Handover method, communication device and communication system

Abstract

The application discloses a switching method, a communication device and a communication system, relates to the field of communication, and is used for realizing switching of active sensing terminal equipment and passive sensing terminal equipment in an ISAC network. The switching method is applied to a first device in the ISAC network, the first device is terminal equipment, RAN equipment or SF network element, and the switching method comprises the following steps: acquiring first information, wherein the first information comprises the following: position information of the terminal equipment, load of each sensing entity SE, position and coverage range of each SE, and coverage range of a cluster; the position information of the terminal equipment is obtained according to sensing state information of the terminal equipment sensed by each SE; the terminal equipment is active sensing terminal equipment or passive sensing terminal equipment; determining a target SE for switching of the terminal equipment according to the first information; wherein when the first device is active sensing terminal equipment or RAN equipment, the target SE belongs to a current cluster, and when the first device is SF network element, the target SE belongs to the current cluster or another cluster.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) networks, network devices (such as base stations) can provide communication services to terminal devices within the coverage area, and also perform sensing services such as detection, positioning, and tracking of terminal devices by transmitting and receiving wireless signals. Currently, a cluster-based collaborative architecture with clusters as the basic service unit has been proposed to improve sensing accuracy and coverage. Each cluster includes one main RAN device and multiple sensing entities (SEs). Multiple SEs collaboratively measure terminal devices, and the sensing data is uniformly aggregated and processed by the main RAN device. Terminal devices include passive sensing terminal devices and active sensing terminal devices. Passive sensing terminal devices lack 3GPP communication capabilities and can only passively reflect ISAC signals for SEs to perform sensing measurements; they cannot actively send their own communication status information. Active sensing terminal devices not only passively reflect ISAC signals for SEs to perform sensing measurements but also possess 3GPP communication capabilities, enabling them to actively measure and send their own communication status information. Currently, the standard does not yet include a handover procedure for these two types of terminal devices. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a switching method, communication device, and communication system for switching between active sensing terminal devices and passive sensing terminal devices in an ISAC network.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions: Firstly, a switching method is provided. This method can be executed by a first device in an ISAC network, or by a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the first device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device. This application does not limit this method. The first device can be an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities, or a RAN device, or a sensing function (SF) network element.

[0005] The method includes: acquiring first information, which includes: location information of the terminal device, the load of each sensing entity (SE), the location and coverage of each SE, and the coverage of the cluster; the location information of the terminal device is obtained from the sensing status information of each SE sensing the terminal device; the terminal device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capability or a passive sensing terminal device without 3GPP communication capability; and determining the target SE for the terminal device handover based on the first information; wherein, when the first device is an active sensing terminal device or RAN device with 3GPP communication capability, the target SE belongs to the current cluster, and when the first device is an SF network element, the target SE belongs to the current cluster or another cluster.

[0006] The handover method provided in this application involves a first device acquiring first information including the location information of the terminal device, the load of each SE, the location and coverage of each SE, and the coverage of the cluster. Based on this first information, the first device determines the target SE for handover. The terminal device can be an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities or a passive sensing terminal device without 3GPP communication capabilities. This achieves the handover between active and passive sensing terminal devices in an ISAC network.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: determining to perform a handover decision when the first information satisfies at least one of the following: the current location of the terminal device is not within the coverage of the current cluster, the predicted location of the terminal device is not within the coverage of the current cluster, or the load of the source SE is greater than a load threshold.

[0008] It achieves comprehensive sensing of handover needs from three dimensions: mobility out-of-bounds, resource overload, and link quality degradation. Specifically, current location triggers respond to existing coverage changes, predicted location triggers respond to upcoming coverage changes, source SE load triggers respond to service quality degradation caused by insufficient resources, and communication quality triggers respond to communication link quality degradation caused by channel degradation. This avoids false triggers or missed triggers caused by a single trigger condition, making the timing of handover decisions more accurate and timely. It reduces unnecessary handover decision overhead and ensures the continuity of sensing services in the three dimensions of mobility, resources, and channel quality.

[0009] In one possible implementation, determining the target SE for terminal device handover based on the first information includes: determining whether the terminal device is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster based on the location information of the terminal device; if it is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, determining to perform intra-cluster handover and selecting the target SE for terminal device handover from the current cluster; otherwise, determining to perform inter-cluster handover and selecting the target SE for terminal device handover from other clusters; removing SEs that do not cover terminal devices based on the location information of the terminal device, the location information of each SE, and the coverage area; removing SEs whose load is greater than the load threshold based on the load status of each SE; sorting the remaining SEs according to a comprehensive score and selecting the SE with the highest comprehensive score as the target SE.

[0010] First, based on location information, it is determined whether the terminal device is within the current cluster coverage area, thus deciding whether to perform an intra-cluster handover or an inter-cluster handover, avoiding ineffective evaluation of cross-cluster resources. Second, location and coverage area filtering ensures that candidate SEs can effectively cover terminal devices spatially. Third, load filtering ensures that candidate SEs can accommodate terminal devices in terms of resources. Finally, a comprehensive scoring ranking is used to select the best candidate SE from those that meet the location and load conditions. This achieves multi-dimensional optimization of spatial coverage, resource availability, and overall performance, improving the accuracy of target SE selection and the service quality of services perceived after handover.

[0011] In one possible implementation, when the terminal device is an active sensing terminal device, the first information also includes the communication status information of the terminal device.

[0012] By adding the terminal device's communication status information to the first information, the handover decision is not only based on network-side information such as location, coverage, and load, but also incorporates the terminal device's own communication link quality information, enriching the dimensions of the decision input. For proactively sensing terminal devices, the communication status information can reflect the actual channel quality between the terminal device and each SE, avoiding the communication link quality mismatch problem caused by selecting a target SE solely based on network-side sensing measurement data. This provides a data foundation for subsequently selecting the target SE with better communication quality from among the SEs.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: determining to perform a handover decision when the first information satisfies at least one of the following: the current location of the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the predicted location of the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the load of the source SE is greater than a load threshold, and the communication quality in the communication status information of the terminal device is less than a quality threshold.

[0014] This allows for timely handover decisions even when the current communication link quality of a terminal device deteriorates to an unacceptable level, provided the terminal device remains within the current cluster coverage area and the source SE load is normal. This triggering condition effectively captures scenarios where communication link quality declines due to factors such as channel fading, increased interference, and obstruction, preventing further deterioration or interruption of communication service quality. It complements location out-of-bounds triggering and load overload triggering, further enhancing the completeness of handover triggering.

[0015] In one possible implementation, determining the target SE for terminal device handover based on the first information includes: determining whether the terminal device is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster based on the location information of the terminal device; if it is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, determining to perform intra-cluster handover and selecting the target SE for terminal device handover from the current cluster; otherwise, determining to perform inter-cluster handover and selecting the target SE for terminal device handover from other clusters; removing SEs that do not cover the terminal device based on the location information of the terminal device, the location information of each SE, and the coverage area; removing SEs whose load is greater than the load threshold based on the load status of each SE; removing SEs whose communication quality with the terminal device is less than the quality threshold based on the communication status information of the terminal device; and sorting the remaining SEs according to their comprehensive scores and selecting the SE with the highest comprehensive score as the target SE.

[0016] This ensures that the selected target SE not only meets the requirements for location coverage and load acceptance, but also satisfies the communication quality requirements of the terminal equipment. By using communication quality as one of the screening criteria, target SEs that meet the requirements for location and load but have poor communication quality are avoided. This guarantees that the terminal equipment can obtain good sensing services and maintain a reliable communication link after the handover, achieving dual quality assurance for sensing services in both sensing and communication dimensions.

[0017] In one possible implementation, when the first device is an active sensing terminal device, the method further includes: sending a handover request, the handover request being used to request a handover to a target SE, the handover request including at least one of the following: the identifier of the terminal device, the identifier of the target SE, the communication status information of the terminal device, and the handover reason.

[0018] Since the active sensing terminal equipment has 3GPP communication capabilities and local decision-making capabilities, it can make full use of the real-time measurement information on the terminal equipment side to initiate handover requests, thereby reducing the measurement and decision-making burden on the network side. The communication status information and handover reason carried in the handover request make it easier for RAN equipment or SF network elements to quickly understand the handover requirements and handover background, thus improving the efficiency and accuracy of handover request processing.

[0019] In one possible implementation, when the first device is an active sensing terminal device, the method further includes: receiving a handover configuration instruction, the handover configuration instruction being used to instruct the terminal device to perform a handover access operation, the handover configuration instruction including at least one of the following: a target cluster identifier, used to indicate the target cluster for handover; a target primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the target primary RAN device for handover; a target SE identifier, used to indicate the target SE for handover; and an identifier of the terminal device, used to indicate the terminal device for handover.

[0020] This system enables RAN devices to control and instruct terminal devices during the handover process. The RAN devices uniformly issue handover configuration commands to the terminal devices, specifying a clear target cluster, target primary RAN device, and target SE for each terminal device. This avoids resource conflicts or load imbalances that may result from the terminal device autonomously selecting a target SE.

[0021] In one possible implementation, when the first device is a RAN device, the method further includes: sending a handover configuration instruction, the handover configuration instruction being used to instruct the terminal device to perform a handover access operation, the handover configuration instruction including at least one of the following: a target cluster identifier, used to indicate the target cluster for handover; a target primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the target primary RAN device for handover; a target SE identifier, used to indicate the target SE for handover; and an identifier of the terminal device, used to indicate the terminal device for handover.

[0022] This system enables RAN devices to control and instruct terminal devices during the handover process. The RAN devices uniformly issue handover configuration commands to the terminal devices, specifying a clear target cluster, target primary RAN device, and target SE for each terminal device. This avoids resource conflicts or load imbalances that may result from the terminal device autonomously selecting a target SE.

[0023] In one possible implementation, when the first device is a RAN device, the method further includes: sending at least one of a handover preparation request and a handover execution instruction; the handover preparation request is used to request the target SE to prepare resources to meet the sensing service requirements for the terminal device to be accessed; the handover preparation request includes at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, target master RAN device identifier, target SE identifier, terminal device identifier, sensing service requirements, location information of the terminal device, handover reason, and communication quality requirements of the terminal device; the handover execution instruction is used to trigger the target SE to perform a handover operation for the sensing service, the handover execution instruction includes at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, target master RAN device identifier, target SE identifier, source cluster identifier, source master RAN device identifier, source SE identifier, and location information of the terminal device, to help the target SE quickly sense the terminal device after the handover; handover execution time and handover reason.

[0024] The sensing service requirements and communication quality requirements in the handover preparation request enable the target SE to make an acceptance decision and verify whether its own resources meet the sensing service requirements and communication quality requirements, avoiding resource overload caused by blind acceptance. The handover execution command carries the source cluster identifier, source master RAN device identifier, source SE identifier, and terminal device location information, helping the target SE to quickly perform sensing measurements on the terminal device after handover, shortening the sensing service establishment latency after handover, and ensuring the continuity of sensing services.

[0025] In one possible implementation, when the first device is a RAN device, the method further includes: sending a resource release instruction, the resource release instruction being used to instruct the source SE to release time-frequency resources and sensing resources associated with the terminal device; the resource release instruction includes at least one of the following: source cluster identifier, source master RAN device identifier, source SE identifier, terminal device identifier, resource release type, and release delay indication.

[0026] By clearly defining the objects (source cluster, source master RAN device, source SE, terminal device) and release methods (resource release type, release delay indication) for resource release, the source SE can accurately identify the range of resources that need to be released, avoiding erroneous or missed releases. The release delay indication provides flexibility and can cope with scenarios such as handover failure rollback, avoiding the situation where no resources are available during handover rollback due to premature resource release, thus improving the reliability and flexibility of resource management.

[0027] In one possible implementation, when the first device is an SF network element, the method further includes: sending a handover decision result, the handover decision result being used to indicate handover to the target SE; the handover decision result includes at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, target primary RAN device identifier, target SE identifier, source cluster identifier, source primary RAN device identifier, source SE identifier, terminal device identifier, handover type, and handover reason.

[0028] This enables accurate transmission of global decision results from SF network elements to the source side. Through source-side and target-side identifiers, the primary RAN device can clearly identify the source and target of the handover, accurately executing subsequent handover preparation and execution procedures. Indications of handover type and reason help the source side understand the nature and triggering context of this handover, providing a basis for subsequent resource release and status updates.

