Communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

The application provides a communication method, device and computer readable storage medium, relates to LTM in the field of communication, and can make the network perform MRO analysis based on LTM connection failure, so as to better provide services for a terminal. The method comprises the following steps: a first CU sends first information to a first DU after determining that a terminal device has occurred connection failure after receiving LTM candidate cell configuration information, wherein the first information comprises at least one of the following: identification information of a first cell, first indication information of an LTM connection failure type, or second indication information of whether the first cell is an LTM candidate cell; and then the first DU can perform MRO analysis based on the first information.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Mobile communication systems support mobility robustness optimization (MRO) mechanisms to detect and correct connection failures caused by improper network parameter settings. Specifically, when a terminal device experiences a mobility anomaly, it can report mobility-related information to the network, which then performs autonomous analysis (also known as MRO analysis) and optimizes mobility parameters based on this information.

[0003] For L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM) handover, in scenarios where there is no mobility-related information reported by the terminal device (e.g., radio link failure (RLF) report) or the terminal device's RLF report lacks sufficient information, how the DU can detect LTM connection failure for MRO analysis has become an urgent technical problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium, which aims to perform MRO analysis after LTM connection failure in order to better provide services to terminal devices.

[0005] Firstly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a first distributed unit (DU), or a component configured in the first DU (such as a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first DU. This application does not limit the application of this method. The following description uses the application of this method to a first DU as an example.

[0006] For example, the method includes: receiving first information from a first central unit (CU), the first information including at least one of the following: identification information of a first cell, first indication information of the type of LTM connection failure, or second indication information of whether the first cell is an LTM candidate cell, wherein the LTM connection failure is premature handover, late handover, or handover to the wrong cell. The first cell is the cell accessed by the terminal device after a connection failure; and performing MRO analysis based on the first information.

[0007] The identification information of the first cell can also be replaced with the identification information of the first cell. The first information includes the identification information of the first cell used to identify the first cell. The identification information of the first cell can be at least one of the following: the configuration identifier (identity, ID) corresponding to the first cell, the cell global identifier (CGI) of the first cell, the physical cell identifier (PCI) and frequency point, PCI, the cell identifier (cell ID) of the first cell, the non-public network identifier (NPN ID) of the first cell, the non-terrestrial network identifier (NTN ID) of the first cell, or other cell identifiers, etc.

[0008] Based on this technical solution, the first DU receives first information from the first CU and enables the first DU to perform MRO analysis based on one or more of the first cell identification information, first indication information, or second indication information carried in the first information, thereby optimizing parameters to better provide services to terminal devices and reduce the probability of connection failure of terminal devices connected to the first DU.

[0009] Secondly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a first CU, or to components configured in the first DU (such as a processor, chip, or chip system), or to a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first DU. This application does not limit the application of this method. The following description uses the application of this method to a first CU as an example.

[0010] For example, the method includes: determining that a terminal device experiences a connection failure after receiving LTM candidate cell configuration information; sending first information to a first DU, the first information including at least one of the following: identification information of a first cell, first indication information of the type of LTM connection failure, or second indication information of whether the first cell is an LTM candidate cell, wherein the LTM connection failure is an early handover, an late handover, or a handover to the wrong cell.

[0011] The first cell is the cell that the terminal device accesses after a connection failure. In other words, after the terminal device experiences a connection failure, cell selection is triggered, and it selects to access the first cell.

[0012] For a description of the signage information for the first residential area, please refer to the relevant description in the first section; it will not be repeated here.

[0013] Based on this technical solution, after determining that the terminal device has failed to connect, the first CU can further send first information to the first DU, so that the first DU can perform MRO analysis based on one or more of the first cell identification information, first indication information, or second indication information carried in the first information, and then optimize the parameters to better provide services to the terminal device, which helps to reduce the probability of connection failure of the terminal device connected to the first DU.

[0014] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration completion message from the terminal device, and / or receiving an access success message from a second DU, wherein the second DU is the DU to which the first cell belongs.

[0015] The RRC reconfiguration completion message includes the identifier information of the first cell. The access success message is used to indicate that the terminal device has successfully accessed the first cell. This access success message includes third indication information, which indicates one of the following: the terminal device's access to the first cell was triggered by LTM connection failure and executed through random access-based LTM, or the first cell is an LTM candidate cell selected by the terminal device after an LTM connection failure.

[0016] This application enables the first CU receiving the RRC reconfiguration completion message to determine that the terminal device selected an LTM candidate cell after a connection failure by adding the identification information of the first cell to the RRC reconfiguration completion message.

[0017] By including third indication information in the access success message, this application enables the first CU receiving the message to determine that the terminal device has selected an LTM candidate cell after an LTM handover failure.

[0018] Optionally, determining that the terminal device experienced a connection failure after receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration information includes: determining that the terminal device experienced a connection failure after receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration information based on the RRC reconfiguration completion message and / or access success message.

[0019] Optionally, the method further includes: determining the first cell that the terminal device accesses after a connection failure is an LTM candidate cell.

[0020] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving an RRC re-establishment request message, wherein the RRC re-establishment request message is sent by the terminal device to the first cell.

[0021] It is understandable that if the first CU receives an RRC re-establishment request message sent by the terminal device to the first cell, it means that the DU to which the first cell belongs is a DU managed by the first CU, or in other words, the first cell is a cell of the first CU.

[0022] Optionally, determining that the terminal device experienced a connection failure after receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration information includes: determining that the terminal device experienced a connection failure after receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration information based on the RRC re-establishment request message.

[0023] Optionally, the method further includes: determining, based on the RRC re-establishment request message, that the first cell accessed by the terminal device is not an LTM candidate cell.

[0024] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving a failure indication message from a second CU.

