Cell switching method, terminal device, and network device

Abstract

To provide a cell switching method, a terminal device (UE), and a network device capable of synchronizing secondary cell group (SCG) states between network nodes when a switching occurs.SOLUTION: A method in a wireless communication system includes a step of transmitting, from a source node, SCG suspended state information to a target node, in which the SCG suspended state information is for indicating that UE is in an SCG suspended state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a divisional application of patent application number 2023-536051, filed on June 14, 2023, titled "Cell switching method, terminal equipment, and network equipment."

[0002] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of communications, and in particular to a cell switching method, a terminal device and a network device. [Background technology]

[0003] The 5G New Radio (NR) system and the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system can be combined in a Dual Connectivity (DC) manner, where one system is the Master Node (MN) and the other system is the Secondary Node (SN). The dual connectivity system includes two cell groups: the Master Cell Group (MCG) and the Secondary Cell Group (SCG).

[0004] In some scenarios, a user equipment (UE), also called a terminal device or user terminal, may need to suspend an SCG connection to perform other tasks. For example, in the case of a multi-card terminal supporting Multi-RAT Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), the multi-card terminal may include multiple UEs, where one card corresponds to one UE, and the terminal may need to suspend the SCG connection of one UE to perform a task of the UE corresponding to another card. However, when a switchover occurs if the UE initiates an SCG suspension, the SCG state between network nodes cannot be synchronized. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a cell switching method, a terminal device and a network device, which can synchronize SCG states between network nodes when a switching occurs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In a first aspect, a cell switching method is provided, the cell switching method being performed by a source node, the cell switching method including a step of sending secondary cell group SCG suspended state information to a target node, the SCG suspended state information being for indicating that a UE is in an SCG suspended state.

[0007] In a second aspect, a cell switching method is provided, the cell switching method being performed by a target node, the cell switching method including a step of receiving SCG suspended state information transmitted from a source node, the SCG suspended state information being for indicating that a UE is in an SCG suspended state.

[0008] In a third aspect, a cell switching method is provided that is executed by a user equipment, the cell switching method including the steps of: receiving a switching configuration message in an SCG suspended state; receiving a switching configuration message in an SCG suspended state; performing an SCG operation process in an SCG suspended state based on the switching configuration message, the process including one of SCG addition, SCG modification, and SCG release; and maintaining the SCG suspended state.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, a cell switching device is provided, comprising: a sending module for sending secondary cell group SCG suspended state information to a target node, the SCG suspended state information being for indicating that a UE is in an SCG suspended state.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, a cell switching device is provided, comprising a processing module for receiving SCG suspended state information transmitted from a source node, the SCG suspended state information being for indicating that a UE is in an SCG suspended state.

[0011] In a sixth aspect, there is provided a cell switching device, comprising: a receiving module for receiving a switching configuration message in an SCG suspended state.

[0012] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a network device comprising a processor, a memory, and a program or command stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the program or command realizing steps of the method according to the first or second aspect when executed by the processor.

[0013] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a terminal device comprising a processor, a memory, and a program or command stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the program or command causing the steps of the method according to the third aspect to be realised when executed by the processor.

[0014] In a ninth aspect, there is provided a readable storage medium having a program or commands stored thereon, the program or commands causing, when executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to the first aspect, the second aspect or the third aspect to be realized.

[0015] In a tenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising a processor, a memory, and a program or command stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the program or command causing, when executed by the processor, to perform steps of the method according to the first aspect, the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0016] In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a chip comprising a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the processor being coupled to each other, the processor being adapted to execute a program or command to implement steps of the method according to the first aspect, the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0017] In the cell switching method, terminal equipment and network equipment provided in the embodiments of the present invention, secondary cell group SCG suspended state information is sent to a target node, and the SCG suspended state information is for indicating that the UE is in an SCG suspended state, so that the SCG state between network nodes can be synchronized when switching occurs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of the present application can be applied; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic procedure diagram of a cell switching method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a schematic procedure diagram of a cell switching method according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic procedure diagram of a cell switching method according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic procedure diagram of a cell switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a schematic procedure diagram of a cell switching device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic procedure diagram of a cell switching device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a network device according to another embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a terminal device according to another embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The drawings described in this specification are intended to facilitate understanding of the present application and to constitute a part of the present application, and the exemplary embodiments and the description thereof are intended to interpret the present application and are not intended to unduly limit the present application. The description of the drawings is as above.