[0029] In one possible implementation, for passive sensing terminal devices, the handover decision is performed by the main RAN device. When the target SE obtained by the main RAN device is empty, the handover decision is performed by the SF network element. For active sensing terminal devices, the handover decision is performed by the terminal device. When the target SE obtained by the terminal device is empty, the handover decision is performed by the main RAN device or the SF network element. Alternatively, the handover decision is first performed by the main RAN device. When the target SE obtained by the main RAN device is empty, the handover decision is performed by the SF network element.

[0030] By explaining the decision priorities and reporting paths under different terminal device types and decision-making entities, a hierarchical collaborative decision-making mechanism involving multiple decision-making entities is implemented. For passively sensing terminal devices, the primary RAN device executes the decision, and reports to the SF network element when the target SE is empty, fully utilizing the local information advantages of the primary RAN device and the global scheduling capabilities of the SF network element. For actively sensing terminal devices, the terminal device first executes the local decision, and reports to the primary RAN device or SF network element sequentially when the target SE is empty, fully leveraging the low latency advantage of the terminal device's local decision. At the same time, the layer-by-layer reporting mechanism ensures that the upper-level decision-making entity can still complete the handover when the decision fails, achieving a balance between low latency and global optimization, and ensuring the continuity of sensing services for different types of terminal devices in various scenarios.

[0031] Secondly, a communication device is provided, comprising a communication module and a processing module. The communication module is used to acquire first information, the first information including: location information of a terminal device, the load of each sensing entity (SE), the location and coverage of each SE, and the coverage of a cluster; the location information of the terminal device is obtained from the sensing status information of each SE sensing the terminal device; the terminal device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capability or a passive sensing terminal device without 3GPP communication capability; the processing module is used to determine the target SE for the terminal device to switch to based on the first information.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to determine to perform a handover decision when the first information satisfies at least one of the following: the current location of the terminal device is not within the coverage of the current cluster, the predicted location of the terminal device is not within the coverage of the current cluster, or the load of the source SE is greater than a load threshold.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used to determine whether the terminal device is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster based on the location information of the terminal device; if it is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, then determine to perform intra-cluster handover and select the target SE for terminal device handover from the current cluster; otherwise, determine to perform inter-cluster handover and select the target SE for terminal device handover from other clusters; remove SEs that do not cover terminal devices based on the location information of the terminal device, the location information of each SE, and the coverage area; remove SEs with loads greater than the load threshold based on the load status of each SE; sort the remaining SEs according to the comprehensive score and select the SE with the highest comprehensive score as the target SE.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to determine to perform a handover decision when the first information satisfies at least one of the following: the current location of the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the predicted location of the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the load of the source SE is greater than the load threshold, and the communication quality in the communication status information of the terminal device is less than the quality threshold.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to determine whether the terminal device is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster based on the location information of the terminal device; if it is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, then determine to perform intra-cluster handover and select the target SE for terminal device handover from the current cluster; otherwise, determine to perform inter-cluster handover and select the target SE for terminal device handover from other clusters; remove SEs that do not cover the terminal device based on the location information of the terminal device, the location information of each SE, and the coverage area; remove SEs with loads greater than the load threshold based on the load status of each SE; remove SEs with communication quality less than the quality threshold with the terminal device based on the communication status information of the terminal device; sort the remaining SEs according to the comprehensive score and select the SE with the highest comprehensive score as the target SE.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the communication module is further configured to send a handover request, which requests a handover to the target SE. The handover request includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the terminal device, the identifier of the target SE, the communication status information of the terminal device, and the handover reason.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the communication module is further configured to receive a handover configuration instruction, which instructs the terminal device to perform a handover access operation. The handover configuration instruction includes at least one of the following: a target cluster identifier, used to indicate the target cluster for handover; a target primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the target primary RAN device for handover; a target SE identifier, used to indicate the target SE for handover; and a terminal device identifier, used to indicate the terminal device for handover.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the communication module is further configured to send a handover configuration instruction, which instructs the terminal device to perform a handover access operation. The handover configuration instruction includes at least one of the following: a target cluster identifier, used to indicate the target cluster for handover; a target primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the target primary RAN device for handover; a target SE identifier, used to indicate the target SE for handover; and a terminal device identifier, used to indicate the terminal device for handover.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the communication module is further configured to send at least one of a handover preparation request and a handover execution instruction; the handover preparation request is used to request the target SE to prepare resources to meet the sensing service requirements for the terminal device to be accessed; the handover preparation request includes at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, target master RAN device identifier, target SE identifier, terminal device identifier, sensing service requirements, location information of the terminal device, handover reason, and communication quality requirements of the terminal device; the handover execution instruction is used to trigger the target SE to perform a handover operation for the sensing service, the handover execution instruction includes at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, target master RAN device identifier, target SE identifier, source cluster identifier, source master RAN device identifier, source SE identifier, and location information of the terminal device, to help the target SE quickly sense the terminal device after the handover; handover execution time and handover reason.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the communication module is further configured to send a resource release instruction, which instructs the source SE to release time-frequency resources and sensing resources associated with the terminal device; the resource release instruction includes at least one of the following: source cluster identifier, source master RAN device identifier, source SE identifier, terminal device identifier, resource release type, and release delay indication.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the communication module is further configured to send a handover decision result, which indicates a handover to the target SE. The handover decision result includes at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, target master RAN device identifier, target SE identifier, source cluster identifier, source master RAN device identifier, source SE identifier, terminal device identifier, handover type, and handover reason.

[0042] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the methods of the first aspect and any implementation thereof. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0043] In one implementation, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0044] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in the RAN equipment. When the communication device is a chip configured in the RAN equipment, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0045] Fourthly, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect described above.

[0046] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as both the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0047] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor and a memory. The processor is used to read instructions stored in the memory, receive signals via a receiver, and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect described above.

[0048] Optionally, the processor may be one or more, and the memory may be one or more.

[0049] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when the computer program is run, causes a computer to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect described above.

[0050] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect described above.

[0051] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, causing the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0052] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data.

[0053] A ninth aspect provides a communication system including a terminal device, a RAN device, and multiple SEs and SF network elements. The terminal device, RAN device, or SF network element is used to perform the method described in the first aspect and any embodiment thereof, switching the terminal device between multiple SEs. Optionally, the communication system may further include other devices that communicate with the terminal device, RAN device, multiple SEs, and SF network elements.

[0054] The technical effects of the second to ninth aspects refer to the technical effects of the first aspect and any of its embodiments, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0055] Figure 1 This application provides a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system. Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating intra-cluster handover performed by a terminal device, provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another terminal device performing intra-cluster handover, provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a terminal device performing inter-cluster handover, provided as an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a switching method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating another switching method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating another switching method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating another switching method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating another switching method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating another switching method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating another switching method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating another switching method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 13 A flowchart illustrating another switching method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 14A flowchart illustrating another switching method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0056] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0057] First, some concepts involved in this application will be described.

[0058] The terms "first" and "second" used in the embodiments of this application are only used to distinguish features of the same type and should not be construed as indicating relative importance, quantity, order, etc.

[0059] The terms "exemplary" or "for example" used in the embodiments of this application are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0060] 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 communication systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems, new radio access technology (NR) access technology, future communication systems, and 5G Advanced communication systems. Among these, 5G mobile communication systems can include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA) networking. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems. This application does not limit the scope of these applications. The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application are often used interchangeably, and the described technologies can be used in the systems and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as in other systems and radio technologies.

[0061] The integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) network in this application refers to a network system capable of simultaneously realizing communication and sensing functions. In an ISAC network, network devices (such as base stations) can provide communication services to targets and also perform sensing services such as target detection, positioning, and tracking by transmitting and receiving wireless signals.

[0062] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system used in an embodiment of this application. The communication system 100 may include: a terminal device 101, at least one cluster 200, and a sensing function (SF) network element 104.

[0063] Cluster 200 is the basic service unit in the integrated sensing network. Cluster 200 includes a main RAN device 102 and multiple sensing entities (SEs) 103. SEs 103 can be base stations with sensing capabilities, distributed units (DUs), radio units (RUs), or independent sensing node devices; this embodiment does not limit the specific type. The main RAN device 102 is used to aggregate sensing data transmitted by each SE 103 within the cluster, execute or assist in executing handover decisions, and perform signaling interaction with the SF network element 104 on the network side.

[0064] SF element 104 is a functional entity on the network side. It can be deployed in the core network, for example, as an independent network element or integrated into other core network elements, such as access management function (AMF) network elements or session management function (SMF) network elements. Network element 104 is used to perform handover decisions based on global sensing resource information, interference information, load information, etc., and to uniformly manage the sensing service status of the entire network.

[0065] Terminal device 101 refers to a sensing target in the ISAC network that is detected, located, tracked or identified by network-side devices (such as main RAN device 102, SE 103, etc.) through transmitting and receiving wireless signals. Its scope covers various entities with different communication capabilities and forms.

[0066] Terminal equipment 101 includes passive sensing terminal equipment and active sensing terminal equipment. Passive sensing terminal equipment lacks 3GPP communication capabilities and can only passively reflect ISAC signals for SE 103 to perform sensing measurements; it cannot actively transmit its own communication status information. For example, passive sensing terminal equipment can be passive or semi-passive IoT devices, such as backscatter tags, passive sensors, and asset tracking tags in Ambient IoT. Active sensing terminal equipment not only passively reflects ISAC signals for SE 103 to perform sensing measurements but also possesses 3GPP communication capabilities, enabling it to actively measure and transmit its own communication status information. For example, active sensing terminal equipment can be user equipment (UE), smartphones, vehicle terminals, drones, and industrial IoT modules.

[0067] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the terminology used in this application will be briefly explained first. Optionally, the explanation of some terms may also refer to the explanations in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard protocol.

[0068] Intra-cluster handover: The source SE within the cluster ceases transmitting ISAC signals to the terminal device (sensing target), stops receiving ISAC signals reflected from the terminal device, and releases the associated time-frequency resources and target tracking context. The target SE within the cluster begins to undertake measurement tasks, and according to the sensing service parameters of the target SE in the handover instruction, such as signal transmission power, operating frequency, beam direction, and signal waveform parameters, it starts transmitting ISAC signals to the terminal device and receiving the reverse ISAC signals.

[0069] Inter-cluster handover: When a terminal device, acting as a sensing target, moves from the coverage area of ​​a source cluster to the coverage area of ​​a target cluster, the terminal device is handed over from the source cluster to the target cluster. Specifically, when a terminal device has moved out of the coverage area of ​​the source cluster, the SE (Search Engine) of the source cluster can no longer effectively perform sensing measurements on the terminal device, or continuing to provide services by the source cluster would severely affect the sensing quality. Therefore, the source primary RAN (Radio Router) equipment, the target primary RAN equipment, and the SF (Signal Grid) network element need to collaborate to migrate the terminal device's sensing services from the source base station cluster to the target cluster as a whole. This includes SE reselection within the target cluster, sensing link reconstruction, and the release of resources from the source cluster. Inter-cluster handover involves signaling interaction between the source primary RAN equipment and the target primary RAN equipment. The handover decision can only be executed by the SF network element with a global perspective, rather than by the primary RAN equipment, SE, or terminal device making local decisions. This is because inter-cluster handover requires selecting the optimal target cluster and target SE based on global information such as network-wide sensing resources, interference, and load to ensure uninterrupted continuity of sensing services during the target's movement across clusters.

[0070] Terminal equipment includes passive sensing terminal equipment and active sensing terminal equipment. Passive sensing terminal equipment lacks 3GPP communication capabilities and can only passively reflect ISAC signals for SE to perform sensing measurements; it cannot actively transmit its own communication status information. Active sensing terminal equipment not only passively reflects ISAC signals for SE to perform sensing measurements but also possesses 3GPP communication capabilities, enabling it to actively measure and transmit its own communication status information. Currently, the standard does not include a handover procedure for these two types of terminal equipment.

[0071] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a handover method in which a handover decision is made by an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities, a radio access RAN device, or a sensing SF network element. First information is acquired, including the terminal device's location information, the load of each SE, the location and coverage of each SE, and the cluster's coverage. The target SE for handover is determined based on this first information. The terminal device can be an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities or a passive sensing terminal device without 3GPP communication capabilities. This achieves handover between active and passive sensing terminal devices in an ISAC network.