[0025] The second CU is the CU that receives the RRC re-establishment request message sent by the terminal device. In other words, the first cell that the terminal device accesses after a connection failure is the cell of the second CU.

[0026] For example, the failure indication message includes: the PCI of the previous serving cell, the cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) assigned to the terminal device by the previous serving cell, and the short MAC-I.

[0027] Optionally, determining that the terminal device experienced a connection failure after receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration information includes: determining that the terminal device experienced a connection failure after receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration information based on the failure indication message.

[0028] In conjunction with the first and second aspects, in some implementations of the first and second aspects, the first information is carried in the context release command of the terminal device or in the uplink RRC message transfer message.

[0029] Thirdly, this application provides a communication method, which includes: a first CU determining that a terminal device experiences a connection failure after receiving LTM candidate cell configuration information; the first CU sending first information to a first DU; and the first DU performing MRO analysis based on the received first information.

[0030] The first information includes at least one of the following: identification information of the first cell, indication information of the type of LTM connection failure, or indication information of whether the first cell is an LTM candidate cell. The LTM connection failure is an early handover, an late handover, or a handover to the wrong cell. The first cell is the cell that the terminal device accesses after the connection failure occurs.

[0031] For a description of the third aspect and the beneficial effects achieved by the third aspect, please refer to the descriptions of the first and second aspects above, which will not be repeated here.

[0032] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device, including modules or units for implementing the methods of any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects. It should be understood that each module or unit can implement its corresponding function by executing a computer program.

[0033] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device including at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to perform the methods described in any of the foregoing aspects and any possible implementations of any of the foregoing aspects.

[0034] The apparatus may further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which, when executing the instructions stored in the memory, can implement the methods described in the foregoing aspects.

[0035] The device may also include a communication interface for communicating with other devices. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module or other type of communication interface.

[0036] Sixthly, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects, such as receiving or processing data and / or information involved in the above methods.

[0037] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing program instructions and data, which may be located within or outside the processor.

[0038] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0039] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes the computer to implement the methods in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

[0040] Eighthly, this application provides a computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to perform the methods described in any of the foregoing aspects and any possible implementations of any of the foregoing aspects.

[0041] Ninthly, this application provides a communication system including the aforementioned first DU and first CU. The first DU is used to execute the methods described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the first CU is used to instruct the methods described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0042] It should be understood that the fourth to ninth aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first and second aspects of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the methods provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0044] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the separation of architecture and protocol layer;

[0045] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another separation architecture and protocol layer division;

[0046] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) architecture;

[0047] Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart of the LTM switching method under a split architecture;

[0048] Figure 6 This is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0049] Figure 7 This is a schematic block diagram of the device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0050] Figure 8 This is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0051] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the following points are explained first:

[0053] First, in the embodiments of this application, the use of prefixes such as "first" and "second" is merely for the purpose of distinguishing and describing different things belonging to the same name category, and does not constrain the order, size, or quantity of things. For example, "first CU" and "second CU" are simply different CUs, and do not limit the number of CUs or their priority relationship; as another example, "first instruction information" and "second instruction information" are simply different information, and there is no temporal sequence, size relationship, or priority relationship between them.

[0054] Second, in the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send first information to the first DU" can be understood as the destination of the information being the first DU, which may include direct transmission or indirect transmission through other units or modules. "Receive first information from the first CU" can be understood as the source of the first information being the first CU, which may include direct reception from the first CU or indirect reception from the first CU through other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0055] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, before being sent from the source to the destination. Similarly, the destination, upon receiving information from the source, can also perform corresponding processing, such as decoding and demodulation, to interpret the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0056] Third, in the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes 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, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects, but it does not exclude the possibility of indicating an "and" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood in conjunction with the context. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Here, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0057] Fourth, in the embodiments of this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (as described below, the instruction information) is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can indicate only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement order of various pieces of information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction.

[0058] It is understandable that, for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to indicate the information to be indicated, and for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be indicated.

[0059] Fifth, the tables in the embodiments of this application are merely examples. The values ​​of the information in each table are only examples and can be configured to other values; this application is not limited thereto. The tables do not limit the scope of protection of this application. For example, appropriate modifications and adjustments can be made based on the tables described above, such as splitting, merging, etc. Furthermore, the parameter names shown in the headings of each table can also use other names understandable to the communication device, and the values ​​or representations of the parameters can also be other values ​​or representations understandable to the communication device. Moreover, in the implementation of the above tables, other data structures can also be used, such as arrays, queues, containers, stacks, linear lists, pointers, linked lists, trees, graphs, structures, classes, heaps, hash tables, or hash tables, etc.

[0060] Sixth, in the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all refer to the device (e.g., the first CU or the first DU) making corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. They are not time-limited, nor do they require the device (e.g., the first CU or the first DU) to have a judgment action when it is implemented, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0061] Seventh, the predefined terms in this application can be understood as: definition, pre-defined, storage, pre-storage, pre-negotiation, pre-configuration, solidification, or pre-firing.

[0062] Eighth, the term "storage" in this application can refer to storage in one or more memory devices. These memory devices can be separate installations or integrated into an encoder, decoder, processor, or communication device. Alternatively, some memory devices can be separately installed, while others can be integrated into the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and this application does not limit this.

[0063] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, sidelink (SL) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems, new radio access technology (NR) systems, satellite communication systems, etc. Among them, 5G mobile communication systems can include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA) networks.

[0064] The technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to future communication networks.

[0065] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 100 applicable to the methods provided in the embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 100 includes a RAN 10 and a core network (CN) 20. Optionally, the communication system 100 may also include an Internet 30. The radio access network 10 may include at least one radio access network node (e.g., Figure 1 110a and 110b in the above), may also include at least one terminal device (such as Figure 1 (120a-120j in the middle).

