Random access report transmission method and communication device

Abstract

The present application provides a random access report transmission method and a communication device. A terminal records a random access report of a secondary base station (i.e., a secondary cell group) by using a container, and when sending the container to a primary base station, indicates a primary secondary cell identifier corresponding to the container to the primary base station, so that the primary base station can forward the container to the corresponding secondary base station without parsing the container. One container can include one random access report, all random access reports that the terminal can record, or one or more random access reports of one primary secondary cell.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more particularly to a random access report transmission method and communication device. [Background technology]

[0002] In dual-connectivity (DC), a terminal may communicate with multiple base stations, and on the network side, communication services may be provided to the terminal by using resources of multiple base stations. In DCI, the base station that is performing control plane signaling exchange with the core network is called the primary base station, and the other base stations are called secondary base stations.

[0003] In order to avoid random access failures caused by improper configuration of the base station, the terminal records some information in the random access process and generates a corresponding random access report. After the terminal accesses the base station, the base station can obtain the random access report from the terminal to identify problems in the random access process, so that the random access configuration can be timely optimized and the random access success rate of the terminal can be improved.

[0004] In DC, how to send the random access report recorded by the terminal that is related to the secondary base station to the secondary base station has become an issue that needs to be resolved urgently. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a random access report transmission method and a communication device, so that a random access report recorded by a terminal and related to a secondary base station can be transmitted to the secondary base station.

[0006] According to a first aspect, there is provided a random access transmission method, which can be performed by a terminal or a module (e.g., a circuit or chip) within the terminal.

[0007] Specifically, the method includes determining a first message, the first message including first information and N containers, each of the N containers including a random access report, the first information indicating N primary secondary cell identifiers, the N primary secondary cell identifiers being in one-to-one correspondence with the N containers, and N being an integer greater than or equal to 1; and sending the first message to the primary base station.

[0008] Based on the above method, a random access report reported by a terminal can be transmitted to a corresponding secondary base station. Furthermore, since an identifier indicating a primary secondary cell corresponding to the container is included outside the container containing the random access report, the primary base station can forward the container to a secondary base station corresponding to the identifier based on the primary secondary cell identifier corresponding to the container without parsing the contents of the container. Furthermore, since the container corresponds to the primary secondary cell identifier, the primary base station only needs to forward the container corresponding to the secondary base station to the secondary base station. This helps reduce signaling overhead between base stations. Furthermore, based on the above method, the operation on the terminal side is simplified.

[0009] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes N primary secondary cell identifiers.

[0010] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes N first information elements arranged in order, where the N first information elements include K information elements having a first special value and N K primary secondary cell identifiers, where the primary secondary cell identifier indicated by the information element having the first special value is the primary secondary cell identifier arranged before and closest to the information element having the first special value, where K is a positive integer smaller than N. In other words, for consecutive primary secondary cell identifiers, only one of the identifiers needs to be included, and the first special value indicates that the primary secondary cell identifier is the same as the previous primary secondary cell identifier. Based on this implementation, signaling overhead is reduced.

[0011] When the above method is applied to a scenario in which the primary base station and the secondary base station belong to different radio access technologies, the primary base station may have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, or may not have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container. If the primary base station does not have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, the primary base station may not be able to directly transmit part of the container to the corresponding secondary base station.

[0012] In the above case, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information may further indicate a primary cell identifier corresponding to each of the N primary secondary cells, so that the primary base station can transmit the container to the corresponding secondary base station via the primary base station corresponding to the container.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information further includes N primary cell identifiers, the N primary cell identifiers being in one-to-one correspondence with the N primary secondary cell identifiers.

[0014] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information further includes N second information elements arranged in order, and the N second information elements include L information elements having a second special value and N L primary cell identifiers, and the primary cell identifier indicated by the information element having the second special value is a primary cell identifier arranged before and closest to the information element having the second special value, where L is a positive integer smaller than N. Based on this implementation, signaling overhead is reduced.

[0015] In a first implementation of the first aspect, the random access report in the container is a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a primary secondary cell corresponding to the container, or a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the primary secondary cell corresponding to the container.

[0016] According to a second aspect, there is provided a random access report transmission method, which corresponds to the first aspect on the base station side, and advantageous effects can be referred to the first aspect or implementations of the first aspect.

[0017] The method may be performed by the primary base station or a module (eg, a circuit or chip) within the primary base station.

[0018] Specifically, the method includes: receiving a first message from a terminal, the first message including first information and N containers, each of the N containers including a random access report, the first information indicating N primary secondary cell identifiers, the N primary secondary cell identifiers being in one-to-one correspondence with the N containers, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1; determining a first secondary base station corresponding to the random access report in the first container based on the first information, the first container being any one of the N containers; and forwarding the first container to the first secondary base station.

[0019] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information includes N primary secondary cell identifiers.

[0020] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information includes N first information elements arranged in sequence, the N first information elements including K information elements having a first special value and N-K primary secondary cell identifiers, the primary secondary cell identifier indicated by the information element having the first special value being a primary secondary cell identifier arranged before the information element having the first special value and closest to the information element having the first special value, and K is a positive integer smaller than N.

[0021] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information further indicates N primary cell identifiers corresponding to the N primary secondary cells. In this case, if the primary base station does not have the ability to communicate directly with the first secondary base station, the method further includes determining a first primary base station corresponding to the first primary secondary cell based on the first information. Since the primary base station forwarding the first container to the first secondary base station includes the primary base station sending the first container and an identifier of the first primary secondary cell to the first primary base station, the first primary base station can obtain the identifier of the first primary secondary cell without parsing the first container, determine the first secondary base station based on the identifier of the first primary secondary cell, and send the first container to the first secondary base station.

[0022] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information further comprises N primary cell identifiers.

[0023] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information further includes N second information elements arranged in sequence, the N second information elements including L information elements having a second special value and NL primary cell identifiers, the primary cell identifier indicated by the information element having the second special value being a primary cell identifier arranged before the information element having the second special value and closest to the information element having the second special value, and L is a positive integer smaller than N.

[0024] In a first implementation of the second aspect, the random access report in the container is a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a primary secondary cell corresponding to the container, or a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the primary secondary cell corresponding to the container.

[0025] According to a third aspect, there is provided a random access report transmission method, which may be performed by a terminal or a module (e.g., a circuit or chip) within the terminal.

[0026] Specifically, the method includes determining a first message, the first message including first information and a first container, the first container including a plurality of random access reports, and the first information including an identifier of a first primary secondary cell corresponding to the first container; and sending the first message to a primary base station.

[0027] Based on the above method, a random access report reported by a terminal can be transmitted to a corresponding secondary base station. Furthermore, since an identifier indicating a primary secondary cell corresponding to the container is included outside the container containing the random access report, the primary base station can forward the container to a secondary base station corresponding to the identifier based on the primary secondary cell identifier corresponding to the container without parsing the contents of the container. Furthermore, since the container corresponds to the primary secondary cell identifier, the primary base station only needs to forward the container associated with the secondary base station to the secondary base station. This helps reduce signaling overhead between base stations. Furthermore, based on the above method, operations on the network side are simplified.

[0028] When the above method is applied to a scenario in which the primary base station and the secondary base station belong to different radio access technologies, the primary base station may have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, or may not have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container. If the primary base station does not have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, the primary base station may not be able to directly transmit part of the container to the corresponding secondary base station.

[0029] In the above case, in a possible implementation of the third aspect, the first information further includes one or more primary cell identifiers corresponding to the first primary secondary cell, so that the primary base station can transmit the first container to the first secondary base station via the primary base station corresponding to the first container. When the first primary secondary cell corresponds to multiple primary cell identifiers, the multiple primary cell identifiers corresponding to the first primary secondary cell are different from each other.

[0030] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the first message further includes an identifier of a second primary secondary cell and a second container. The second container includes one or more random access reports, and the identifier of the second primary secondary cell corresponds to the second container. The random access report in the second container is a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a primary secondary cell corresponding to the second container, or a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the primary secondary cell corresponding to the second container.