[0020] Hereinafter, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is to be understood that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and are not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0021] The terms "first," "second," etc. in the specification and claims of this application are not intended to describe a particular order or sequence, but are intended to distinguish between similar objects. It should be understood that the terms used in this manner may be substituted for one another where appropriate, such that the embodiments of this application may be practiced in an order other than that shown or described herein. Also, "and / or" in the specification and claims means at least one of the objects connected, and the " / " symbol generally means that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0022] It should be noted that the technology described in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, and is also applicable to other wireless communication systems, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single-carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application may often be used interchangeably. The described technology may be used for the above-mentioned systems and radio technologies, as well as other systems and radio technologies. However, in the following description, a New Radio (NR) system will be described for illustrative purposes, and NR terminology will be used in much of the following description, but these techniques may also be applied to systems other than NR systems, such as 6th generation (6G) systems. th It is also applicable to 6G (Generation, 6G) communication systems.

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system to which the embodiment of the present application can be applied. The wireless communication system includes a terminal 11 and a network side device 12. The terminal 11 may be called a terminal device or a user terminal (User Equipment, UE), and the terminal 11 may be a terminal side device such as a mobile phone, a tablet personal computer, a laptop computer also called a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a palmtop computer, a netbook, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a mobile Internet device (MID), a wearable device, a vehicle-mounted device (VUE), a pedestrian terminal (PUE), etc., and the wearable device includes a wristband, a headphone, a pair of glasses, etc. It should be noted that the specific type of the terminal 11 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. The network side device 12 may be a base station or a core network. Here, the base station may be called a Node B, an evolved Node B, an access point, a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a B node, an evolved B node (eNB), a home B node, a home evolved B node, a WLAN access point, a WiFi node, a transmitting receiving point (TRP), or any other suitable term in the art, and the base station is not limited to a specific technical term as long as it can achieve a similar technical effect. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, a base station in an NR system is merely taken as an example, and the specific type of the base station is not limited.

[0024] Hereinafter, the cell switching method provided in the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments and application scenarios with reference to the drawings.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a cell switching method 200, which may be performed by a network device, in other words, the method may be performed by software or hardware installed in the network device, and the network device may be a source node, and the method includes: The method includes a step S202 of sending secondary cell group SCG suspended state information to the target node.

[0026] Here, the SCG suspended state information is for indicating that the UE is in an SCG suspended state. The target node receives the SCG suspended state information transmitted from the source node.

[0027] In one implementation, the UE may be a UE of a multi-card terminal, which may include multiple UEs and may simultaneously reside in multiple networks.

[0028] In one implementation, the SCG suspended state is: UE starts SCG suspension, SCG cannot be used, Dual connection capability suspend, Dual connection capability disabled, SCG resource suspend, SCG resources unavailable, SCG connection inactive, and At least one of the following is included: SCG disconnection.

[0029] In one implementation, when a switchover occurs in the source master node, the secondary cell group SCG suspend state information is sent to the target node.

[0030] In the cell switching method provided in the embodiment of the present invention, secondary cell group SCG suspended state information is sent to the target node, so that the SCG state between network nodes can be synchronized when switching occurs.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3, an embodiment of the present invention provides a cell switching method 300, which may be performed by a network equipment and / or a UE, in other words, the method may be performed by software or hardware installed in the network equipment and / or the UE, the network equipment may include a source node, a target node, and the method includes the following steps S312, S322 and S324.

[0032] At S312, the source node sends secondary cell group SCG suspended state information to the target node. Here, the SCG suspended state information is for indicating that the UE is in an SCG suspended state.

[0033] For step S312, the description of step S202 in the embodiment of FIG. 2 can be referred to, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0034] At S322, the target node receives the SCG suspend state information sent from the source node.

[0035] Corresponding to the previous step S312, the target node receives SCG suspend state information transmitted from the source node. The contents, transmission timing, transmission method, etc. of the SCG suspend state information are all the same as those of the previous step, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

[0036] At S324, the UE is maintained in the SCG suspended state.

[0037] In the cell switching method provided in the embodiment of the present invention, secondary cell group SCG suspend status information is sent to the target node, so that the SCG status between network nodes can be synchronized when the UE initiates an SCG suspend.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 4 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a cell switching method 400, which may be performed by a network equipment and / or a UE, in other words, the method may be performed by software or hardware installed in the network equipment and / or the UE, the network equipment may include a source node, a target master node, and a target secondary node, and the method includes the following steps:

[0039] At S412, the source node sends secondary cell group SCG suspended state information to the target master node. Here, the source node may be a source master node, and the SCG suspended state information is for indicating that the UE is in an SCG suspended state.