[0066] Optionally, the RAN may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices. Figure 1 (Not shown in the image). The terminal device is connected to RAN node 10 wirelessly. RAN node 110 is connected to core network 20 wirelessly or via wired connection. The core network equipment in core network 20 and the RAN node in RAN 10 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0067] RAN 10 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN 10 can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, or a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0068] 1) RAN nodes, sometimes also called access network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes, constitute part of the communication system and are used to help terminal devices achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes in the communication system 100 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN nodes and terminal devices are relative, for example... Figure 1 Network element 120i can be a helicopter or a drone, and it can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal devices accessing RAN 10 via network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal device. RAN nodes and terminal devices are sometimes referred to as communication devices, for example... Figure 1 Network elements 110a and 110b can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, while network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0069] In one possible scenario, a RAN node 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. A RAN node can also be a device that performs base station functions in device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, and internet-to-things (IoT) communication systems. A RAN node can also be a RAN node in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), meaning it can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or satellite. A RAN node can be a macro base station, a micro base station or indoor station, a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario, or a node in an O-RAN or ORAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0070] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be CUs, DUs, CUs (control plane, CP), CUs (user plane, UP), or radio units (RUs). 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 frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0071] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the separation of architecture and protocol layer. For example... Figure 2As shown, an access network device logically includes one CU and one or more DUs. Each DU connects to the CU via an F1 interface, and information exchange between different DUs can be completed based on forwarding by the CU. The CU and DU nodes separate the protocol layers of the access network device. Some protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining partial or complete protocol layer functions are distributed in the DUs, which are centrally controlled by the CU. In one protocol stack partitioning method, the CU deploys the RRC layer, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, and the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer; the DU deploys the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and the Physical Layer (PHY) layer. Thus, the CU has the processing capabilities for RRC, PDCP, and SDAP. The DU has the processing capabilities for RLC, MAC, and PHY. It is understood that the above functional partitioning is only an example and does not constitute a limitation on the CU and DU.

[0072] Furthermore, CU can be separated into CU-CP and CU-UP, for details please refer to Figure 3 .like Figure 3 As shown, CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC layer and the control plane part of PDCP (PDCP-C) layer, used to implement the control plane functions of the CU; CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and the user plane part of PDCP (PDCP-U) layer, used to implement the user plane functions of the CU. CU-CP and CU-UP are connected via an E1 interface, CU-CP and DU are connected via an F1-C interface, and CU-UP and DU can be connected via an F1-U interface.

[0073] It is understood that CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names in different systems, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called Open CU (O-CU), DU may also be called Open DU (O-DU), CU-CP may also be called Open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP may also be called Open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and RU may also be called Open RU (O-RU).

[0074] O-RAN is a RAN architecture based on open standards and interfaces. The O-RAN standard complements and enhances the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards. Building upon the E1, F1, NG, Xn, and X2 standards defined by 3GPP, O-RAN further opens up the RAN by defining interfaces such as O1, O2, E2, A1, and Open-FH. O-RAN also introduces virtualization technology, decoupling RAN functions from dedicated hardware and deploying them on open hardware and cloud platforms, achieving software-defined and flexible RAN implementation. Furthermore, O-RAN utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) technology, integrating intelligent controllers into the RAN to enable real-time monitoring, optimization, and management of the RAN.

[0075] The main difference between O-RAN and traditional RAN is that O-RAN divides wireless system equipment into standard subsystem components for independent development and uses open internal interfaces to achieve layered decoupling and interoperability with other manufacturers. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN architecture. (Example) Figure 4 As shown, O-RAN includes different components such as O-cloud, O-RU, O-DU, O-CU-CP, O-CU-UP, non-real time RAN intelligent controller (RIC) (abbreviated as non-real time RIC), and near-real time RIC. By establishing a unified testing and certification mechanism, the compatibility and consistency between O-RAN components provided by different vendors are ensured.

[0076] The correspondence between the network element modules included in ORAN and their implementable protocol layer functions can be found in Table A below.

[0077] Table A

[0078]

[0079] Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU units in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. That is, the wireless access network device in this application can be a virtualized device, for example, implemented through general-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or through dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. The general-purpose hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0080] 2) Terminal equipment, also known as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device.

[0081] 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 grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc.

[0082] Currently, examples of terminal devices include: mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities (such as laptops and PDAs), mobile internet devices (MIDs), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, drones, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks, or future public land mobile communication networks. Terminal equipment in a mobile network (PLMN), etc.

[0083] Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices; they achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly defined, wearable smart devices include those with comprehensive functions, large sizes, and the ability to perform complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses. They also include devices focused on a specific application function that require the use of other devices, such as smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0084] Furthermore, terminal devices can also be terminal devices within IoT systems. IoT is a crucial component of future information technology development, its main technological characteristic being the connection of objects to networks via communication technologies, thereby achieving intelligent networks that enable human-machine and machine-to-machine interconnection. IoT technology, for example, can achieve massive connectivity, deep coverage, and low power consumption at the terminal level through narrowband (NB) technology.

[0085] In addition, terminal devices may also include sensors such as smart printers, train detectors, and gas stations. Their main functions include collecting data (for some terminal devices), receiving control information and downlink data from network devices, and sending electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to network devices.

[0086] 3) Core network equipment refers to the equipment in the core network (CN) that provides service support to terminals. Examples of core network equipment include: Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) entities, Session Management Function (SMF) entities, User Plane Function (UPF) entities, etc., which will not be listed here. Among them, the AMF entity is responsible for terminal access management and mobility management; the SMF entity is responsible for session management, such as user session establishment; and the UPF entity can be a user plane function entity, mainly responsible for connecting to external networks.