[0031] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the first information further includes one or more primary cell identifiers corresponding to a second primary secondary cell, so that the primary base station can transmit the second container to the second secondary base station via the primary base station corresponding to the second container. If the second primary secondary cell corresponds to multiple primary cell identifiers, multiple primary cell identifiers corresponding to the second primary secondary cell. are different from each other.

[0032] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the random access report in the first container is a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a primary secondary cell corresponding to the first container, or a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the primary secondary cell corresponding to the first container.

[0033] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method for transmitting a random access report, which corresponds to the third aspect at the base station side, and advantageous effects can be referred to the third aspect or implementations of the third aspect.

[0034] The method may be performed by the primary base station or a module (eg, a circuit or chip) within the primary base station.

[0035] Specifically, the method includes receiving a first message from a terminal, the first message including first information and a first container, the first container including a plurality of random access reports, and the first information including an identifier of a first primary secondary cell corresponding to the first container; determining a first secondary base station corresponding to the first container based on the first information; and sending the first container to the first secondary base station.

[0036] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first information further includes one or more primary cell identifiers corresponding to a first primary secondary cell. In this case, if the primary base station does not have the ability to communicate directly with the first secondary base station, the method further includes determining a first primary base station corresponding to the first primary secondary cell based on the first information. The primary base station forwarding the first container to the first secondary base station includes the primary base station sending the first container and an identifier of the first primary secondary cell to the first primary base station, whereby the primary base station can obtain the identifier of the first primary secondary cell without parsing the first container, determine the first secondary base station based on the identifier of the first primary secondary cell, and transmit the first container to the first secondary base station.

[0037] When the first primary secondary cell corresponds to a plurality of primary cell identifiers, the plurality of primary cell identifiers corresponding to the first primary secondary cell are different from each other.

[0038] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first message further includes an identifier of a second primary secondary cell and a second container. The second container includes one or more random access reports, and the identifier of the second primary secondary cell corresponds to the second container. The random access report in the second container is a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a primary secondary cell corresponding to the second container, or a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the primary secondary cell corresponding to the second container.

[0039] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the random access report in the first container is a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a primary secondary cell corresponding to the first container, or a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the primary secondary cell corresponding to the first container.

[0040] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a method for transmitting a random access report, the method being performed by a terminal or a module (e.g., a circuit or chip) within the terminal.

[0041] Specifically, the method includes determining a first message, the first message including an identifier of a first primary secondary cell, an identifier of a second primary secondary cell, and a container, the container including a random access report of the first primary secondary cell and a random access report of the second primary secondary cell, wherein the identifier of the first primary secondary cell is different from the identifier of the second primary secondary cell; and sending the first message to a primary base station.

[0042] Based on the above method, a random access report reported by a terminal can be transmitted to a corresponding secondary base station. Furthermore, identifiers indicating multiple primary secondary cells corresponding to the container are included outside the container containing the random access report, so that the primary base station forwards the container to multiple secondary base stations corresponding to the multiple primary secondary cell identifiers based on the multiple primary secondary cell identifiers without parsing the contents of the container. Furthermore, in the above method, only one of the same primary secondary cell identifiers is included, which helps reduce air interface signaling overhead.

[0043] When the above method is applied to a scenario in which the primary base station and the secondary base station belong to different radio access technologies, the primary base station may have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, or may not have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container. If the primary base station does not have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, the primary base station may not be able to directly transmit part of the container to the corresponding secondary base station.

[0044] In the above case, in a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the first message further includes a primary cell identifier corresponding to the first primary secondary cell and a primary cell identifier corresponding to the second primary secondary cell, thereby enabling the primary base station to send the container to the first secondary base station via the first primary base station corresponding to the first primary secondary cell and / or to send the container to the second secondary base station via the second primary base station corresponding to the second primary secondary cell.

[0045] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a method for transmitting a random access report, which corresponds to the fifth aspect at a base station side. Advantageous effects can be seen in the fifth aspect or implementations of the fifth aspect.

[0046] The method may be performed by the primary base station or a module (eg, a circuit or chip) within the primary base station.

[0047] Specifically, the method includes receiving a first message from a terminal, the first message including an identifier of a first primary secondary cell, an identifier of a second primary secondary cell, and a container, the container including a random access report of the first primary secondary cell and a random access report of the second primary secondary cell, the identifier of the first primary secondary cell being different from the identifier of the second primary secondary cell; determining a first secondary base station based on the identifier of the first primary secondary cell, and determining a second secondary base station based on the identifier of the second primary secondary cell; and forwarding the container to the first secondary base station and the second secondary base station.

[0048] In a possible implementation of the sixth aspect, the first message further includes a primary cell identifier corresponding to the first primary secondary cell and a primary cell identifier corresponding to the second primary secondary cell. In this case, if the primary base station does not have the ability to communicate directly with the first secondary base station, the method further includes determining the first primary base station corresponding to the first primary secondary cell based on the primary cell identifier corresponding to the first primary secondary cell. The primary base station forwarding the container to the first secondary base station includes the primary base station transmitting the container and the identifier of the first primary secondary cell to the first primary base station, thereby allowing the first primary base station to obtain the identifier of the first primary secondary cell without parsing the container, determine the first secondary base station based on the identifier of the first primary secondary cell, and transmit the container to the first secondary base station. For the method of transmitting the container to the second secondary base station, please refer to the method of transmitting the container to the first secondary base station. Details will not be described again.

[0049] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a communication device. The device is configured to perform the method provided in any one of the preceding aspects or implementations of the preceding aspects. Specifically, the device may include units and / or modules, such as a processing unit and / or a communication unit, configured to perform the method provided in any one of the preceding aspects or implementations of the preceding aspects.

[0050] In implementation, the device is the aforementioned terminal or primary base station. When the device is a terminal or primary base station, the communication unit may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or a communication interface, and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver is a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface is an input / output circuit.

[0051] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a terminal or a primary base station. When the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a terminal or a primary base station, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, associated circuit, etc. on the chip, chip system, or circuit, and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, logic circuit, etc.

[0052] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a communications device, the device including: a memory configured to store a program; and at least one processor configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory to perform a method provided in any one of the previous aspects or implementations of the previous aspects.

[0053] In implementation, the device is a terminal or a primary base station.

[0054] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a terminal or primary base station.

[0055] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a communications device. The device includes at least one processor and a communications interface. The at least one processor is configured to retrieve, via the communications interface, a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to perform a method provided in any one of the previous aspects or implementations of the previous aspects. The communications interface may be implemented by hardware or software.

[0056] In an implementation, the device further comprises a memory.

[0057] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided a processor configured to perform the method provided in the previous aspect.

[0058] Unless otherwise specified, or where operations such as transmitting and acquiring / receiving associated with a processor do not contradict actual functions or internal logic in the relevant description, operations may be understood as operations such as output, reception, and input of a processor, or as operations such as transmitting and receiving performed by a radio frequency circuit and an antenna.

[0059] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program code that is executed by a device, the program code being used to perform a method provided in any one of the preceding aspects or implementations of the preceding aspects.

[0060] According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to perform a method provided in any one of the preceding aspects or implementations of the preceding aspects.

[0061] According to a thirteenth aspect, a chip is provided. The chip includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions stored in a memory via the communication interface to perform a method provided in any one of the previous aspects or implementations of the previous aspects. The communication interface may be implemented by hardware or software.

[0062] Optionally, in an implementation, the chip further includes a memory, the memory storing a computer program or instructions, and the processor configured to execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory, the computer program or instructions, when executed, causing the processor to perform a method provided in any one of the aforementioned aspects or implementations of the aforementioned aspects.

[0063] When the methods provided herein are performed by chips, the number of chips specifically implementing the methods herein is not limited herein. For example, the methods may be implemented by one chip, or may be implemented by two or more chips. Furthermore, when there are two or more chips implementing the methods herein, the chip vendor is not limited. The chips may be from the same vendor or different vendors.

[0064] According to a fourteenth aspect, there is provided a communications system including the terminal or primary base station as described above.

