Communication method and device

Abstract

A communication method and communication device are provided. The method includes a terminal device transmitting first information to a network device, the first information indicating a preference value for a first parameter. If the terminal device decides to cancel the preference value for the first parameter and is permitted to cancel the preference during the operation of a first timer, it transmits second information, the first timer is used to prevent the terminal device from reporting preference information, and the second information is used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter. Based on the solution, if the terminal device is permitted to cancel the preference during the operation of the first timer and decides to cancel the preference value for the first parameter, the terminal device can transmit the second information used to cancel the parameter preference value in a timely manner. In this way, the network device can set the parameter to match the current service requirements based on the second information in a timely manner, thereby improving the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 202311010193.4, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on August 10, 2023, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Embodiments of this application relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to communication methods and apparatuses.

Background Art

[0003] Currently, a user equipment (UE) can report capability information to a network device. The capability information may indicate the type of user equipment assistance information (UAI) supported by the UE for reporting. Based on the capability information reported by the UE, the network device may configure a specific type of UAI that needs to be reported for the UE. The UE reports the UAI based on the configuration from the network device, and the UAI may indicate the preferred values of parameters recommended by the UE.

[0004] In addition, the network device may further configure a prohibit timer for the UE. The prohibit timer is used to limit the UE from frequently reporting the UAI. When the network device configures a prohibit timer, the UE may start the corresponding type of prohibit timer after reporting the UAI. During the operation of the prohibit timer, the UE is not permitted to report the same type of UAI again.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus so that a terminal device can timely transmit information used to cancel a preference.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a terminal device, or by a component of the terminal device, for example, a processor, chip, or chip system of the terminal device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or some of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: transmitting first information, the first information indicating a preference value for a first parameter; and, if it is decided to cancel the preference value for the first parameter and the terminal device is permitted to cancel the preference during the operation of a first timer, transmitting second information, the first timer being used to prohibit the terminal device from reporting preference information and the second information being used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0007] Based on the solution, after the terminal device reports a preference value for the first parameter, if the terminal device is permitted to cancel the preference during the operation of the first timer, and the terminal device decides to cancel the preference value for the first parameter, the terminal device can promptly send second information to the network device to be used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter. In this way, the network device can promptly set a parameter value that matches the current service requirements based on the second information, thereby improving the user experience.

[0008] In a possible design, the method further includes the step of receiving a third piece of information indicating that the terminal device is permitted to cancel a preference while a first timer is running.

[0009] In a possible design, the second piece of information is transmitted while the first timer is running.

[0010] If, based on a possible design, a terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, the terminal device does not need to be restricted by the first prohibition timer. If a terminal device decides to cancel the preference value of the first parameter while the first prohibition timer is running, the terminal device does not need to wait for the first timer to expire, but transmits the second information in a timely manner while the first prohibition timer is running. In this way, the network device can set the parameter value to match the current service requirements in a timely manner based on the second information, thereby improving the user experience.

[0011] A second aspect provides a communication method. The method may be performed by a terminal device, or by a component of the terminal device, for example, a processor, chip, or chip system of the terminal device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or some of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: transmitting first information, the first information indicating a preference value for a first parameter; receiving third information, the third information indicating that the terminal device is permitted to cancel a preference during the operation of a first timer; and transmitting second information during the operation of the first timer, the first timer being used to prohibit the terminal device from reporting preference information, and the second information being used to cancel a preference value for the first parameter.

[0012] Based on the solution, the third piece of information indicates that the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running. Therefore, the terminal device may send the second piece of information used to cancel the parameter preference value while the first timer is running; in other words, the terminal device may send the second piece of information in a timely manner without waiting for the first timer to expire. In this way, the network device can set the parameter value to match the current service requirements in a timely manner based on the second piece of information, thereby improving the user experience.

[0013] In connection with the first or second aspect, in a possible design, the method further includes the step of transmitting a fourth piece of information, the fourth piece of information being at least one of the following: the fourth piece of information is used to request the third piece of information; the fourth piece of information is used to request permission for a terminal device to cancel a preference while the first timer is running; the fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal device has requirements for canceling a preference; the fourth piece of information is used to request that the cancellation of a preference is not restricted by the first timer; the fourth piece of information is used to request permission for the terminal device to cancel a preference without being restricted by the first timer; the fourth piece of information is used to notify a network device that the terminal device may cancel a preference; the fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal device supports canceling a preference; or the fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal device supports canceling a preference without being restricted by the first timer.

[0014] In connection with the first or second aspect, in a possible design, the method further includes the step of starting or restarting a first timer.

[0015] Based on possible designs, when a terminal device transmits second information, it uses the second information to instruct the network device that the preference value for the first parameter should be canceled, and the network device no longer performs configurations based on the preference value previously reported by the terminal device. If the first timer is not restarted, after the original expiration time of the first timer, the terminal device may transmit information to the network device again to change the preference value for the first parameter; that is, the terminal device requests the network device to perform a reconfiguration again. In other words, the terminal device may frequently request the network device to perform a reconfiguration, which increases the complexity of the network device's processing. If the first timer is restarted when the terminal device transmits second information, the time during which the terminal device is prohibited from reporting preference values ​​may be restarted. This prevents the terminal device from frequently changing preference values, thereby reducing the complexity of the network device's processing.

[0016] In relation to the first or second aspect, in a possible design, the method further includes the step of transmitting second information when the first timer is not operating, if the terminal device is not permitted to cancel a preference while the first timer is operating.

[0017] A third aspect provides a communication method. The method may be performed by a terminal device, or by a component of the terminal device, for example, a processor, chip, or chip system of the terminal device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or some of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: transmitting first information, the first information indicating a preference value for a first parameter; starting a first timer, the first timer being used to prohibit the terminal device from reporting preference information; starting or restarting a second timer, the second timer being used to prohibit the terminal device from canceling a preference; and, if it is decided to cancel the preference value for the first parameter and the second timer is not operating, transmitting second information, the second information being used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0018] Based on the solution, the terminal device further starts or restarts a second timer in addition to the first timer, and if it is decided to cancel the preference value of the reported parameter, and the second timer is not operating, it sends information to the network device to be used to cancel the preference. In other words, the terminal device does not need to be limited by the first timer when canceling a preference, and only needs to decide whether the second timer is operating or not. The duration of the second timer may be flexibly adjusted, so that the terminal device can send information to be used to cancel the preference in a timely manner, and the network device can update the settings in a timely manner to match the parameter settings to the current service requirements, thereby improving the user experience. In addition, the second information is sent when the second timer is not operating; in other words, the terminal device is not permitted to cancel a preference while the second timer is operating. Therefore, the terminal device may be limited to canceling a preference immediately after reporting it, i.e., the terminal device may be limited to frequently requesting the network device to perform configuration, thereby reducing the complexity of the network device implementation.

[0019] In a possible design, the method further includes the step of transmitting a fourth piece of information. The fourth piece of information is used to request permission for a terminal device to cancel a preference while the first timer is running, or the fourth piece of information is used to request permission to transmit the second piece of information when the second timer is not running.

[0020] In a possible design, the method further includes the step of receiving a fifth piece of information. The fifth piece of information indicates the duration of the second timer, or indicates that the second timer is permitted to be used, or indicates that the second timer is available, or is used to activate the second timer.

[0021] In possible designs, the fifth piece of information and the configuration information for the first timer are carried in the same RRC message. Alternatively, the fifth piece of information is carried in the RRC message used to reconfigure the first parameter.

[0022] In a possible design, starting or restarting a second timer includes the step of starting or restarting the second timer after a first radio resource control RRC message is received, the first RRC message being used to reconfigure the first parameters; or, if it is decided to transmit second information, the second timer is started or restarted.

[0023] Based on possible designs, the first RRC message is used to reset the first parameter, so when a terminal device receives the first RRC message, it indicates that the network device has just changed the parameter setting. In this case, the second timer is started or restarted, and the terminal device is prohibited from canceling its preference while the second timer is running. This prevents the terminal device from immediately canceling its preference after the network device has changed the parameter setting, thereby reducing the complexity of the network device implementation. Alternatively, the second timer is started or restarted when the terminal device decides to send the second information. This prevents the terminal device from frequently sending the second information when it frequently decides to send it, thereby avoiding frequent changes to the parameter setting by the network device and reducing the complexity of the network device implementation.