[0087] exist Figure 1In the communication scenario shown, after a terminal device connects to an access network device, it can perform uplink and downlink transmissions with that access network device. If the location of the terminal device changes or due to factors such as unreasonable network parameter settings, the communication link between the terminal device and the access network device may change. In this case, the terminal device may perform a handover based on a handover command or perform cell selection after a connection failure.

[0088] To mitigate mobility anomalies caused by improper network parameter settings, such as connection failures, unnecessary cross-system handovers, cross-system ping-pong handovers, failures to add / change primary / secondary cells, cross-system voice fallback failures, fast primary cell group recovery failures, suboptimal handovers, and suboptimal addition / changes of primary / secondary cells, a mobility robustness optimization (MRO) mechanism is proposed to detect and correct these mobility anomalies. Connection failures include handover failures and radio link failures.

[0089] Specifically, when a terminal device experiences the aforementioned mobility anomaly, it reports mobility-related information (also known as a MRO report) to the network. The network can then autonomously analyze and optimize mobility parameters based on the mobility-related information reported by the terminal device. This MRO report may include radio link failure (RLF) reports, secondary cell group (SCG) failure information, successful handover reports (SHR), and successful primary / secondary cell addition / change reports (SPR), among others.

[0090] As an example, the RAN can perform MRO analysis and optimize mobility parameters based on the RLF reports reported by the terminal devices.

[0091] As another example, the RAN can identify the context of the terminal device based on information provided by other network devices, and then perform MRO analysis and optimize mobility parameters.

[0092] Specifically, assuming RAN1 is the RAN to which the terminal device connects when a connection failure occurs, RAN1 receives a failure indication message from RAN2 to enable RAN1 to analyze the connection failure. One specific implementation is: RAN2 receives an RLF report from the terminal device and sends the RLF report to RAN1 via a failure indication message. Another specific implementation is: RAN2 does not receive the RLF report from the terminal device, but receives an RRC reconstruction request message from the terminal device. After receiving the RRC reconstruction request message, RAN2 sends a failure indication message to RAN1. This failure indication message includes the following three pieces of information indicated by the terminal device in the RRC reconstruction request: the PCI of the previous serving cell, the C-RNTI assigned to the terminal device by the previous serving cell, and the short MAC-I. RAN1 associates the PCI and C-RNTI with the context of the terminal device to analyze the connection failure.

[0093] Currently, terminal devices can perform serving cell changes through two handover methods: Layer 3 (L3) handover and L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM). LTM is a handover method proposed to address the issues of longer latency, higher signaling overhead, and longer interruption latency caused by L3 handover. LTM stands for Layer 1 or Layer 2 triggered mobility, or lower layer handover, or low-layer triggered handover.

[0094] The main idea of ​​the LTM process is as follows: The RAN configures one or more candidate cells (referred to as LTM candidate cells in this application) based on the measurement reports (e.g., radio resource management (RRM) measurement reports or L3 measurement reports) reported by the terminal device, and provides the configuration information of one or more LTM candidate cells to the terminal device through RRC messages. After receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration information from the RAN, the terminal device sends a measurement report (e.g., a Layer 1 measurement report) to the RAN. The RAN makes an LTM handover decision based on the measurement reports reported by the terminal device. The RAN sends an LTM handover command to the terminal device through Layer 2 signaling to instruct the terminal device to perform an LTM handover to the LTM target cell.

[0095] In other words, LTM is a handover method that enables serving cell changes based on L1 / L2 signaling. In a CU-DU separated architecture, LTM can be described as follows: The gNB-DU receives an L1 measurement report from the terminal device. The gNB-DU instructs the terminal device to change its serving cell (i.e., instructs the terminal device to hand over from the source cell to the target cell) through a cell switch command carried by the media access control channel element (MAC CE). This cell switch command indicates a candidate cell configuration of the gNB, which is one of at least one LTM candidate cell configuration that the gNB-CU has pre-sent to the terminal device via RRC signaling.

[0096] LTM supports intra-DU and inter-DU mobility managed under the same CU (i.e., the source and target cells in the LTM handover process belong to the same DU or different DUs). In addition, LTM also supports continuous LTM, which means that terminal devices can handover multiple times between LTM candidate cells without the network side performing RRC reconfiguration during the handover process.

[0097] Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart of the LTM switching method 500 under a split architecture. (Example) Figure 5 As shown, the method 500 includes the following steps S501 to S509. The following describes... Figure 5 The steps shown. Figure 5 The base station shown includes one CU and multiple DUs.

[0098] S501, the CU sends multiple LTM candidate cell configuration information to the terminal device via RRC reconfiguration messages.

[0099] The description of LTM candidate cells can be found in the terminology section 2 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0100] S502, Source DU instructs the terminal device to initiate early timing advance (TA) information acquisition from one or more candidate cells.

[0101] In this context, one or more candidate cells belong to multiple LTM candidate cells pre-configured by the CU in S501. The source DU is the DU to which the source cell belongs, also known as the DU that manages the source cell. Since the source DU is one of at least one DU managed by the CU in S501, the CU in S501 can be called the source CU.

[0102] S503, the terminal device sends a message to the candidate DU to obtain the TA.

[0103] Among them, a candidate DU is a DU to which one or more candidate cells belong.

[0104] S504: After receiving the random access preamble sent by the terminal device, the candidate DU indicates the TA to the source DU through the CU.

[0105] S505, the terminal device reports an L1 measurement report to the source DU, and / or the CU sends auxiliary information (such as L3 measurement results or LTM target cell information) to the source DU.

[0106] S506, the source DU determines to perform LTM handover based on the auxiliary information reported by the terminal device in the L1 measurement report and / or CU indication.