[0065] According to a fifteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program which, when run on a computer, performs the method provided in any one of the previous aspects or implementations of the previous aspects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0066] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 to which an embodiment of the present application is applied. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram of DC application scenarios. [Figure 3] 3 is a schematic flowchart of a random access report transmission method 300 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a first message. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is another diagram of the first message. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is another diagram of the first message. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is another diagram of the first message. [Figure 8] 8 is a schematic flowchart of a random access report transmission method 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is another diagram of the first message. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is another diagram of the first message. [Figure 11] 11 is a schematic flowchart of a random access report transmission method 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is another diagram of the first message. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is another diagram of the first message. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is another diagram of the first message. [Figure 15] 1 is a diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 16] 1 is a diagram of another structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0067] FIG. 1 is an architecture diagram of a communication system 1000 to which an embodiment of the present application is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system includes a radio access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may further include the Internet 300. The radio access network 100 may include at least one access network device (e.g., 110a and 110 in FIG. 1) and may further include at least one terminal (e.g., 120a to 120j in FIG. 1). The terminal is connected to the radio access network device in a wireless manner, and the radio access network device is connected to the core network in a wired or wireless manner. The core network device and the radio access network device may be separate and distinct physical devices, and the functionality of the core network device and the logical functionality of the radio access network device may be integrated into the same physical device, or part of the functionality of the core network device and part of the functionality of the radio access network device may be integrated into one physical device. A wired or wireless method may be used for the connection between the terminal and the radio access network device. FIG. 1 is merely illustrative. The communication system may further include other network devices, for example, wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in FIG.

[0068] A radio access network device is an access device used by a terminal to wirelessly access a communication system. The radio access network device may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a next generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or the like. Alternatively, the radio access network device may be a module or unit implementing part of the functions of a base station, such as a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The CU here implements the functions of the radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station and may further implement the functions of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP). The DU implements the functions of the radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station and may further implement some or all of the functions of the physical layer. For a specific description of the aforementioned protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The radio access network device may be a macro base station (e.g., 110a in FIG. 1), a micro base station or an indoor base station (e.g., 110b in FIG. 1), or may be a relay node, a donor node, etc. The specific technology used by the radio access network device and the specific device form are not limited to the embodiments of the present application. For simplicity of description, an access network is used as an abbreviation for a radio access network, and a base station is used as an example of a radio access network device.

[0069] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that can transmit signals to and receive signals from a base station. A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, and smart city. Terminals may be mobile phones, tablet computers, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The specific technologies and device configurations used in terminals are not limited by the embodiments of this application.

[0070] The base station and the terminal may be fixed or mobile. The base station and the terminal may be deployed on the ground, in which case the deployment may be indoors or outdoors, or handheld or vehicle-mounted, or may be deployed on water, or may be deployed on airplanes, balloons, and satellites. The application scenarios of the base station and the terminal are not limited by the embodiments of this application.

[0071] The roles of a base station and a terminal may be relative. For example, helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicle 120i in FIG. 1 may be configured as a mobile base station, and to terminal 120j accessing wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal 120i is a base station. However, to base station 110a, 120i is a terminal. In other words, communication between 110a and 120i is based on a wireless air interface protocol. Obviously, communication between 110a and 120i may alternatively be based on an interface protocol between base stations. In this case, 120i is also a base station for 110a. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices, and 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 can each be referred to as communication devices with base station functionality, and 120a to 120j in FIG. 1 can each be referred to as communication devices with terminal functionality.

[0072] Communication between a base station and a terminal, between base stations, or between terminals may be performed using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Communication may be performed using spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or both spectrum below and above 6 GHz. Spectral resources used for wireless communication are not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0073] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station may be performed by a module (e.g., a chip) within the base station, or may be performed by a control subsystem including the functions of the base station. Here, the control subsystem including the functions of the base station may be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal may be performed by a module (e.g., a chip or a modem) within the terminal, or may be performed by a device including the functions of the terminal.

[0074] In this application, a base station transmits downlink signals or downlink information to a terminal, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel. A terminal transmits uplink signals or uplink information to a base station, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. To communicate with a base station, a terminal needs to establish a radio connection to a cell controlled by the base station. The cell that establishes a radio connection to a terminal is called the terminal's serving cell. When communicating with the serving cell, the terminal is further interfered with by signals from neighboring cells.

[0075] In DC, one terminal may communicate with multiple base stations, and the network side may provide communication services to the terminal by using resources of multiple base stations. For example, Figure 2 is a diagram of an application scenario of DC. As shown in Figure 2, in DC, a base station having control plane signaling exchange with a core network is a primary base station, and another base station is a secondary base station. The primary base station may also be called a master node (MN), and the secondary base station may also be called a secondary node (SN).

[0076] The multiple base stations in a DC may be base stations of the same radio access technology (RAT), for example, all 4th generation (4G) base stations or all 5th generation (5G) base stations. Alternatively, the multiple base stations in a DC may be base stations of different RATs, and this type of DC is called multi-RAT dual connectivity (MR-DC). For example, one base station is a 4G base station and another is a 5G base station. The 4G RAT is also called evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) technology, and the 5G RAT is also called NR technology. MR-DC includes DC between E-UTRA and NR (E-UTRA-NR DC, EN-DC), DC between E-UTRA and NR in NG-RAN (NG-RAN E-UTRA-NR DC, NGEN-DC), DC between NR and E-UTRA (NR-E-UTRA DC, NE-DC), and DC between NR and NR (NR-NR DC, NR-DC). In EN-DC, the primary base station connected to the 4G core network is an LTE base station eNB, and the secondary base station is an NR base station gNB. In NGEN-DC, the primary base station connected to the 5G core network (5G core, 5GC) is an LTE base station ng-eNB, and the secondary base station is an NR base station gNB. In NE-DC, the primary base station connected to 5GC is an NR base station gNB, and the secondary base station is an LTE base station ng-eNB. In NR-DC, the primary base station connected to 5GC is an NR base station gNB, and the secondary base station is an NR base station gNB.

[0077] In DC, the secondary base station can directly transmit a radio resource control (RRC) message generated by the secondary base station to the terminal, and the terminal can also directly transmit an RRC message to the secondary base station. Alternatively, the secondary base station can notify the primary base station of the RRC message generated by the secondary base station, and the primary base station then transmits the RRC message to the terminal, and the terminal can also transmit an RRC message to the secondary base station via the primary base station.

[0078] In order to avoid random access (RA) failures caused by improper configuration of a base station, a terminal records some information in the random access process and generates a corresponding random access report. The random access report mainly includes an identifier of a cell accessed through random access, an identifier of a special cell (SpCell) in a cell group in which the cell accessed through random access is located, a random access cause, and random access common information (RA-InformationCommon). After the terminal accesses the base station, the base station can obtain the random access report from the terminal to identify problems in the random access process, so that the random access configuration can be optimized in a timely manner and the random access success rate of the terminal can be improved.

[0079] When a terminal accesses an LTE cell through random access, the terminal records an LTE random access report, and the terminal records only one LTE random access report. When a terminal accesses an NR cell through random access, the terminal records an NR random access report, and the terminal records an NR random access report list. The maximum number of random access reports in the NR random access report list can be preset.

[0080] In DC, how to send the random access report recorded by the terminal in relation to the secondary base station to the secondary base station is an issue that needs to be resolved urgently.

[0081] In response to the above problem, the present application provides a random access report transmission method and a communication device, so that a random access report recorded by a terminal in association with a secondary base station can be transmitted to the secondary base station.

[0082] For ease of understanding, some terms in the embodiments of the present application will be explained first.

[0083] 1. Primary cell, primary secondary cell, master cell group, primary secondary cell group, and secondary cell

[0084] In DC, the primary base station has a primary cell (PCell), and the secondary base station has a primary secondary cell (PSCell). The primary cell is deployed in a dominant frequency and is a cell where a terminal starts an initial connection establishment process or a connection re-establishment process, or a cell designated as the primary cell in a handover process. The primary secondary cell is a cell where a terminal starts a random access process to a secondary base station, a cell where a terminal skips the random access process and starts data transmission in a secondary base station change process, or a cell of a secondary base station where a terminal starts random access during synchronization reconfiguration. The primary cell and the primary secondary cell may be collectively referred to as SpCell.