[0040] For step S412, the description of step S202 in the embodiment of FIG. 2 can be referred to, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0041] At S422, the target master node receives the SCG suspend state information sent from the source node.

[0042] At S424, the UE is maintained in the SCG suspended state.

[0043] For steps S422 to S424, the description of steps S322 to S324 in the embodiment of FIG. 3 can be referred to, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0044] At S426, the target master node notifies the target secondary node that the UE is in an SCG suspended state.

[0045] Optionally, information for informing the target secondary node that the UE is in an SCG suspended state is included in the secondary node addition request message.

[0046] At S414, the source node sends a switching configuration message to the UE.

[0047] Optionally, the switch configuration message is for at least one of an SCG addition, an SCG modification, and an SCG removal.

[0048] At S432, the UE receives a switching configuration message in an SCG suspended state.

[0049] At S434, in an SCG suspended state, the UE performs an SCG operation process based on the switching configuration message.

[0050] The SCG operation process includes one of adding SCG, modifying SCG and releasing SCG.

[0051] At S436, the UE maintains the SCG suspended state after performing the SCG operation process.

[0052] In the cell switching method provided in the embodiment of the present invention, secondary cell group SCG suspended state information is sent to a target master node, and the target master node notifies the target secondary node that the UE is in an SCG suspended state, so that the SCG state between network nodes can be synchronized when switching occurs if the UE initiates an SCG suspension.

[0053] Specifically, the MR-DC switching process may include the following steps 1. to 13.

[0054] 1. The source master node initiates the handover process and sends a handover request message (Handover Request) to the target master node. Optionally, the SCG suspend state information in the above step S412 may be attached to the handover request message.

[0055] 2. The target master node sends a secondary node addition request message (SN Addition Request) to the target secondary node. The target master node optionally holds the source secondary node, in which case the target secondary node is the source secondary node. Optionally, information for notifying the target secondary node that the UE is in an SCG suspended state in step S426 may be attached to the SN Addition Request, that is, the SN Addition Request may include the SCG suspended state information.

[0056] 3. The target secondary node responds with an addition request acknowledgement message (SN Addition Request Acknowledge) to the target master node.

[0057] 4. The target master node sends a Handover Request Acknowledge message to the source master node.

[0058] 5. The source master node removes the source secondary node.

[0059] 6. In the above step S414, the source master node sends a switching configuration message to the UE to perform switching, and in the above step S432, the UE receives the switching configuration message in an SCG suspended state.

[0060] 7 / 8. In the above step S434, in an SCG suspended state, the UE executes an SCG operation process based on the switching configuration message, for example, the UE synchronizes with the target master node and sends a relocation complete message.

[0061] 9. Optionally, the UE accesses the target secondary node.

[0062] 10. The target master node notifies the target secondary node that the relocation is complete.

[0063] 11. Optionally, the source master node sends a secondary node status transfer message (SN Status Transfer) to the target master node. The target master node transfers the secondary node status (SN Status) to the target secondary node. Optionally, the SCG suspend status information in the above step S412 may be attached to the switch request message.

[0064] 12 / 13. The target master node initiates the UE Context Release process.

[0065] The above steps will be specifically described below with some examples.

[0066] In example 1, the switching request may notify SCG suspension, and the switching process may include the following steps 0. to 5.

[0067] 0. The UE is in connected state and an SCG connection is established.

[0068] The UE reports a secondary cell group suspend (SCG Suspend) to the network.

[0069] When the network receives the secondary cell group suspend information, it cannot send or receive information via an SCG connection.

[0070] The UE is in a connected mode.

[0071] The secondary cell group suspending includes: The SCG is in a suspended state (SCG Suspend), and The SCG connection is suspended by a UE initiated SCG suspend process (UE initiated SCG Suspend); The UE suspends the established SCG connection (UE SCG Suspend); The UE has not established an SCG connection, but the UE temporarily suspends its MR-DC capability (UE SCG Capability Suspend); The UE has not established an SCG connection, but the UE temporarily suspends the MR-DC terminal resources (UE SCG Resource Suspend); This includes, but is not limited to, the SCG being in a multi-card suspend state (SCG Suspend by Multi-SIM).

