a functional unit within a device and other devices through another functional unit. In other words, "sending information to… (e.g., a terminal)" or the relevant illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to the terminal. "Receiving information from… (e.g., a terminal)" or "receiving information from… (e.g., a terminal)" or "receiving information sent (e.g., by a terminal)" or the relevant illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal. This can include receiving information directly or indirectly from the terminal. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, analog-to-digital conversion, amplification, filtering, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0160] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, some knowledge / terms used in the solutions of this application are introduced below. It should be noted that these explanations are for the purpose of making the embodiments of this application easier to understand, and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed by this application.

[0161] 1. Sensing signals

[0162] Sensing signals refer to signals used to sense or detect targets, or signals used to sense or detect environmental information. For example, a sensing signal is an electromagnetic wave transmitted by a network-side device to sense environmental information. Sensing signals can also be called radar signals, radar sensing signals, detection signals, radar detection signals, environmental sensing signals, etc., and are not limited to these terms in the embodiments of this application.

[0163] 2. Echo signal

[0164] Echo signal refers to the electromagnetic feedback signal generated by electromagnetic waves (in this embodiment, the sensing signal) passing through the sensing target, such as transmission, scattering, and reflection.

[0165] 3. Perceived target

[0166] The sensed target can include various tangible objects on the ground that can be sensed, such as mountains, forests, or buildings, and can also include mobile objects such as vehicles, drones, pedestrians, and terminal devices. That is, the sensed target can be an active target or a passive target. An active target is one that can actively emit signals, such as a mobile terminal or a car, while a passive target is one that cannot actively emit signals, such as mountains or buildings. The sensed target can feed back electromagnetic waves to the network-side device. The sensed target can also be called a sensing target, a detected target, a sensed object, a sensed device, etc., and this application does not limit the terminology used in its embodiments.

[0167] 4. Communication-based handover

[0168] Communication-based handover refers to the ability of a terminal to move from one cell coverage area to another when communication quality deteriorates, or to switch from one cell to another with better communication quality when communication quality deteriorates due to external interference or other reasons, thereby providing the terminal with high-quality communication services.

[0169] The current 3GPP-defined communication-based handover process mainly includes a measurement phase, a handover decision phase, and a handover execution phase. However, current cell handover methods only consider communication quality and not sensing performance, thus failing to cover sensing scenarios. Therefore, this application proposes a communication method and apparatus that considers the impact of sensing measurement results on cell handover, which is beneficial for improving sensing continuity.

[0170] It should be noted that in the description of this application, "instruction" can include direct and indirect instructions, as well as explicit and implicit instructions. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (such as a sensing measurement configuration instruction) is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementation, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed. For example, the information to be instructed can be directly indicated, where the information to be instructed itself or its index is mentioned. Alternatively, the information to be instructed can be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be indicated. Another example is that only a part of the information to be indicated can be indicated, while the other parts are known, pre-agreed, or deducible. Furthermore, 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 the instruction overhead to some extent.

[0171] Optionally, the cell handover described in this application can also be referred to as handover. Optionally, the solution provided in this application can also be applied to cell reselection scenarios. For example, in a cell reselection scenario, for a terminal, after performing perception measurements according to the perception measurement configuration and obtaining the perception measurement results, it can reselect a cell based on the perception measurement results and camp on the reselected cell. For ease of description, the following text mainly uses the cell handover scenario for illustrative purposes.

[0172] The communication method and apparatus provided in this application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that this application uses an access network device and a terminal as examples to illustrate the execution of the interaction, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method executed by the access network device in this application can also be implemented by a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system, such as a sensing function processor) in the access network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device; the method executed by the terminal in this application can also be implemented by a communication / processing module in the terminal or a circuit or chip (e.g., a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a SoC chip / SIP chip containing a modem core, or a GPU / AI processor / ASIC / sensing function processor) in the terminal responsible for communication / processing functions. Optionally, the aforementioned sensing function processor can also be called a sensing module, used to support / implement sensing functions.

[0173] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0174] S401. The first access network device sends a sensing measurement configuration to the terminal. The terminal receives the sensing measurement configuration from the first access network device.

[0175] In some feasible implementations, the first access network device can determine and send the sensing measurement configuration to the terminal. Here, the first access network device is the access network device corresponding to the serving cell. In the embodiments of this application, the serving cell can also be called the source cell, or the cell before cell handover. The access network device corresponding to the serving cell can also be called the access network device where the serving cell is located, or the access network device of the serving cell, or the access network device of the source cell, or the source access network device, or the source base station, etc., and is not limited thereto. In the embodiments of this application, the neighboring cell refers to the adjacent cell of the serving cell, abbreviated as neighboring cell.

[0176] The aforementioned sensing measurement configuration can indicate one or more of the following information: neighboring cells supporting sensing measurement, the sensing priority of the serving cell, the sensing priority of each cell among the neighboring cells supporting sensing measurement, or the event trigger quantity. The sensing priority of a cell indicates the degree of support that cell provides for sensing services. Generally, the higher the degree of support a cell provides for sensing services, the higher its sensing priority. For example, the sensing priority of a cell can be related to its available resources and / or its service load. Generally, the more available resources a cell has and / or the lower its service load, the higher its sensing priority; conversely, the fewer available resources a cell has and / or the higher its service load, the lower its sensing priority. Optionally, the available resources can be time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources (e.g., bandwidth resources), etc., and are not limited. The service load can be communication service load, etc., and is not limited.

[0177] Optionally, the perception priority can range from 0 to M, where M is a positive integer. A larger value indicates a higher perception priority. Alternatively, the perception priority can also be represented by a control symbol. For example, when the control symbol is "yes," it indicates that the corresponding cell supports perception services; when the control symbol is "no," it indicates that the corresponding cell does not support perception services.