[0072] For example, the following scenarios are included when a terminal device performs intra-cluster handover or inter-cluster handover: Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an intra-cluster handover performed by a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. Cluster 1 includes a primary RAN device 102, a first SE 1031, a second SE 1032, and a third SE 1033. When terminal device 101 moves from the coverage area of ​​the first SE 1031 to the coverage area of ​​the third SE 1033, it triggers either the primary RAN device 102 or terminal device 101 to decide to perform an intra-cluster handover, switching terminal device 101 from the first SE 1031 to the third SE 1033. When the primary RAN device 102 decides to perform an intra-cluster handover, terminal device 101 can be either an actively sensing terminal device or a passively sensing terminal device. When terminal device 101 decides to perform an intra-cluster handover, terminal device 101 can be an actively sensing terminal device.

[0073] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating another instance of intra-cluster handover performed by a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. Cluster 1 includes a first primary RAN device 1021, a first SE 1031, a second SE 1032, and a third SE 1033. Cluster 2 includes a second primary RAN device 1022, a fourth SE 1034, a fifth SE 1035, and a sixth SE 1036. When terminal device 101 moves from the coverage area of ​​the first SE 1031 to the coverage area of ​​the third SE 1033 and the fourth SE 1034, the SF network element 104 is triggered to decide and perform an intra-cluster handover, switching terminal device 101 from the first SE 1031 to the third SE 1033. At this time, terminal device 101 can be an actively sensing terminal device or a passively sensing terminal device.

[0074] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram illustrating an inter-cluster handover performed by a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. Cluster 1 includes a first primary RAN device 1021, a first SE 1031, a second SE 1032, and a third SE 1033. Cluster 2 includes a second primary RAN device 1022, a fourth SE 1034, a fifth SE 1035, and a sixth SE 1036. When terminal device 101 moves from the coverage area of ​​the first SE 1031 to the coverage area of ​​the third SE 1033 and the fourth SE 1034, i.e., moves out of the coverage area of ​​cluster 1, it triggers the SF network element 104 to decide and perform an inter-cluster handover, switching terminal device 101 from the first SE 1031 to the fourth SE 1034. At this time, terminal device 101 can be an actively sensing terminal device or a passively sensing terminal device.

[0075] The solution provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the corresponding flowcharts. It is understood that the illustrative flowcharts provided in this application primarily use different devices (e.g., terminal devices, network devices) as examples of the execution subjects of this interactive illustration to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution subjects of the interactive illustrations. For example, the devices (e.g., terminal devices, network devices) in the illustrative flowcharts can also be chips, chip systems, or processors that support the implementation of this method on the device, or logic modules or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the device.

[0076] As a general statement, the message or signaling interactions involved in the interaction process of this application embodiment can be standard messages or signaling or newly introduced messages or signaling. This application embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0077] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a handover method provided in an embodiment of this application, applied to a first device in an ISAC network. The first device can be a terminal device, a RAN device, or an SF network element. When the first device is a terminal device, the terminal device involved in this embodiment is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities. When the first device is a RAN device or an SF network element, the terminal device involved in this embodiment can be an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities, or a passive sensing terminal device without 3GPP communication capabilities. Specifically, as shown... Figure 5 As shown, the switching method 500 includes S101-S102: S101, The first device acquires the first information.

[0078] The first information includes: the location information of the terminal device, the load of each SE, the location and coverage of each SE, and the coverage of the cluster. Optionally, when the terminal device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities, the first information may also include the communication status information of the terminal device.

[0079] The location information of the terminal device can be obtained from the sensing status information of the terminal device measured by the source SE. After the source SE measures the sensing status information of the terminal device, it can send it to the first device, which then obtains the location information of the terminal device based on the sensing status information. The location information of the terminal device can include at least one of the terminal device's current location and predicted location. The current location of the terminal device is used to determine whether the terminal device has moved out of the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, and the predicted location of the terminal device is used to determine whether the terminal device is about to move out of the coverage area of ​​the current cluster. Both can be used to assist in determining whether to perform an intra-cluster handover or an inter-cluster handover.

[0080] Sensing state information refers to the information obtained by the SE (Search Engine) through transmitting and receiving reflected ISAC signals to the terminal device being sensed. The sensing state information of the terminal device, also known as the sensing measurement report, can include at least one of the following: distance, azimuth, altitude, radial velocity, and direction of motion.

[0081] It should be noted that multiple source SEs within the same cluster can collaboratively acquire the sensing status information of the terminal device, rather than a single source SE obtaining it. In other words, multiple source SEs can all transmit ISAC signals and receive the ISAC signals reflected by the terminal device. When the first device is an active sensing terminal device, RAN device, or SF network element with 3GPP communication capabilities, the information can be sent by the SE to the terminal device, RAN device, or SF network element; alternatively, the information can be sent by the SE to the RAN device, which then forwards it to the terminal device or SF network element.

[0082] The distance is the radial straight-line distance between the source SE and the terminal device, calculated by the source SE by measuring the round-trip time delay of the ISAC sensing signal and combining it with the signal propagation speed. The azimuth angle is the horizontal direction angle of the terminal device relative to the source SE, calculated by the source SE using the phase difference of the echo signal received by a multi-antenna array and combining it with arrival angle estimation algorithms such as multiple signal classification (MUSIC). The altitude is the vertical height difference between the terminal device and the source SE, calculated by the source SE by measuring the elevation angle of the echo signal and combining it with the distance. The radial velocity is the velocity component of the terminal device relative to the source SE along the line connecting them, calculated by the source SE by measuring the Doppler frequency shift of the echo signal. The direction of motion is the actual direction of motion of the terminal device, which can be obtained by synthesizing the radial velocity vectors measured collaboratively by multiple SEs, or by inferring the position change trajectory obtained from multiple consecutive measurements by the terminal device.

[0083] The first device obtains the location information of the terminal device based on the sensing status information of the terminal device, including the following methods: In one possible implementation, the first device can determine the current position of the terminal device based on the distance, azimuth, and altitude from the sensed state information, as well as the position of the SE. Specifically, the first device establishes a three-dimensional spatial coordinate system with the position of the source SE measuring the terminal device as the origin; it calculates the relative three-dimensional coordinates of the terminal device relative to the source SE using the conversion relationship between spherical and rectangular coordinate systems based on the distance, azimuth, and altitude; and then superimposes the relative three-dimensional coordinates with the position of the source SE to obtain the current position of the terminal device in the three-dimensional coordinate system.

[0084] When multiple source SEs perform collaborative sensing measurements on the same terminal device, each source SE obtains a set of distance, azimuth, and altitude, and sends them to the first device. The first device uses a three-point positioning method or a weighted fusion algorithm to jointly solve the multiple sets of measurement values ​​to eliminate errors introduced by multipath effects and non-line-of-sight propagation in single-station measurements, thereby obtaining the current position of the terminal device with higher accuracy.

[0085] In another possible implementation, the first device can obtain the predicted position of the terminal device based on the radial velocity, direction of motion, and the current position of the terminal device in the sensed state information. Specifically, the first device uses the current position of the terminal device as a starting point, synthesizes the motion velocity vector of the terminal device based on the radial velocity and direction of motion, and extrapolates the position at a future time according to a preset time to obtain the predicted position of the terminal device. The preset time can be dynamically adjusted according to business needs and the moving speed of the terminal device. To improve prediction accuracy, algorithms such as Kalman filtering, extended Kalman filtering, or particle filtering can be used to smooth the motion trajectory formed by the predicted position of the terminal device, thereby eliminating the influence of single measurement noise.

[0086] The load of each SE is statistically analyzed by each SE and may include at least one of the following: the number of terminal devices currently served by the SE, the number of remaining time-frequency resource blocks, and the computing resource utilization rate. The load of each SE can be stored within the SE. When the first device is an active sensing terminal device, RAN device, or SF network element with 3GPP communication capabilities, the load can be sent by the SE to the terminal device, RAN device, or SF network element; alternatively, the load can be sent by the SE to the RAN device, which then forwards it to the terminal device or SF network element. In other words, the terminal device, RAN device, or SF network element can obtain the load of each SE from each SE.

[0087] The location of each SE is its coordinate, which can be stored in the SE, the main RAN device, or the SF network element. When the first device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities, the location can be sent to the terminal device by the SE, the main RAN device, or the SF network element. That is, the terminal device can obtain the location of each SE from the SE, the main RAN device, or the SF network element.

[0088] The cluster coverage area is the sensing coverage area of ​​the cluster to which the main RAN device belongs, and can be stored in the main RAN device or SF network element. When the first device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities, it can be sent to the terminal device by the main RAN device or SF network element. That is, the terminal device can obtain the cluster coverage area from the main RAN device or SF network element.

[0089] The communication state information (or communication measurement report) of a terminal device is obtained by the terminal device based on its communication links with the main RAN equipment and each SE (Service Provider). For active sensing terminal devices with 3GPP communication capabilities, this information reflects the communication quality of the terminal device. Specifically, the communication state information includes at least one of the following: measurement timestamp, reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), channel quality indicator (CQI), uplink transmission power, uplink signal-to-noise ratio (UL SNR), and downlink signal-to-noise ratio (DL SNR). When the first device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities, it can send this information to the RAN equipment or SF (Security Provider) network element. In other words, the RAN equipment or SF network element can obtain the communication state information of the terminal device.

[0090] S102. The first device executes a handover decision based on the first information to determine the target SE for the terminal device handover.

[0091] Specifically, when the first device is a terminal device or wireless access device with 3GPP communication capabilities, the target SE belongs to the current cluster, meaning it can perform intra-cluster handover, utilizing information from the current cluster. When the first device is a sensing function network element, the target SE can belong to the current cluster or other clusters, meaning it can perform intra-cluster or inter-cluster handover, utilizing information from both the current cluster and other clusters.

[0092] The first device can determine to perform a handover decision when the first information satisfies at least one of the following: the current location of the terminal device is not within the coverage of the current cluster, the predicted location of the terminal device is not within the coverage of the current cluster, or the load of the source SE is greater than the load threshold.

[0093] It should be noted that the various thresholds involved in the embodiments of this application can be configured by RAN equipment or SF network elements, or can be specified by the protocol. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0094] Optionally, if the first information also includes communication status information of the terminal device, the first device may determine to perform a handover decision when the first information satisfies at least one of the following: the current location of the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster; the predicted location of the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster; the load of the source SE is greater than a load threshold; or the communication quality in the communication status information of the terminal device is less than a quality threshold. For example, communication quality less than a quality threshold includes at least one of the following: RSRP less than RSRP threshold, RSSI less than RSSI threshold, CQI less than CQI threshold, uplink transmit power less than uplink transmit power threshold, UL SNR less than UL SNR threshold, and DL SNR less than DL SNR threshold.

[0095] When a terminal device's current location is outside the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, it means that all SEs within the current cluster are unable to effectively cover the terminal device. Continuing to provide services through the current cluster will result in a severe degradation of perception quality or even perception interruption, thus requiring a handover decision. This condition typically applies to scenarios where the terminal device is moving rapidly and has actually moved out of the coverage area of ​​the current cluster.

[0096] When the predicted location of a terminal device is outside the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, it indicates that the terminal device is about to be moved out of the current cluster. Although it is still within the coverage area, if the handover decision is not initiated in advance and handover preparations are not made, the terminal device will face the risk of perception interruption after it is moved out. This condition reflects the design concept of early triggering and reserving handover preparation time, and is suitable for scenarios that require ensuring handover continuity.

[0097] When the load of the source SE exceeds the load threshold, it indicates that the available resources of the source SE are insufficient to support the sensing service requirements of the terminal device. Continuing to provide services from this source SE may lead to a decrease in sensing quality, increased latency, or even service interruption. In this case, a handover decision needs to be initiated to switch the terminal device to another SE within the cluster with a lower load, in order to achieve load balancing and ensure service continuity.

[0098] When the communication quality in the communication status information of a terminal device is less than the quality threshold, it indicates that the communication service currently enjoyed by the terminal device has deteriorated to an unacceptable level from the perspective of communication link quality. The handover decision process needs to be proactively initiated before the communication service quality deteriorates further or is interrupted.