[0072] 1. The source master node initiates the handover process, and the source master node sends a handover request message (Handover Request) to the target master node.

[0073] The SCG suspend state information is SCG Suspend state (SCG Suspend) The SCG connection is suspended by a UE initiated SCG suspend process (UE initiated SCG Suspend); The UE temporarily suspends its MR-DC capability (UE SCG Capability Suspend); and The UE temporarily suspends the MR-DC terminal resources (UE SCG Resource Suspend); and SCG Suspend by Multi-SIM, but not limited to it.

[0074] Optionally, in the above step S412, the source master node attaches SCG suspend state information in the handover request message Handover Request. The SCG suspend state information may be included in a UE context information (UE Context Information) element of the Handover Request message.

[0075] 2. The target master node sends an SN Addition Request to the target secondary node. In the above step S426, the SN Addition Request may include the SCG suspended state information, so as to inform the target secondary node that the UE is in an SCG suspended state.

[0076] The target secondary node sends a response SN Addition Request Acknowledge message to the target master node.

[0077] 3. In the above step S414, the source master node sends a switching configuration message to the UE to perform switching, the switching configuration message including SCG configuration information.

[0078] 4. In the above step S432, the UE receives a switching configuration message. Optionally, in the above step S436, the network can configure the UE to maintain an SCG suspended state. In the above step S434, the UE performs an SCG operation process in an SCG suspended state according to the switching configuration message, for example, the UE synchronizes with the target master node and sends a relocation complete message.

[0079] 5. Optionally, the UE synchronizes or measures the target secondary node.

[0080] In example 2, the SCG suspension may be notified by SN Status Transfer, and the switching process may include the following steps 1 to 6.

[0081] 1. The UE is in connected state and an SCG connection is established.

[0082] The UE reports a secondary cell group suspend (SCG Suspend) to the network.

[0083] When the network receives the secondary cell group suspend information, it cannot send or receive information via an SCG connection.

[0084] The UE is in a connected mode.

[0085] The secondary cell group suspending includes: The SCG is in a suspended state (SCG Suspend), and The SCG connection is suspended by a UE initiated SCG suspend process (UE initiated SCG Suspend); The UE suspends the established SCG connection (UE SCG Suspend); The UE has not established an SCG connection, but the UE temporarily suspends its MR-DC capability (UE SCG Capability Suspend); The UE has not established an SCG connection, but the UE temporarily suspends the MR-DC terminal resources (UE SCG Resource Suspend); These include, but are not limited to, SCG Suspend by Multi-SIM.

[0086] 2. The network initiates a switching process. In the above step S432, the UE receives a switching configuration message RRC Reconfiguration Message. Optionally, the switching configuration message includes SCG configuration. In the above step S434, the UE performs an SCG operation process in an SCG suspended state based on the switching configuration message, for example, the UE sends a reconfiguration complete message. Optionally, in the above step S436, the network configures the UE to maintain the SCG suspended state.

[0087] 3. The source secondary node sends an SN Status Transfer message to the source master node, where the SN Status Transfer message includes SCG suspend status information.

[0088] The SCG suspend state information is SCG Suspend state (SCG Suspend) The SCG connection is suspended by a UE initiated SCG suspend process (UE initiated SCG Suspend); The UE temporarily suspends its MR-DC capability (UE SCG Capability Suspend); and The UE temporarily suspends the MR-DC terminal resources (UE SCG Resource Suspend); and SCG Suspend by Multi-SIM, but not limited to it.

[0089] 4. The source master node sends an SN Status Transfer message to the target master node, where the SN Status Transfer includes the SCG suspend status information, that is, the SCG suspend status information in the above step S412 may be attached to the SN Status Transfer.

[0090] 5. The target master node receives the SN Status Transfer message.

[0091] 6. Optionally, the target master node sends an SN Status Transfer message to the target secondary node. The information for notifying the target secondary node that the UE is in an SCG suspended state in step S426 may be attached to the SN Status Transfer, that is, the SN Status Transfer includes SCG suspended state information.

[0092] In Example 3, the switching process when the SCG connection is not established may include the following steps 1 to 4.

[0093] 1. The UE is in connected state and no SCG connection is established.

[0094] The UE reports a secondary cell group suspend (SCG Suspend) to the network.

[0095] When the network receives the secondary cell group suspend information, the network cannot transmit or receive information through an SCG connection. The UE is in a connected mode.