[0107] S507, the source DU sends an LTM handover command to the terminal device through the Layer 2 MAC CE. The LTM handover command includes information indicating the target cell configuration.

[0108] Optionally, the LTM handover command may also include the TA and beam information of the LTM target cell to enable the terminal device to perform access without random access. The beam information is included in the transmission configuration indicator state (TCI state) information, which can be used to indicate the quasi-co-address reference signal and quasi-co-address type to the terminal device. The quasi-co-address reference signal may be, for example, a synchronization signal block (SSB) or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0109] S508, the source DU sends a handover notification to the target DU (the DU to which the target cell belongs) through the CU. The handover notification may include target cell information and beam information, etc.

[0110] One possible connection failure scenario is that, prior to S507, the terminal device experiences an RLF (Redirecting Limitation Failure) in the source cell (referred to as scenario 1). That is, the terminal device experiences an RLF in the source cell without performing an LTM handover or without receiving an LTM handover command. In this case, the terminal device can continue executing S509.

[0111] Another possible connection failure scenario is that, after S507, the terminal device fails to successfully hand over from the source cell to the target cell (referred to as scenario 2). That is, the terminal device performs an LTM handover based on the LTM handover command, but the LTM handover fails. In this case, the terminal device can continue to execute S509.

[0112] Another possible connection failure scenario is that after S507, the terminal device successfully switches from the source cell to the target cell, but an RLF (Redirection of Failure) occurs shortly afterward in the target cell (referred to as scenario 3). In this case, the terminal device can continue to execute S509.

[0113] For cases 2 and 3, when the terminal device performs LTM handover, it can be based on LTM handover without random access or LTM handover based on random access; this application does not impose any restrictions.

[0114] S509, the terminal device performs cell selection and attempts to access the selected cell.

[0115] For example, if the cell selected by the terminal device is an LTM candidate cell, the terminal device can also perform an LTM handover based on random access based on the configuration information of the LTM candidate cell. The cell selected by the terminal device to access may belong to the same DU as the target cell indicated by the handover command in S507, or may belong to a different DU.

[0116] For example, if the cell selected by the terminal device is not an LTM candidate cell, the terminal device executes the RRC re-establishment procedure, that is, the terminal device sends an RRC re-establishment request message to the CU to which the selected cell belongs. The cell may belong to the same CU as the source cell or the LTM candidate cell, or may not belong to the same CU (i.e., the selected cell belongs to another CU).

[0117] If, after the aforementioned three connection failure scenarios occur, the DU does not receive an RLF report from the terminal device or the terminal device's RLF report lacks sufficient information, the DU will detect LTM connection failure and perform MRO analysis, potentially leading to connection failures on the source DU. Therefore, how the DU detects LTM connection failure and performs MRO analysis in scenarios where the terminal device's RLF report is not received or lacks sufficient information is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed.

[0118] Therefore, embodiments of this application provide a communication method to solve the above-mentioned problems. It should be understood that the method provided in these embodiments can be applied to... Figure 1 The communication system shown can also be applied to Figure 2 or Figure 3 The shown is a separate architecture.

[0119] Figure 6 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 In the method 600 shown, the method is described from the perspective of the interaction between the first CU and the first DU, but this application does not limit the subject executing the method. For example, the first CU can be replaced by a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the first CU in implementing the method, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first CU; the first DU can be replaced by a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the first DU in implementing the method, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first DU.

[0120] like Figure 6 As shown, method 600 may include steps S601 to S603, and optionally, method 600 may also include steps S604 to S607. The steps of method 600 are described in detail below.

[0121] S601, the first CU determines that the terminal device experienced a connection failure after receiving LTM candidate cell configuration information.

[0122] In this method, the LTM candidate cell configuration information is sent to the terminal device by the first CU via an RRC reconfiguration message. The step of the first CU sending the LTM candidate cell configuration information to the terminal device is performed before S601. That is, before S601, method 600 further includes: the first CU sending the LTM candidate cell configuration information to the terminal device.

[0123] Connection failures in this application embodiment include handover failures and radio link failures. Handover failure refers to the terminal device failing to successfully hand over from the source cell to the target cell. Radio link failure includes: the terminal device experiencing a radio link failure in the source cell; or the terminal device successfully handing over from the source cell to the target cell, but quickly experiencing a radio link failure in the target cell.

[0124] In this embodiment, the DU to which the source cell belongs is referred to as the first DU, and the CU managing the source DU is referred to as the first CU. The source cell can be understood as the cell that the terminal device accesses when receiving LTM candidate cell configuration information. The target cell refers to the cell indicated in the LTM handover command sent by the source DU, and the DU to which the target cell belongs is referred to as the third DU in this application.

[0125] S602, the first CU sends first information to the first DU, the first information including at least one of the following: identification information of the first cell, first indication information of the LTM connection failure type, or second indication information of whether the first cell is an LTM candidate cell. Correspondingly, the first DU receives the first information from the first CU.

[0126] The first cell is the cell that the terminal device accesses after a connection failure. This first cell can be a cell determined by the terminal device based on factors such as neighbor cell measurement results. This application does not limit the method by which the terminal device selects a cell to access after a connection failure.

[0127] The first information includes the identification information (or first cell identification information) of the first cell, used to identify the first cell. This first cell identification information can be at least one of the following: the configuration ID corresponding to the first cell, the CGI of the first cell, the PCI and frequency point of the first cell, the PCI of the first cell, the cell ID of the first cell, the NPN ID of the first cell, the NTN ID of the first cell, or other cell identifiers, etc. The CGI can include the publicland mobile network identifier (PLMN ID) and the cell ID, and may also include the tracking area code.

[0128] LTM connection failure types include premature handover, late handover, and handover to the wrong cell. It is understood that when the first information includes first indication information, the LTM connection failure type indicated by the first indication information can be one of the above types. That is, the first information includes a first indication information for premature handover, late handover, or handover to the wrong cell.