[0099] Furthermore, the first device can determine whether the terminal device is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster based on the terminal device's location information. If it is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, then an intra-cluster handover is performed, i.e., a target SE for the terminal device to be handed over is selected from the current cluster. Otherwise, an inter-cluster handover is performed, i.e., a target SE for the terminal device to be handed over is selected from other clusters.

[0100] For example, a terminal device is currently located at the edge of cluster 1 and is moving towards the interior of cluster 1 at a certain speed. The first device determines that the terminal device is still within the coverage area of ​​cluster 1 based on its current position, or determines that the terminal device will still be within the coverage area of ​​cluster 1 within a preset time (e.g., 5 seconds) based on its predicted position. In this case, the first device selects a target SE from among the multiple SEs in cluster 1, i.e., performs an intra-cluster handover.

[0101] For example, a terminal device is currently located at the edge of cluster 1 and is moving towards cluster 2 at a certain speed. The first device determines, based on the terminal device's current position, that the terminal device has moved out of the coverage area of ​​cluster 1 and into the coverage area of ​​cluster 2, or, based on the terminal device's predicted position, that the terminal device will move out of the coverage area of ​​cluster 1 and into the coverage area of ​​cluster 2 after a preset time (e.g., 5 seconds). The first device then selects a target SE from among the multiple SEs in cluster 2, i.e., performs an inter-cluster handover. When the first device is a terminal device or wireless access device with 3GPP communication capabilities, the target SE is directly determined to be empty, and step S102 ends.

[0102] The first device can remove SEs that do not cover the terminal device based on the location information of the terminal device, the location information of each SE, and the coverage area. Alternatively, the first device can remove SEs that are more than 200 meters away from the terminal device based on the location information of the terminal device and the location information of each SE.

[0103] The first device can also remove SEs with loads greater than the load threshold (e.g., 70%) based on the load status of each SE, to avoid causing the target SE to be overloaded.

[0104] Optionally, when the first information also includes the communication status information of the terminal device, the first device may also remove SEs with poor communication quality (e.g., communication quality less than a quality threshold) based on the communication status information of the terminal device.

[0105] Then, the first device sorts the remaining SEs according to their comprehensive scores and selects the SE with the highest comprehensive score as the target SE. For example, the comprehensive score can be obtained by weighting at least one of the following: the distance between the SE and the terminal device, the angle between the direction of the SE relative to the terminal device and the direction of movement of the terminal device, and the load status of the SE. Optionally, when the first information also includes the communication status information of the terminal device, the comprehensive score can be obtained by weighting at least one of the following: the distance between the SE and the terminal device, the angle between the direction of the SE relative to the terminal device and the direction of movement of the terminal device, the load status of the SE, and the communication status information of the terminal device. It should be noted that the target SE obtained after the above filtering process may be empty.

[0106] The handover method provided in this application involves a first device acquiring first information including the location information of the terminal device, the load of each SE, the location and coverage of each SE, and the coverage of the cluster. Based on this first information, the first device determines the target SE for handover. The terminal device can be an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities or a passive sensing terminal device without 3GPP communication capabilities. This achieves the handover between active and passive sensing terminal devices in an ISAC network.

[0107] Because the handover decision-making by the primary RAN device requires more signaling interaction and has a longer handover latency compared to that by the terminal device, and the handover decision-making by the SF network element also requires more signaling interaction and has a longer handover latency compared to that by the primary RAN device, the primary RAN device obtains more information than the terminal device, such as information about other SEs within the cluster that are not covered by the terminal device, and the SF network element obtains more information than the primary RAN device, such as information about SEs within other clusters.

[0108] Therefore, for passive sensing terminal devices without 3GPP communication capabilities, the handover decision can be performed primarily by the primary RAN device. When the target SE obtained by the primary RAN device is empty, the handover decision can be performed by the SF network element. For active sensing terminal devices with 3GPP communication capabilities, the handover decision can be performed primarily by the terminal device. When the target SE obtained by the terminal device is empty, the handover decision can be performed by either the primary RAN device or the SF network element. Alternatively, the primary RAN device can perform the handover decision first, and when the target SE obtained by the primary RAN device is empty, the SF network element can perform the handover decision.

[0109] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating another handover method provided in an embodiment of this application, used to perform a handover decision on a passive sensing terminal device that does not have 3GPP communication capabilities. The first device can be a RAN device or an SF network element. Figure 6The source SE and target SE in the text can be Figure 1 The SE in this context can also refer to devices within the SE (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 6 The main RAN device in the middle can be Figure 1 The RAN equipment in the context can also refer to devices within the RAN equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 6 The SF network element in the middle can be Figure 1 The SF network element can also refer to the device (such as processor, chip, or chip system) in the SF network element. Figure 6 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 The term "terminal device" can also refer to the components within a terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system).

[0110] Specifically, such as Figure 6 As shown, the switching method 600 includes S201-S210: S201. The main RAN device obtains the first information, performs a handover decision based on the first information, and determines the target SE for the terminal device handover.

[0111] This step refers to the description of the first device as a RAN device in S101-S102, and will not be repeated here.

[0112] S202. If the target SE determined by the primary RAN device is not empty, the primary RAN device sends at least one of the following to the target SE: a handover preparation request and a handover execution instruction, and sends a resource release instruction to the source SE.

[0113] Accordingly, the target SE receives at least one of a handover preparation request or a handover execution instruction. The source SE receives a resource release instruction. It should be noted that there can be more than one source SE and more than one target SE.

[0114] The handover preparation request is used to request the target SE to prepare resources that meet the sensing service requirements for the terminal equipment to be accessed. Optionally, for proactive sensing terminal equipment with 3GPP communication capabilities, the handover preparation request is also used to request resources that meet the communication quality requirements for the terminal equipment to be accessed. The handover preparation request will trigger the target SE to perform an admission decision. The handover preparation request includes at least one of the following: a target cluster identifier, used to indicate the target cluster for the handover. For intra-cluster handovers, the target cluster identifier may or may not be included; for inter-cluster handovers, the target cluster identifier is required. A target primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the target primary RAN device for the handover. For intra-cluster handovers, the target primary RAN device identifier may or may not be included; for inter-cluster handovers, the target primary RAN device identifier is required. A target SE identifier, used to indicate the target SE for the handover, helping the SE determine whether the handover preparation request is sent to itself. A terminal device identifier, used to indicate the terminal device for the handover. Sensing service requirements, such as sensing service type, including target tracking, positioning, speed measurement, etc., sensing accuracy requirements, sensing update cycle, latency requirements, etc.; location information of the terminal device, helping the target SE to quickly sense the terminal device after the handover; and a handover reason, used to indicate the reason for triggering the handover, such as the terminal device's current location not being within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the terminal device's predicted location not being within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the source SE's load exceeding the load threshold, or the communication quality in the terminal device's communication status information being less than the quality threshold.

[0115] Optionally, for proactively aware terminal devices with 3GPP communication capabilities, the handover preparation request may also include the terminal device's communication quality requirements. That is, the handover preparation request includes at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, target primary RAN device identifier, target SE identifier, terminal device identifier, aware service requirements, terminal device location information, handover reason, and terminal device's communication quality requirements.

[0116] It should be noted that for intra-cluster handover, the target cluster identifier and the source cluster identifier can be the same information, and the target primary RAN device identifier and the source primary RAN device identifier can be the same information.

[0117] The handover preparation request enables the target SE to complete the pre-configuration of the physical layer and RF link during the handover preparation phase, establishing the sensing link in advance and ensuring that the terminal device can immediately start sensing services after access. This enables rapid connection of sensing services and guarantees uninterrupted handover of sensing services.

[0118] The target SE performs an admission decision based on the handover preparation request, verifying whether its available resources (including time-frequency resources, computing resources, antenna resources, etc.) can meet the sensing service requirements. Optionally, for active sensing terminal devices with 3GPP communication capabilities, it verifies whether its available resources (including time-frequency resources, computing resources, antenna resources, etc.) can meet the communication quality requirements. Then, the target SE sends the admission result to the primary RAN device. If the requirements are met, the admission result indicates successful admission; if not, the admission result indicates failed admission. In this case, the primary RAN device can reselect other target SEs, for example, by selecting other target SEs in order of comprehensive score ranking.

[0119] The acceptance result allows the primary RAN device to confirm in advance whether the terminal device can be switched to the target SE, avoiding an increase in the number of switch failures caused by invalid switches, as well as an increase in switch latency.

[0120] The handover execution command is used to trigger the target SE to perform a handover operation for the perceived service. The handover execution command may include at least one of the following: a target cluster identifier, used to indicate the target cluster for the handover; for intra-cluster handover, the target cluster identifier may or may not be included; for inter-cluster handover, the target cluster identifier is required; a target primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the target primary RAN device for the handover; for intra-cluster handover, the target primary RAN device identifier may or may not be included; for inter-cluster handover, the target primary RAN device identifier is required; a target SE identifier, used to indicate the target SE for the handover, helping the SE determine whether the handover execution command is sent to itself; a source cluster identifier, used to indicate the source cluster for the handover; for intra-cluster handover, the source cluster identifier may or may not be included; for inter-cluster handover, the source cluster identifier may be included; and a source primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the handover... For intra-cluster handover, the source master RAN device may carry or not carry the source master RAN device identifier; for inter-cluster handover, it may carry the source master RAN device identifier. The source SE identifier indicates the source SE of the handover. The terminal device identifier indicates the terminal device of the handover. The terminal device's location information helps the target SE quickly sense the terminal device after the handover. The handover execution time instructs the target SE to begin the handover at a specified time to achieve precise synchronization with the source SE's resource release. The handover reason indicates the reason for triggering the handover, such as the terminal device's current location being outside the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the terminal device's predicted location being outside the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the source SE's load exceeding the load threshold, or the terminal device's communication quality in its communication status information being below the quality threshold.

[0121] It should be noted that for intra-cluster handover, the target cluster identifier and source cluster identifier can be the same information, as can the target primary RAN device identifier and source primary RAN device identifier. Furthermore, if the handover preparation request has already transmitted the information, the handover execution command does not need to transmit it again. For example, if the handover preparation request has already transmitted the location information of the terminal device or the handover reason, the handover execution command may not include the location information of the terminal device or the handover reason.

[0122] After receiving the handover execution command, the target SE performs the sensing service handover according to the command. For example, it configures the corresponding time and frequency resources, activates the antenna beam, starts the reception and processing of reflected ISAC signals, and establishes the target tracking context.

[0123] The resource release instruction is used to instruct the source SE to release time-frequency and sensing resources associated with the terminal device. The resource release instruction may include at least one of the following: a source cluster identifier, used to indicate the source cluster to be switched; for intra-cluster switching, the source cluster identifier may or may not be carried; for inter-cluster switching, the source cluster identifier may be carried; a source master RAN device identifier, used to indicate the source master RAN device to be switched; for intra-cluster switching, the source master RAN device identifier may or may not be carried; for inter-cluster switching, the source master RAN device identifier may be carried; a source SE identifier, used to indicate the source SE to help the SE determine whether the resource release instruction is sent to itself; a terminal device identifier, used to indicate the terminal device to be switched; a resource release type, such as full release, partial release, or release by specified resources; and a release delay indication, instructing the source SE to release resources after a specified delay to address scenarios where the terminal device may switch back to the source SE after the switch.

[0124] Upon receiving a resource release command, the source SE executes the corresponding resource release operation. This includes releasing time-frequency resources allocated to the terminal device, releasing computational resources for sensing signal processing, releasing antenna array beam configuration, and clearing target tracking context information. Released resources can be reclaimed and redistributed to other terminal devices, preventing long-term ineffective resource occupation and improving resource utilization efficiency in the integrated sensing network.

[0125] S203. If the target SE determined by the main RAN device is empty, the main RAN device sends the location information of the terminal device and the load of each SE to the SF network element.

[0126] S204 and SF network elements obtain the first information, execute a handover decision based on the first information, and determine the target SE for the terminal device handover.

[0127] This step refers to the description of the first device as an SF network element in S101-S102, and will not be repeated here.

[0128] S205. If the target SE determined by the SF network element is not empty, and the decision is to perform an intra-cluster handover, the SF network element sends the handover decision result to the primary RAN device. The handover type in the handover decision result indicates an intra-cluster handover.