[0085] Since a terminal served by one base station may receive service from multiple cells, the serving cell group provided to the terminal by the primary base station may also be called a master cell group (MCG), and similarly, the serving cell group provided to the terminal by the secondary base station may also be called a secondary cell group (SCell).

[0086] Each of the MCG and SCG includes at least one cell. If the MCG includes only one cell, the cell is the primary cell of the terminal. If the SCG includes only one cell, the cell is the primary secondary cell of the terminal. If there are multiple cells in the MCG or SCG, the cells other than the SpCell may be called secondary cells (SCells).

[0087] 2. Cell Identifier

[0088] In an embodiment of the present application, a cell identifier may uniquely identify a cell. The cell identifier may include at least one of the following identifiers: a cell global identifier (CGI), a physical cell identifier (PCI) and frequency combination, a PCI, a cell identifier (Cell ID), a non-public network identifier (NPN ID), a non-terrestrial network identifier (NTN ID), or other cell identifier. The CGI may include a public land mobile network identifier (PLMN ID) and a Cell ID.

[0089] In an embodiment of the present application, the primary secondary cell identifier may be used to determine the secondary base station.

[0090] 3. Primary Secondary Cell Random Access Report

[0091] In an embodiment of the present application, the random access report of the primary secondary cell may be a random access report generated after random access is initiated in the primary secondary cell, or a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the primary secondary cell. If the random access report is generated after random access is initiated in the primary secondary cell, or the random access report is generated after random access is initiated in a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the primary secondary cell, the random access report corresponds to the primary secondary cell.

[0092] Note that in this application, "transmission" includes "sending" and / or "receiving." For example, transmission of a random access report between a base station and a terminal includes both the terminal sending the random access report to the base station and the base station receiving the random access report from the terminal. One container corresponds to one primary secondary cell identifier, and the primary secondary cell identifier corresponds to one secondary base station. In short, one container corresponds to one secondary base station. One container corresponds to one primary secondary cell identifier, the primary secondary cell identifier corresponds to one primary cell identifier, and the primary cell identifier corresponds to one primary base station. In short, one container corresponds to one primary base station.

[0093] The following describes the random access report transmission method provided in this application.

[0094] FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a random access report transmission method 300 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0095] In the method 300, the terminal transmits N random access reports recorded by the terminal to the primary base station by using N containers, and includes, outside the containers, identifiers indicating primary secondary cells corresponding to the N containers, respectively. In this way, the primary base station can forward the container to the secondary base station corresponding to the primary secondary cell identifier based on the primary secondary cell identifier corresponding to the container without parsing the contents of the container.

[0096] The method 300 may be performed by a terminal, a primary base station, and a secondary base station, or may be performed by a module or unit in the terminal, a module or unit in the primary base station, and a module or unit in the secondary base station. In the following, the terminal, the primary base station, and the secondary base station are used as examples for description. The method 300 may include at least a portion of the following contents.

[0097] Step 301: The terminal determines a first message.

[0098] The first message includes first information and N containers. Each of the N containers includes a random access report. The first information includes N primary secondary cell identifiers, which are in one-to-one correspondence with the N containers, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The random access report in each container is a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a primary secondary cell corresponding to the container, or a random access report generated after random access is initiated in a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the primary secondary cell corresponding to the container. The primary secondary cell identifier corresponding to each container is a primary secondary cell identifier corresponding to the random access report in the container.

[0099] For example, N may be the maximum number of random access reports that can be recorded and stored by the terminal. EN-DC or NGEN-DC is used as an example. The secondary base station is a gNB, the terminal records NR random access reports, and N may be 8. NE-DC is used as an example. The secondary base station is an ng-eNB, the terminal records LTE random access reports, and N may be 1.

[0100] In a possible implementation, the terminal determining the first message includes the terminal recording the random access report and the first information of the secondary base station (or secondary cell group) by using the container. Specifically, when the terminal adds, changes, or activates a secondary base station, when the terminal is in an uplink asynchronous state during data transmission between the secondary base station and the terminal, etc., the terminal initiates random access to the secondary base station, records the random access report so that one container corresponds to one random access report, and records information indicating the primary secondary cell corresponding to the container until the maximum number of random access reports that the terminal can record is reached. The cell from which the terminal initiates random access may be the primary secondary cell of the secondary base station, or may be a secondary cell of the secondary base station. In this application, unless there is a logical contradiction, the terms secondary base station and secondary cell group may be understood to be synonymous in the description.

[0101] There are many ways for the first information to indicate the N primary cell identifiers, and the following methods 1 and 2 are specifically included.

[0102] Method 1: The first information includes N primary secondary cell identifiers. In other words, the terminal may record one primary secondary cell identifier corresponding to each container. For example, when storing a random access report by using a container, the terminal simultaneously records the primary secondary cell identifier corresponding to the container (i.e., the random access report).

[0103] 4 is a diagram of the first message. As shown in FIG. 4, the first message includes container 1 to container 8 and eight primary secondary cell identifiers (i.e., PSCell ID1, PSCell ID3, PSCell ID2, PSCell ID3, PSCell ID2, PSCell ID2, PSCell ID2, and PSCell ID1), where the eight primary secondary cell identifiers are in one-to-one correspondence with container 1 to container 8, and each container includes a random access report.

[0104] Method 2: The first information includes N first information elements arranged in sequence, the N first information elements including K information elements having a first special value and N K primary secondary cell identifiers, the primary secondary cell identifier indicated by the information element having the first special value is a primary secondary cell identifier arranged before and closest to the information element having the first special value, where K is a positive integer smaller than N. In other words, for primary secondary cell identifiers that appear consecutively, the terminal can record the identifier only once and use the first special value to indicate that the primary secondary cell identifier is the same as the previous primary secondary cell identifier.

[0105] The first special value may be a default value, a null value, a bit value, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0106] 5 is another diagram of the first message. As shown in FIG. 5, the first message includes container 1 to container 8, six primary secondary cell identifiers, and two first special values. Container 1 to container 5 are in one-to-one correspondence with PSCell ID1, PSCell ID3, PSCell ID2, PSCell ID3, and PSCell ID2, container 6 and container 7 correspond to two first special values, and container 8 corresponds to PSCell ID1, and each container includes a random access report. The first special values ​​corresponding to container 6 and container 7 indicate that container 6 and container 7 correspond to PSCell ID2.

[0107] When method 300 is applied to a scenario in which the primary base station and the secondary base station belong to different radio access technologies (e.g., EN-DC, NGEN-DC, or NE-DC), the primary base station may have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, or may not have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container. For example, there is no direct interface (e.g., X2 interface or Xn interface) between the primary base station and the secondary base station. If the primary base station does not have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, the primary base station may not be able to directly transmit the container to the corresponding secondary base station.

[0108] In the above case, the first information may further indicate a primary cell identifier corresponding to each of the N primary secondary cells, thereby allowing the primary base station to transmit the container to the corresponding secondary base station via the primary base station corresponding to the container.

[0109] For example, in NGEN-DC, NE-DC, and EN-DC, if the primary base station does not have the capability to communicate directly with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, the primary base station may transmit the container to the corresponding secondary base station via the primary base station corresponding to the container.

[0110] There are many ways for the first information to indicate the primary cell identifiers corresponding to the N primary secondary cells, and the following methods 3 and 4 are specifically included.

[0111] Method 3: The first information further includes a primary cell identifier corresponding to each of the N primary secondary cells.

[0112] For example, the first information includes N primary secondary cell identifiers and N primary cell identifiers, and the N primary secondary cell identifiers are in one-to-one correspondence with the N primary cell identifiers.