[0096] The secondary cell group suspending includes: SCG Suspend state (SCG Suspend) The UE temporarily suspends its MR-DC capability (UE SCG Capability Suspend); and The UE temporarily suspends MR-DC terminal resources, such as terminal physical layer resources (UE SCG Resource Suspend); These include, but are not limited to, SCG Suspend by Multi-SIM.

[0097] 2. The source master node initiates the handover process, and the source master node sends a handover request message (Handover Request) to the target master node.

[0098] The SCG suspend state information is SCG Suspend state (SCG Suspend) The UE temporarily suspends its MR-DC capability (UE SCG Capability Suspend); and The UE temporarily suspends MR-DC terminal resources, such as terminal physical layer resources (UE SCG Resource Suspend); These include, but are not limited to, SCG Suspend by Multi-SIM.

[0099] Optionally, in the above step S412, the source master node attaches SCG suspend state information in the handover request message Handover Request. The SCG suspend state information may be included in a UE context information (UE Context Information) element of the Handover Request message.

[0100] 3. In the above step S414, the source master node sends a switching configuration message to the UE to perform switching, the switching configuration message optionally including SCG configuration information.

[0101] 4. In the above step S432, the UE receives a switching configuration message. Optionally, in the above step S436, the UE maintains an SCG suspended state. In the above step S434, in the SCG suspended state, the UE executes an SCG operation process according to the switching configuration message, for example, the UE synchronizes with the target master node and sends a relocation complete message.

[0102] In the above steps, the interactions between the network devices and the terminal devices explained from the network device side are similar to those explained from the terminal device side, and to avoid duplication, relevant explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0103] It should be noted that the execution body of the cell switching method provided in the embodiment of the present application may be a cell switching device, or may be a control module in the device for executing and loading the above method. In the embodiment of the present application, the cell switching method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described by taking the cell switching device executing and loading the cell switching method as an example.

[0104] 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a cell switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the cell switching device 500 includes: a sending module 510 and a determining module 520.

[0105] The sending module 510 is used for sending secondary cell group SCG suspended status information to a target node, where the SCG suspended status information is for indicating that the UE is in an SCG suspended state.

[0106] In one implementation, the sending module 510 is further used for sending a switch configuration message to the UE after the step of sending secondary cell group SCG suspended state information to a target node.

[0107] In one implementation, the SCG is in a suspended state and the switch configuration message is for one of an SCG addition, an SCG modification, and an SCG release.

[0108] In one implementation, the SCG suspended state is: UE starts SCG suspension, SCG cannot be used, Dual connection capability suspend, Dual connection capability disabled, SCG resource suspend, SCG resources unavailable, SCG connection inactive, and At least one of the following is included: SCG disconnection.

[0109] In one implementation, the SCG suspend state information is included in a switch request message or a secondary node state transfer message.

[0110] In one implementation, the determining module 520 is used to determine the secondary cell group SCG suspended state information before sending the secondary cell group SCG suspended state information to the target node.

[0111] The cell switching device in the embodiment of the present application may be a device, and may be a component, integrated circuit, or chip in a terminal. The device may be a portable electronic device or a non-portable electronic device. Exemplarily, the portable electronic device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant, an in-vehicle electronic device, a wearable device, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a netbook, or a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc., and the non-portable electronic device may be a server, a network attached storage (NAS), a personal computer (PC), a television (TV), an automated teller machine or a kiosk, etc., and is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0112] The cell switching device in the embodiment of the present application may be a device having an operating system, which may be an Android operating system, an IOS operating system, or other possible operating systems, and is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0113] The apparatus 500 according to the embodiment of the present invention can refer to the procedures corresponding to the source node in the methods 200 to 400 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and each unit / module in the apparatus 500 and other operations and / or functions described above are for implementing the corresponding procedures in the methods 200 to 400, respectively, and can achieve similar or equivalent technical effects. For the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions are omitted herein.

[0114] 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a cell switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the cell switching device 600 includes a processing module 610 and a synchronization module 620.

[0115] The processing module 610 is used for receiving SCG suspended state information sent from a source node, where the SCG suspended state information is for indicating that the UE is in an SCG suspended state.

[0116] In one implementation, the processing module 610 is further used for maintaining the UE in the SCG suspended state after the step of receiving SCG suspended state information sent from a source node.

[0117] In one implementation, when the target node is a target master node, the processing module 610 is further used to notify a target secondary node that the UE is in an SCG suspended state after the step of receiving UE-initiated secondary cell group SCG suspended state information transmitted from a source node.