[0178] The aforementioned event trigger quantities are used to indicate the type of sensing measurement results. For example, event trigger quantities may include echo signal quality and / or sensing performance. Exemplarily, echo signal quality includes one or more of the following: range image RSRP, range image RSSI, range image RSRQ, or range image SINR. Wherein, range image RSRP is the average received signal power within the sensing range. Range image RSSI is the total received power of all resource elements within the sensing range. Range image RSRQ is the ratio of N times the range image RSRP to the range image RSSI, where N is the number of resource elements. Range image SINR is the ratio of the average received signal power within the sensing range to the average noise within the sensing range. Optionally, a resource element may be a resource element (RE), a resource block (RB), or other resource units, which are not limited in this application. Optionally, the aforementioned sensing range relates to the distance between the terminal and the sensing area, and the distance between the first access network device and the sensing area. For example, the sensing distance range Δd can be the sum of the distance d1 between the terminal and the sensing area and the distance d2 between the first access network device and the sensing area, that is, Δd = d1 + d2.

[0179] For example, perception performance includes one or more of the following: the reconstruction accuracy of the detected target, velocity measurement error, ranging error, angle measurement error, positioning accuracy, detection probability, or false alarm probability. Generally speaking, the lower the reconstruction accuracy / velocity measurement error / ranging error / positioning accuracy / false alarm probability of the detected target, the better the perception performance; conversely, the higher the reconstruction accuracy / velocity measurement error / ranging error / positioning accuracy / false alarm probability of the detected target, the worse the perception performance. Similarly, the higher the detection probability of the detected target, the better the perception performance; conversely, the lower the detection probability of the detected target, the worse the perception performance.

[0180] Optionally, in some feasible implementations, before step S401, or before the first access network device determines the sensing measurement configuration, the embodiments of this application may further include the following steps S4001 and S4002:

[0181] S4001, the first access network device sends a first message to the second access network device. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the first message from the first access network device, which includes a sensing measurement configuration requirement.

[0182] Here, the second access network device is the access network device corresponding to the neighboring cell. Optionally, the number of second access network devices can be one or more, depending on the actual scenario, and is not limited here. Generally speaking, the first access network device can send a first message carrying sensing measurement configuration requirements to the second access network device according to the characteristics of the sensing service. Optionally, the sensing measurement configuration requirements may include information such as the transmission period of the sensing signal and the transmission power of the sensing signal. For example, in a target tracking scenario, the first access network device can determine that the transmission period of the sensing signal needs to be less than or equal to λ / v based on the speed of the detected target. max Where λ represents the signal wavelength, v max This indicates the maximum speed that can be measured.

[0183] S4002, the second access network device sends a second message to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the second message from the second access network device.

[0184] Generally, after receiving the first message, the second access network device can send a second message back to the first access network device. This second message includes the sensing priority of neighboring cells, which indicates whether the neighboring cells support sensing measurement configuration requirements. Optionally, the sensing priority can also be understood as indicating the degree of support the neighboring cells have for sensing services. For example, the sensing priority can range from 0 to M, where M is a positive integer; the larger the value, the higher the sensing priority. Alternatively, the sensing priority can also be represented by a control symbol. For instance, when the control symbol is "yes," it indicates that the corresponding cell supports sensing services; when the control symbol is "no," it indicates that the corresponding cell does not support sensing services. For ease of understanding, this application embodiment mainly uses a sensing priority range of 0 to M for illustrative purposes.

[0185] Optionally, in this application, the access network device corresponding to the serving cell (i.e., the first access network device) and the access network device corresponding to the neighboring cell (i.e., the second access network device) can be the same access network device, or they can be different access network devices. When the access network device corresponding to the serving cell and the access network device corresponding to the neighboring cell can be the same access network device, the information interaction between the serving cell and the neighboring cell can be understood as an internal implementation. In this application, the embodiments are mainly described with the access network device corresponding to the serving cell and the access network device corresponding to the neighboring cell being different access network devices.

[0186] Optionally, in some feasible implementations, the first access network device may also obtain information on whether a neighboring cell supports the corresponding sensing measurement configuration / sensing priority through other network elements, such as through core network elements. Alternatively, the first access network device may also obtain information on whether a neighboring cell supports the corresponding sensing measurement configuration / sensing priority through services other than sensing handover.

[0187] S402. The terminal performs perception measurement according to the perception measurement configuration and obtains the perception measurement result, which is used to determine whether to perform cell handover.

[0188] In some feasible implementations, the serving cell and neighboring cells can send sensing signals to the terminal respectively. Correspondingly, the terminal can receive sensing signals from the serving cell and sensing signals from the neighboring cells, or the terminal can measure reference signals from the serving cell and reference signals from the neighboring cells to obtain sensing measurement results from the serving cell and sensing measurement results from the neighboring cells. Hereinafter, the sensing measurement results from the serving cell and the sensing measurement results from the neighboring cells may be collectively referred to as sensing measurement results.

[0189] In one possible design, after the terminal obtains the sensing measurement results, it can directly send the sensing measurement results to the first access network device, so that the first access network device can determine whether to perform cell handover based on the received sensing measurement results. Optionally, after the terminal obtains the sensing measurement results, it can also send the sensing measurement results to the first access network device under certain conditions (hereinafter referred to as the third condition for ease of distinction), so that the first access network device can determine whether to perform cell handover based on the received sensing measurement results. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the embodiment shown in Figure 5, which will not be elaborated here.

[0190] In another possible design, after the terminal obtains the sensing measurement results, it may not report the sensing measurement results, but instead directly determine whether to perform cell handover based on the measured sensing measurement results. See the relevant description of the embodiment shown in Figure 6 for details, which will not be elaborated here.

[0191] Optionally, as described above, the event trigger quantity is used to indicate the type of sensing measurement result, which may include echo signal quality and / or sensing performance. For an understanding of echo signal quality and sensing performance, please refer to the relevant description in S401 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0192] In this embodiment, the terminal receives a sensing measurement configuration sent by the access network device of the serving cell, so that the terminal can perform sensing measurements according to the sensing measurement configuration to obtain sensing measurement results. The sensing measurement results are used to determine whether to perform cell handover. This takes into account the impact of sensing measurement results on cell handover, effectively solves the sensing handover problem when sensing performance is reduced due to terminal movement or when the resources of the serving cell are insufficient, and is conducive to improving sensing continuity.

[0193] As described above, the terminal can send the sensing measurement results to the access network device so that the access network device can determine whether to perform cell handover based on the sensing measurement results. Alternatively, the terminal can choose not to send the sensing measurement results back to the access network device, but instead determine whether to perform cell handover based on the sensing measurement results itself. The following description, in conjunction with Figures 5 and 6, will explain these two designs respectively.