[0024] In a possible design, the duration of the second timer is shorter than the duration of the first timer.

[0025] Based on a possible design, if there is only the first timer instead of the second timer, the cancellation of preferences by the terminal device also needs to be restricted by the first timer. That is, the terminal device can transmit the information used to cancel the preferences only after the first timer expires. If the second timer is introduced, the cancellation of preferences by the terminal device can be restricted by the second timer. Since the duration of the second timer is shorter than that of the first timer, the period during which the terminal device is prohibited from canceling the preferences is reduced. As a result, the terminal device can timely report the information used to cancel the preferences, thereby helping the terminal device to cancel the preferences in a timely manner.

[0026] In a possible design, the start time of the first timer is the same as the start time of the second timer.

[0027] Based on a possible design, when the start time of the first timer is the same as the start time of the second timer and the duration of the second timer is shorter than that of the first timer, the second timer may expire before the first timer expires. That is, the time during which the terminal device is prohibited from canceling the preferences is shortened, thereby helping to cancel the preferences in a timely manner.

[0028] In a possible design, the duration of the second timer is a fixed value, or the duration of the second timer is one of a plurality of candidate duration values.

[0029] Based on a possible design, when the duration of the second timer is a fixed value, the overhead for indicating the duration of the second timer can be reduced. When the duration of the second timer is one of a plurality of candidate duration values, the flexibility of the setting of the second timer can be improved.

[0030] A fourth aspect provides a communication method. The method may be performed by a terminal device, or by a component of the terminal device, for example, a processor, chip, or chip system of the terminal device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or some of the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: transmitting first information, wherein the first information indicates a preference value for a first parameter; deciding to cancel the preference value for the first parameter; and transmitting second information, wherein the time interval between the time of transmission of the second information and the time of transmission of the first information is greater than or equal to a first period, and the second information is used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0031] After reporting the parameter preference values ​​based on the solution, the terminal device may, without being restricted by a prohibition timer, send second information used to cancel the preference values ​​after a first period. In this way, the network device can set parameter values ​​that match the current service requirements based on the second information in a timely manner, thereby improving the user experience. In addition, the interval between the transmission time of the second information and the transmission time of the first information is at least the first period. Thus, the terminal device is prevented from frequently requesting the network device to perform configuration, thereby reducing the complexity of the network device implementation.

[0032] In a possible design, the method further includes the step of receiving a sixth piece of information, wherein the sixth piece of information indicates a first period.

[0033] Based on possible designs, the first period consists of signaling. For example, the first period can vary depending on different service requirements or communication quality, offering high flexibility.

[0034] According to a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a network device, or by a component of the network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the network device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or some of the functions of the network device. The method includes the step of transmitting a third information, the third information indicating whether a terminal device is permitted to cancel a preference while a first timer is running. The first timer is used to prohibit the terminal device from reporting preference information.

[0035] Based on the solution, if the network device allows the terminal device to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, the terminal device can send information used to cancel the parameter preference value while the first timer is running; in other words, the terminal device can send information in a timely manner without waiting for the first timer to expire. In this way, the network device can set parameters to match the current service requirements in a timely manner, thereby improving the user experience.

[0036] In a possible design, the method further includes the steps of: receiving first information, the first information indicating a preference value for a first parameter; and receiving second information, the second information being used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0037] In a possible design, the step of receiving the second information includes the step of receiving the second information while the first timer is operating.

[0038] According to the sixth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a network device, or by a component of the network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the network device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. The method includes: receiving first information, the first information indicating a preference value for a first parameter; and receiving second information during the operation of a first timer, the first timer being used to prohibit a terminal device from reporting preference information, and the second information being used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0039] Based on the solution, the network device receives second information indicating that while the first timer is running, the terminal device can send second information used to cancel the parameter preference value during the operation of the first timer; in other words, the terminal device can send the second information in a timely manner without waiting for the first timer to expire. In this way, the network device can perform timely configurations so that the parameter settings match the current service requirements, thereby improving the user experience.

[0040] In a possible design, the method further includes the step of transmitting a third piece of information, the third piece of information indicating whether the terminal device is permitted to cancel a preference while the first timer is running.

[0041] In connection with the fifth or sixth aspect, in a possible design, the method further includes the step of receiving fourth information. The fourth information satisfies at least one of the following: the fourth information is used to request third information; the fourth information is used to request permission for a terminal device to cancel a preference while a first timer is running; the fourth information indicates that a terminal device has requirements for canceling a preference; the fourth information is used to request that the cancellation of a preference is not restricted by the first timer; the fourth information is used to request permission for a terminal device to cancel a preference without being restricted by the first timer; the fourth information is used to notify a network device that a terminal device may cancel a preference; the fourth information indicates that a terminal device supports canceling a preference; or the fourth information indicates that a terminal device supports canceling a preference without being restricted by the first timer.

[0042] Referring to the fifth or sixth aspect, in a possible design, the step of transmitting the third information includes the step of transmitting the third information in response to the fourth information.

[0043] According to the seventh aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a network device, or by a component of the network device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the network device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or some of the functions of the network device. The method includes: transmitting configuration information for a first timer, the first timer being used to prohibit a terminal device from reporting preference information; and transmitting fifth information, the fifth information indicating the duration of a second timer, or indicating that the second timer is permitted to be used, or indicating that the second timer is available, or being used to enable the second timer.

[0044] Based on the solution, a second timer is set for the terminal device in addition to the first timer, so that the network device can send information to the network device that the terminal device will start or restart the second timer and use to cancel preferences based on the second timer. In other words, the terminal device does not have to be limited by the first timer when canceling preferences, and only needs to decide whether the second timer is running or not. The duration of the second timer can be flexibly adjusted so that the terminal device can send information used to cancel preferences in a timely manner, and the network device can update the settings in a timely manner to match the parameter settings to the current service requirements, thereby improving the user experience. In addition, the second information is sent when the second timer is not running, in other words, the terminal device is not allowed to cancel preferences while the second timer is running. Therefore, the terminal device may be limited to canceling preferences immediately after reporting them, i.e., the terminal device may be limited to frequently requesting the network device to perform configurations, thereby reducing the complexity of the network device implementation.

[0045] In a possible design, the method further includes the steps of: receiving first information, the first information indicating a preference value for a first parameter; and receiving second information, the second information being used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0046] In a possible design, the step of receiving the second information includes the step of receiving the second information when the second timer is not operating.

[0047] In a possible design, the fifth piece of information is carried in the third RRC message, which further includes configuration information for the first timer. Alternatively, the fifth piece of information is carried in the first RRC message, which is used to set the first parameter.

[0048] In a possible design, the duration of the second timer is shorter than the duration of the first timer.

[0049] In possible designs, the duration of the second timer is either a fixed value or one of several candidate duration values.

[0050] According to the eighth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes a terminal device transmitting first information to a network device, to which the network device receives first information from the terminal device, wherein the first information indicates a preference value for a first parameter. If the terminal device decides to cancel the preference value for the first parameter and the terminal device is permitted to cancel the preference while a first timer is running, the terminal device transmits second information to the network device, to which the network device receives second information from the terminal device. The first timer is used to prevent the terminal device from reporting preference information. The second information is used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0051] According to the ninth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes a terminal device transmitting first information to a network device, to which the network device receives first information from the terminal device, the first information indicating a preference value for a first parameter. The network device transmits third information to the terminal device, to which the terminal device receives third information from the network device, the third information indicating that the terminal device is permitted to cancel a preference while a first timer is running. The terminal device transmits second information while the first timer is running, to which the network device receives second information from the terminal device. The first timer is used to prohibit the terminal device from reporting preference information. The second information is used to cancel a preference value for a first parameter.

[0052] In any one of the first to ninth embodiments, in a possible design, the first or second information is carried in a user equipment support information (UAI) message.

[0053] In relation to any one of the first to ninth embodiments, in a possible design, the first parameter includes at least one of the following: intermittent receive DRX parameters, maximum aggregation bandwidth, maximum number of carriers, or maximum number of multi-input multi-output layers.