[0118] In one implementation, information to inform the target secondary node that the UE is in an SCG suspended state is included in a secondary node addition request message.

[0119] In one implementation, the SCG suspended state is: UE starts SCG suspension, SCG cannot be used, Dual connection capability suspend, Dual connection capability disabled, SCG resource suspend, SCG resources unavailable, SCG connection inactive, and At least one of the following is included: SCG disconnection.

[0120] In one implementation, the SCG suspend state information is included in a switch request message or a secondary node state transfer message.

[0121] The cell switching device in the embodiment of the present application may be a device, and may be a component, integrated circuit, or chip in a terminal. The device may be a portable electronic device or a non-portable electronic device. Exemplarily, the portable electronic device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant, an in-vehicle electronic device, a wearable device, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a netbook, or a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc., and the non-portable electronic device may be a server, a network attached storage (NAS), a personal computer (PC), a television (TV), an automated teller machine or a kiosk, etc., and is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0122] The cell switching device in the embodiment of the present application may be a device having an operating system, which may be an Android operating system, an IOS operating system, or other possible operating systems, and is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0123] The apparatus 600 according to the embodiment of the present invention can refer to the procedures corresponding to the target node in the methods 200 to 400 of the embodiments of the present invention, and each unit / module in the apparatus 600 and other operations and / or functions described above are for implementing the corresponding procedures in the methods 200 to 400, respectively, and can achieve similar or equivalent technical effects. For the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions are omitted herein.

[0124] 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a cell switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the cell switching device 700 includes a receiving module 710, an operation module 720 and a maintenance module 730.

[0125] The receiving module 710 is used for receiving a switch configuration message in an SCG suspended state.

[0126] The operation module 720 is used to perform an SCG operation process, including one of SCG addition, SCG modification, and SCG release, in an SCG suspended state after the step of receiving a switching configuration message in an SCG suspended state based on the switching configuration message.

[0127] The maintaining module 730 is used to maintain the SCG suspended state.

[0128] In one implementation, the SCG suspended state is: UE starts SCG suspension, SCG cannot be used, Dual connection capability suspend, Dual connection capability disabled, SCG resource suspend, SCG resources unavailable, SCG connection inactive, and At least one of the following is included: SCG disconnection.

[0129] The cell switching device in the embodiment of the present application may be a device, and may be a component, integrated circuit, or chip in a terminal. The device may be a portable electronic device or a non-portable electronic device. Exemplarily, the portable electronic device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant, an in-vehicle electronic device, a wearable device, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a netbook, or a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc., and the non-portable electronic device may be a server, a network attached storage (NAS), a personal computer (PC), a television (TV), an automated teller machine or a kiosk, etc., and is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0130] The cell switching device in the embodiment of the present application may be a device having an operating system, which may be an Android operating system, an IOS operating system, or other possible operating systems, and is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0131] The apparatus 700 according to the embodiment of the present invention can refer to the procedures corresponding to the target node in the methods 200 to 400 of the embodiment of the present invention, and each unit / module in the apparatus 700 and other operations and / or functions described above are for implementing the corresponding procedures in the methods 200 to 400, respectively, and can achieve similar or equivalent technical effects. For the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions are omitted herein.

[0132] Specifically, the embodiment of the present application further provides a network side device. As shown in Fig. 8, the network device 900 includes an antenna 901, a radio frequency device 902 and a baseband device 903. The antenna 901 is connected to the radio frequency device 902. In the uplink direction, the radio frequency device 902 receives information through the antenna 901 and transmits the received information to the baseband device 903 for processing. In the downlink direction, the baseband device 903 processes the information to be transmitted and transmits it to the radio frequency device 902, and the radio frequency device 902 processes the received information before transmitting it through the antenna 901.

[0133] The bandwidth processing device may be located in the baseband device 903. The methods performed by the network side equipment in the above embodiments can be implemented in the baseband device 903, which includes a processor 904 and a memory 905.

[0134] As shown in the figure, the baseband device 903 may include, for example, at least one baseband board on which multiple chips are installed, one of which is, for example, a processor 904 connected to a memory 905 and calling a program in the memory 905 to perform the operations of the network equipment shown in the above method embodiments.

[0135] The baseband device 903 may further include a network interface 906 for exchanging information with the radio frequency device 902, the interface being, for example, a common public radio interface (CPRI).