[0194] Please refer to Figure 5, which is another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this application embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0195] S501, The first access network device sends a sensing measurement configuration to the terminal. The terminal receives the sensing measurement configuration from the first access network device.

[0196] S502. The terminal performs perception measurement according to the perception measurement configuration and obtains the perception measurement result, which is used to determine whether to perform cell handover.

[0197] For an understanding of steps S501 to S502, please refer to the description of steps S401 to S402 in Figure 4 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0198] Optionally, before step S501, the first access network device may also perform configuration negotiation with the second access network device, as described in steps S4001 and S4002 in Figure 4, which will not be elaborated here.

[0199] S503. The terminal sends the sensing measurement results to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the sensing measurement results from the terminal, which are used to determine whether to perform cell handover.

[0200] In some feasible implementations, after the terminal obtains the sensing measurement results, it can directly send the sensing measurement results to the first access network device. Therefore, the first access network device can decide whether to perform cell handover based on the received sensing measurement results. Optionally, the terminal can also send the sensing measurement results to the first access network device if a third condition is met; that is, the terminal needs to first determine whether to report the sensing measurement results. For example, the aforementioned third condition may be related to the sensing priority of the cell and / or the sensing measurement results.

[0201] For example, the third condition is that the perception priority of the neighboring cell is greater than the perception priority of the serving cell.

[0202] For example, the third condition is that the perceived measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than the perceived measurement result of the serving cell.

[0203] For example, the third condition is that the perceived measurement result of the serving cell is less than (or can be less than or equal to) the first threshold.

[0204] For example, the third condition is that the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than (or it can be greater than or equal to) the second threshold.

[0205] For example, the third condition could be that the neighboring cell's perception priority is greater than the serving cell's perception priority, and the neighboring cell's perception measurement result is greater than the serving cell's perception measurement result. Alternatively, the third condition could be that the neighboring cell's perception priority is greater than the serving cell's perception priority, and the neighboring cell's perception measurement result is greater than the serving cell's perception measurement result for a first preset time period.

[0206] For example, the third condition could be that the sensing priority of the neighboring cell is less than or equal to the sensing priority of the serving cell, and the sensing measurement result of the serving cell is less than (or could be less than or equal to) the first threshold. Alternatively, the third condition could be that the sensing priority of the neighboring cell is less than or equal to the sensing priority of the serving cell, and the sensing measurement result of the serving cell is less than (or could be less than or equal to) the first threshold for a second preset time period.

[0207] For example, the third condition is that the sensing priority of the neighboring cell is less than or equal to the sensing priority of the serving cell, and the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than (or may be greater than or equal to) the second threshold. Alternatively, the third condition can be that the sensing priority of the neighboring cell is less than or equal to the sensing priority of the serving cell, and the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than (or may be greater than or equal to) the second threshold within a third preset time period.

[0208] Optionally, the first threshold, the second threshold, the first preset duration, or the second preset duration may be predefined, such as those predefined by the protocol, or may be configured by the first access network device to the terminal, without limitation.

[0209] The following describes how the first access network device decides whether to perform cell handover based on the received sensing measurement results.

[0210] In one possible design, the first access network device can determine to perform cell handover if a first condition is met; otherwise, it can determine not to perform cell handover. For example, the first condition is Mn > Hys + Ms, and the duration is greater than or equal to a given duration T, where Mn is the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell, Ms is the sensing measurement result of the serving cell, and Hys is the handover hysteresis. T and Hys can be predefined, such as those predefined by the protocol.

[0211] In another possible design, the first access network device can determine to perform cell handover if the second condition is met, and determine not to perform cell handover if the second condition is not met. The second condition is Mn > Hys + Ms + P, and the duration is greater than or equal to a given duration T. Mn is the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell, Ms is the sensing measurement result of the serving cell, Hys is the handover hysteresis, and P is the sensing handover offset. P is related to the difference D between the sensing priority of the serving cell and the sensing priority of the neighboring cells. For example, P = f(D), and one possible implementation is P = A * D + B, where A and B are constants. That is, the influence of cell handover priority on sensing handover can be controlled by adjusting P = f(D). Optionally, D can be defined as D = Q. n -Q s Q nFor the perception priority of neighboring cells, Q s Prioritize the perception of the service community.

[0212] S504. If the first access network device determines to perform a cell handover based on the sensing measurement results, it sends a handover request to the third access network device. Accordingly, the third access network device receives the handover request from the first access network device.

[0213] In some feasible implementations, the handover request may include a handover reason, such as indicating a decline in sensing performance, a decline in echo signal quality, or insufficient resources in the serving cell. Optionally, the handover request may also include information such as the target cell ID, the terminal's identifier, and UE context information.

[0214] In this embodiment, the third access network device is the access network device of the target cell, where the target cell can also be understood as the cell after cell handover. The access network device corresponding to the target cell can also be called the access network device where the target cell is located, or the access network device of the target cell, or the target access network device, or the target base station, etc., without limitation. The target cell is one of the neighboring cells that satisfy the first condition or the second condition. For example, when there is one second access network device, the third access network device is the second access network device; when there are multiple second access network devices, the third access network device is one of the second access network devices.

[0215] Generally speaking, the set / list of cells consisting of neighboring cells that meet the first condition or the second condition can be called the candidate cell set / list. For the first access network device, it can select a cell from the candidate cell set as the target cell. For example, the target cell can be the cell with the best sensing measurement result. Alternatively, the target cell can also be a cell randomly selected from the candidate cell set, which is not limited in this application.

[0216] S505, the third access network device sends a handover response to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives a handover response from the third access network device, indicating whether the target cell accepts the handover.

[0217] In some feasible implementations, the handover response may specifically include an acknowledgement (ACK) message or a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message, wherein the ACK message indicates that the target cell / third access network device accepts the handover, and the NACK message indicates that the target cell / third access network device does not accept the handover.