[0054] In any one of the first to ninth embodiments, in a possible design, the transmission of information by a terminal device includes the transmission of information by a terminal device to a network device. The reception of information by a terminal device includes the reception of information by a terminal device from a network device.

[0055] In any one of the first to ninth embodiments, in a possible design, the transmission of information by a network device includes the transmission of information by a network device to a terminal device. The reception of information by a network device includes the reception of information by a network device from a terminal device.

[0056] According to the tenth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a unit or module, which is configured to perform any method according to the first to sixth aspects.

[0057] According to the eleventh aspect, a communication device is provided for performing various methods. The communication device may be a terminal of any one of the first to fourth aspects, or a device included in a terminal, such as a chip or chip system, or the communication device may be a network device of the fifth or seventh aspect, or a device included in a network device, such as a chip or chip system. The communication device includes corresponding modules, units, or means for performing the method. The modules, units, or means may be implemented by hardware, software, or hardware running the corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to a function.

[0058] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module may be configured to perform processing functions in any one of the embodiments described above and any one of the possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module configured to perform receiving and transmitting functions in any one of the embodiments described above and any one of the possible implementations thereof, respectively.

[0059] In some possible designs, a transceiver module may include transceiver circuitry, a transceiver machine, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0060] According to the twelfth aspect, a communication device including a processor and memory is provided. The memory is configured to store computer instructions. When the processor executes an instruction, the communication device is configured to perform a method according to any one of the preceding aspects. The communication device may be a terminal or a device included in a terminal, such as a chip or a chip system, according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, or the communication device may be a network device or a device included in a network device, such as a chip or a chip system, according to the fifth or seventh aspect.

[0061] According to the 13th embodiment, a communication device is provided, including a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is configured to communicate with an external module of the communication device. The processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions in order to cause the communication device to perform a method according to any one of the above embodiments. The communication device may be a terminal according to any one of the first to fourth embodiments, or a device included in a terminal, such as a chip or a chip system, or the communication device may be a network device according to the fifth or seventh embodiment, or a device included in a network device, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0062] According to the 14th aspect, a communication device is provided which includes at least one processor. The processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in memory in order to cause the communication device to perform a method according to any one of the preceding aspects. The memory may be coupled to the processor or independent of the processor. The communication device may be a terminal according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, or a device included in a terminal, such as a chip or a chip system, or the communication device may be a network device according to the fifth or seventh aspect, or a device included in a network device, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0063] According to the 15th aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed in a communication device, the communication device is configured to perform a method according to any one of the first to ninth aspects.

[0064] According to the sixteenth aspect, a computer program product including instructions is provided. When the computer program product operates in a communication device, the communication device is configured to perform a method according to any one of the first to ninth aspects.

[0065] According to the 17th aspect, a communication device (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system) is provided. The communication device includes a processor configured to perform the functions of any one of the first to 9th aspects.

[0066] In some possible designs, the communication device includes memory, which is configured to store the necessary program instructions and data.

[0067] In some possible designs, if the device is a chip system, the device may include a chip, or it may include a chip and other separate components.

[0068] If the communication device provided in any one of the tenth to seventeenth embodiments is a chip, it may be understood that the transmission operation / function of the communication device is to output information, and the reception operation / function of the communication device is to input information.

[0069] For the technical effects resulting from any one of the designs in the 10th through 17th embodiments, please refer to the technical effects resulting from the different designs in the 1st through 7th embodiments. Details will not be repeated here. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0070] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing the structure of the communication system according to this application. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing the structure of another communication system according to this application. [Figure 3] This is a diagram illustrating the UAI reporting procedure according to this application. [Figure 4] This is a schematic flowchart of the communication method described in this application. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of the sequence of times for restarting the timer according to this application. [Figure 6] This is a schematic flowchart of the communication method described in this application. [Figure 7] This is a schematic flowchart of the communication method described in this application. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing the structure of the communication device according to this application. [Figure 9] This is a diagram showing the structure of another communication device according to this application. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing the structure of yet another communication device according to this application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0071] In the description of this application, " / " represents an "or" relationship between related subjects unless otherwise specified. For example, A / B may represent A or B. In this application, "and / or" describes only the related relationship for the purpose of describing related subjects, and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: that only A exists, that both A and B exist, and that only B exists, and A and B may be singular or plural.

[0072] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, “multiple” means two or three or more. “At least one of the following items (elements)” or similar expressions mean any combination of these items, including any single item (element) or any combination of multiple items (elements). For example, at least one item (element) of a, b, or c may be a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c, where a, b, and c may be singular or plural.

[0073] In addition, in order to clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, terms such as “first” and “second” are used to distinguish the same or similar items that have essentially the same function or purpose. A person skilled in the art will understand that words such as “first” and “second” do not limit the number or order of execution, and that words such as “first” and “second” do not indicate a clear distinction.

[0074] In embodiments of this application, words such as “example” or “for example” are used to represent an example, illustration, or explanation. No embodiment or design described by “example” or “for example” in embodiments of this application should be described as preferable to or having more advantages than another embodiment or design method. Strictly speaking, the use of words such as “example” or “for example” is intended to present the relevant concepts in a particular manner for ease of understanding.

[0075] It should be understood that the term “embodiment” as used herein means that certain features, structures, or characteristics related to these embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, embodiments throughout the specification are not necessarily the same embodiment. In addition, these particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It should be understood that the numbering of the process sequence does not mean the order of execution in the various embodiments of this application. The order of execution of the processes should be determined based on the function and internal logic of the processes and should not be construed as any limitation to the implementation forms of the embodiments of this application.

[0076] In this application, "when" and "in the case of" mean that the corresponding process is performed under objective circumstances, and are not intended to impose time limitations, do not require a decision action at the time of implementation, and do not imply any other limitations.

[0077] In some scenarios, it may be understood that some optional features in embodiments of this application can be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which the optional features currently reside, in order to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, in some scenarios, the optional features may be combined with other functions on a basis of requirement. Accordingly, the apparatus provided in embodiments of this application may also implement these characteristics or functions accordingly. Details are not described herein.

[0078] In this application, unless otherwise specified, cross-references may be made between the same or similar parts of the embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or unless there is a logical inconsistency, the terminology and / or descriptions in different embodiments are consistent and may be referenced to one another, and different embodiments may be combined on the basis of the internal logical relationships between embodiments to form new embodiments. The following implementations of this application are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0079] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems. These communication systems may include 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP® registered trademark, hereinafter the same) communication systems, such as 4th generation (4G) long-term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, 5th generation (5G) systems, new radio (NR) systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems, LTE and NR hybrid networking systems, device-to-device (D2D) systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT), non-terrestrial networks (NTN), and other next-generation communication systems. Alternatively, the communication system may be a non-3GPP communication system. This is not limited to these systems.

[0080] The above-described communication systems applicable to this application are merely illustrative examples and are not limited to those applicable to this application. This is uniformly described herein. Further details are not described again below.

[0081] Figure 1 shows an example of a communication system according to this application. The communication system includes at least one network device (e.g., 110a and 110b in Figure 1) and at least one terminal device (e.g., 120a to 120j in Figure 1).

[0082] Optionally, terminal devices may communicate with each other via wired or wireless means, terminal devices may communicate with network devices via wired or wireless means, and network devices may communicate with each other via wired or wireless means. Figure 1 is merely a diagram. The communication system may further include other devices, such as wireless relay devices, wireless backhaul devices, core network devices, etc., which are not shown in Figure 1. The number of network devices and terminal devices in Figure 1 are merely examples. The communication system may include more or fewer network devices or terminal devices than those shown in Figure 1.

[0083] Optionally, the terminal device may be a user-side device with wireless transceiver functionality, or a chip or chip system located within the device. The terminal device may also be called user equipment (UE), terminal, access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user equipment. The terminal device may be, for example, a terminal device in IoT, V2X, D2D, M2M, 5G networks, or future advanced public land mobile networks (PLMN). The terminal device may be located on land, including indoor devices, outdoor devices, handheld devices, or in-vehicle devices, on water (e.g., on a ship), or in the air (e.g., on an airplane, balloon, or satellite).