[0136] Specifically, the network side equipment of an embodiment of the present invention further includes a command or program stored in memory 905 and executable by the processor 904, and the processor 904 calls the command or program in the memory 905 to execute the step of sending secondary cell group SCG suspended state information to the target node, and the SCG suspended state information is for indicating that the UE is in an SCG suspended state.

[0137] In one implementation, after the step of sending secondary cell group SCG suspended state information to the target node, a switch configuration message is sent to the UE.

[0138] In one implementation, the SCG is in a suspended state and the switch configuration message is for one of an SCG addition, an SCG modification, and an SCG release.

[0139] In one implementation, the SCG suspended state is: UE starts SCG suspension, SCG cannot be used, Dual connection capability suspend, Dual connection capability disabled, SCG resource suspend, SCG resources unavailable, SCG connection inactive, and At least one of the following is included: SCG disconnection.

[0140] In one implementation, the SCG suspend state information is included in a switch request message or a secondary node state transfer message.

[0141] Alternatively, the processor 904 invokes a command or program in the memory 905 to perform a step of receiving SCG suspended state information sent from the source node, the SCG suspended state information being for indicating that the UE is in an SCG suspended state.

[0142] In one implementation, after the step of receiving SCG suspend state information transmitted from a source node, the method further includes a step of maintaining the UE in the SCG suspend state.

[0143] In one implementation, the target node is a target master node, and after the step of receiving UE-initiated secondary cell group SCG suspended state information transmitted from a source node, the method further includes a step of notifying a target secondary node that the UE is in an SCG suspended state.

[0144] In one implementation, information to inform the target secondary node that the UE is in an SCG suspended state is included in a secondary node addition request message.

[0145] In one implementation, the SCG suspended state is: UE starts SCG suspension, SCG cannot be used, Dual connection capability suspend, Dual connection capability disabled, SCG resource suspend, SCG resources unavailable, SCG connection inactive, and At least one of the following is included: SCG disconnection.

[0146] In one implementation, the SCG suspend state information is included in a switch request message or a secondary node state transfer message.

[0147] The specific steps performed by the processor 904 are as shown in the method performed by each step shown in the procedure of the target node or source node in Figures 200 to 400, and the same technical effects can be achieved. To avoid duplication, detailed description is omitted here.

[0148] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal device implementing an embodiment of the present application.

[0149] The terminal device 1000 includes components such as, but not limited to, a high frequency unit 1001, a network module 1002, an audio output unit 1003, an input unit 1004, a sensor 1005, a display unit 1006, a user input unit 1007, an interface unit 1008, a memory 1009, and a processor 1010.

[0150] Those skilled in the art can understand that the terminal device 1000 may further include a power source (e.g., a battery) for supplying power to each component, and the power source may be logically connected to the processor 1010 through a power management system, and the power management system may further realize functions such as charge / discharge management and power consumption management. The terminal structure shown in the figure does not limit the terminal device, and the terminal device may include more or fewer components than those shown, or a combination of some components, or a different component arrangement, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0151] It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the input unit 1004 may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) 10041 for processing image data of still or video captured by an image capture device (e.g., a camera) in a video capture mode or an image capture mode, and a microphone 10042. The display unit 1006 may include a display panel 10061, and the display panel 10061 may be arranged in the form of a liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting diode, etc. The user input unit 1007 includes a touch panel 10071 and other input devices 10072. The touch panel 10071 is also called a touch screen. The touch panel 10071 may include two parts, a touch detection device and a touch controller. The other input devices 10072 may include, but are not limited to, a physical keyboard, a function button (e.g., a volume control button, a switch button, etc.), a trackball, a mouse, and an operation lever, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0152] In the embodiment of the present application, the high frequency unit 1001 receives downlink data from the network side device, processes it in the processor 1010, and transmits uplink data to the network side device. Typically, the high frequency unit 1001 includes, but is not limited to, an antenna, at least one amplifier, a receiver-transmitter, a coupler, a low-noise amplifier, a duplexer, etc.

[0153] The memory 1009 can be used to store software programs or commands and various data. The memory 1009 may mainly include a program or command storage area capable of storing an operating system, an application or command required for at least one function (e.g., a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), and a data storage area. The memory 1009 may also include a high-speed random access memory, and may further include a non-volatile memory. Here, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), a programmable read-only memory (Programmable ROM, PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (Erasable PROM, EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (Electrically EPROM, EEPROM), or a flash memory, for example, at least one disk storage device, a flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state storage device.