[0218] Optionally, when the handover response includes NACK information, i.e., when the handover response indicates that the target cell does not accept the handover, the handover response may also include the reason why the target cell does not accept the handover. For example, the reason for not accepting the handover may be that the target cell does not support the sensing function or that the target cell has insufficient resources. Understandably, by providing feedback on the reason for not accepting the handover, the target cell can assist the serving cell in performing the subsequent handover selection more accurately. For example, if the reason for not accepting the handover is that the current target cell does not support the sensing function, then when performing the subsequent handover selection, the serving cell will no longer regard that cell as the target cell, but otherwise it may still regard that cell as the target cell.

[0219] Optionally, if the target cell does not accept the handover, the serving cell can continue to select other cells as the new target cell and re-execute the handover request procedure. If all cells in the candidate cell set / candidate cell list are unavailable, the handover fails, and the terminal remains camped on the current serving cell. Optionally, in this case, the serving cell can improve performance through other means such as power control or allocating more resources. The cells included in the aforementioned candidate cell set / candidate cell list are usually neighboring cells that meet the first condition or the second condition. Optionally, the candidate cell set / candidate cell list may also include the current serving cell.

[0220] The embodiments of this application will be described below primarily by way of examples of accepting a handover by indicating a handover response.

[0221] S506. If the handover response indicates acceptance of the handover, the first access network device sends a handover awareness execution command to the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal receives the handover awareness execution command from the first access network device, which instructs the terminal to perform a cell handover.

[0222] Generally, after receiving the handover execution command, the terminal can begin cell handover, that is, disconnect from the serving cell and access the target cell. For the specific process of the terminal performing cell handover, please refer to section 9.2.3 of TS38.300V18.2, which will not be described in detail here.

[0223] Optionally, the sensing handover process may also involve core network elements, such as the access and mobility management function (AMF) or the sensing function (SF), which is responsible for switching the core network's sensing path to the target cell. For example, a third access network device can send a sensing path handover request to the core network element, which includes the identifier of the target cell. Correspondingly, after receiving the sensing path handover request, the core network element can send a sensing path handover response back to the third access network device. This response includes ACK or NACK information, where ACK indicates that the core network element acknowledges the path handover, and NACK indicates that the core network element does not accept the path handover.

[0224] In this embodiment, after the terminal obtains the sensing measurement result, the terminal can send the sensing measurement result to the first access network device. Therefore, the first access network device can perform cell handover decision based on the received sensing measurement result, which is beneficial to improving sensing continuity.

[0225] Please refer to Figure 6, which is another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0226] S601. The first access network device sends a sensing measurement configuration to the terminal. The terminal receives the sensing measurement configuration from the first access network device.

[0227] S602. The terminal performs perception measurement according to the perception measurement configuration and obtains the perception measurement result, which is used to determine whether to perform cell handover.

[0228] For an understanding of steps S601 to S602, please refer to the description of steps S401 to S402 in Figure 4 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0229] Optionally, before step S501, the first access network device may also perform configuration negotiation with the second access network device, as described in steps S4001 and S4002 in Figure 4, which will not be elaborated here.

[0230] S603, The terminal obtains the handover decision parameters.

[0231] The handover decision parameters mentioned above include one or more of the following: handover hysteresis Hys, given duration T, perceived handover offset P, or the difference D between the perceived priority of the serving cell and the perceived priority of neighboring cells, where D is used to determine the perceived handover offset P.

[0232] In one possible design, the terminal obtaining handover decision parameters can be understood as follows: the first access network device sends handover decision parameters to the terminal, and correspondingly, the terminal receives the handover decision parameters from the first access network device. That is, the handover decision parameters are configured to the terminal by the first access network device, facilitating flexible control by the access network device. In another possible design, the handover decision parameters can also be predefined, such as those predefined by the protocol. In yet another possible implementation, some parameters in the handover decision parameters can be configured by the first access device for the terminal, while others can be predefined by the protocol. For example, the handover hysteresis Hys and the given duration T can be predefined by the protocol, and the perceived handover offset P or the difference D between the perceived priority of the serving cell and the perceived priority of neighboring cells can be configured by the first access device for the terminal.

[0233] S604. The terminal determines whether to perform cell handover based on the sensing measurement results and handover decision parameters.

[0234] In some feasible implementations, when the handover decision parameters include handover hysteresis Hys and a given duration T, the above-mentioned determination of whether to perform cell handover based on the sensing measurement results and the handover decision parameters can be understood as follows: if a first condition is met, cell handover is determined to be performed; if the first condition is not met, cell handover is determined not to be performed. The first condition is Mn > Hys + Ms, and the duration is greater than or equal to the given duration T, where Mn is the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell, and Ms is the sensing measurement result of the serving cell.

[0235] In some feasible implementations, when the handover decision parameters include handover hysteresis Hys, a given duration T, and also include a perceived handover offset P or the difference D between the perceived priority of the serving cell and the perceived priority of neighboring cells, the above-mentioned determination of whether to perform cell handover based on the perceived measurement results and handover decision parameters can be understood as follows: if the second condition is met, cell handover is determined to be performed; if the second condition is not met, cell handover is determined not to be performed. The second condition is Mn > Hys + Ms + P, and the duration is greater than or equal to the given duration T, where Mn is the perceived measurement result of the neighboring cell, and Ms is the perceived measurement result of the serving cell. It should be noted that when the handover decision parameters include the value of the perceived handover offset P, the terminal can directly use the value of P to determine whether the second condition is met. When the handover decision parameters include the value of the difference D between the perceived priority of the serving cell and the perceived priority of neighboring cells, the terminal usually needs to first calculate P based on D, and then combine the value of P to determine whether the second condition is met. The calculation formula between D and P can be found in the relevant description in S503 of Figure 5 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0236] S605. When the terminal determines to perform a cell handover, the terminal initiates random access to the third access network device.

[0237] In this embodiment, the third access network device is the access network device of the target cell, where the target cell can also be understood as the cell after cell handover. The access network device corresponding to the target cell can also be called the access network device where the target cell is located, or the access network device of the target cell, or the target access network device, or the target base station, etc., without limitation. The target cell is one of the neighboring cells that satisfy the first condition or the second condition. For example, when there is one second access network device, the third access network device is the second access network device; when there are multiple second access network devices, the third access network device is one of the second access network devices.