[0129] Accordingly, the primary RAN device receives the handover decision result from the SF network element. The handover decision result is used to indicate the handover to the target SE. The handover decision result may include at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, used to indicate the target cluster for the handover; for intra-cluster handover, the target cluster identifier may or may not be carried; for inter-cluster handover, the target cluster identifier is required; target primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the target primary RAN device for the handover; for intra-cluster handover, the target primary RAN device identifier may or may not be carried; for inter-cluster handover, the target primary RAN device identifier is required; target SE identifier, used to indicate the target SE for the handover; source cluster identifier, used to indicate the source cluster for the handover; for intra-cluster handover, the source cluster identifier may or may not be carried; for inter-cluster handover, the source cluster identifier may be carried; source primary RAN device identifier; and source primary RAN device identifier. The N device identifier indicates the source primary RAN device for handover. For intra-cluster handover, the source primary RAN device identifier may or may not be carried; for inter-cluster handover, the source primary RAN device identifier may be carried. The source SE identifier indicates the source SE for handover. The terminal device identifier indicates the terminal device for handover. The handover type indicates whether it is an intra-cluster handover or an inter-cluster handover, in which case it indicates an intra-cluster handover. The handover reason indicates the reason for triggering the handover, such as the terminal device's current location not being within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the terminal device's predicted location not being within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the source SE's load being greater than the load threshold, or the communication quality in the terminal device's communication status information being less than the quality threshold.

[0130] It should be noted that for intra-cluster handover, the target cluster identifier and the source cluster identifier can be the same information, and the target primary RAN device identifier and the source primary RAN device identifier can be the same information.

[0131] S206. The primary RAN device sends at least one of the following to the target SE: a handover preparation request or a handover execution command, and sends a resource release command to the source SE.

[0132] This step is described in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0133] S207. If the target SE determined by the SF network element is not empty, and the decision is to perform an inter-cluster handover, the SF network element sends the handover decision result to the source master RAN device. The handover type in the handover decision result indicates an inter-cluster handover.

[0134] Accordingly, the source RAN equipment receives the handover decision result from the SF network element. The handover type in the handover decision result indicates an inter-cluster handover; other details can be found in the description of the handover decision result in S205, and will not be repeated here.

[0135] S208. The source primary RAN device sends a handover preparation request to the target primary RAN device.

[0136] This step is described in the handover preparation request in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0137] S209. The target primary RAN device sends at least one of the following to the target SE: a handover preparation request and a handover execution command.

[0138] This step is described in S202 as a switch preparation request and switch execution instruction, and will not be repeated here.

[0139] S210, The source RAN device sends a resource release command to the source SE.

[0140] This step is described in the resource release instruction in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0141] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating another handover method provided in an embodiment of this application, used to perform a handover decision on an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities. The first device can be a terminal device, a RAN device, or an SF network element. Figure 7 The source SE and target SE in the text can be Figure 1 The SE in this context can also refer to devices within the SE (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 7 The main RAN device in the middle can be Figure 1 The RAN equipment in the context can also refer to devices within the RAN equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 7 The SF network element in the middle can be Figure 1 The SF network element can also refer to the device (such as processor, chip, or chip system) in the SF network element. Figure 7 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 The term "terminal device" can also refer to the components within a terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system).

[0142] Specifically, such as Figure 7 As shown, the switching method 700 includes S301-S313: S301. The terminal device obtains first information, performs a handover decision based on the first information, and determines the target SE for the terminal device handover.

[0143] For details, please refer to the description of the first device as a terminal device in S101-S102, which will not be repeated here.

[0144] S302. If the target SE determined by the terminal device is not empty, the terminal device sends a handover request to the primary RAN device.

[0145] Accordingly, the primary RAN device receives a handover request. The handover request is used to request a handover to the target SE. The handover request may include at least one of the following: an identifier of the terminal device, indicating the terminal device to be handed over; an identifier of the target SE, indicating the target SE to be handed over; communication status information of the terminal device, measured by the terminal device; and a handover reason, indicating the reason for triggering the handover, such as the terminal device's current location not being within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the terminal device's predicted location not being within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the source SE's load exceeding a load threshold, or the communication quality in the terminal device's communication status information being less than a quality threshold, etc.

[0146] S303, the primary RAN device sends at least one of the following to the target SE: a handover preparation request and a handover execution command; sends a handover configuration command to the terminal device; and sends a resource release command to the source SE.

[0147] Accordingly, the terminal device receives a handover configuration instruction. The handover configuration instruction instructs the terminal device to perform a handover access operation. The handover configuration instruction may include at least one of the following: a target cluster identifier, used to indicate the target cluster for the handover; for intra-cluster handover, the target cluster identifier may or may not be carried; for inter-cluster handover, the target cluster identifier is required; a target primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the target primary RAN device for the handover; for intra-cluster handover, the target primary RAN device identifier may or may not be carried; for inter-cluster handover, the target primary RAN device identifier is required; a target SE identifier, used to indicate the target SE for the handover; and a terminal device identifier, used to indicate the terminal device being handed over, helping the terminal device determine whether the handover configuration instruction was sent to itself.

[0148] Other details are as described in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0149] S304. The terminal device connects to the target SE according to the switching configuration command.

[0150] The terminal device executes the synchronization and access process with the target SE according to the parameters in the switching configuration instruction, and completes the switching of the communication link.

[0151] S305. If the target SE determined by the terminal device is empty, the terminal device sends the terminal device's communication status information to the main RAN device.

[0152] Accordingly, the main RAN device receives the communication status information of the terminal device.

[0153] S306. The main RAN device obtains the first information, performs a handover decision based on the first information, and determines the target SE for the terminal device handover.

[0154] This step refers to the description of the first device as a RAN device in S101-S102, and will not be repeated here.

[0155] If the target SE determined by the primary RAN device is not empty, then execute S303-S304.

[0156] S307. If the target SE determined by the main RAN device is empty, the main RAN device sends the communication status information of the terminal device, the perception status information of the terminal device, and the load of each SE to the SF network element.

[0157] Accordingly, the SF network element receives the communication status information of the terminal equipment, the sensing status information of the terminal equipment, and the load of each SE.

[0158] The S308 and SF network elements obtain the first information, execute the handover decision based on the first information, and determine the target SE for the terminal device handover.

[0159] This step refers to the description of the first device as an SF network element in S101-S102, and will not be repeated here.

[0160] S309. If the target SE determined by the SF network element is not empty, and the decision is to perform an intra-cluster handover, the SF network element sends the handover decision result to the primary RAN device. The handover type in the handover decision result indicates an intra-cluster handover.

[0161] This step is described in S205 and will not be repeated here.

[0162] Then execute S303-S304.

[0163] S310. If the target SE determined by the SF network element is not empty, and the decision is to perform an inter-cluster handover, the SF network element sends the handover decision result to the source master RAN device. The handover type in the handover decision result indicates an inter-cluster handover.

[0164] Accordingly, the source primary RAN device receives the handover decision result from the SF network element. The source primary RAN device is the primary RAN device mentioned above. The handover type in the handover decision result indicates an inter-cluster handover; other details can be found in the description of the handover decision result in S205, and will not be repeated here.

[0165] S311. The source primary RAN device sends a handover preparation request to the target primary RAN device, a handover configuration command to the terminal device, and a resource release command to the source SE.

[0166] This step refers to the descriptions of the switch preparation request and resource release instructions in S202 and the switch configuration instructions in S303, and will not be repeated here.

[0167] S312. The target primary RAN device sends at least one of the following to the target SE: a handover preparation request or a handover execution command.

[0168] This step is described in S202 as a switch preparation request and switch execution instruction, and will not be repeated here.

[0169] S313. The terminal device connects to the target SE according to the switching configuration command.

[0170] This step is described in S304 and will not be repeated here.

[0171] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating another switching method provided in an embodiment of this application, used to describe the decision-making and execution of intra-cluster switching by the main RAN device when a passive sensing terminal device switches. Figure 8 The source SE and target SE in the text can be Figure 1 The SE in this context can also refer to devices within the SE (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 8 The main RAN device in the middle can be Figure 1 The RAN equipment in the context can also refer to devices within the RAN equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 8 The SF network element in the middle can be Figure 1 The SF network element can also refer to the device (such as processor, chip, or chip system) in the SF network element.

[0172] like Figure 8 As shown, the handover method 800 includes S401-S409, wherein S401-S402 is the stage for reporting the sensing status information of the terminal device and the load status of the source SE, S403 is the stage for the main RAN device to make a decision to execute the intra-cluster handover, S404-S408 is the stage for executing the intra-cluster handover, and S409 is the stage for handover completion and global status update.

[0173] S401, the source SE performs sensing measurements on the terminal device to obtain the sensing status information of the terminal device.

[0174] This terminal device is a passive sensing terminal device that does not have 3GPP communication capabilities. This step refers to the description of sensing status information in S101, and will not be repeated here.

[0175] S402, The source SE sends the terminal device's sensing status information and the source SE's load status to the main RAN device.

[0176] Accordingly, the main RAN device receives the sensing status information of the terminal device and the load status of the source SE.

[0177] S403. The main RAN device obtains the first information, performs a handover decision based on the first information, and determines the target SE for the terminal device handover.

[0178] This step refers to the description of the first device as a RAN device in S101-S102, and will not be repeated here.

[0179] S404. The primary RAN device sends a handover preparation request to the target SE.

[0180] This step is described in the handover preparation request in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0181] S405, the target SE executes the acceptance decision and sends the acceptance result to the main RAN equipment.

[0182] This step is described in S202 regarding the acceptance result, and will not be repeated here.

[0183] S406. The main RAN device sends a handover execution command to the target SE.

[0184] This step is described in S202 with reference to the instructions for switching execution, and will not be repeated here.

[0185] S407. The target SE sends a handover completion confirmation to the primary RAN device.

[0186] Accordingly, the primary RAN device receives a handover completion confirmation. The handover completion confirmation indicates that the handover was successfully completed. The handover completion confirmation may include at least one of the following: the identifier of the terminal device, used to indicate the terminal device being handed over; the identifier of the target SE, used to indicate the target SE being handed over; the status of the sensed service connection, such as whether it has started receiving reflected ISAC signals, whether it has successfully locked onto the terminal device, etc.; and the load status of the target SE, as the access of a new terminal device to the target SE will cause a change in the load status of the target SE, helping the primary RAN device to subsequently execute the handover decision.

[0187] Upon receiving a handover completion confirmation, the primary RAN device acknowledges the successful handover and triggers subsequent resource release and global status update procedures. If no handover completion confirmation is received within a preset time, or if the received confirmation indicates handover failure, the primary RAN device can trigger a handover failure handling procedure. This includes, for example, reverting to the service state before the handover, reselecting a target SE and sending a handover preparation request, sending a handover failure event to the SF network element, and requesting SF network element intervention for coordination. This ensures seamless continuity of sensing services from the source SE to the target SE, guaranteeing the continuity and stability of sensing services.

[0188] S408, The main RAN device sends a resource release command to the source SE.

[0189] This step is described in the resource release instruction in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0190] S409. The main RAN device sends a handover completion message to the SF network element.

[0191] Accordingly, the SF network element receives the handover completion information. The handover completion information may include at least one of the following: Target cluster identifier, used to indicate the target cluster for handover; for intra-cluster handover, the target cluster identifier may or may not be included; for inter-cluster handover, the target cluster identifier is required; Target primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the target primary RAN device for handover; for intra-cluster handover, the target primary RAN device identifier may or may not be included; for inter-cluster handover, the target primary RAN device identifier is required; Target SE identifier, used to indicate the target SE for handover; Source cluster identifier, used to indicate the source cluster for handover; for intra-cluster handover, the source cluster identifier may or may not be included; for inter-cluster handover, the source cluster identifier may be included; Source primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the source primary RAN device for handover; for intra-cluster handover, the source primary RAN device identifier may or may not be included; for inter-cluster handover, the source primary RAN device identifier may be included; Source SE identifier, used to indicate the source SE for handover; Terminal device identifier, used to indicate the terminal device for handover; Handover time, used to indicate the time of intra-cluster handover; Handover type, used to indicate intra-cluster handover or inter-cluster handover, in which case it indicates intra-cluster handover.