[0129] The type of LTM connection failure can be determined by the first CU based on whether it has sent an LTM handover command to the terminal device within a preset period of time. For example, if the first CU determines that no LTM handover command has been sent to the terminal device within the preset period before the connection failure occurred, then the LTM connection failure is a late handover. If the first CU determines that an LTM handover command was sent to the terminal device within the preset period before the connection failure occurred, and if the first cell is the source cell, then the LTM connection failure type is an early handover; if the first cell is neither the source cell nor the LTM target cell, then the LTM connection failure type is a handover to the wrong cell.

[0130] For example, when the first information includes second indication information, the first information specifically includes second indication information that the selected first cell is an LTM candidate cell, or the first information specifically includes second indication information that the selected first cell is not an LTM candidate cell. Optionally, when the first information includes second indication information that the first cell is not an LTM candidate cell, the first information may also include indication information on whether the first cell is a cell of the first CU.

[0131] Optionally, the first information may be included in the UE context release message, or in other words, the first information can be sent through the UE context release message. In this case, the above S602 can be replaced by: the first CU sending the UE context release message to the first DU, wherein the UE context release message includes at least one of the following: the identification information of the first cell, the first indication information, or the second indication information.

[0132] The context release command sent by the first CU to the first DU is used to request the first DU to release the F1 interface information associated with the terminal device, the F1 context information associated with the terminal device, or the LTM candidate cell.

[0133] Optionally, the first information may be included in an uplink RRC message transfer message, or the first information may be sent via an uplink RRC message transfer message. In this case, the above S602 can be replaced by: the first CU sending an uplink RRC message transfer message to the first DU, the uplink RRC message transfer message including at least one of the following: the identification information of the first cell, the first indication information, or the second indication information.

[0134] Optionally, the context release command or uplink RRC message transfer message of the terminal device may also include the F1 Application Protocol (F1AP ID) assigned to the terminal device by the first CU and the F1AP ID assigned to the terminal device by the first DU.

[0135] Optionally, the context release command of the terminal device may also include the LTM candidate cell identifier information to be released. This LTM candidate cell is a candidate cell configured for the terminal device by the interaction between the first CU and the first DU prior to S601.

[0136] S603, the first DU performs MRO analysis based on the first information.

[0137] In this embodiment of the application, after determining that the terminal device has failed to connect, the first CU can further send first information to the first DU, so that the first DU can perform MRO analysis based on one or more of the first cell identification information, first indication information, or second indication information carried in the first information, and then optimize the parameters to better provide services to the terminal device, which is beneficial to reducing the probability of the terminal device connected to the first DU failing to connect.

[0138] Optionally, the method 600 may further include: the first CU sending the aforementioned first information to the third DU. Correspondingly, the third DU receives the first information from the first CU; and performs MRO analysis based on the first information. This step may be performed between S601 and S602, or it may be performed after S602 or S603.

[0139] In this context, the third DU is the target DU in scenario 3 above. That is, the third DU is the target DU that the terminal device switches to from the first DU based on a handover command. The third DU can be a DU managed by the first CU or a DU managed by the second CU (another CU besides the first CU). The first CU sends the aforementioned first information to the third DU through the second CU, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0140] As mentioned earlier, the first cell that the terminal device accesses may be an LTM candidate cell, or it may not be an LTM candidate cell. The following section describes the specific implementation of the terminal device after a connection failure, accessing an LTM candidate cell, or accessing a non-LTM candidate cell, using both possible implementations.

[0141] In the first possible implementation, the first cell is an LTM candidate cell.

[0142] Optionally, prior to S601, method 600 further includes: S604, whereby the terminal device sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the first CU, the RRC reconfiguration completion message including the identification information of the first cell. Correspondingly, the first CU receives the RRC reconfiguration completion message from the terminal device.

[0143] It is understandable that in a handover scenario, the RRC reconfiguration completion message is sent by the terminal device after it accesses the LTM candidate cell based on the LTM candidate cell configuration information. Therefore, when the first CU receives the RRC reconfiguration completion message from the terminal device, it can be determined that the terminal device has accessed the LTM candidate cell.

[0144] It should be noted that when a terminal device switches to a target cell based on an LTM handover command, it also sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the target cell. However, in this case, the RRC reconfiguration complete message sent by the terminal device does not need to carry the identification information of the target cell. Therefore, this embodiment of the application, by carrying the identification information of the first cell (which is the LTM candidate cell selected by the terminal device after performing cell selection) in the RRC reconfiguration complete message, enables the first CU receiving the RRC reconfiguration complete message to determine that the terminal device performed cell selection and performed an LTM handover based on random access to the selected LTM candidate cell after a connection failure.

[0145] Optionally, before or after S601, method 600 further includes: S605, whereby the second DU sends an access success message to the first CU, the access success message including third indication information. Correspondingly, the first CU receives the access success message from the second DU. It can be understood that the access success message is used to indicate that the terminal device has successfully accessed the first cell. As an example, when S605 and S604 are executed before S601, S605 can be executed before or after S604. As yet another example, when S604 is executed before S601, S605 can be executed after S601.

[0146] In this context, the second DU is the DU belonging to the first cell. The second DU and the first DU can be the same DU or different DUs. When the first DU and the second DU are different DUs, the second DU can be a DU managed by the first CU or a DU managed by the third CU. If the second DU is managed by the third CU, the second DU first sends an access success message to the third CU, and then the third CU sends an access success message to the first CU. That is, when the second DU is managed by the third CU, the second DU sends the access success message to the first CU through the third CU. The third CU can be any CU other than the first CU. For example, the third CU can be the second CU or any CU other than the first and second CUs; ​​this application does not impose any restrictions.