[0084] For example, terminal devices include unmanned aerial vehicles, IoT devices (e.g., sensors, power meters, or water meters), V2X devices, stations (STs) in wireless local area networks (WLANs), mobile phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices (also called intelligent wearable devices), tablet computers or computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminals, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, and smart homes. Examples include wireless terminals in homes, in-vehicle terminals, vehicles with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capabilities, intelligent connected vehicles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with UAV-to-UAV (U2U) communication capabilities. Terminal devices may be mobile or fixed. This is not particularly limited in this application.

[0085] Optionally, the network device may be a network-side device with wireless transceiver functionality, or a chip or chip system located within the device, and is configured to be located within a radio access network (RAN) in a mobile communication system and to provide access services to terminal devices. The network device may be an evolved NodeB (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, for example, a conventional macro base station eNB and micro base station eNB in ​​a heterogeneous network scenario, or a next-generation NodeB (gNodeB or gNB) in a 5G system, or a transmission reception point (TRP), or a base station in a future evolved PLMN, or a broadband network gateway (BNG), aggregation switch, or non-3GPP access device, or a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or an access point (AP) in a Wi-Fi system, or a radio relay node or radio backhaul node, or a device that implements base station functions in IoT, V2X, D2D, or M2M. This is not particularly limited to the embodiments of this application. For example, the base station in the embodiments of this application may include various types of base stations, such as macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small cells), relay stations, and access points. This is not particularly limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0086] In some scenarios, the network device may alternatively be a module or unit capable of performing some or all of the functions of a base station. For example, the network device may be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU and DU, a CU control plane (CP), a CU user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU may be located separately or may be contained within the same network element, for example, within a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be contained within a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, for example, within a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0087] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have alternative names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, a network device may be a network device in an open radio access network (open RAN, ORAN) system, or a module of a network device. In an ORAN system, CU may be referred to as open (O)-CU, DU as O-DU, CU-CP as O-CU-CP, CU-UP as O-CU-UP, and RU as O-RU. Any one of CU (or CU-CP or CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application may be implemented using a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0088] In some scenarios, network devices may also be called radio access network (RAN) nodes, RAN devices, or access network devices, or network devices may be named in a different way. This is not particularly limited in this application.

[0089] In some scenarios, the roles of network devices and terminal devices are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 may be a helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicle, or it may be configured as a mobile base station. With respect to terminal device 120j, which accesses the RAN via network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station. However, with respect to network element 110a, network element 120i is a terminal device. Network devices and terminal devices are sometimes also called communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 may be understood as communication devices with base station functionality, and network elements 120a through 120j may be understood as communication devices with terminal functionality.

[0090] Alternatively, all or some of the functions of the terminal device or network device in this application may be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). Alternatively, the terminal device or network device in this application may be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or some of the functions of the terminal device or network device.

[0091] For example, the technical solution provided in this application is applicable to a 5G communication system. As shown in Figure 2, the 5G communication system includes a 5G core network (5GC) and a 5G radio access network, also known as a next-generation RAN (NG-RAN).

[0092] For example, 5GC may include core network elements, such as access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements and user plane function (UPF) network elements. NG-RAN may include 5G base stations (e.g., gNBs). Furthermore, NG-RAN may include 4G base stations (e.g., ng-eNBs) connected to 5GC. In a communication system, network devices may be gNBs or ng-eNBs.

[0093] When the serving network device of a terminal device is a gNB, the gNB is responsible for providing the terminal device with 5G NR user plane and control plane protocol functions. When the serving network device of a terminal device is an ng-eNB, the ng-eNB is responsible for providing the terminal device with 4G evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) user plane and control plane protocol functions.

[0094] It should be noted that the communication systems described in the embodiments of this application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. Those skilled in the art will know that as network architectures evolve and new service scenarios emerge, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application may also be applicable to similar technical challenges.

[0095] Currently, a terminal device may report user assistance information (UAI) to a network device to indicate preferred values ​​for parameters that are recommended or desired for use by the terminal device. After receiving the UAI reported by the terminal device, the network device may transfer the corresponding settings to the terminal device based on the preferred values ​​indicated by the terminal device. For example, the procedure of interaction between the terminal device and the network device in this mechanism may be shown in Figure 3.

[0096] Please refer to Figure 3. The terminal device first sends capability information to the network device, and in response, the network device receives capability information from the terminal device. The capability information indicates the type of UAI that the terminal device supports for reporting, or it indicates specific parameters that the terminal device supports in its recommended preferences within the UAI. For example, in an energy-saving scenario, the parameters that the terminal device supports in its recommended preferences within the UAI may include, but are not limited to, the discontinuous reception (DRX) parameter, the maximum aggregation bandwidth, the maximum carrier component (CC), the maximum number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers, and the minimum scheduling offset.

[0097] For example, DRX parameters may include DRX cycles, on duration, etc. The maximum aggregation bandwidth may be the maximum aggregation bandwidth across all uplink and downlink carriers. The maximum number of CCs, also called the maximum number of carriers, may be the maximum number of secondary cells (SCells) on the downlink or uplink. The maximum number of MIMO layers may also be called the maximum number of MIMO streams or MIMO transmission layers. The minimum scheduling offset may be the minimum scheduling offset for cross-slot scheduling.

[0098] In addition, the UAI may further indicate a preference value for at least one of the following parameters, namely, the uplink (UL) frequency range 2 (FR2) gap, the multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, the radio link monitoring (RLM) relaxation state, the beam failure detection (BFD) relaxation state, the secondary cell group (SCG) deactivation request, the radio resource control (RRC) connection release request, the radio resource management (RRM) measurement relaxation criterion achievement state, the service link propagation delay difference (PropDelayDiffReport) between the serving cell and the adjacent cell, and the in-device coexistence (IDC) information, or it may carry information about relevant characteristics corresponding to at least one of those parameters.

[0099] After receiving capability information, the network device may use an RRCReconfiguration message to set the types of UAIs that terminal devices are allowed to report, or the types of parameters that terminal devices are allowed to recommend preferences for. In addition, the network device may set further prohibition timers. Each type of UAI or parameter may correspond to one prohibition timer, and different types of UAIs or parameters may correspond to different prohibition timers. For example, for the DRX parameter, the network device may set a prohibition timer for the DRX parameter, and for the Max Aggregation Bandwidth parameter, the network device may set a prohibition timer for the Max Aggregation Bandwidth parameter. Prohibition timers are used to restrict terminal devices from reporting UAIs too frequently. That is, while a prohibition timer is in operation, a terminal device is prohibited from reporting the corresponding type of UAI again in order to modify the preference value of a parameter or to cancel a previously reported preference value of a parameter.

[0100] After receiving an RRC reconfiguration message, the terminal device may send a UAI based on its actual requirements to indicate preferred values ​​for the corresponding parameters and start the ban timer. After receiving the terminal device's UAI, the network device may perform subsequent scheduling or configuration based on the parameter preferences recommended by the terminal device. For example, the network device may send an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device to modify an existing configuration based on the terminal device's UAI.

[0101] Next, if the terminal device needs to modify or cancel the reported preference value, it may resend the UAI when the ban timer has expired or is not running to modify or cancel the reported preference value.

[0102] Based on the mechanism described above, terminal devices cannot revoke reported preferences while the ban timer is running. If the user's service requirements change while the timer is running, the terminal device cannot flexibly revoke preferences in a timely manner to adapt to the new service requirements. As a result, the user experience is affected. For example, suppose a terminal device reports energy-saving preferences, and a network device reconfigures based on the preferences reported by the terminal device, and then the user runs the application with low latency and / or high bandwidth requirements while the ban timer is running. In this case, according to the mechanism described above, the terminal device can only re-report UAI to revoke energy-saving preferences after the ban timer has expired, and as a result, the network device performs a reconfiguration to meet the low latency and / or high bandwidth requirements of the service. Therefore, while the ban timer is running, settings based on energy-saving preferences may cause application lag or disconnections, resulting in a degraded user experience.

[0103] Based on this, the present application provides a communication method for redefining a mechanism for a terminal device to report that a preference value should be canceled, so that the terminal device can transmit information used to cancel the preference value in a timely manner, and a network device can perform a timely reconfiguration based on this information, thereby improving the user experience.