[0238] Generally speaking, the set / list of cells consisting of neighboring cells that meet the first condition or the second condition can be called the candidate cell set / list. For the first access network device, it can select a cell from the candidate cell set as the target cell. For example, the target cell can be the cell with the best sensing measurement result. Alternatively, the target cell can also be a cell randomly selected from the candidate cell set, which is not limited in this application.

[0239] For details on the specific procedures for a terminal to initiate random access, please refer to section 9.2.6 of TS 38.300V18.2, which will not be elaborated here.

[0240] In this embodiment of the application, after the terminal obtains the sensing measurement results, the terminal itself can make a cell handover decision based on the sensing measurement results, and if it is determined to perform cell handover, it can directly initiate random access to the target cell. This is beneficial to improve cell handover efficiency and enhance sensing continuity.

[0241] Optionally, the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6 above can also be applied to the O-RAN architecture. It should be understood that in the O-RAN architecture, the access network devices involved in Figures 4 to 6 can be replaced by CU (e.g., CU-CP or CU-UP) or DU or RU, etc.

[0242] The communication device provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 7 to 9.

[0243] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0244] Figures 7 to 9 are schematic diagrams illustrating possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal or access network device (e.g., base station) in the above method embodiments, and thus also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device may be one of the terminals 120a-120j shown in Figure 1A, or it may be RAN node 110a or 110b shown in Figure 1A. Optionally, it may also be a module (e.g., a chip) applied to the terminal or access network device.

[0245] As shown in Figure 7, the communication device 700 includes a processing unit 710 and a transceiver unit 720. The transceiver unit 720 and the processing unit 710 can be software, hardware, or a combination of both. Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a storage unit 730 for storing device program code and / or data, not shown in Figure 7.

[0246] The transceiver unit 720 can implement sending and / or receiving functions. Optionally, the transceiver unit 720 can also be called a communication unit or an acquisition unit, etc. The transceiver unit 720 may further include a receiving unit and / or a sending unit, wherein the receiving unit is used to implement the receiving function, and the sending unit is used to implement the sending function. Optionally, the transceiver unit 720 can be used to receive information sent by other devices, and can also be used to send information to other devices.

[0247] The communication device 700 is used to implement the functions of the terminal-side communication device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6. For example, the terminal-side communication device can be a terminal or a communication module in the terminal, or a module, circuit, or chip in the terminal responsible for communication and / or sensing functions. Alternatively, the communication device 700 can be used to implement the functions of the network-side device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6. For example, the network-side device can be an access network device, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) in the access network device, or a logic node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device. Optionally, the module used to implement the sensing function can be called a sensing module or a sensing function processor. The sensing module can be a new module, or it can be an existing module with functional (e.g., sensing function) extensions. For example, the communication module can be extended so that it can process both communication signals and sensing signals. Optionally, a module that has both communication and sensing functions can be called a communication-sensing integrated module.

[0248] When the communication device 700 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6:

[0249] Transceiver unit 720 is used to receive sensing measurement configuration;

[0250] The processing unit 710 is configured to perform sensing measurements according to the sensing measurement configuration and obtain sensing measurement results, which are used to determine whether to perform cell handover.

[0251] In one possible implementation, the sensing measurement configuration indicates one or more of the following information:

[0252] The neighboring cells that support sensing measurement, the sensing priority of the serving cell, the sensing priority of each cell in the neighboring cells that support sensing measurement, or the event triggering quantity;

[0253] The perception priority is used to indicate the degree of support a cell provides for perception services, and the event trigger quantity is used to indicate the type of perception measurement results.

[0254] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 710 is further configured to:

[0255] Obtain the switching decision parameters;

[0256] Whether to perform cell handover is determined based on the sensing measurement results and the handover decision parameters.

[0257] In one possible implementation, the switching decision parameters include one or more of the following:

[0258] Handover hysteresis Hys, given duration T, perceived handover offset P, or the difference D between the perceived priority of the serving cell and the perceived priority of the neighboring cells, wherein D is used to determine the perceived handover offset P.

[0259] In one possible implementation, the handover decision parameters include the handover hysteresis Hys and the given duration T; the sensing measurement results include the sensing measurement results of the neighboring cells and the sensing measurement results of the serving cell; when determining whether to perform cell handover based on the sensing measurement results and the handover decision parameters, the processing unit 710 is configured to:

[0260] If the first condition is met, determine to perform cell handover;

[0261] Wherein, the first condition is Mn>Hys+Ms, and the duration is greater than or equal to a given duration T, where Mn is the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell, and Ms is the sensing measurement result of the serving cell.

[0262] In one possible implementation, the handover decision parameters include the handover hysteresis Hys, the given duration T, and also include a sensed handover offset P or the difference D between the sensed priority of the serving cell and the sensed priority of the neighboring cells; the sensed measurement results include the sensed measurement results of the neighboring cells and the sensed measurement results of the serving cell; when determining whether to perform a cell handover based on the sensed measurement results and the handover decision parameters, the processing unit 710 is configured to:

[0263] If the second condition is met, a cell handover will be performed.

[0264] Wherein, the second condition is Mn>Hys+Ms+P, and the duration is greater than or equal to the given duration T, where Mn is the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell, and Ms is the sensing measurement result of the serving cell.

[0265] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 710 is further configured to:

[0266] If a cell handover is determined to be performed, a random access request is initiated to the target cell;

[0267] The target cell is one of the neighboring cells that meet the first condition or the second condition.

[0268] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to:

[0269] Send the sensing measurement results; or,

[0270] If the third condition is met, the sensing measurement results are sent.

[0271] In one possible implementation, the third condition relates to the cell's sensing priority and / or the sensing measurement results; the third condition includes:

[0272] The sensing priority of the neighboring cell is greater than the sensing priority of the serving cell; or...

[0273] The sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than the sensing measurement result of the serving cell; or,

[0274] The sensing measurement result of the serving cell is less than the first threshold; or,

[0275] The sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than the second threshold; or...

[0276] The neighboring cell has a higher sensing priority than the serving cell, and the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than the sensing measurement result of the serving cell; or,

[0277] The sensing priority of the neighboring cell is less than or equal to the sensing priority of the serving cell, and the sensing measurement result of the serving cell is less than a first threshold; or,

[0278] The sensing priority of the neighboring cell is less than or equal to the sensing priority of the serving cell, and the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than the second threshold.