[0147] The third indication information is used to indicate one of the following: the terminal device's access to the first cell is an LTM-based random access triggered by an LTM connection failure, or the first cell is an LTM candidate cell selected by the terminal device after an LTM connection failure. In other words, the third indication information is used by the first CU to determine that the terminal device selected an LTM candidate cell after an LTM connection failure. Here, LTM connection failure includes radio link failure in the source cell after receiving LTM candidate cell configuration information, LTM handover failure, and radio link failure in the LTM target cell shortly after a successful LTM handover.

[0148] Optionally, the access success message may also include the identification information of the first cell. In this way, the first CU can obtain the identification information of the first cell based on the access success message.

[0149] This application enables the first CU receiving the access success message to detect that the terminal device has performed cell selection triggered by LTM connection failure by carrying third indication information in the access success message.

[0150] For example, one specific implementation of the above S601 is: the first CU determines that the terminal device has experienced a connection failure after receiving LTM candidate cell configuration information based on the RRC reconfiguration completion message from the first CU and / or the access success message from the second DU.

[0151] Optionally, based on the RRC reconfiguration completion message from the first CU and / or the access success message from the second DU, the first CU may also determine the LTM candidate cell selected by the terminal device after the LTM connection failure, i.e., the first cell, the terminal device successfully accesses the first cell based on the LTM handover method of random access, or one or more of the LTM connection failure types.

[0152] The second possible implementation is that the first cell is not an LTM candidate cell.

[0153] Optionally, prior to S601, method 600 further includes: S606, whereby the terminal device sends an RRC re-establishment request message to the first cell. Correspondingly, the first cell receives the RRC re-establishment request message from the terminal device.

[0154] In this context, the DU to which the first cell belongs can be a DU managed under the same CU or a DU managed under different CUs. That is to say, if the first cell is not an LTM candidate cell, the first cell can be a cell of the first CU or a cell of the second CU.

[0155] It is understandable that the RRC Re-establishment Request message is a message that a terminal device needs to send when it selects a non-LTM candidate cell after a connection failure. Therefore, when the first cell receives the RRC Re-establishment Request message from the terminal device, it can determine that the terminal device has experienced a connection failure and has selected a non-LTM candidate cell.

[0156] Optionally, the RRC re-establishment request message may include the identification information of the previous serving cell, the C-RNTI assigned to the terminal device by the previous serving cell, and other information.

[0157] Specifically, for cases 1 and 2, the RRC re-establishment request message may include the following information: the physical cell identifier of the source cell, and the C-RNTI assigned to the terminal device by the source cell. For case 3, the RRC re-establishment request message may include the following information: the physical cell identifier of the target cell, and the C-RNTI assigned to the terminal device by the target cell.

[0158] As a first example, the first cell is the cell of the first CU.

[0159] At this point, the first cell in S606 can be replaced by the first CU. That is, S606 can be replaced by S606-1: the terminal device sends an RRC re-establishment request message to the first CU. Correspondingly, the first CU receives the RRC re-establishment request message from the terminal device.

[0160] For the first example, a specific implementation of S601 above is: the first CU determines, based on the RRC re-establishment request message, that the terminal device experienced a connection failure after receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration.

[0161] Optionally, based on the RRC re-establishment request message from the terminal device, the first CU may also determine one or more of the following: the cell accessed by the terminal device is the first cell, the first cell is not an LTM candidate cell, or the first cell is a cell of the first CU.

[0162] As a second example, the first cell is the cell of the second CU.

[0163] At this point, the first cell in S606 can be replaced by the second CU. That is, S606 can be replaced by S606-2: the terminal device sends an RRC re-establishment request message to the second CU. Correspondingly, the second CU receives the RRC re-establishment request message from the terminal device.

[0164] For the second example, after S606-2, method 600 may further include: S607, the second CU sends a failure indication message to the first CU. Correspondingly, the first CU receives the failure indication message from the second CU. This S607 can be executed between S606-2 and S601.

[0165] For example, in cases 1 and 2, the failure indication message may include the following information: the cell identifier information of the source cell, the C-RNTI and short MAC-I assigned to the terminal device by the source cell, etc. In case 3, the failure indication message may include the following information: the cell identifier information of the target cell, the C-RNTI and short MAC-I assigned to the terminal device by the target cell, etc.

[0166] For the second example, a specific implementation of the above S601 is: the first CU determines, based on the failure indication message, that the terminal device has experienced a connection failure after receiving the LTM candidate cell configuration, and executes the RRC re-establishment procedure.

[0167] Optionally, based on the failure indication message from the second CU, the first CU may also determine that the first cell is not an LTM candidate cell and / or the first cell is a cell of the second CU.

[0168] 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 does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0169] Figure 7 and Figure 8 Schematic diagrams of possible apparatuses provided for embodiments of this application. These apparatuses can be used to implement the functions of the first CU or the second DU in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0170] Figure 7 This is a schematic block diagram of the apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 7 As shown, the device 700 includes a transceiver module 710 and a processing module 720.

[0171] One possible design is that device 700 is used to achieve the above. Figure 6 The function of the first DU in the method embodiment shown.

[0172] For example, the transceiver module 710 is configured to: receive first information from the first centralized unit CU, the first information including at least one of the following: identification information of the first cell, second indication information of the LTM connection failure type, or second indication information of whether the first cell is an LTM candidate cell, wherein the LTM connection failure is premature handover, late handover, or handover to the wrong cell, and the first cell is the cell accessed by the terminal device after the connection failure; the processing module 720 is configured to: perform mobility robustness optimization (MRO) analysis based on the first information.

[0173] For a more detailed description of the transceiver module 710 and the processing module 720 mentioned above, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 6 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments are directly obtained and will not be repeated here.