[0104] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. In the embodiments of this application, it may be understood that a network device or terminal device may perform some or all of the steps of the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples. In the embodiments of this application, other operations or various variations of operations may be performed further. In addition, the steps may be performed in a different order than those presented in the embodiments of this application, and not all operations in the embodiments of this application may necessarily be performed.

[0105] Figure 4 shows a communication method according to one embodiment of the present application. The communication method includes the following steps.

[0106] S401: The terminal device transmits the first piece of information to the network device. In response, the network device receives the first piece of information from the terminal device.

[0107] The first piece of information indicates the preferred value of the first parameter. For example, the preferred value can be understood as the parameter value suggested or desired by the terminal device. Therefore, the preferred value of the first parameter can also be understood as the desired value, recommended value, or suggested value of the first parameter.

[0108] Optionally, the first parameter includes at least one of the following: DRX parameter, maximum aggregation bandwidth, maximum number of carriers, maximum number of multi-input multi-output layers, minimum scheduling offset, FR2 UL gap, MUSIM Gap, MUSIM Leave, RLM Relaxation, BFD Relaxation, SCG Deactivation, RRM Measurement Relaxation, PropDelayDiffReport, and IDC. For a description of the parameters, please refer to the relevant descriptions above. Details will not be repeated here.

[0109] Optionally, a terminal device may transmit the first information if it has not transmitted information that carries or indicates the preference value of the first parameter, since it is configured to provide the preference value of the first parameter, or if the current preference value of the first parameter is different from the last indicated preference value of the first parameter.

[0110] In possible ways, the first information may be information about the preference value of the first parameter first reported by the terminal device; in other words, prior to transmitting the first information, the terminal device has not shown the preference value of the first parameter to the network device. For example, the first time could be the first time after the terminal device is powered on, or the first time after the terminal device accesses the network device, or the first time after the terminal device is permitted to report the first parameter or the preference value of the first parameter.

[0111] In another possible scenario, the first piece of information may not be information about the preference value of the first parameter that was first reported by the terminal device; in other words, before sending the first piece of information, the terminal device has sent information indicating the preference value of the first parameter to the network device. In this scenario, the preference value of the first parameter indicated by the first piece of information may differ from the preference value of the first parameter that was last indicated by the terminal device.

[0112] Optionally, the first information may be a UAI, or the first information may be carried in a UAI message. Indeed, the first information may, alternatively, be carried in another message or other signaling, for example, in an RRC message or uplink control information (UCI).

[0113] Optionally, to prevent the terminal device from frequently reporting preference information, the terminal device may further start a first timer. The first timer is used to prohibit the terminal device from reporting preference information. In other words, while the first timer is running, the terminal device is prohibited from reporting preference information. The first timer may be called a prohibition timer. For example, preference information may be used to indicate the terminal device's preference for a parameter, or to indicate a preference value for a parameter, or to cancel a transmitted preference for a parameter.

[0114] In possible implementations, the use of the first timer to prohibit the terminal device from reporting preference information may also be understood as follows: the first timer is used to prohibit the terminal device from updating the last reported preference value (or to prohibit the terminal device from reporting a new preference value) and to prohibit the terminal device from canceling the last reported preference value. For example, the first timer may be a ProhibitTimer defined in the current protocol. For example, if the first parameter is a DRX parameter, the first timer may be a drx-preference ProhibitTimer.

[0115] Optionally, the first timer may be started before the terminal device transmits the first information, or after the terminal device transmits the first information, or the start time of the first timer may be the same as the transmission time of the first information.

[0116] Optionally, the terminal device may start the first timer if, since it is configured to provide a preference value for the first parameter, it has not transmitted information that carries or indicates a preference value for the first parameter, or if the current preference value for the first parameter is different from the last indicated preference value for the first parameter. Note that starting the first timer may be replaced by restarting the first timer.

[0117] Optionally, prior to step S401, the network device may configure the terminal device to provide or report preferred values ​​for the first parameter. Alternatively, the network device may send configuration information for the first timer to the terminal device to set the duration of the first timer. See the relevant explanation of the procedure shown in Figure 3; details will not be repeated here.

[0118] Optionally, after receiving the first information, the network device may send a first RRC message to a terminal device based on the preferred value of the first parameter indicated by the first information, and the first RRC message is used to set / reconfigure / modify the first parameter. For example, the value of the first parameter set using the first RRC message is the preferred value of the first parameter indicated by the first information. In this case, the preferred value of the first parameter indicated by the first information may be considered to be the currently valid value of the first parameter.

[0119] In possible implementations, the use of the first RRC message to reset the first parameter may also be understood as follows: the first RRC message is used to reset a parameter related to the first parameter, or to reset a parameter used to determine the first parameter.

[0120] For example, the first parameter is the maximum aggregation bandwidth. The preferred value of the first parameter, as indicated by the first information, represents the maximum aggregation bandwidth desired by the terminal device. Bandwidth parts (BWPs) on uplink or downlink carriers may be configured using the first RRC message. The sum of the bandwidths of active BWPs across all carriers is the aggregation bandwidth. The aggregation bandwidth may be less than or equal to the maximum aggregation bandwidth indicated by the first information. For example, the first parameter is the maximum number of carriers. The preferred value of the first parameter, as indicated by the first information, represents the maximum number of secondary carriers desired by the terminal device. At least one secondary carrier may be configured using the first RRC message. For example, the first RRC message carries the relevant configuration of at least one secondary carrier. The number of configured secondary carriers may be less than or equal to the maximum number of carriers indicated by the first information.

[0121] For example, the first parameter is the maximum number of multi-input multi-output layers. The preferred value of the first parameter, as indicated by the first information, represents the maximum number of multi-input multi-output layers desired by the terminal device. The number of multi-input multi-output layers on each uplink or downlink carrier can be set using the first RRC message. The set number of multi-input multi-output layers on each carrier may be less than or equal to the maximum number of multi-input multi-output layers indicated by the first information.

[0122] For example, the first parameter is a DRX parameter. The preferred value of the first parameter, indicated by the first information, represents the DRX parameter desired by the terminal device. The DRX parameter can be set using the first RRC message. The set DRX parameter may be less than or equal to the DRX parameter indicated by the first information. For example, if the DRX parameter is a DRX cycle, the DRX cycle set using the first RRC message may be less than or equal to the DRX cycle indicated by the first information.

[0123] For example, the first parameter is the FR2 UL gap / MUSIM Gap. The preferred value of the first parameter, indicated by the first information, represents the FR2 UL gap / MUSIM Gap setting desired by the terminal device. The FR2 UL gap / MUSIM Gap can be set using the first RRC message. The set FR2 UL gap / MUSIM Gap may be the FR2 UL gap / MUSIM Gap indicated by the first information.

[0124] In the optional method, the first RRC message may be a first RRC message sent by a network device after receiving the first information, or a first RRC message received by a terminal device after sending the first information. Furthermore, the first RRC message may be a first RRC message used to set / reconfigure / modify the first parameter and sent by a network device after receiving the first information, or a first RRC message used to set / reconfigure / modify the first parameter and received by a terminal device after sending the first information. The first RRC message may also be an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0125] For example, the first RRC message can be understood as a response message to the first piece of information. That is, the network device sends the first RRC message to the terminal device in response to the first piece of information.

[0126] S402: The terminal device decides to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0127] Optionally, canceling a preference value for the first parameter can be understood as canceling the last indicated preference value for the first parameter, or that the terminal device no longer has a preference value for the first parameter, or no longer has a preference for the first parameter, or invalidating the preference value for the first parameter, or that the requirement corresponding to the current preference value for the first parameter is higher than the requirement corresponding to the last indicated preference value for the first parameter.

[0128] For example, the last-presented preference value for the first parameter may be the preference value for the first parameter indicated by the first piece of information. When the preference value for the first parameter indicated by the first piece of information is the currently valid parameter value, the requirement corresponding to the current preference value of the first parameter may be considered higher than the requirement corresponding to the currently valid value of the first parameter.

[0129] For example, the first parameter is the maximum aggregation bandwidth. If the requirement corresponding to the current preference value of the first parameter is higher than the requirement corresponding to the last specified preference value of the first parameter, it may mean that the current preference value of the maximum aggregation bandwidth is greater than the last specified preference value of the maximum aggregation bandwidth.