[0279] In one possible implementation, the perception priority of any cell is related to the available resources of that cell and / or the service load of that cell.

[0280] In one possible implementation, the event triggering quantity includes echo signal quality and / or sensing performance.

[0281] In one possible implementation, the echo signal quality includes one or more of the following:

[0282] Distance like RSRP, distance like RSSI, distance like RSRQ, or distance like SINR;

[0283] Wherein, the distance image RSRP is the average received signal power within the sensing distance range, the distance image RSSI is the total received power of all resource units within the sensing distance range, the distance image RSRQ is the ratio of N times the distance image RSRP to the distance image RSSI, where N is the number of resource units, and the distance image SINR is the ratio of the average received signal power within the sensing distance range to the average noise within the sensing distance range; wherein the sensing distance range is related to the distance between the terminal and the sensing area, and the distance between the access network device of the serving cell and the sensing area.

[0284] In one possible implementation, the sensing performance includes one or more of the following:

[0285] The reconstruction accuracy, velocity measurement error, ranging error, angle measurement error, positioning accuracy, detection probability, or false alarm probability of the detected target.

[0286] In one possible design, when the communication device 700 is a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, the functionality of the processing unit 710 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core. The functionality of the transceiver unit 720 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0287] In one possible design, when the communication device 700 is a circuit or chip in a terminal responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing unit 710 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the transceiver unit 720 can be implemented by the interface circuitry or data transceiver circuitry on the aforementioned chip.

[0288] When the communication device 700 is used to implement the function of the access network device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6:

[0289] Processing unit 710 is used to determine the sensing measurement configuration;

[0290] The transceiver unit 720 is used to transmit the sensing measurement configuration, which is used for sensing measurement, and the sensing measurement result is used to determine whether to perform cell handover.

[0291] In one possible implementation, the sensing measurement configuration indicates one or more of the following information:

[0292] The neighboring cells that support sensing measurement, the sensing priority of the serving cell, the sensing priority of each cell in the neighboring cells that support sensing measurement, or the event triggering quantity;

[0293] The perception priority is used to indicate the degree of support a cell provides for perception services, and the event trigger quantity is used to indicate the type of perception measurement results.

[0294] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to:

[0295] Receive the sensing measurement results.

[0296] In one possible implementation, the sensing measurement results include sensing measurement results from neighboring cells and sensing measurement results from the serving cell; the processing unit 710 is used for:

[0297] If the first condition is met, determine to perform cell handover;

[0298] Wherein, the first condition is Mn>Hys+Ms, and the duration is greater than or equal to a given duration T, where Mn is the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell, Ms is the sensing measurement result of the serving cell, and Hys is the handover hysteresis.

[0299] In one possible implementation, the sensing measurement results are used to determine whether to perform a cell handover, including:

[0300] The perception measurement results and the perception priority of the cell are used to determine whether to perform a cell handover.

[0301] In one possible implementation, the sensing measurement results include the sensing measurement results of the neighboring cells and the sensing measurement results of the serving cell; the processing unit 710 is further configured to:

[0302] If the second condition is met, a cell handover will be performed.

[0303] Wherein, the second condition is Mn>Hys+Ms+P, and the duration is greater than or equal to a given duration T, where Mn is the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell, Ms is the sensing measurement result of the serving cell, Hys is the handover hysteresis, P is the sensing handover offset, and P is related to the difference D between the sensing priority of the serving cell and the sensing priority of the neighboring cell.

[0304] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to:

[0305] If a cell handover is determined to be performed, a handover request is sent to the target cell. The handover request includes a handover reason, which indicates either a decrease in sensing performance or insufficient resources of the serving cell.

[0306] Receive a handover response, the handover response indicating whether the target cell accepts the handover;

[0307] The target cell is one of the neighboring cells that meet the first condition or the second condition.

[0308] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to:

[0309] If the handover response indicates acceptance of the handover, a handover awareness execution command is sent to the terminal, which instructs the terminal to perform a cell handover.

[0310] In one possible implementation, if the handover response indicates that the target cell does not accept the handover, the handover response may also include a reason for not accepting the handover, such as the target cell not supporting the sensing function or the target cell having insufficient resources.

[0311] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to:

[0312] Send handover decision parameters, which are used by the terminal to decide whether to perform cell handover.

[0313] In one possible implementation, the switching decision parameters include one or more of the following:

[0314] The handover hysteresis Hys, given a duration T, the perceived handover offset P, or the difference D between the perceived priority of the serving cell and the perceived priority of the neighboring cells, wherein D is used to determine the P.

[0315] In one possible implementation, the perception priority of any cell is related to the available resources and / or service load of that cell.

[0316] In one possible implementation, the event triggering quantity includes echo signal quality and / or sensing performance.

[0317] In one possible implementation, the echo signal quality includes one or more of the following:

[0318] Range image reference signal received power (RSRP), range image received signal strength indication (RSSI), range image reference signal received quality (RSRQ), or range image signal interference-to-noise ratio (SINR).

[0319] Wherein, the distance image RSRP is the average received signal power within the sensing distance range, the distance image RSSI is the total received power of all resource units within the sensing distance range, the distance image RSRQ is the ratio of N times the distance image RSRP to the distance image RSSI, where N is the number of resource units, and the distance image SINR is the ratio of the average received signal power within the sensing distance range to the average noise within the sensing distance range; wherein the sensing distance range is related to the distance between the terminal and the sensing area, and the distance between the access network device of the serving cell and the sensing area.

[0320] In one possible implementation, the sensing performance includes one or more of the following:

[0321] The reconstruction accuracy, velocity measurement error, ranging error, angle measurement error, positioning accuracy, detection probability, or false alarm probability of the detected target.

[0322] In one possible implementation, prior to determining the sensing measurement configuration, the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to:

[0323] Send a first message, which includes the sensing and measurement configuration requirements;

[0324] A second message is received, which includes the perception priority of the neighboring cell, and the perception priority of the neighboring cell is used to indicate whether the neighboring cell supports the perception measurement configuration requirement.