[0174] Another possible design is that device 700 is used to achieve the above. Figure 6 The method embodiment shown illustrates the function of the first CU.

[0175] For example, the processing module 720 is configured to: determine that the terminal device experiences a connection failure after receiving LTM candidate cell configuration information; the transceiver module 710 is configured to: send first information to the first distributed unit DU, the first information including at least one of the following: the identification information of the first cell, the first indication information of the LTM connection failure type, or the second indication information of whether the first cell is an LTM candidate cell, wherein the LTM connection failure is premature handover, late handover, or handover to the wrong cell.

[0176] Optionally, the transceiver module 710 is further configured to: receive a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration completion message from the terminal device, and / or receive an access success message from a second DU, wherein the second DU is the DU to which the first cell belongs.

[0177] Optionally, the transceiver module 710 is further configured to: receive an RRC re-establishment request message, wherein the RRC re-establishment request message is sent by the terminal device to the first cell.

[0178] Optionally, the transceiver module 710 is further configured to: receive a failure indication message from a second CU, wherein the second CU is the CU that receives the RRC re-establishment request message sent by the terminal device.

[0179] For a more detailed description of the transceiver module 710 and the processing module 720 mentioned above, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 6 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments are directly obtained and will not be repeated here.

[0180] It should be noted that device 700 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, device 700 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme executed by device 700 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. It is understood that because device 700 has communication capabilities, it can also be called a communication device.

[0181] Figure 8 This is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in the embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 8 As shown, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810. The processor 810 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control the device (e.g., a first CU, a first DU, or a chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0182] Optionally, in one design, processor 810 may include a program (also referred to as code or instructions) that can be executed on processor 810, causing device 800 to perform the method executed by the first CU or first DU in the above method embodiments. In yet another possible design, device 800 includes circuitry (…). Figure 8 (Not shown), the circuit is used to implement the function of the first CU or the first DU in the above method embodiment.

[0183] For example, processor 810 can be used to execute computer programs or instructions in memory to achieve Figure 6The steps performed by the first CU or first DU in any of the embodiments shown.

[0184] Optionally, the device 800 may include one or more memories 820 storing programs (sometimes referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 810, causing the device 800 to perform the methods executed by the first CU or the first DU in the above embodiments.

[0185] Optionally, the processor 810 and / or memory 820 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0186] Optionally, the device 800 may further include a communication interface 830. The processor 810, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the device (e.g., the first CU or the first DU). The communication interface 830, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement the transceiver function of the device.

[0187] Optionally, the device 800 also includes a communication interface 830. The processor 810 and the communication interface 830 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 830 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0188] It is understandable that since device 800 has communication capabilities, it can also be called a communication device.

[0189] When device 800 is used to achieve Figure 6 In this method, the processor 810 performs the functions of the aforementioned processing unit, and the communication interface 830 performs the functions of the aforementioned transceiver module. Whether the communication interface 830 is used for sending or receiving depends on whether the device 800 is used to perform a sending or receiving action in the execution scheme.

[0190] It should be noted that the above method embodiments can be applied to a processor, or implemented by a processor. A processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by software instructions.

[0191] The aforementioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0192] The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in mature storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0193] The memory in this application embodiment can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or it can include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0194] The methods provided in the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, they can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product may include one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium may 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 may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic disk), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0195] This application also provides a computer program product that, when run on a processor, can implement the methods shown in the above method embodiments.

[0196] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when run on a processor, can implement the methods shown in the above-described method embodiments.

[0197] This application also provides a chip, including a processor, for reading instructions stored in a memory. When the processor executes the stored instructions, the chip can implement the method shown in the above method embodiments.

[0198] This application also provides a communication system, including the aforementioned first DU and first CU.

[0199] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented 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.

[0200] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0201] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0202] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0203] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0204] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0205] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the first distributed unit (DU), the method includes: The system receives first information from the first centralized unit (CU), the first information including at least one of the following: identification information of the first cell, second indication information of the mobility LTM connection failure type triggered by layer 1 or layer 2, or second indication information of whether the first cell is an LTM candidate cell, wherein the LTM connection failure is premature handover, late handover, or handover to the wrong cell, and the first cell is the cell accessed by the terminal device after the connection failure occurs. Based on the first information, a mobile robustness optimization (MRO) analysis is performed.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information is carried in the context release command of the terminal device or in the uplink RRC message transfer message.

3. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first centralized unit CU, the method includes: It is determined that the terminal device experienced a connection failure after receiving mobility LTM candidate cell configuration information triggered by Layer 1 or Layer 2. Send first information to the first distributed unit (DU), the first information including at least one of the following: identification information of the first cell, first indication information of the LTM connection failure type, or second indication information of whether the first cell is an LTM candidate cell, wherein the LTM connection failure is premature handover, late handover, or handover to the wrong cell, and the first cell is the cell that the terminal device accesses after the connection failure.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration complete message from the terminal device, and / or receive an access success message from a second DU, where the second DU is the DU to which the first cell belongs; The RRC reconfiguration completion message includes the identification information of the first cell; the access success message includes third indication information, which indicates one of the following: the terminal device accesses the first cell by LTM based on random access triggered by LTM connection failure, or the first cell is an LTM candidate cell selected by the terminal device after LTM connection failure.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive an RRC re-establishment request message, which is sent by the terminal device to the first cell.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a failure indication message from the second CU, which is the CU that receives the RRC re-establishment request message sent by the terminal device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that, The first information is carried in the context release command of the terminal device or in the uplink RRC message transfer message.

8. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes at least one processor for causing the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 by executing a computer program and / or by logic circuitry.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 is performed.

11. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program, and when the computer program is run, the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 is performed.

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