[0113] 6 is another diagram of the first message. As shown in FIG. 6, the first message includes container 1 to container 8, eight primary secondary cell identifiers (i.e., PSCell ID1, PSCell ID3, PSCell ID2, PSCell ID3, PSCell ID2, PSCell ID2, PSCell ID2, and PSCell ID1), and eight primary cell identifiers (i.e., PCell ID1, PCell ID1, PCell ID1, PCell ID2, PCell ID2, PCell ID3, PCell ID2, and PCell ID2). The eight containers are in one-to-one correspondence with the eight primary secondary cell identifiers, the eight primary secondary cell identifiers are in one-to-one correspondence with the eight primary cell identifiers, and each container includes a random access report.

[0114] Method 4: The first information includes N second information elements arranged in sequence, and the N second information elements include L information elements having a second special value and N L primary cell identifiers, and the primary cell identifier indicated by the information element having the second special value is a primary cell identifier arranged before and closest to the information element having the second special value, where L is a positive integer smaller than N. In other words, for primary cell identifiers that appear consecutively, the terminal can record the identifier only once and use the second special value to indicate that the primary cell identifier is the same as the previous primary cell identifier.

[0115] The second special value may be, but is not limited to, a default value, a null value, a bit, etc. The second special value may be the same as or different from the first special value.

[0116] FIG. 7 is another diagram of the first message. As shown in FIG. 7, the first message includes containers 1 to 8, six primary and secondary cell identifiers, two first special values, four primary cell identifiers, and four second special values. Containers 1 to 3 correspond one-to-one to PSCell ID1, PSCell ID3, and PSCell ID2, and PSCell ID1, PSCell ID3, and PSCell ID2 correspond to PCell ID1. Containers 4 and 5 correspond one-to-one to PSCell ID3 and PSCell ID2, and PSCell ID3 and PSCell ID2 correspond to PCell ID2. Container 6 corresponds to PSCell ID2, and PSCell ID2 corresponds to PCell ID3. Container 7 corresponds to PSCell ID2, and PSCell ID2 corresponds to PCell ID2. Container 8 corresponds to PSCell ID1, and PSCell ID1 corresponds to PCell ID2.

[0117] Step 302: The terminal sends a first message to the primary base station, and the primary base station receives the first message from the terminal accordingly.

[0118] Optionally, the first message may be an RRC message.

[0119] Step 303: The primary base station determines, according to the first information in the first message, a first secondary base station corresponding to the random access report in the first container, where the first container is any one of the N containers.

[0120] In a possible implementation, when the first information indicates N primary secondary cell identifiers, the primary base station determines that a first container among the N containers corresponds to an identifier of a first primary secondary cell among the N primary secondary cell identifiers, and determines the first secondary base station based on the identifier of the first primary secondary cell.

[0121] Optionally, when the first information indicates N primary secondary cell identifiers and primary cell identifiers corresponding to each of the N primary secondary cells, the primary base station may further determine a first primary base station corresponding to the first primary secondary cell based on the first information.

[0122] Step 304: The primary base station transfers the first container to the first secondary base station, and the first secondary base station receives the first container from the primary base station accordingly.

[0123] If the primary base station has the ability to communicate directly with the first secondary base station, the primary base station transmits the first container directly to the first secondary base station.

[0124] When the primary base station does not have the ability to directly communicate with the first secondary base station, the primary base station may forward the first container to the first secondary base station via the first primary base station. Specifically, the primary base station transmits the first container and an identifier of the first primary secondary cell to the first primary base station, so that the first primary base station can obtain the identifier of the first primary secondary cell without parsing the first container, determine the first secondary base station based on the identifier of the first primary secondary cell, and transmit the first container to the first secondary base station.

[0125] Note that some of the N primary secondary cell identifiers may be the same. For containers corresponding to the same primary secondary cell identifier, the primary base station may transmit the containers to the corresponding secondary base stations in one message, or may transmit the containers to the corresponding secondary base stations in multiple messages. This is not a limitation.

[0126] It should be further noted that although only random access reports are used above as an example, the method 300 is also applicable to other reports that need to be forwarded by the primary base station.

[0127] Based on method 300, a random access report reported by a terminal can be transmitted to a corresponding secondary base station. Furthermore, since an identifier indicating the primary secondary cell corresponding to the container is included outside the container containing the random access report, the primary base station can forward the container to the corresponding secondary base station without parsing the contents of the container. Furthermore, in method 300, the primary base station only needs to forward the container associated with the secondary base station to the secondary base station. This helps reduce signaling overhead between base stations. Furthermore, method 300 simplifies operations on the terminal side.

[0128] FIG. 8 is a schematic flow chart of a random access report transmission method 800 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0129] Unlike method 300, in method 800, one or more random access reports for the same primary secondary cell are recorded by using one container, and an identifier indicating the primary secondary cell corresponding to the container is included outside the container, so that the primary base station can forward the container to the secondary base station corresponding to the primary secondary cell identifier based on the primary secondary cell identifier corresponding to the container without parsing the contents of the container.

[0130] The method 800 may be performed by a terminal, a primary base station, and a secondary base station, or may be performed by a module or unit in the terminal, a module or unit in the primary base station, and a module or unit in the secondary base station. In the following, the terminal, the primary base station, and the secondary base station are used as examples for description. The method 800 may include at least a portion of the following content.

[0131] Step 801: The terminal determines a first message.

[0132] The first message includes first information and a first container, the first container includes a plurality of random access reports, and the first information includes an identifier of a first primary secondary cell corresponding to the first container, and the plurality of random access reports in the first container are random access reports generated after random access is initiated in the first primary secondary cell, or random access reports generated after random access is initiated in a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the first primary secondary cell.

[0133] The multiple random access reports included in the first container may be random access reports generated when the first primary secondary cell or a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the first primary secondary cell is accessed by random access multiple times non-continuously, or may be random access reports generated when the first primary secondary cell or a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the first primary secondary cell is accessed by random access multiple times consecutively.

[0134] In a possible implementation, the terminal determining the first message includes the terminal using the container to record the random access report and the first information of the secondary base station. Specifically, when the terminal adds, changes, or activates a secondary base station, when the terminal is in an uplink asynchronous state during data transmission between the secondary base station and the terminal, etc., the terminal initiates random access to the secondary base station, records the random access report so that one container corresponds to one or more random access reports of the same primary secondary cell, and records the primary secondary cell identifiers corresponding to the container until the maximum number of random access reports that the terminal can record is reached. The cell from which the terminal initiates random access may be the primary secondary cell of the secondary base station, or may be the secondary cell of the secondary base station.

[0135] Optionally, the first message further includes an identifier of a second primary secondary cell and a second container. The second container includes one or more random access reports, and the identifier of the second primary secondary cell corresponds to the second container. The one or more random access reports in the second container are random access reports generated after random access is initiated in the second primary secondary cell, or random access reports generated after random access is initiated in a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the second primary secondary cell. In other words, when the terminal initiates random access to multiple secondary cell groups, the first message includes multiple containers, and each container corresponds to one primary secondary cell.

[0136] 9 is another diagram of the first message. As shown in FIG. 9, the first message includes container 1 to container 3 and three primary secondary cell identifiers (i.e., PSCell ID1, PSCell ID3, and PSCell ID2). The three primary secondary cell identifiers are in one-to-one correspondence with container 1 to container 3. Container 1 includes two random access reports for primary secondary cell 1, container 2 includes two random access reports for primary secondary cell 3, and container 3 includes four random access reports for primary secondary cell 2.

[0137] When method 800 is applied to a scenario in which the primary base station and the secondary base station belong to different radio access technologies (e.g., EN-DC, NGEN-DC, or NE-DC), the primary base station may have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, or may not have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container. For example, there is no direct interface (e.g., X2 interface or Xn interface) between the primary base station and the secondary base station. If the primary base station does not have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, the primary base station may not be able to directly transmit the container to the corresponding secondary base station.