[0130] The optional decision by a terminal device to cancel its preference for a first parameter can also be understood as the terminal device deciding that it needs to cancel its preference for the first parameter. The reasons why the terminal device decides to cancel its preference for a first parameter may include a change in the terminal device's service requirements, or that the currently valid preference for the first parameter cannot meet the terminal device's current service requirements. Furthermore, the reason may be that the service requirements of the terminal device change while the first timer is running.

[0131] After step S402, the following steps S403a or S403b may be performed.

[0132] S403a: If the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, the terminal device sends the second information to the network device. In response, the network device receives the second information from the terminal device.

[0133] Specifically, the second piece of information is used to cancel the preference value of the first parameter. For an explanation related to canceling the preference value of the first parameter, please refer to the explanation in step S402. We will not repeat the details here.

[0134] In other words, if the terminal device decides to cancel the preference value of the first parameter, and the terminal device is permitted to cancel the preference while the first timer is running, the terminal device sends the second information to the network device.

[0135] The option to allow a terminal device to cancel a preference while the first timer is running may be replaced with the following description, namely, the cancellation of a parameter preference value by the terminal device is not restricted by the first timer, or the terminal device is permitted to cancel a preference while the first timer is running.

[0136] The transmission of second information by a terminal device to a network device when the terminal device optionally decides to cancel the preference value of a first parameter and is permitted to cancel the preference value while the first timer is running can also be understood as the terminal device transmitting second information to a network device when it is determined that the terminal device decides to cancel the preference value of a first parameter and is permitted to cancel the preference value while the first timer is running.

[0137] In step S403a, the terminal device transmitting the second information to the network device may include the terminal device transmitting the second information to the network device while the first timer is running. Correspondingly, the network device receives the second information from the terminal device while the first timer is running. That is, if the terminal device is permitted to cancel preferences while the first timer is running, and the terminal device decides during the operation of the first timer that the preference value of the first parameter needs to be canceled, the terminal device may, without being restricted by the first timer, transmit the second information to the network device during the operation of the first timer to be used to cancel the preference value of the first parameter.

[0138] Optionally, when the terminal device transmits or decides to transmit second information, the terminal device may further restart the first timer. The first timer may be restarted before the terminal device transmits the second information, or after the terminal device transmits the second information, or the restart time of the first timer may be the same as the transmission time of the second information. This is not particularly limited in this application.

[0139] For example, a terminal device deciding to transmit second information may be understood as follows: namely, the terminal device deciding to cancel a preference, or the terminal device deciding to cancel the preference value of the first parameter. For example, the terminal device decides to cancel the preference value of the first parameter indicated by the first information.

[0140] Depending on the implementation, when a terminal device transmits second information, it notifies the network device that the preference value of the first parameter should be canceled, which is equivalent to the terminal device requesting the network device to perform a reconfiguration. If the first timer is not restarted, after the original expiration time of the first timer, the terminal device may transmit information to the network device again to change the preference value of the first parameter, i.e., the terminal device requests the network device to perform a reconfiguration again. In other words, the terminal device may frequently request the network device to perform a reconfiguration, which increases the complexity of the network device's processing. If the first timer is restarted when the terminal device transmits second information, the actual expiration time of the first timer is delayed compared to the original expiration time of the first timer, extending the time during which the terminal device is restricted from changing the preference value of the first parameter. This can restrict the terminal device from frequently changing the preference value of the first parameter, thereby reducing the complexity of the network device's processing.

[0141] For example, as shown in Figure 5, we use an example where the first timer is started at time t1 and the original expiration time of the first timer is time t2. Assume that the terminal device transmits second information at time t3. In this case, if the first timer is not restarted, the terminal device may change the preference value of the first parameter after time t2; that is, the terminal device is restricted from changing the preference value of the first parameter between time t3 and time t2. If the terminal device restarts the first timer at time t4, after the first timer is restarted, the expiration time of the first timer is delayed until time t5. That is, the terminal device is restricted from changing the preference value of the first parameter between time t4 and time t5, and the terminal device can only change the preference value of the first parameter after time t5. Compared to not restarting the first timer, restarting the first timer extends the time during which the terminal device is prohibited from changing the preference value of the first parameter, thereby reducing the complexity of processing for the network device.

[0142] In the first possible implementation, the second piece of information may be a one-bit indicator used to cancel the preference value of the first parameter if the value of the one bit is "0" or "1".

[0143] In a second possible implementation, the second piece of information may be an enumerated value, which is used to cancel the preference value of the first parameter if the enumerated value is "true" or "false".

[0144] In a third possible implementation, the second information may be an information element (IE) or a field whose content is null. That is, the terminal device may transmit an information element or field with a null value, and the information element or field does not carry any content.

[0145] Optionally, in the first possible implementation, the second possible implementation, or the third possible implementation, the terminal device may further indicate to the network device a new preference value for the first parameter. For ease of explanation, in this embodiment of the present application, the preference value for the first parameter indicated by the first information is referred to as the first preference value for the first parameter or the old preference value for the first parameter. The new preference value for the first parameter is referred to as the second preference value for the first parameter.

[0146] For example, the second preference value of the first parameter may be a preference value determined by the terminal device based on the current service requirements. The requirement corresponding to the second preference value of the first parameter may be higher than the requirement corresponding to the first preference value of the first parameter. When the first preference value of the first parameter is the currently valid parameter value, the requirement corresponding to the second preference value of the first parameter may be considered higher than the requirement corresponding to the currently valid value of the first parameter.

[0147] In a fourth possible implementation, the second piece of information may be the second preference value for the first parameter or the new preference value for the first parameter. In this scenario, the second piece of information is used to cancel the first preference value or the old preference value for the first parameter. In addition, the second piece of information may further indicate that the current preference value for the first parameter is the second preference value. For a description of the second preference value, please refer to the relevant descriptions of the first and second possible implementations mentioned above. Details will not be repeated here.

[0148] Optionally, the second information may be in a UAI message. In addition, the second information may be carried in a UAI message. Indeed, the second information may, as an alternative, be carried in another message or other signaling, for example, in an RRC message or UCI message.

[0149] S403b: If the terminal device is not permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, the terminal device sends the second information to the network device when the first timer is not running. In response, the network device receives the second information from the terminal device. For the implementation of the second information, please refer to the relevant explanation in step S403b. Details will not be repeated here.

[0150] In other words, if a terminal device decides to cancel its preference for the first parameter, and the terminal device is not permitted to cancel the preference while the first timer is running, the terminal device sends the second information to the network device when the first timer is not running.

[0151] Optionally, the state that the first timer is not operating may include the state that the first timer has expired. That is, if the terminal device is not permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is operating, the terminal device sends the second information to the network device after the first timer has expired.

[0152] In possible implementations, the second information in step S403b may be replaced with information indicating a third preference value for the first parameter. The third preference value for the first parameter may differ from the second preference value for the first parameter. The third preference value for the first parameter may be determined by the terminal device based on the service requirements of the terminal device after the first timer has expired. That is, the terminal device may determine the second preference value for the first parameter in step S402 based on the service requirements of the terminal device. After the first timer has expired, the third preference value for the first parameter is determined again based on the service requirements of the terminal device. If the service requirements of the terminal device have changed after the first timer has expired, the third preference value may differ from the second preference value.

[0153] Optionally, after receiving the second piece of information, the network device may perform the following step S404.

[0154] S404: The network device sends a second RRC message to the terminal device. In response, the terminal device receives a second RRC message from the network device.

[0155] The second RRC message is used to set / reset / modify the first parameter. For example, the second RRC message can be understood as a response message to the second piece of information. That is, the network device sends the second RRC message to the terminal device in response to the second piece of information. For a description of the second RRC message used to reset the first parameter, see the relevant description of the first RRC message used to reset the first parameter in step S401. Details will not be repeated here.