[0325] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 710 and the transceiver unit 720, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6.

[0326] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. Each function can correspond to a functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0327] In one example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0328] In one example, storage unit 730 may include random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory and / or registers, etc.

[0329] As shown in Figure 8, the communication device 800 includes a processor 810, and optionally an interface circuit 820. The processor 810 and the interface circuit 820 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 820 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 800 may also include a memory 830 for storing computer programs or instructions executed by the processor 810, or storing input data required by the processor 810 to execute instructions, or storing data generated by the processor 810 after executing computer programs or instructions.

[0330] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the method shown in Figures 4 to 6, the processor 810 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 710, and the interface circuit 820 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 720.

[0331] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information sent to the terminal by the access network device through other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal; or, the terminal chip sends information to other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal, which is information sent by the terminal to the access network device.

[0332] When the aforementioned communication device is a module applied to an access network device, the access network device module implements the functions of the access network device in the above method embodiments. The access network device module receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the access network device, which is information sent by the terminal to the access network device; or, the access network device module sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the access network device, which is information sent by the access network device to the terminal. Here, the access network device module can be the baseband chip of the access network device, or a CU, DU, or other module, or a device under an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture, such as an open CU, open DU, etc.

[0333] As shown in Figure 9, the communication device includes a processor 910, a memory 920, and a transceiver 930. The processor 910 is mainly used for processing communication protocols and communication data; controlling terminal / access network devices; executing software programs; and processing data from software programs. The memory 920 can store computer program code, software programs, and data. The transceiver 930 includes a transmitter 931, a receiver 932, radio frequency circuitry (not shown in Figure 9), and an antenna 933.

[0334] The processor 910 can also be called a processing unit, processing board, processing module, or processing device. The transceiver 930 can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver device.

[0335] Optionally, the devices in transceiver 930 used to implement the receiving function can be considered as receiving modules, and the devices in transceiver 930 used to implement the transmitting function can be considered as transmitting modules. That is, transceiver 930 includes a receiver and / or a transmitter. A transceiver may sometimes be called a transceiver unit, transceiver module, or transceiver circuit, etc. A receiver may sometimes be called a receiver unit, receiving module, or receiving circuit, etc. A transmitter may sometimes be called a transmitter, transmitting module, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0336] Processor 910 is used to execute terminal-side processing operations in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6. Transceiver 930 is used to execute terminal-side transmission and reception operations in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6. Alternatively, processor 910 is used to execute network-side processing operations in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6. Transceiver 930 is used to execute network-side transmission and reception operations in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6.

[0337] When the communication device 900 is a chip, the chip includes a processor and a transceiver. The transceiver can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface. The processor can be a processing module integrated on the chip, a microprocessor, or an integrated circuit. In the above method embodiments, the terminal's transmitting operation can be understood as the chip's output, and the terminal's receiving operation can be understood as the chip's input. Similarly, in the above method embodiments, the access network device's transmitting operation can be understood as the chip's output, and the access network device's receiving operation can be understood as the chip's input.

[0338] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions for implementing the methods executed by a terminal or access network device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0339] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, it enables the computer to implement the method executed by the terminal or access network device in the above method embodiments.

[0340] This application also provides a computer program product containing a program or instructions, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to implement the method executed by the terminal or access network device in the above method embodiments.

[0341] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the terminal and the access network device described in the above embodiments. The terminal is used to perform some or all of the operations performed by the terminal in the above method embodiments, and the access network device is used to perform some or all of the operations performed by the access network device in the above method embodiments.

[0342] This application also provides a chip device, including a processor, for calling a computer program or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the method provided in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6 above.

[0343] In one possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6, and the output of the chip device corresponds to the transmitting operation in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6.

[0344] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0345] Optionally, the chip device may also include a memory in which computer programs or computer instructions are stored.

[0346] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0347] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in an access network device or terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the access network device or terminal.

[0348] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access 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, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0349] 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.

[0350] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive sensing measurement configuration; perform sensing measurement according to the sensing measurement configuration to obtain sensing measurement results, which are used to determine whether to perform cell handover.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The perception measurement configuration indicates one or more of the following information: neighboring cells supporting perception measurement, perception priority of the serving cell, perception priority of each cell among the neighboring cells supporting perception measurement, or event trigger quantity; wherein, the perception priority is used to indicate the degree of support of the cell for perception services, and the event trigger quantity is used to indicate the type of perception measurement result.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: sending the sensing measurement results; or, if a third condition is met, sending the sensing measurement results.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The third condition is related to the perception priority of the cell and / or the perception measurement result; the third condition includes: the perception priority of the neighboring cell is greater than the perception priority of the serving cell; or, the perception measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than the perception measurement result of the serving cell; or, the perception measurement result of the serving cell is less than a first threshold; or, the perception measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than a second threshold; or, the perception priority of the neighboring cell is greater than the perception priority of the serving cell, and the perception measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than the perception measurement result of the serving cell; or, the perception priority of the neighboring cell is less than or equal to the perception priority of the serving cell, and the perception measurement result of the serving cell is less than the first threshold; or, the perception priority of the neighboring cell is less than or equal to the perception priority of the serving cell, and the perception measurement result of the neighboring cell is greater than the second threshold.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: obtaining handover decision parameters; and determining whether to perform cell handover based on the sensing measurement results and the handover decision parameters.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The handover decision parameters include one or more of the following: handover hysteresis Hys, given duration T, perceived handover offset P, or the difference D between the perceived priority of the serving cell and the perceived priority of the neighboring cell, wherein D is used to determine the perceived handover offset P.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The handover decision parameters include the handover hysteresis Hys and the given duration T; the sensing measurement results include the sensing measurement results of the neighboring cells and the sensing measurement results of the serving cell; The step of determining whether to perform cell handover based on the sensing measurement results and the handover decision parameters includes: determining to perform cell handover when a first condition is met; wherein, the first condition is Mn > Hys + Ms, and the duration is greater than or equal to a given duration T, where Mn is the sensing measurement result of the neighboring cell, and Ms is the sensing measurement result of the serving cell.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The handover decision parameters include the handover hysteresis Hys, the given duration T, and also include the perceived handover offset P or the difference D between the perceived priority of the serving cell and the perceived priority of the neighboring cell; the perceived measurement results include the perceived measurement results of the neighboring cells and the perceived measurement results of the serving cell. The step of determining whether to perform cell handover based on the perception measurement results and the handover decision parameters includes: determining to perform cell handover when a second condition is met; wherein the second condition is Mn > Hys + Ms + P, and the duration is greater than or equal to the given duration T, where Mn is the perception measurement result of the neighboring cell, and Ms is the perception measurement result of the serving cell.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: when it is determined that a cell handover will be performed, initiating random access to a target cell; wherein the target cell is one of the neighboring cells that satisfy the first condition or the second condition.