[0192] It should be noted that for intra-cluster handover, the target cluster identifier and the source cluster identifier can be the same information, and the target primary RAN device identifier and the source primary RAN device identifier can be the same information.

[0193] This will synchronize the results of this handover to the global awareness service status database maintained by the SF network element, ensuring that the global network status known by the SF network element is consistent with the actual network status.

[0194] The handover method provided in this embodiment performs intra-cluster handover by executing the handover decision through the primary RAN device, without requiring the SF network element to participate in the decision-making process. This results in low signaling overhead and minimal handover latency, making it suitable for latency-sensitive scenarios with light network loads. Furthermore, by replacing only a portion of the SEs within the cluster, lightweight, non-disruptive handover is achieved, ensuring the continuity of perceived services.

[0195] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating another handover method provided in an embodiment of this application, used to describe the intra-cluster handover decision-making and execution of SF network elements when a passive sensing terminal device is switched. Figure 9 The source SE and target SE in the text can be Figure 1 The SE in this context can also refer to devices within the SE (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 9 The main RAN device in the middle can be Figure 1 The RAN equipment in the context can also refer to devices within the RAN equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 9 The SF network element in the middle can be Figure 1 The SF network element can also refer to the device (such as processor, chip, or chip system) in the SF network element.

[0196] like Figure 9 As shown, the handover method 900 includes S501-S511, wherein S501-S503 is the stage for reporting the perception status information of the terminal device and the load status of the source SE, S504 is the stage for the SF network element decision to execute intra-cluster handover, S505-S510 is the stage for executing intra-cluster handover, and S511 is the stage for handover completion and global status update.

[0197] S501, the source SE performs sensing measurements on the terminal device to obtain the sensing status information of the terminal device.

[0198] This terminal device is a passive sensing terminal device that does not have 3GPP communication capabilities. This step refers to the description of sensing status information in S101, and will not be repeated here.

[0199] S502, the source SE sends the terminal device's sensing status information and the source SE's load status to the main RAN device.

[0200] This step is described in S402 and will not be repeated here.

[0201] S503, the main RAN device sends the terminal device's sensing status information and the source SE's load status to the SF network element.

[0202] That is, the primary RAN device forwards the sensing status information and load status of the terminal devices from the source SE. Correspondingly, the SF network element receives the sensing status information and load status of the terminal devices.

[0203] The S504 and SF network elements obtain the first information, execute the handover decision based on the first information, and determine the target SE for the terminal equipment handover.

[0204] This step refers to the description of the first device being the SF network element in S101-S102, and will not be repeated here. At this time, the SF network element determines to perform intra-cluster handover.

[0205] The S505 and SF network elements send the handover decision results to the main RAN equipment.

[0206] This step is described in S205 and will not be repeated here.

[0207] S506. The primary RAN device sends a handover preparation request to the target SE.

[0208] This step is described in the handover preparation request in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0209] S507. The target SE executes the acceptance decision and sends the acceptance result to the main RAN equipment.

[0210] This step is described in S202 regarding the acceptance result, and will not be repeated here.

[0211] S508, the main RAN device sends a handover execution command to the target SE.

[0212] This step is described in S202 with reference to the instructions for switching execution, and will not be repeated here.

[0213] S509, the target SE sends a handover completion confirmation to the main RAN device.

[0214] This step is described in S407 and will not be repeated here.

[0215] S510, the main RAN device sends a resource release command to the source SE.

[0216] This step is described in the resource release instruction in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0217] S511, the main RAN device sends a handover completion message to the SF network element.

[0218] This step is described in S409 and will not be repeated here.

[0219] The handover method provided in this embodiment forwards the terminal device's sensing status information and the source SE's load status to the SF network element through the primary RAN device. The SF network element then determines and executes the intra-cluster handover, achieving globally optimal resource scheduling. Although it increases signaling interaction between the primary RAN device and the SF network element, the decision result is more accurate and suitable for scenarios with heavy network load and uneven load among SEs.

[0220] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating another handover method provided in an embodiment of this application, used to describe the SF network element decision-making and execution of inter-cluster handover when a passive sensing terminal device is handover. Figure 10 The source SE and target SE in the text can be Figure 1 The SE in this context can also refer to devices within the SE (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 10 The source primary RAN device and the target primary RAN device can be Figure 1 The RAN equipment in the context can also refer to devices within the RAN equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 10 The SF network element in the middle can be Figure 1 The SF network element can also refer to the device (such as processor, chip, or chip system) in the SF network element. Figure 10 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 The term "terminal device" can also refer to the components within a terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system).

[0221] like Figure 10 As shown, the handover method 1000 includes S601-S616, wherein S601-S603 is the stage for reporting the perception status information of the terminal device and the load status of the source SE, S604 is the stage for the SF network element to make decisions and execute inter-cluster handover, S605-S614 is the stage for executing inter-cluster handover, and S615-S616 is the stage for handover completion and global status update.

[0222] S601, the source SE performs sensing measurements on the terminal device to obtain the sensing status information of the terminal device.

[0223] This terminal device is a passive sensing terminal device that does not have 3GPP communication capabilities. This step refers to the description of sensing status information in S101, and will not be repeated here.

[0224] S602, The source SE sends the terminal device's sensing status information and the source SE's load status to the source master RAN device.

[0225] This step is described in S402 and will not be repeated here.

[0226] S603, The source RAN device sends the terminal device's sensing status information and the source SE's load status to the SF network element.

[0227] That is, the source RAN device forwards the sensing status information and load status of the terminal devices from the source SE. Correspondingly, the SF network element receives the sensing status information and load status of the terminal devices.

[0228] The S604 and SF network elements obtain the first information, execute the handover decision based on the first information, and determine the target SE for the terminal device handover.

[0229] This step refers to the description of the first device being the SF network element in S101-S102, and will not be repeated here. At this time, the SF network element determines to perform inter-cluster handover.

[0230] The S605 and SF network elements send the handover decision results to the source master RAN equipment.

[0231] This step is described in S207 and will not be repeated here.

[0232] S606. The source primary RAN device sends a handover preparation request to the target primary RAN device.

[0233] This step is described in the handover preparation request in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0234] S607. The target primary RAN device sends a handover preparation request to the target SE.

[0235] That is, the target primary RAN device forwards the handover preparation request from the source primary RAN device.

[0236] S608, the target SE sends the acceptance result to the target master RAN equipment.

[0237] This step is described in S202 regarding the acceptance result, and will not be repeated here.

[0238] S609. The target primary RAN device sends the acceptance result to the source primary RAN device.

[0239] That is, the target primary RAN device forwards the acceptance result from the target SE. Correspondingly, the source primary RAN device receives the acceptance result.

[0240] S610, the source RAN device sends a switchover execution command to the target RAN device.

[0241] This step is described in S202 with reference to the instructions for switching execution, and will not be repeated here.

[0242] S611, The target master RAN device sends a handover execution command to the target SE.

[0243] That is, the target primary RAN device forwards the handover execution command from the source primary RAN device. Correspondingly, the target SE receives the handover execution command.

[0244] S612, The target SE sends a handover completion confirmation to the target master RAN device.

[0245] This step is described in S407 and will not be repeated here.

[0246] S613. The target primary RAN device sends a handover completion confirmation to the source primary RAN device.

[0247] That is, the target primary RAN device forwards the handover completion confirmation from the target SE. Correspondingly, the source primary RAN device receives the handover completion confirmation.

[0248] S614. The source RAN device sends a resource release command to the source SE.

[0249] This step is described in the resource release instruction in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0250] S615. The source RAN device sends a resource release completion message to the SF network element.

[0251] Accordingly, the SF network element receives resource release completion information. The resource release completion information may include at least one of the following: source cluster identifier, used to indicate the source cluster of the handover; source master RAN device identifier, used to indicate the source master RAN device of the handover; source SE identifier, used to indicate the source SE of the handover; terminal device identifier, used to indicate the terminal device of the handover; and resource release time.

[0252] S616. The target primary RAN device sends a handover completion message to the SF network element.

[0253] This step is described in S409 and will not be repeated here.

[0254] The handover method provided in this embodiment makes inter-cluster handover decisions based on global information through SF network elements. The signaling interaction between the source primary RAN device and the target primary RAN device is uniformly coordinated by the SF network elements, avoiding signaling conflicts during the handover process. This method is applicable to scenarios where the sensing terminal device moves out of the coverage area of ​​the current cluster.

[0255] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating another switching method provided in an embodiment of this application, used to describe how the terminal device itself decides and executes intra-cluster switching when actively sensing the switching of the terminal device. Figure 11 The source SE and target SE in the text can be Figure 1 The SE in this context can also refer to devices within the SE (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 11 The main RAN device in the middle can be Figure 1 The RAN equipment in the context can also refer to devices within the RAN equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 11 The SF network element in the middle can be Figure 1 The SF network element can also refer to the device (such as processor, chip, or chip system) in the SF network element. Figure 11 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 The term "terminal device" can also refer to the components within a terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system).

[0256] like Figure 11As shown, the switching method 1100 includes S701-S713, wherein S701-S703 is the stage for sending the perceived state information of the terminal device and the load state of the source SE, S704 is the stage for switching within the decision execution cluster of the terminal device, S705-S712 is the stage for switching within the execution cluster, and S713 is the stage for switching completion and global state update.

[0257] S701, the source SE performs sensing measurements on the terminal device to obtain the sensing status information of the terminal device.

[0258] The terminal device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities. This step refers to the description of sensing status information in S101, and will not be repeated here.

[0259] S702, The source SE sends the terminal device's sensing status information and the source SE's load status to the main RAN device.

[0260] This step is described in S402 and will not be repeated here.

[0261] S703, the main RAN device sends the terminal device's sensing status information and the source SE's load status to the terminal device.

[0262] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the sensing status information of the terminal device and the load status of the source SE. Since the terminal device has 3GPP communication capabilities, the main RAN device can send this information to the terminal device through downlink signaling (such as RRC signaling).

[0263] S704. The terminal device measures and obtains the communication status information of the terminal device, acquires first information, performs a handover decision based on the first information, and determines the target SE for the terminal device handover.

[0264] That is, the first information also includes the communication status information of the terminal device. For details, please refer to the description of the first device as the terminal device in S101-S102, which will not be repeated here.

[0265] S705, The terminal device sends a handover request to the main RAN device.

[0266] This step is described in S302 and will not be repeated here.

[0267] S706. The primary RAN device sends a handover preparation request to the target SE.

[0268] This step is described in the handover preparation request in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0269] S707, the target SE executes the acceptance decision and sends the acceptance result to the main RAN equipment.

[0270] This step is described in S202 regarding the acceptance result, and will not be repeated here.

[0271] S708, the main RAN device sends a handover execution command to the target SE.

[0272] This step is described in S202 with reference to the instructions for switching execution, and will not be repeated here.

[0273] S709, the main RAN device sends a switching configuration command to the terminal device.

[0274] This step is described in the S303 switching configuration command description and will not be repeated here.

[0275] S710: The terminal device connects to the target SE according to the switching configuration command.

[0276] This step is described in S304 and will not be repeated here.

[0277] S711, the target SE sends a handover completion confirmation to the main RAN device.

[0278] This step is described in S407 and will not be repeated here.

[0279] S712, the main RAN device sends a resource release command to the source SE.

[0280] This step is described in the resource release instruction in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0281] S713, the main RAN device sends a handover completion message to the SF network element.

[0282] This step is described in S409 and will not be repeated here.

[0283] The handover method provided in this embodiment executes the handover decision through the terminal device, minimizing signaling overhead and maximizing decision-making speed. It is suitable for scenarios that are extremely sensitive to latency and where the terminal device has strong computing capabilities. Simultaneously, the terminal device actively initiates the handover request, reducing the decision-making burden on the network side.

[0284] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating another handover method provided in an embodiment of this application, used to describe how the main RAN device decides to execute intra-cluster handover when actively sensing terminal device handover. Figure 12 The source SE and target SE in the text can be Figure 1 The SE in this context can also refer to devices within the SE (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 12 The main RAN device in the middle can be Figure 1 The RAN equipment in the context can also refer to devices within the RAN equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 12 The SF network element in the middle can be Figure 1 The SF network element can also refer to the device (such as processor, chip, or chip system) in the SF network element. Figure 12 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 The term "terminal equipment" can also refer to devices within a terminal equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems) that possess 3GPP communication capabilities.