[0156] In an optional method, the second RRC message may be the first RRC message sent by the network device after receiving the second information, or the first RRC message received by the terminal device after sending the second information. Furthermore, the second RRC message may be the first RRC message used to set / reconfigure / modify the first parameter and sent by the network device after receiving the second information, or the first RRC message used to set / reconfigure / modify the first parameter and received by the terminal device after sending the second information. The second RRC message may also be an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0157] Optionally, the value of the first parameter set using a second RRC message (simply referred to as the first value of the first parameter) may match the current service requirements of the terminal device. For example, the first value of the first parameter may satisfy at least one of the following:

[0158] (1) The first value of the first parameter may be the second preference value described above. For example, when a terminal device reports the second preference value of the first parameter, the network device may use the second preference value as the first value of the first parameter.

[0159] (2) The first value of the first parameter may be the maximum value of the first parameter supported by the terminal device.

[0160] (3) The first value of the first parameter may be a value set by the network device for the first parameter before the terminal device indicates any preferred value for the first parameter.

[0161] (4) The first value of the first parameter may be the preferred value of the first parameter last indicated by the terminal device before transmitting the first information.

[0162] (5) The first value of the first parameter may be determined based on the preference value of the first parameter (simply called the first preference value) indicated by the first information.

[0163] For example, if the first parameter is the maximum aggregation bandwidth and / or the maximum number of carriers, the first value of the first parameter may be the sum of the first preference value and the offset, where the offset may be a positive integer. That is, the maximum aggregation bandwidth / maximum number of carriers represented by the first value may be greater than the maximum aggregation bandwidth / maximum number of carriers represented by the first preference value.

[0164] (6) The first value of the first parameter may be determined by the network device based on the quality of service (QoS) information of the terminal device's current service.

[0165] Optionally, after receiving the second RRC message, the terminal device may enable the settings of the second RRC message. For example, the terminal device may enable the first value of the first parameter.

[0166] In possible implementations, when a second RRC message is used to reset a parameter related to the first parameter, or a parameter used to determine the first parameter, the first parameter in the six conditions described above may be adaptably replaced with the second parameter for the sake of understanding. The second parameter is a parameter related to the first parameter, or a parameter used to determine the first parameter.

[0167] Based on the solution described above, if a terminal device has indicated a preferred value for a first parameter using the first information, and then decides to cancel the preferred value for the first parameter, and is permitted to cancel the preference during the operation of the first timer, the terminal device may transmit to the network device second information to be used to cancel the preferred value for the first parameter. The terminal device is permitted to cancel the preference during the operation of the first timer. Therefore, if the terminal device decides to cancel the preferred value for the first parameter, it can transmit the second information to be used to cancel the parameter preference in a timely manner. In this way, the network device can set a parameter value that matches the current service requirements based on the second information in a timely manner, thereby improving the user experience.

[0168] In some implementation scenarios, as shown in Figure 4, the network device may instruct whether the terminal device is allowed to cancel its preference while the first timer is running. For example, before step S403a or S403b, the network device may send third information to the terminal device. In response, the terminal device receives third information from the network device.

[0169] In possible implementations, the third piece of information indicates whether the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running. If the third piece of information indicates that the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, step S403a is performed. If the third piece of information indicates that the terminal device is not permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, step S403b is performed.

[0170] For example, the third piece of information may be a single bit. When the value of the single bit is the first value, it indicates that the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running. When the value of the single bit is the second value, it indicates that the terminal device is not permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running. For example, the first value may be "1" and correspondingly the second value may be "0", or the first value may be "0" and correspondingly the second value may be "1".

[0171] In another possible implementation, the third piece of information indicates that the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running. That is, if the network device permits the terminal device to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, the network device may send the third piece of information. For example, the third piece of information may be a flag. If the network device does not permit the terminal device to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, the network device does not need to send the third piece of information.

[0172] With respect to a terminal device, if the terminal device receives the third piece of information, it may be determined that the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference during the operation of the first timer. If the terminal device does not receive the third piece of information, it may be determined that the terminal device is not permitted to cancel its preference during the operation of the first timer.

[0173] Optionally, in the two possible implementations described above, the third information may be carried in the first RRC message, in other words, the third information may be carried in a response message to the first information, or the third information and the configuration information of the first timer may be carried in the same message, or the third information and the configuration information of the first timer may be carried in different messages. This is not particularly limited in this application.

[0174] In some implementation scenarios, the protocol may define whether the terminal device is allowed to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, as shown in Figure 4.

[0175] For example, a statement may be added to the protocol indicating that a terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, and a terminal device supporting the protocol may decide that it is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running. If no such statement is added to the protocol, a terminal device supporting the protocol may decide that it is not permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running.

[0176] In some implementation scenarios, the terminal device may send a fourth piece of information to the network device before sending the second piece of information. In response, the network device receives the fourth piece of information from the terminal device. The fourth piece of information is as follows: The fourth piece of information is used to request the third piece of information. The fourth piece of information is used by the terminal device to request permission to cancel a preference while the first timer is running. The fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal device has the requirements to revoke a preference. The fourth piece of information is used to request that preference cancellation is not limited by the first timer. The fourth piece of information is used by the terminal device to request permission to revoke its preference, without being restricted by the first timer. The fourth piece of information is used to notify network devices that a terminal device may revoke its preference. The fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal device supports preference cancellation, or The fourth piece of information satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the terminal device supports preference cancellation without being limited by the first timer (or the terminal device supports preference cancellation without being limited by the first timer).

[0177] Optionally, if the fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal device supports preference cancellation, or that the terminal device supports preference cancellation without being limited by the first timer, the fourth piece of information may be considered as capability information of the terminal device and indicates the capability of the terminal device.

[0178] Optionally, the fourth information and capability information of the terminal device may be carried in the same message, or the fourth information may be carried in the capability information of the terminal device, or the fourth information may be carried in the UAI message. In addition, the fourth information and the first information may be carried in the same message, or the fourth information and the first information may be carried in different messages. This is not particularly limited in this application.

[0179] If the network device optionally instructs whether the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, there is no necessary logical dependency between whether the network device sends the third piece of information and whether the terminal device sends the fourth piece of information. When the terminal device sends the fourth piece of information, the network device may or may not send the third piece of information. Even if the network device sends the third piece of information, the third piece of information may indicate that the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, or it may indicate that the terminal device is not permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running.

[0180] Similarly, if the terminal device does not transmit the fourth information, the network device may or may not transmit the third information. Even if the network device transmits the third information, the third information may indicate that the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, or it may indicate that the terminal device is not permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running.

[0181] In other words, whether a network device transmits a third piece of information, and whether that third piece of information indicates whether a terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running, is independent of whether the network device receives a fourth piece of information from the terminal device.

[0182] Naturally, the network device may optionally transmit the third information depending on whether the fourth information is received. For example, if the network device receives the fourth information, the network device may transmit the third information, which indicates that the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running. If the network device does not receive the fourth information, the network device does not have to transmit the third information, or the network device may transmit the third information, which indicates that the terminal device is not permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running. This is not particularly limited in this application.

[0183] In the method shown in Figure 4, the terminal device may transmit second information depending on whether the terminal device is permitted to cancel a preference while the first timer is running. In addition, the present application further provides a communication method in which a separate timer may be added for canceling a preference, and the terminal device may cancel a preference based on the added timer. As shown in Figure 6, the method includes the following steps.

[0184] S601: The terminal device transmits the first piece of information to the network device. In response, the network device receives the first piece of information from the terminal device. The first piece of information indicates the preferred value of the first parameter.

[0185] S602: The terminal device starts a first timer. The first timer is used to prevent the terminal device from reporting preference information. For detailed implementations of steps S601 and S602, please refer to the relevant explanation in step S401. Details will not be repeated here.

[0186] There is no required order between step S601 and step S602. Step S601 may be performed before step S602, step S602 may be performed before step S601, or steps S601 and S602 may be performed simultaneously.

[0187] Optionally, prior to step S601, the network device may configure the terminal device to provide or report a preferred value for the first parameter. In addition, the network device may further set a first timer for the terminal device. Furthermore, after receiving the first information, the network device may send a first RRC message to the terminal device. See the relevant description of step S401; the details will not be repeated here.

[0188] S603: The terminal device starts or restarts the second timer.

[0189] A second timer is used to prevent the terminal device from canceling its preference. For example, the use of a second timer to prevent the terminal device from canceling its preference may also be understood as follows: while the second timer is operating, the terminal device is prohibited from canceling its preference, or while the second timer is operating, the terminal device is prohibited from transmitting information used to cancel a preference.