[0154] The processor 1010 may include one or more processing units. Optionally, the processor 1010 may be integrated with an application processor that mainly processes an operating system, a user interface, and applications or commands, and a modem processor, such as a baseband processor that mainly processes wireless communications. It is understandable that the modem processor may not be integrated with the processor 1010.

[0155] Here, the processor 1010 receives a switch configuration message in an SCG suspended state; In the SCG suspended state, it is used to execute an SCG operation process including one of SCG addition, SCG modification, and SCG release based on the switching configuration message, and to maintain the SCG suspended state after executing the SCG operation process based on the switching configuration message.

[0156] In one implementation, the SCG suspended state is: UE starts SCG suspension, SCG cannot be used, Dual connection capability suspend, Dual connection capability disabled, SCG resource suspend, SCG resources unavailable, SCG connection inactive, and At least one of the following is included: SCG disconnection.

[0157] The terminal device 1000 according to the embodiment of the present invention can refer to the procedures corresponding to the UE in the methods 300-400 of the embodiments of the present application, and each unit / module in the terminal device 1000 and other operations and / or functions described above are for implementing the procedures of the UE in the methods 300-400, respectively, and can achieve similar or equivalent technical effects. For the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions are omitted herein.

[0158] The embodiments of the present application further provide a readable storage medium, which stores a program or command, and when the program or command is executed by a processor, each process of the above cell switching method embodiment is realized, and the same technical effect can be achieved. In order to avoid duplication, detailed description is omitted here.

[0159] Here, the processor is the processor in the electronic device described in the above embodiment. The readable storage medium includes a computer readable storage medium such as a computer read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0160] The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which includes a processor and a communication interface, and the communication interface and the processor are coupled together, and the processor is used to execute programs or commands to realize each process of the above cell switching method embodiment, so as to achieve the same technical effect. In order to avoid duplication, detailed description is omitted here.

[0161] It should be understood that the chips referred to in the embodiments of this application may be referred to as system level chips, system chips, chip systems, or systems on chips, and the like.

[0162] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, comprising a processor, a memory, and programs or commands stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the programs or commands, when executed by the processor, achieving steps of the method according to the first aspect.

[0163] It should be noted that in this specification, the terms "comprise", "consist of" or any other variations are intended to include a non-exclusive inclusion, whereby a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a set of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not expressly stated or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element limited by the phrase "comprises a" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element. It should also be noted that the scope of the method and apparatus in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order depending on such functions, for example, the described method may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Also, features described with reference to any example may be combined in other examples.

[0164] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be realized in the form of a combination of software and a necessary common hardware platform, and of course, they can be realized by hardware, but in many cases the former is a more preferred embodiment. Based on this view, the technical solution of the present application can be substantially or the part that contributes to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (e.g., ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes a number of commands that cause a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, a computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the embodiments of the present application.

[0165] Although the examples of the present application have been described above with reference to the drawings, the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific embodiments, which are merely illustrative and not limiting. Based on the suggestions of the present application, many forms that a person skilled in the art can make without departing from the spirit of the present application and the scope of protection of the claims are all within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A cell switching method performed by a user equipment, comprising: receiving a switch configuration message in an SCG suspended state; In an SCG suspended state, executing an SCG operation process according to the switch configuration message, including one of an SCG addition, an SCG modification, and an SCG release; maintaining the SCG suspended state.

2. The SCG suspended state is UE initiated SCG suspend, SCG cannot be used, Dual connection capability suspend, Dual connection capability disabled, SCG resource suspend, SCG resources unavailable, SCG connection inactive, and The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of: SCG disconnection.

3. A terminal device comprising a processor, a memory, and a program or command stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the program or command being executed by the processor to realize the steps of the cell switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 2.

4. A receiving module for receiving a switching configuration message in an SCG suspended state; and an operating module for performing an SCG operating process according to the switching configuration message in an SCG suspended state, the operating process including one of an SCG addition, an SCG modification, and an SCG release. A maintaining module for maintaining the SCG suspended state.

5. The SCG suspended state is UE initiated SCG suspend, SCG cannot be used, Dual connection capability suspend, Dual connection capability disabled, SCG resource suspend, SCG resources unavailable, SCG connection inactive, and The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising at least one of: SCG disconnection.

6. A readable storage medium having a program or command stored therein, the program or command being executed by a processor to implement the steps of the cell switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 2.

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