[0285] like Figure 12 As shown, the handover method 1200 includes S801-S813, wherein S801-S804 is the stage for reporting the communication status information of the terminal device, the perception status information of the terminal device, and the load status of the source SE; S805 is the stage for the main RAN device to make a decision and execute intra-cluster handover; S806-S812 is the stage for executing intra-cluster handover; and S813 is the stage for handover completion and global status update.

[0286] S801, the source SE performs sensing measurements on the terminal device to obtain the sensing status information of the terminal device.

[0287] The terminal device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities. This step refers to the description of sensing status information in S101, and will not be repeated here.

[0288] S802, the source SE sends the terminal device's sensing status information and the source SE's load status to the main RAN device.

[0289] This step is described in S402 and will not be repeated here.

[0290] S803, The terminal device measures and obtains the communication status information of the terminal device.

[0291] This step refers to the description of the communication status information in S101, and will not be repeated here.

[0292] S804. The terminal device sends its communication status information to the main RAN device.

[0293] Accordingly, the main RAN device receives the communication status information of the terminal device.

[0294] S805: The main RAN device obtains the first information, performs a handover decision based on the first information, and determines the target SE for the terminal device handover.

[0295] For details, please refer to the description of the first device as the main RAN device in S101-S102, which will not be repeated here.

[0296] S806, The primary RAN device sends a handover preparation request to the target SE.

[0297] This step is described in the handover preparation request in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0298] S807, the target SE executes the acceptance decision and sends the acceptance result to the main RAN equipment.

[0299] This step is described in S202 regarding the acceptance result, and will not be repeated here.

[0300] S808, the main RAN device sends a handover execution command to the target SE.

[0301] This step is described in S202 with reference to the instructions for switching execution, and will not be repeated here.

[0302] S809, the main RAN device sends a switching configuration command to the terminal device.

[0303] This step is described in the S303 switching configuration command description and will not be repeated here.

[0304] S810: The terminal device connects to the target SE according to the switching configuration command.

[0305] This step is described in S304 and will not be repeated here.

[0306] S811, the target SE sends a handover completion confirmation to the main RAN device.

[0307] This step is described in S407 and will not be repeated here.

[0308] S812, the main RAN device sends a resource release command to the source SE.

[0309] This step is described in the resource release instruction in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0310] S813, the main RAN device sends a handover completion message to the SF network element.

[0311] This step is described in S409 and will not be repeated here.

[0312] The handover method provided in this embodiment involves the primary RAN device executing a handover decision and selecting a target SE within the cluster based on the terminal device's sensing status information, location information, communication status information, and the load status of each SE within the cluster. This decision-making process is more comprehensive and outperforms schemes that rely solely on sensing or communication status information. Furthermore, the primary RAN device does not require the involvement of the SF network element in executing the handover decision, resulting in lower signaling overhead.

[0313] Figure 13This is a flowchart illustrating another handover method provided in an embodiment of this application, used to describe how an SF network element performs an intra-cluster handover decision when an active sensing terminal device switches sensing services. Figure 13 The source SE and target SE in the text can be Figure 1 The SE in this context can also refer to devices within the SE (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 13 The main RAN device in the middle can be Figure 1 The RAN equipment in the context can also refer to devices within the RAN equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 13 The SF network element in the middle can be Figure 1 The SF network element can also refer to the device (such as processor, chip, or chip system) in the SF network element. Figure 13 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 The term "terminal equipment" can also refer to devices within a terminal equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems) that possess 3GPP communication capabilities.

[0314] like Figure 13 As shown, the handover method 1300 includes S901-S915, wherein S901-S905 is the stage for reporting the communication status information of the terminal device, the perception status information of the terminal device, and the load status of the source SE; S906 is the stage for the SF network element decision to execute intra-cluster handover; S907-S914 is the stage for executing intra-cluster handover; and S915 is the stage for handover completion and global status update.

[0315] S901, the source SE performs sensing measurements on the terminal device to obtain the sensing status information of the terminal device.

[0316] The terminal device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities. This step refers to the description of sensing status information in S101, and will not be repeated here.

[0317] S902, The source SE sends the terminal device's sensing status information and the source SE's load status to the main RAN device.

[0318] This step is described in S402 and will not be repeated here.

[0319] S903, The terminal device measures and obtains the communication status information of the terminal device.

[0320] This step refers to the description of the communication status information in S101, and will not be repeated here.

[0321] S904. The terminal device sends its communication status information to the main RAN device.

[0322] Accordingly, the main RAN device receives the communication status information of the terminal device.

[0323] S905, the main RAN equipment sends the communication status information of the terminal equipment, the sensing status information of the terminal equipment, and the load of each SE to the SF network element.

[0324] Accordingly, the SF network element receives the communication status information of the terminal equipment, the sensing status information of the terminal equipment, and the load of each SE.

[0325] The S906 and SF network elements obtain the first information, execute the handover decision based on the first information, and determine the target SE for the terminal equipment handover.

[0326] This step refers to the description of the first device as an SF network element in S101-S102, and will not be repeated here.

[0327] The S907 and SF network elements send the handover decision results to the main RAN equipment. The handover type in the handover decision results indicates intra-cluster handover.

[0328] This step is described in S205 and will not be repeated here.

[0329] S908, the main RAN device sends a handover preparation request to the target SE.

[0330] This step is described in the handover preparation request in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0331] S909, the target SE executes the acceptance decision and sends the acceptance result to the main RAN equipment.

[0332] This step is described in S202 regarding the acceptance result, and will not be repeated here.

[0333] S910, the main RAN device sends a handover execution command to the target SE.

[0334] This step is described in S202 with reference to the instructions for switching execution, and will not be repeated here.

[0335] S911, the main RAN device sends a switching configuration command to the terminal device.

[0336] This step is described in the S303 switching configuration command description and will not be repeated here.

[0337] S912, the terminal device connects to the target SE according to the switching configuration command.

[0338] This step is described in S304 and will not be repeated here.

[0339] S913, the target SE sends a handover completion confirmation to the main RAN equipment.

[0340] This step is described in S407 and will not be repeated here.

[0341] S914, The main RAN device sends a resource release command to the source SE.

[0342] This step is described in the resource release instruction in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0343] S915, the main RAN equipment sends a handover completion message to the SF network element.

[0344] This step is described in S409 and will not be repeated here.

[0345] The handover method provided in this embodiment allows the SF network element to execute a handover decision and select the target SE within the cluster based on the terminal device's sensing status information, location information, communication status information, and load status of each SE within the cluster. The decision criteria are more comprehensive, and the performance is better than schemes that rely solely on sensing status information or communication status information.

[0346] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating another handover method provided in an embodiment of this application, used to describe the inter-cluster handover decision made by SF network elements when an active sensing terminal device switches to a sensing service. Figure 14 The source SE and target SE in the text can be Figure 1 The SE in this context can also refer to devices within the SE (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 14 The source primary RAN device and the target primary RAN device can be Figure 1 The RAN equipment in the context can also refer to devices within the RAN equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). Figure 14 The SF network element in the middle can be Figure 1 The SF network element can also refer to the device (such as processor, chip, or chip system) in the SF network element. Figure 14 The terminal device in the middle can be Figure 1 The term "terminal equipment" can also refer to devices within a terminal equipment (such as processors, chips, or chip systems) that possess 3GPP communication capabilities.

[0347] like Figure 14 As shown, the handover method 1400 includes S1001-S1020, wherein S1001-S1005 is the stage for reporting the communication status information, sensing status information and load status of the terminal device and the source SE; S1006 is the stage for SF network element decision-making and execution of inter-cluster handover; S1007-S1018 is the stage for executing inter-cluster handover; and S1019-S1020 is the stage for handover completion and global status update.

[0348] S1001, the source SE performs sensing measurements on the terminal device to obtain the sensing status information of the terminal device.

[0349] The terminal device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities. This step refers to the description of sensing status information in S101, and will not be repeated here.

[0350] S1002, The source SE sends the terminal device's sensing status information and the source SE's load status to the source master RAN device.

[0351] This step is described in S402 and will not be repeated here.

[0352] S1003. The terminal device measures and obtains the communication status information of the terminal device.

[0353] This step refers to the description of the communication status information in S101, and will not be repeated here.

[0354] S1004. The terminal device sends its communication status information to the source RAN device.

[0355] Accordingly, the source RAN device receives the communication status information of the terminal device.

[0356] S1005, the source RAN equipment sends the communication status information of the terminal equipment, the sensing status information of the terminal equipment, and the load of each SE to the SF network element.

[0357] Accordingly, the SF network element receives the communication status information of the terminal equipment, the sensing status information of the terminal equipment, and the load of each SE.

[0358] S1006 and SF network elements obtain the first information, execute a handover decision based on the first information, and determine the target SE for the terminal device handover.

[0359] This step refers to the description of the first device as an SF network element in S101-S102, and will not be repeated here.

[0360] S1007 and SF network elements send handover decision results to the source master RAN equipment. The handover type in the handover decision results indicates inter-cluster handover.

[0361] This step is described in S310 and will not be repeated here.

[0362] S1008. The source primary RAN device sends a handover preparation request to the target primary RAN device.

[0363] This step is described in the handover preparation request in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0364] S1009, The target primary RAN device sends a handover preparation request to the target SE.

[0365] This step is described in S607 and will not be repeated here.

[0366] S1010, the target SE sends the acceptance result to the target master RAN equipment.

[0367] This step is described in S202 regarding the acceptance result, and will not be repeated here.

[0368] S1011, The target primary RAN device sends the acceptance result to the source primary RAN device.

[0369] This step is described in S609 and will not be repeated here.

[0370] S1012, The source RAN device sends a switchover execution command to the target RAN device.

[0371] This step is described in S202 with reference to the instructions for switching execution, and will not be repeated here.

[0372] S1013, The target master RAN device sends a handover execution command to the target SE.

[0373] This step is described in S611 and will not be repeated here.

[0374] S1014. The source RAN device sends a switching configuration command to the terminal device.

[0375] This step is described in the S303 switching configuration command description and will not be repeated here.

[0376] S1015. The terminal device connects to the target SE according to the switching configuration command.

[0377] This step is described in S304 and will not be repeated here.

[0378] S1016, The target SE sends a handover completion confirmation to the target primary RAN device.

[0379] This step is described in S407 and will not be repeated here.

[0380] S1017. The target primary RAN device sends a handover completion confirmation to the source primary RAN device.

[0381] That is, the target primary RAN device forwards the handover completion confirmation from the target SE to the source primary RAN device.

[0382] S1018, The source RAN device sends a resource release command to the source SE.

[0383] This step is described in the resource release instruction in S202 and will not be repeated here.

[0384] S1019. The source RAN device sends a resource release completion message to the SF network element.

[0385] This step is described in S615 and will not be repeated here.

[0386] S1020, The target primary RAN device sends a handover completion message to the SF network element.

[0387] This step is described in S409 and will not be repeated here.

[0388] The handover method provided in this embodiment involves the SF network element performing inter-cluster handover decisions based on global information. It involves complete signaling interaction between the source primary RAN device and the target primary RAN device, as well as cross-cluster handover configuration of the terminal device. It is applicable to scenarios where terminal devices with 3GPP communication capabilities move out of the source cluster coverage area.

[0389] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1500 may include a communication module 1510. The communication module 1510 can implement corresponding communication functions, which can be internal communication functions of the communication device 1500 or communication functions between the communication device 1500 and other devices. Optionally, the communication module 1510 may also be referred to as a communication interface or a transceiver module. Optionally, the communication device 1500 further includes a processing module 1520. The processing module 1520 can implement corresponding processing functions.

[0390] Optionally, the communication device 1500 further includes a storage module 1530, which can be used to store instructions and / or data; the processing module 1520 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module 1530 so that the communication device 1500 can implement the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0391] In one possible design, the communication device 1500 may correspond to the first device in the above method embodiments, or a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured in the first device. The communication device 1500 may be used to perform the steps or processes performed by the first device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0392] For example, the communication device 1500 includes a communication module 1510 and a processing module 1520. The communication module 1510 is used to acquire first information, which includes: location information of the terminal device, the load of each sensing entity (SE), the location and coverage of each SE, and the coverage of the cluster; the location information of the terminal device is obtained from the sensing status information of each SE sensing the terminal device; the terminal device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capability or a passive sensing terminal device without 3GPP communication capability; the processing module 1520 is used to determine the target SE for the terminal device to switch to based on the first information.