10. The method according to any one of claims 2-9, characterized in that, The perception priority of any cell is related to the available resources of that cell and / or the service load of that cell.

11. The method according to any one of claims 2-10, characterized in that, The event triggering parameters include echo signal quality and / or sensing performance.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The echo signal quality includes one or more of the following: Range Image Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Range Image Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), Range Image Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), or Range Image Signal Interference-to-Noise Ratio (SINR); wherein the Range Image RSRP is the average received signal power within the sensing range, the Range Image RSSI is the total received power of all resource units within the sensing range, the Range Image RSRQ is the ratio of N times the Range Image RSRP to the Range Image RSSI, where N is the number of resource units, and the Range Image SINR is the ratio of the average received signal power within the sensing range to the average noise within the sensing range; wherein the sensing range is related to the distance between the terminal and the sensing area, and the distance between the access network device of the serving cell and the sensing area.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The sensing performance includes one or more of the following: reconstruction accuracy of the detected target, velocity measurement error, ranging error, angle measurement error, positioning accuracy, detection probability, or false alarm probability.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Determine the sensing and measurement configuration; The sensing measurement configuration is sent, which is used for sensing measurement, and the sensing measurement results are used to determine whether to perform cell handover.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The perception measurement configuration indicates one or more of the following information: neighboring cells supporting perception measurement, perception priority of the serving cell, perception priority of each cell among the neighboring cells supporting perception measurement, or event trigger quantity; wherein, the perception priority is used to indicate the degree of support of the cell for perception services, and the event trigger quantity is used to indicate the type of perception measurement result.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The method further includes receiving the sensing measurement results.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The perception measurement results include the perception measurement results of neighboring cells and the perception measurement results of the serving cell; the method further includes: determining to perform cell handover when a first condition is met; wherein, the first condition is Mn > Hys + Ms, and the duration is greater than or equal to a given duration T, where Mn is the perception measurement result of the neighboring cell, Ms is the perception measurement result of the serving cell, and Hys is the handover hysteresis.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14-16, characterized in that, The sensing measurement results are used to determine whether to perform cell handover, including: the sensing measurement results and the sensing priority of the cell are used to determine whether to perform cell handover.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The perception measurement results include the perception measurement results of the neighboring cells and the perception measurement results of the serving cell; the method further includes: determining to perform cell handover when a second condition is met; wherein, the second condition is Mn > Hys + Ms + P, and the duration is greater than or equal to a given duration T, where Mn is the perception measurement result of the neighboring cells, Ms is the perception measurement result of the serving cell, Hys is the handover hysteresis, P is the perception handover offset, and P is related to the difference D between the perception priority of the serving cell and the perception priority of the neighboring cells.

20. The method according to claim 17 or 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: when it is determined that a cell handover will be performed, sending a handover request to a target cell, the handover request including a handover reason, the handover reason indicating a decrease in sensing performance or an insufficient resource of the serving cell; receiving a handover response, the handover response indicating whether the target cell accepts the handover; wherein the target cell is one of a neighboring cell that satisfies the first condition or a neighboring cell that satisfies the second condition.

21. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The method further includes sending handover decision parameters, which are used by the terminal to decide whether to perform cell handover.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The handover decision parameters include one or more of the following: handover hysteresis Hys, given duration T, perceived handover offset P, or the difference D between the perceived priority of the serving cell and the perceived priority of the neighboring cell, wherein D is used to determine P.

23. The method according to any one of claims 15-22, characterized in that, The perception priority of any cell is related to the available resources and / or service load of that cell.

24. The method according to any one of claims 15-23, characterized in that, The event triggering parameters include echo signal quality and / or sensing performance.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that, The echo signal quality includes one or more of the following: Range Image Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Range Image Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), Range Image Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), or Range Image Signal Interference-to-Noise Ratio (SINR); wherein the Range Image RSRP is the average received signal power within the sensing range, the Range Image RSSI is the total received power of all resource units within the sensing range, the Range Image RSRQ is the ratio of N times the Range Image RSRP to the Range Image RSSI, where N is the number of resource units, and the Range Image SINR is the ratio of the average received signal power within the sensing range to the average noise within the sensing range; wherein the sensing range is related to the distance between the terminal and the sensing area, and the distance between the access network device of the serving cell and the sensing area.

26. The method according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that, The sensing performance includes one or more of the following: reconstruction accuracy of the detected target, velocity measurement error, ranging error, angle measurement error, positioning accuracy, detection probability, or false alarm probability.

27. The method according to any one of claims 14-26, characterized in that, Before determining the sensing measurement configuration, the method further includes: sending a first message, the first message including a sensing measurement configuration requirement; and receiving a second message, the second message including a sensing priority of a neighboring cell, the sensing priority of the neighboring cell being used to indicate whether the neighboring cell supports the sensing measurement configuration requirement.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes units or modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1-13, or includes units or modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 14-27.

29. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor for executing computer programs or instructions to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-13, or to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 14-27.

30. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor and a transceiver, the transceiver being used to send and receive information, and the processor being used to execute a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-13, or to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 14-27; or, it includes a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being used to receive signals from other communication devices besides the communication device and transmit them to the processor or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices besides the communication device, the processor being used to execute a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-13, or to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 14-27; or, it includes a processor and a memory, the processor being used to call a computer program stored in the memory to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-13, or the processor being used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 14-27.

31. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-13, or implement the method as described in any one of claims 14-27.

32. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes computer program code, which, when run on a computer, implements the method of any one of claims 1-13, or implements the method of any one of claims 14-27.

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