[0138] In the above case, the first information may further include one or more primary cell identifiers corresponding to the first primary secondary cell, and if the first primary secondary cell corresponds to multiple primary cell identifiers, the multiple primary cell identifiers are different from each other. In the case where the first message further includes an identifier of a second primary secondary cell and the second container, the first information may further include one or more primary cell identifiers corresponding to the second primary secondary cell, and if the second primary secondary cell corresponds to multiple primary cell identifiers, the multiple primary cell identifiers are different from each other. In this way, the primary base station can transmit the container to the corresponding secondary base station via the primary base station corresponding to the container.

[0139] For example, in NGEN-DC, NE-DC, and EN-DC, if the primary base station does not have the capability to communicate directly with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, the primary base station may transmit the container to the corresponding secondary base station via the primary base station corresponding to the container.

[0140] 10 is another diagram of the first message. As shown in FIG. 10, the first message includes container 1 to container 3, three primary secondary cell identities (i.e., PSCell ID1, PSCell ID3, and PSCell ID2), and a primary cell identifier corresponding to each primary secondary cell. The three primary secondary cell identities are in one-to-one correspondence with container 1 to container 3. Container 1 includes two random access reports for primary secondary cell 1. Container 2 includes two random access reports for primary secondary cell 3. Container 2 includes four random access reports for primary secondary cell 2. PSCell ID1 corresponds to two primary cell identities (i.e., PCell ID1 and PCell ID2). PSCell ID2 corresponds to three primary cell identities (i.e., PCell ID1, PCell ID2, and PCell ID3). PSCell ID3 corresponds to two primary cell identities (i.e., PCell ID1 and PCell ID2).

[0141] Step 802: The terminal sends a first message to the primary base station, and in response, the primary base station receives the first message from the terminal.

[0142] Optionally, the first message may be an RRC message.

[0143] Step 803: The primary base station determines, according to the first information in the first message, a first secondary base station corresponding to the first container.

[0144] In a possible implementation, the primary base station determines that the first container corresponds to an identifier of a first primary secondary cell, and determines the first secondary base station based on the identifier of the first primary secondary cell.

[0145] Optionally, if the first information further includes one or more primary cell identifiers corresponding to the first primary secondary cell, the primary base station may further determine the first primary base station corresponding to the first primary secondary cell based on the first information.

[0146] For example, when the first primary secondary cell corresponds to multiple primary cell identifiers, the first primary base station may be any one of the multiple primary base stations corresponding to the multiple primary cell identifiers, or the first primary base station may be determined by the primary base station based on network implementation.

[0147] Optionally, if the first message further includes an identifier of a second primary secondary cell and a second container, the primary base station may further determine a second secondary base station corresponding to the second container based on the first information in the first message.

[0148] Optionally, if the first information further includes one or more primary cell identifiers corresponding to a second primary secondary cell, the primary base station may further determine a second primary base station corresponding to the second primary secondary cell based on the first information.

[0149] For example, when the second primary secondary cell corresponds to multiple primary cell identifiers, the second primary base station may be any one of the multiple primary base stations corresponding to the multiple primary cell identifiers, or the second primary base station may be determined by the primary base station based on network implementation.

[0150] Step 804: The primary base station transfers the first container to the first secondary base station, and correspondingly, the first secondary base station receives the first container from the primary base station.

[0151] If the primary base station has the ability to communicate directly with the first secondary base station, the primary base station transmits the first container directly to the first secondary base station.

[0152] When the primary base station does not have the ability to directly communicate with the first secondary base station, the primary base station may forward the first container to the first secondary base station via the first primary base station. Specifically, the primary base station transmits the first container and an identifier of the first primary secondary cell to the first primary base station, so that the first primary base station can obtain the identifier of the first primary secondary cell without parsing the first container, determine the first secondary base station based on the identifier of the first primary secondary cell, and transmit the first container to the first secondary base station.

[0153] Optionally, the primary base station further forwards the second container to a second secondary base station, and correspondingly, the second primary base station receives the second container from the primary base station.

[0154] If the primary base station has the ability to communicate directly with the second secondary base station, the primary base station transmits the second container directly to the second secondary base station.

[0155] When the primary base station does not have the ability to directly communicate with the second secondary base station, the primary base station may forward the second container to the second secondary base station via a second primary base station corresponding to the second secondary base station. Specifically, the primary base station transmits the second container and an identifier of the second primary secondary cell to the second primary base station, so that the second primary base station can obtain the identifier of the second primary secondary cell without parsing the second container, determine the second secondary base station based on the identifier of the second primary secondary cell, and transmit the second container to the second secondary base station.

[0156] It should be noted that although only random access reports are used above as an example, the method 800 is also applicable to other reports that need to be forwarded by the primary base station.

[0157] Based on the method 800, a random access report reported by a terminal can be transmitted to a corresponding secondary base station. Furthermore, since an identifier indicating a primary secondary cell corresponding to the container is included outside the container containing the random access report, the primary base station can forward the container to the corresponding secondary base station without parsing the contents of the container. Furthermore, in the method 800, the primary base station only needs to forward the container associated with the secondary base station to the secondary base station. This helps reduce signaling overhead between base stations. Furthermore, the method 800 simplifies operations on the network side.

[0158] FIG. 11 is a schematic flow chart of a random access report transmission method 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0159] Unlike methods 300 and 800, in method 1100, random access reports of multiple different primary secondary cells are recorded by using one container, and multiple primary secondary cell identifiers are included outside the container, so that the primary base station can forward the container to multiple secondary base stations corresponding to the multiple primary secondary cell identifiers based on the multiple primary secondary cell identifiers without parsing the contents of the container.

[0160] The method 1100 may be performed by a terminal, a primary base station, and a secondary base station, or may be performed by a module or unit in the terminal, a module or unit in the primary base station, and a module or unit in the secondary base station. In the following, the terminal, the primary base station, and the secondary base station are used as examples for description. The method 1100 may include at least a portion of the following content.

[0161] Step 1101: The terminal determines a first message.

[0162] The first message includes an identifier of a first primary secondary cell, an identifier of a second primary secondary cell, and a container, wherein the container includes a random access report of the first primary secondary cell and a random access report of the second primary secondary cell, and the identifier of the first primary secondary cell is different from the identifier of the second primary secondary cell.

[0163] In a possible implementation, the terminal determining the first message includes the terminal recording the random access report of the first primary secondary cell, the identifier of the first primary secondary cell, the random access report of the second primary secondary cell, and the identifier of the second primary secondary cell in a container. Specifically, when the terminal adds, changes, or activates a secondary base station, when the terminal is in an uplink asynchronous state during data transmission between the secondary base station and the terminal, etc., the terminal initiates random access to the secondary base station and records random access reports of different primary secondary cells by using one container, and records the identifiers of different primary secondary cells until the maximum number of random access reports that the terminal can record is reached. The cell from which the terminal initiates random access may be the primary secondary cell of the secondary base station, or may be the secondary cell of the secondary base station.

[0164] For different primary and secondary cell identities, the terminal only records once, thus the signaling overhead of the first message is low.

[0165] 12 is another diagram of the first message. As shown in FIG. 12, the first message includes a container and three primary secondary cell identifiers (i.e., PSCell ID1, PSCell ID3, and PSCell ID2). The container includes eight random access reports, and the eight random access reports correspond to the three primary secondary cell identifiers.

[0166] When method 1100 is applied to a scenario in which the primary base station and the secondary base station belong to different radio access technologies (e.g., EN-DC, NGEN-DC, or NE-DC), the primary base station may have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, or may not have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container. For example, there is no direct interface (e.g., X2 interface or Xn interface) between the primary base station and the secondary base station. If the primary base station does not have the ability to directly communicate with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, the primary base station may not be able to directly transmit the container to the corresponding secondary base station.

[0167] In the above case, the first information includes a primary cell identifier corresponding to the first primary secondary cell and a primary cell identifier corresponding to the second primary secondary cell. There may be one or more primary cell identifiers corresponding to the first primary secondary cell, and if the first primary secondary cell corresponds to multiple primary cell identifiers, the multiple primary cell identifiers are different from each other. There may also be one or more primary cell identifiers corresponding to the second primary secondary cell, and if the second primary secondary cell corresponds to multiple primary cell identifiers, the multiple primary cell identifiers are different from each other. In this way, the primary base station can transmit the container to the corresponding secondary base station via the primary base station corresponding to the container.