[0393] In one possible implementation, the processing module 1520 is further configured to determine to perform a handover decision when the first information satisfies at least one of the following: the current location of the terminal device is not within the coverage of the current cluster, the predicted location of the terminal device is not within the coverage of the current cluster, or the load of the source SE is greater than a load threshold.

[0394] In one possible implementation, the processing module 1520 is specifically configured to determine whether the terminal device is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster based on the location information of the terminal device; if it is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, determine to perform intra-cluster handover and select the target SE for terminal device handover from the current cluster; otherwise, determine to perform inter-cluster handover and select the target SE for terminal device handover from other clusters; remove SEs that do not cover terminal devices based on the location information of the terminal device, the location information of each SE, and the coverage area; remove SEs with loads greater than the load threshold based on the load status of each SE; sort the remaining SEs according to the comprehensive score and select the SE with the highest comprehensive score as the target SE.

[0395] In one possible implementation, the processing module 1520 is further configured to determine to perform a handover decision when the first information satisfies at least one of the following: the current location of the terminal device is not within the coverage of the current cluster, the predicted location of the terminal device is not within the coverage of the current cluster, the load of the source SE is greater than the load threshold, and the communication quality in the communication status information of the terminal device is less than the quality threshold.

[0396] In one possible implementation, the processing module 1520 is further configured to determine whether the terminal device is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster based on the location information of the terminal device; if it is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, then determine to perform intra-cluster handover and select the target SE for terminal device handover from the current cluster; otherwise, determine to perform inter-cluster handover and select the target SE for terminal device handover from other clusters; remove SEs that do not cover the terminal device based on the location information of the terminal device, the location information of each SE, and the coverage area; remove SEs whose load is greater than the load threshold based on the load status of each SE; remove SEs whose communication quality with the terminal device is less than the quality threshold based on the communication status information of the terminal device; sort the remaining SEs according to the comprehensive score and select the SE with the highest comprehensive score as the target SE.

[0397] In one possible implementation, the communication module 1510 is further configured to send a handover request, which requests a handover to the target SE. The handover request includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the terminal device, the identifier of the target SE, the communication status information of the terminal device, and the handover reason.

[0398] In one possible implementation, the communication module 1510 is further configured to receive a handover configuration instruction, which instructs the terminal device to perform a handover access operation. The handover configuration instruction includes at least one of the following: a target cluster identifier, used to indicate the target cluster for handover; a target primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the target primary RAN device for handover; a target SE identifier, used to indicate the target SE for handover; and a terminal device identifier, used to indicate the terminal device for handover.

[0399] In one possible implementation, the communication module 1510 is further configured to send a handover configuration instruction, which instructs the terminal device to perform a handover access operation. The handover configuration instruction includes at least one of the following: a target cluster identifier, used to indicate the target cluster for handover; a target primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the target primary RAN device for handover; a target SE identifier, used to indicate the target SE for handover; and a terminal device identifier, used to indicate the terminal device for handover.

[0400] In one possible implementation, the communication module 1510 is further configured to send at least one of a handover preparation request and a handover execution instruction; the handover preparation request is used to request the target SE to prepare resources to meet the sensing service requirements for the terminal device to be accessed; the handover preparation request includes at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, target master RAN device identifier, target SE identifier, terminal device identifier, sensing service requirements, location information of the terminal device, handover reason, and communication quality requirements of the terminal device; the handover execution instruction is used to trigger the target SE to perform a handover operation for the sensing service, the handover execution instruction includes at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, target master RAN device identifier, target SE identifier, source cluster identifier, source master RAN device identifier, source SE identifier, location information of the terminal device, to help the target SE quickly sense the terminal device after handover; handover execution time, and handover reason.

[0401] In one possible implementation, the communication module 1510 is further configured to send a resource release instruction, which instructs the source SE to release time-frequency resources and sensing resources associated with the terminal device; the resource release instruction includes at least one of the following: source cluster identifier, source master RAN device identifier, source SE identifier, terminal device identifier, resource release type, and release delay indication.

[0402] In one possible implementation, the communication module 1510 is further configured to send a handover decision result, which is used to indicate a handover to the target SE; the handover decision result includes at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, target master RAN device identifier, target SE identifier, source cluster identifier, source master RAN device identifier, source SE identifier, terminal device identifier, handover type, and handover reason.

[0403] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1600 may be a chip, chip system, or processor, etc., in the first device that implements the above-described method. The communication device 1600 can be used to implement the methods described in the above-described method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above-described method embodiments.

[0404] like Figure 16 As shown, the communication device 1600 may include one or more processors 1610, which may also be referred to as processing units or processing modules, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 1610 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device 1600 (e.g., a base station, baseband chip, user, user chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0405] In an alternative design, the processor 1610 may also store instructions and / or data, which can be executed by the processor 1610 to cause the communication device 1600 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0406] In another alternative design, the communication device 1600 may include a communication interface 1620 for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the communication interface 1620 may be a transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver. The transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0407] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may include one or more memories 1630, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 1610, causing the communication device 1600 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 1630 may also store data. Optionally, the processor 1610 may also store instructions and / or data. The processor 1610 and the memories 1630 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0408] It should be understood that, in one possible design, the steps in the method embodiments provided in this application can be implemented by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. 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. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are not provided here.

[0409] In one implementation, the communication device 1600 may correspond to the first device in the above method embodiments and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes executed by the first device in the above method embodiments. The processor 1610 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1630, and when the processor 1610 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1610 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments corresponding to the first device.

[0410] It should be understood that the aforementioned processor can be one or more chips. For example, the processor can be a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system-on-chip (SoC), a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0411] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may 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 (DDR SDRAM), 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.

[0412] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a processor, including: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is used to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute the method described in the embodiments of this application.

[0413] In specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be input pins, the output circuit can be output pins, and the processing circuit can be transistors, gate circuits, flip-flops, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as both the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0414] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a chip system, which includes one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, thereby causing the method described in the embodiments of this application to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0415] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data.

[0416] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned first device.

[0417] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the first device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0418] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the first device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0419] The computer-readable storage medium may be the aforementioned volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or it may include both volatile memory and non-volatile memory.

[0420] In the embodiments of this application, the terms and English abbreviations are exemplary examples given for ease of description and should not be construed as limiting the application in any way. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future agreements.

[0421] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is generated.

[0422] 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.

[0423] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0424] In summary, the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the technical solution of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A switching method, characterized in that, A first device applied in an integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) network, wherein the first device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities, or a radio access RAN device, or a sensing-enabled SF network element, the method comprising: The first information is obtained, which includes: the location information of the terminal device, the load of each sensing entity (SE), the location and coverage of each SE, and the coverage of the cluster; the location information of the terminal device is obtained from the sensing status information of each SE sensing the terminal device; the terminal device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capability or a passive sensing terminal device without 3GPP communication capability. A handover decision is determined to be executed when the first information satisfies at least one of the following: the current location of the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the predicted location of the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, or the load of the source SE is greater than the load threshold. Based on the first information, the target SE for the terminal device handover is determined; wherein, when the first device is an active sensing terminal device or RAN device with 3GPP communication capabilities, the target SE belongs to the current cluster; when the first device is an SF network element, the target SE belongs to the current cluster or another cluster. When the first device is an active sensing terminal device with 3GPP communication capabilities, it sends a handover request, which is used to request a handover to the target SE; it receives a handover configuration instruction, which is used to instruct the terminal device to perform a handover access operation and access the target SE according to the handover configuration instruction; When the first device is a RAN device, a handover preparation request and a handover execution command are sent; the handover preparation request is used to request the target SE to prepare resources that meet the sensing service requirements for the terminal device that is about to be connected; the handover execution command is used to trigger the target SE to perform a handover operation for the sensing service. When the first device is an SF network element, a handover decision result is sent, which is used to indicate handover to the target SE.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the target SE for the terminal device to switch to based on the first information includes: Based on the location information of the terminal device, determine whether the terminal device is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster; if it is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, determine to perform intra-cluster handover and select the target SE for the terminal device handover from the current cluster; otherwise, determine to perform inter-cluster handover and select the target SE for the terminal device handover from other clusters. Based on the location information of the terminal device, the location information of each SE, and the coverage area, remove the SEs that do not cover the terminal device; Based on the load status of each SE, remove SEs whose load exceeds the load threshold; The remaining SEs are sorted according to their comprehensive scores, and the SE with the highest comprehensive score is selected as the target SE.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the terminal device is an active sensing terminal device, the first information also includes the communication status information of the terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The handover decision is determined when the first information satisfies at least one of the following: the current location of the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, the predicted location of the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, or the load of the source SE is greater than a load threshold, including: A handover decision is determined when the first information satisfies at least one of the following: the current location of the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster; the predicted location of the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster; the load of the source SE is greater than the load threshold; or the communication quality in the communication status information of the terminal device is less than the quality threshold.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of determining the target SE for the terminal device to switch to based on the first information includes: Based on the location information of the terminal device, determine whether the terminal device is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster; if it is within the coverage area of ​​the current cluster, determine to perform intra-cluster handover and select the target SE for the terminal device handover from the current cluster; otherwise, determine to perform inter-cluster handover and select the target SE for the terminal device handover from other clusters. Based on the location information of the terminal device, the location information of each SE, and the coverage area, remove the SEs that do not cover the terminal device; Based on the load status of each SE, remove SEs whose load exceeds the load threshold; Based on the communication status information of the terminal device, remove SEs whose communication quality with the terminal device is less than the quality threshold; The remaining SEs are sorted according to their comprehensive scores, and the SE with the highest comprehensive score is selected as the target SE.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The handover request includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the terminal device, the identifier of the target SE, the communication status information of the terminal device, and the handover reason.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The handover configuration instruction includes at least one of the following: a target cluster identifier, used to indicate the target cluster for handover; a target primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the target primary RAN device for handover; and a target SE identifier, used to indicate the target SE for handover. The identifier of the terminal device is used to indicate the terminal device to which the handover takes place.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, When the first device is a RAN device, the method further includes: Send a handover configuration instruction, which is used to instruct the terminal device to perform a handover access operation. The handover configuration instruction includes at least one of the following: a target cluster identifier, used to indicate the target cluster for handover; a target primary RAN device identifier, used to indicate the target primary RAN device for handover; a target SE identifier, used to indicate the target SE for handover; and a terminal device identifier, used to indicate the terminal device for handover.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The handover preparation request includes at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, target primary RAN device identifier, target SE identifier, terminal device identifier, sensed service requirements, terminal device location information, handover reason, and the terminal device's communication quality requirements.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The handover execution instruction includes at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, target master RAN device identifier, target SE identifier, source cluster identifier, source master RAN device identifier, source SE identifier, and location information of the terminal device, to help the target SE quickly sense the terminal device after the handover; handover execution time and handover reason.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, When the first device is a RAN device, the method further includes: Send a resource release instruction, which is used to instruct the source SE to release time-frequency resources and sensing resources associated with the terminal device; the resource release instruction includes at least one of the following: source cluster identifier, source master RAN device identifier, source SE identifier, terminal device identifier, resource release type, and release delay indication.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The handover decision result includes at least one of the following: target cluster identifier, target primary RAN device identifier, target SE identifier, source cluster identifier, source primary RAN device identifier, source SE identifier, terminal device identifier, handover type, and handover reason.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, For passive sensing terminal equipment, the handover decision is executed by the main RAN equipment. When the target SE obtained by the main RAN equipment is empty, the handover decision is executed by the SF network element. For proactive sensing terminal devices, the handover decision is executed by the terminal device. If the target SE obtained by the terminal device is empty, the handover decision is executed by the primary RAN device or the SF network element. Alternatively, the primary RAN device executes the handover decision first. If the target SE obtained by the primary RAN device is empty, the SF network element executes the handover decision.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1-13.

15. A communication system, characterized in that, The device includes a terminal device, a radio access RAN device, multiple sensing entities (SEs), and a sensing function SF network element. The terminal device, the RAN device, or the SF network element is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-13, switching the terminal device among the multiple SEs.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, they cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-13.

17. A computer program product containing instructions, characterized in that, When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-13.

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