[0168] For example, in NGEN-DC, NE-DC, and EN-DC, if the primary base station does not have the capability to communicate directly with the secondary base station corresponding to the container, the primary base station may transmit the container to the corresponding secondary base station via the primary base station corresponding to the container.

[0169] 13 is another diagram of the first message. As shown in FIG. 13, the first message includes a container, three primary secondary cell identities (i.e., PSCell ID1, PSCell ID3, and PSCell ID2), and a primary cell identifier corresponding to each primary secondary cell. The container includes a total of eight random access reports for primary secondary cell 1, primary secondary cell 2, and primary secondary cell 3. PSCell ID1 corresponds to two primary cell identities (i.e., PCell ID1 and PCell ID2). PSCell ID2 corresponds to three primary cell identities (i.e., PCell ID1, PCell ID2, and PCell ID3). PSCell ID3 corresponds to two primary cell identities (i.e., PCell ID1 and PCell ID2).

[0170] 14 is another diagram of the first message. As shown in FIG. 14, the first message includes a container, three primary cell identifiers (i.e., PSCell ID1, PSCell ID3, and PSCell ID2), and primary secondary cell identifiers corresponding to each primary cell. The container includes a total of eight random access reports for primary secondary cell 1, primary secondary cell 2, and primary secondary cell 3. PCell ID1 corresponds to two primary secondary cell identifiers (i.e., PSCell ID1, PSCell ID3, and PSCell ID2). PCell ID2 corresponds to three primary secondary cell identifiers (i.e., PSCell ID3, PSCell ID2, and PSCell ID1). PCell ID3 corresponds to one primary secondary cell identifier (i.e., PSCell ID2).

[0171] Step 1102: The terminal sends a first message to the primary base station, and correspondingly, the primary base station receives the first message from the terminal.

[0172] Optionally, the first message may be an RRC message.

[0173] Step 1103: The primary base station determines a first secondary base station based on the identifier of the first primary secondary cell in the first message, and determines a second secondary base station based on the identifier of the second primary secondary cell in the first message.

[0174] Optionally, when the first information further includes a primary cell identifier corresponding to the first primary secondary cell and a primary cell identifier corresponding to the second primary secondary cell, the primary base station further determines a first primary base station corresponding to the first primary secondary cell and a second primary base station corresponding to the second primary secondary cell.

[0175] For example, when the first primary secondary cell corresponds to multiple primary cell identifiers, the first primary base station may be any one of the multiple primary base stations corresponding to the multiple primary cell identifiers, or the first primary base station may be determined by the primary base station based on network implementation. When the second primary secondary cell corresponds to multiple primary cell identifiers, the second primary base station may be any one of the multiple primary base stations corresponding to the multiple primary cell identifiers, or the third primary base station may be determined by the primary base station based on network implementation.

[0176] Step 1104: The primary base station transfers the container to the first secondary base station and the second secondary base station, and the first secondary base station and the second secondary base station receive the container from the primary base station accordingly.

[0177] If the primary base station has the ability to communicate directly with the first secondary base station, the primary base station transfers the container directly to the first secondary base station.

[0178] When the primary base station does not have the ability to directly communicate with the first secondary base station, the primary base station may transfer the container to the first secondary base station via the first primary base station. Specifically, the primary base station transmits the container and an identifier of the first primary secondary cell to the first primary base station, so that the first primary base station can obtain the identifier of the first primary secondary cell without parsing the container, determine the first secondary base station based on the identifier of the first primary secondary cell, and transmit the container to the first secondary base station.

[0179] If the primary base station has the capability to communicate directly with the second secondary base station, the primary base station transfers the container directly to the second secondary base station.

[0180] When the primary base station does not have the ability to directly communicate with the second secondary base station, the primary base station may transfer the container to the second secondary base station via the second primary base station. Specifically, the primary base station transmits the container and an identifier of the second primary secondary cell to the second primary base station, so that the second primary base station can obtain the identifier of the second primary secondary cell without parsing the container, determine the second secondary base station based on the identifier of the second primary secondary cell, and transmit the container to the second secondary base station.

[0181] It should be noted that although only a random access report is used above as an example, the method 1100 is also applicable to other reports that need to be forwarded by the primary base station.

[0182] Based on method 1100, a random access report reported by a terminal can be transmitted to a corresponding secondary base station. Furthermore, since an identifier indicating a primary secondary cell corresponding to the container is included outside the container containing the random access report, the primary base station can forward the container to the corresponding secondary base station without parsing the contents of the container. Furthermore, in method 1100, the same primary secondary cell identifier is recorded only once, which helps reduce air interface signaling overhead.

[0183] Above, the method embodiments of the present application have been described with reference to Figures 3 to 14, and below, the apparatus embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to Figures 15 and 16. It can be understood that to implement the functions in the foregoing embodiments, the base station and the terminal include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for performing various functions. Those skilled in the art will easily realize that, in combination with the units and method steps in the examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented by hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether the functions are implemented by hardware or hardware driven by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0184] 15 and 16 are diagrams of possible communication device structures according to embodiments of the present application. These communication devices may be configured to implement the functions of the terminals or base stations in the aforementioned method embodiments, and thus may also realize the advantageous effects of the aforementioned method embodiments. In this embodiment of the present application, the communication device may be one of the terminals 120a to 120j shown in FIG. 1, may be the base station 110a or 110b shown in FIG. 1, or may be a module (e.g., a chip) used in the terminal or base station.

[0185] As shown in Figure 15, the communications device 1500 includes a processing unit 1510 and a transceiver unit 1520. The communications device 1500 is configured to implement the functionality of a terminal or a base station in the embodiments of the methods shown in Figure 3, Figure 8 or Figure 11.

[0186] When the communication device 1500 is configured to implement the functionality of a terminal in the embodiment of the method shown in FIG. 3, the processing unit 1510 is configured to determine a first message, the first message including first information and N containers, each of the N containers including a random access report, the first information indicating N primary secondary cell identifiers, the N primary secondary cell identifiers being in one-to-one correspondence with the N containers, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1, and the transceiver unit 1520 is configured to send the first message to the primary base station.

[0187] When the communication device 1500 is configured to implement the functions of a base station (e.g., a primary base station) in the embodiment of the method shown in FIG. 3, the transceiver unit 1520 is configured to receive a first message from a terminal, the first message including first information and N containers, each of the N containers including a random access report, the first information indicating N primary secondary cell identifiers, the N primary secondary cell identifiers being in one-to-one correspondence with the N containers, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1, the processing unit 1510 is configured to determine a first secondary base station corresponding to the random access report in the first container based on the first information, the first container being any one of the N containers, and the transceiver unit 1520 is further configured to forward the first container to the first secondary base station.

[0188] When the communication device 1500 is configured to implement the functions of a terminal in the embodiment of the method shown in FIG. 8, the processing unit 1510 is configured to determine a first message, the first message including first information and a first container, the first container including a plurality of random access reports, the first information including an identifier of a first primary secondary cell corresponding to the first container, and the transceiver unit 1520 is configured to send the first message to the primary base station.

[0189] When the communication device 1500 is configured to implement the functions of a base station (e.g., a primary base station) in the embodiment of the method shown in FIG. 8, the transceiver unit 1520 is configured to receive a first message from a terminal, the first message including first information and a first container, the first container including a plurality of random access reports, the first information including an identifier of a first primary secondary cell corresponding to the first container, the processing unit 1510 is configured to determine a first secondary base station corresponding to the first container based on the first information, and the transceiver unit 1520 is further configured to forward the first container to the first secondary base station.

[0190] When the communication device 1500 is configured to implement the functions of a terminal in the embodiment of the method shown in FIG. 11, the processing unit 1510 is configured to determine a first message, the first message including an identifier of a first primary secondary cell, an identifier of a second primary secondary cell, and a container, the container including a random access report of the first primary secondary cell and a random access report of the second primary secondary cell, the identifier of the first primary secondary cell being different from the identifier of the second primary secondary cell, and the transceiver unit 1520 is configured to send the first message to the primary base station.

[0191] When the communication device 1500 is configured to implement the functions of a base station (e.g., a primary base station) in the embodiment of the method shown in FIG. 11, the transceiver unit 1520 is configured to receive a first message from a terminal, the first message including an identifier of a first primary secondary cell, an identifier of a second primary secondary cell, and a container, the container including a random access report of the first primary secondary cell and a random access report of the second primary secondary cell, the identifier of the first primary secondary cell being different from the identifier of the second primary secondary cell, the processing unit 1510 is configured to determine the first secondary base station based on the identifier of the first primary secondary cell and to determine the second secondary base station based on the identifier of the second primary secondary cell, and the transceiver unit 1520 is further configured to send the container to the first secondary base station and the second secondary base station.

[0192] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 1510 and the transceiver unit 1520, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 8 or 11.

[0193] 16, the communication device 1600 includes a processor and an interface circuit 1620. The processor 1610 and the interface circuit 1620 are coupled to each other. It may be understood that the interface circuit 1620 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1600 may further include a memory 1630 configured to store instructions to be executed by the processor 1610, to store input data required for the processor 1610 to execute the instructions, or to store data generated after the processor 1610 executes the instructions.

[0194] When the communication device 1600 is configured to perform the method shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 8 or FIG. 11, the processor 1610 is configured to implement the functionality of the processing unit 1510 and the interface circuit 1620 is configured to implement the functionality of the transceiver unit 1520.

[0195] When the communication device is a chip used in a terminal, the chip in the terminal implements the functions of the terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The chip in the terminal receives information sent to the terminal by a base station through another module (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal. Alternatively, the chip in the terminal transmits information to another module (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal. The information is sent to the base station by the terminal.

[0196] When the communication device is a module used in a base station, the module in the base station implements the functions of the base station in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The module in the base station receives information from another module (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the base station. The information is transmitted to the base station by a terminal. Alternatively, the module in the base station transmits information to another module (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the base station. The information is sent to the terminal by the base station. The module in the base station here may be a baseband chip of the base station, a CU, a DU, or another module, or may be a device in an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture, such as an open CU or an open DU.

[0197] The processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be another general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0198] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented in hardware or software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions may include corresponding software modules. The software modules may be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk drive, removable hard disk drive, CD-ROM, or other forms of storage medium well known in the art. For example, the storage medium may be coupled to the processor, thereby enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium may alternatively be components of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. Furthermore, the ASIC may be located in a base station or a terminal. Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in the base station or a terminal.

[0199] All or part of the above-described embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are loaded into and executed by a computer, all or part of the procedures or functions in the embodiments of the present application are executed. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or another programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from a computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired or wireless method. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device, such as a server or data center incorporating one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, or magnetic tape, optical media such as digital video disks, or semiconductor media such as solid state drives. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media: volatile and non-volatile storage media.

[0200] In the embodiments of the present application, terms and / or descriptions in different embodiments are consistent and can refer to each other unless otherwise specified or unless a logical contradiction occurs. Technical features in different embodiments may be combined to form a new embodiment according to their internal logical relationships. For example, the implementation information of the first information in method 300 may be combined with method 1100. As another example, the method of recording a primary secondary cell identifier and / or a primary cell identifier in method 1100 may be combined with method 300.

[0201] As used herein, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" indicates an association relationship between related objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may indicate three cases: only A is present, both A and B are present, or only B is present. A and B may be singular or plural. In the text of this application, the character " / " indicates an "OR" relationship between related objects. In formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between related objects. "Comprising at least one of A, B, and C" may indicate including A, including B, including C, including A and B, including A and C, including B and C, or including A, B, and C. "Indicating" or "indicating" can include direct and indirect indication, or "indicating" or "indicating" may be explicit and / or implicit. For example, if information is described as indicating information I, the reference may directly refer to I or indirectly refer to I, but it does not necessarily mean that the information includes I. The term "comprises" means "including but not limited to," unless specifically emphasized otherwise.

[0202] It can be understood that various numbers in the embodiments of the present application are merely used for distinction to facilitate description, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The sequence numbers of the above processes do not imply an execution order, and the execution order of the processes should be determined based on the functions and internal logic of the processes.

[0203] This application claims priority from Chinese Patent Application No. 202310152878.6, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on February 16, 2023, entitled "RANDOM ACCESS REPORT TRANSMISSION METHOD AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims

1. A random access report transmission method executed by a terminal or a module in the terminal, comprising: determining a first message, the first message including an identifier of a first primary secondary cell of the terminal, an identifier of a second primary secondary cell of the terminal, and a container, the container including a random access report of the first primary secondary cell and a random access report of the second primary secondary cell, and the identifier of the first primary secondary cell is different from the identifier of the second primary secondary cell; sending the first message to a primary base station of the terminal; A method having the following.

2. the container further includes an identifier of the first primary secondary cell and an identifier of the second primary secondary cell. The method of claim 1.

3. The random access report of the first primary secondary cell includes a random access report of a first secondary cell, and the first secondary cell is a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the first primary secondary cell; 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A random access report transmission method performed by a primary base station of a terminal or a module in the primary base station of the terminal, comprising: receiving a first message from the terminal, the first message including an identifier of a first primary secondary cell of the terminal, an identifier of a second primary secondary cell of the terminal, and a container, the container including a random access report of the first primary secondary cell and a random access report of the second primary secondary cell, wherein the identifier of the first primary secondary cell is different from the identifier of the second primary secondary cell; determining a first secondary base station based on an identifier of the first primary secondary cell; determining a second secondary base station based on an identifier of the second primary secondary cell; sending the container to the first secondary base station and the second secondary base station; A method having the following.

5. the container further includes an identifier of the first primary secondary cell and an identifier of the second primary secondary cell. The method of claim 4.

6. The random access report of the first primary secondary cell includes a random access report of a first secondary cell, and the first secondary cell is a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the first primary secondary cell; 6. The method according to claim 4 or 5.

7. When the primary base station cannot directly communicate with the first secondary base station, sending the container to the first secondary base station includes: Specifically, the method includes sending the container to a first primary base station corresponding to the first primary secondary cell, and the first primary base station can directly communicate with the first secondary base station; 7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6.

8. A random access report transmission method performed by a first secondary base station of a terminal or a module in the first secondary base station of the terminal, comprising: receiving a container from a primary base station of the terminal, the container including a random access report of a first primary secondary cell of the terminal and a random access report of a second primary secondary cell of the terminal, the first primary secondary cell being a cell of the secondary base station; method.

9. the container further includes an identifier of the first primary secondary cell and an identifier of the second primary secondary cell. The method of claim 8.

10. The random access report of the first primary secondary cell includes a random access report of a first secondary cell, and the first secondary cell is a secondary cell in a secondary cell group corresponding to the first primary secondary cell; 10. The method according to claim 8 or 9.

11. When the primary base station cannot directly communicate with the first secondary base station, receiving the container from the primary base station of the terminal includes: Specifically, the method includes receiving the container from a first primary base station corresponding to the first primary secondary cell, wherein the first primary base station can directly communicate with the first secondary base station; 11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10.

12. A communication device having a module configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 3, having a module configured to perform the method of any one of claims 4 to 7, or having a module configured to perform the method of any one of claims 8 to 11.

13. 1. A communication device having a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit is configured to receive signals from a communication device other than the communication device and to transmit the signals to the processor or to send signals from the processor to a communication device other than the communication device, and the processor is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 3, the method of any one of claims 4 to 7 or the method of any one of claims 8 to 11 by logic circuits or by executing code instructions. Communication equipment.

14. A chip having a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory being configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 3, the method of any one of claims 4 to 7, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 11. Tips.

15. storing computer programs or instructions; When the computer program or the instructions are executed by a communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the method according to any one of claims 4 to 7 or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 11 is performed. A computer-readable storage medium.

16. including computer programs, When the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 11 is performed. Computer program products.

Images