[0190] Optionally, the duration of the second timer is shorter than the duration of the first timer. Based on possible implementations, if the duration of the second timer is shorter than that of the first timer, the second timer may expire before the first timer expires. That is, the time during which the terminal device is prohibited from canceling its preference is reduced, thereby helping to cancel the preference in a timely manner.

[0191] In possible implementations, the duration of the second timer is a fixed value. This fixed value may be predefined in the protocol, configured by the network device, or established through negotiation between the network device and the terminal device. This is not particularly limited in this application.

[0192] In other possible implementations, the duration of the second timer may not be a fixed value, or it may be configurable. For example, the duration of the second timer may be one of several candidate duration values. For instance, several candidate duration values ​​such as 1 second (s), 2 seconds, and 3 seconds may be defined in the protocol. The network device may select one of the candidate duration values ​​as the duration of the second timer and set the duration for the terminal device. Alternatively, the network device may determine the duration of the second timer based on the current service requirements of the terminal device and set the duration for the terminal device.

[0193] In yet another possible implementation, the duration of the second timer may be determined by the terminal device. For example, the terminal device may determine the duration of the second timer based on the current service requirements. For example, if the use of the second timer is permitted, the terminal device may determine the duration of the second timer based on the current service requirements and then perform step S603.

[0194] Optionally, prior to step S603, the method further includes the step of a network device transmitting fifth information to a terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives fifth information from the network device. The fifth information indicates at least one of the following: that the fifth information indicates the duration of the second timer; that the fifth information indicates whether the second timer is permitted to be used; that the fifth information indicates whether the second timer is available; that the fifth information is used to enable or disable the second timer; or that the fifth information indicates whether the terminal device is permitted to cancel a preference while the first timer is operating. For implementations of the fifth information, see the relevant description of the third information, which will not be repeated here.

[0195] For example, if the duration of the second timer is a fixed value and the fixed value is predefined in the protocol, the fifth information may indicate that the second timer is permitted to be used, that the second timer is available, that the second timer is active, or that the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is operating. After receiving the fifth information, the terminal device may determine the duration of the second timer based on the protocol. If the duration of the second timer is a fixed value and the fixed value is configured by the network device, or if the duration of the second timer is not a fixed value, the fifth information may indicate the duration of the second timer. For example, the fifth information may include the duration of the second timer, or it may include an index corresponding to the duration of the second timer.

[0196] If the fifth piece of information indicates the duration of the second timer, it can be understood that it implicitly indicates that the second timer is permitted to be used, that the second timer is available, that the second timer is active, or that the terminal device is permitted to cancel a preference while the first timer is running.

[0197] Optionally, if the fifth piece of information indicates the duration of the second timer, or that the second timer is permitted to be used, that the second timer is available, that the second timer is enabled, or that the terminal device is permitted to cancel a preference while the first timer is running, the terminal device performs step S603, and after S603, it performs the following step S604. If the fifth piece of information indicates that the second timer is not permitted to be used, that the second timer is unavailable, that the second timer is disabled, or that the terminal device is not permitted to cancel a preference while the first timer is running, the terminal device performs the following step S605.

[0198] In possible implementations, the fifth piece of information and the configuration information for the first timer may be carried in the same message. For example, before step S401, the network device may send a third RRC message to the terminal device, which may include the fifth piece of information and the configuration information for the first timer. The third RRC message may also be an RRC reconfiguration message. For example, the third RRC message is sent after the first RRC message.

[0199] In another possible implementation, the fifth piece of information may be carried in the first RRC message, or in other words, in the response message to the first piece of information. For an implementation of the first RRC message, see the relevant explanation of the method shown in Figure 4. Details will not be repeated here.

[0200] Optionally, if the duration of the second timer is a fixed value and the fixed value is predefined in the protocol, the network device does not need to send the fifth piece of information. In this scenario, by default, it may be assumed that the terminal device is allowed to use the second timer, or that the second timer is available, or that the terminal device is allowed to cancel its preference while the first timer is running. That is, in this scenario, if the second timer and its duration are defined in the protocol, the terminal device may perform step S603 without requiring control from the network device, or it may perform step S604 after step S603.

[0201] Regarding the time at which the second timer is started or restarted, at least one of the following conditions may be met:

[0202] In the first possible implementation, the start time of the first timer is the same as the start time of the second timer. For example, in this scenario, the fifth piece of information may be carried in the third RRC message, or in other words, the fifth piece of information and the configuration information of the first timer may be carried in the same message.

[0203] In a second possible implementation, after receiving the first RRC message, the terminal device starts or restarts the second timer. For example, in this scenario, the fifth information may be carried in the third RRC message or the first RRC message, or the fifth information may be carried in both the third RRC message and the first RRC message, in other words, both the third RRC message and the first RRC message may carry the fifth information.

[0204] If both the third and first RRC messages optionally carry fifth information, the content indicated by the fifth information carried in the third RRC message may differ from the content indicated by the fifth information carried in the first RRC message. For example, the duration of the second timer indicated by the fifth information carried in the first RRC message may be shorter than the duration of the second timer indicated by the fifth information carried in the third RRC message. In this scenario, the terminal device may use the instruction of the last received fifth information.

[0205] In a third possible implementation, the terminal device starts or restarts a second timer when it decides to transmit the second information. The second information is used to cancel the preference value of the first parameter. See the relevant explanation in step S403a; the details will not be repeated here.

[0206] For example, the terminal device deciding to transmit the second piece of information may be understood as the terminal device deciding to cancel its preference, or the terminal device deciding to cancel the preference value of the first parameter. In addition, in this scenario, the fifth piece of information may be carried in the third RRC message or the first RRC message, or the fifth piece of information may be carried in both the third RRC message and the first RRC message.

[0207] Optionally, the second timer in this embodiment of the present application may also be called a cancellation timer. Indeed, the second timer may alternatively have another name, for example, a preference cancellation timer. This is not particularly limited in the present application.

[0208] S604: If the terminal device decides to cancel the preference value of the first parameter and the second timer is not running, it sends the second information to the network device. In response, the network device receives the second information from the terminal device.

[0209] For details on the implementation of the terminal device that decides to cancel the preference value of the first parameter, please refer to the relevant explanation in step S402. For details on the implementation of the second information, please refer to the relevant explanation in step S403a. Details will not be repeated here.

[0210] Optionally, the non-operation of the second timer can be understood as the expiration of the second timer. That is, if the terminal device decides to cancel the preference value of the first parameter and the second timer has expired, it sends the second information to the network device. In other words, the terminal device is not permitted to cancel a preference while the second timer is operating, or the cancellation of a preference by the terminal device is restricted by the second timer.

[0211] Optionally, when the second timer expires, the first timer may not have expired; in other words, the first timer is still running. Therefore, the terminal device sending the second information to the network device can be understood as follows: the terminal device sends the second information to the network device while the first timer is running. Correspondingly, the network device receives the second information from the terminal device while the first timer is running. In addition, when the terminal device sends the second information, or decides to send the second information, the terminal device may restart the first timer. See the relevant explanation in step S403a. Details will not be repeated here.

[0212] S605: When the first timer is not operating, the second information is sent to the network device. In response, the network device receives the second information from the terminal device. For details on the implementation of the second information, please refer to the relevant explanation in step S403b. Details will not be repeated here.

[0213] In other words, if the fifth piece of information indicates that the second timer is not permitted to be used, is unavailable, is disabled, or the terminal device is not permitted to cancel a preference while the first timer is running, the terminal device will send the second piece of information to the network device when the first timer is not running.

[0214] In possible implementations, the second piece of information in step S605 may be replaced with information indicating a third preference value for the first parameter. See the relevant explanation for step S403b. Details will not be repeated here.

[0215] In some implementation scenarios, the first timer may expire earlier than the second timer; in other words, the expiration time of the first timer occurs before the expiration time of the second timer. In this scenario, the terminal device may send the second information to the network device when the first timer is not operating. In this case, the transmission time of the second information may occur while the second timer is operating. In other words, in this scenario, the solution of the present application may be understood as follows: the terminal device starts the first and second timers, decides to cancel the preference value of the first parameter, and sends the second information to the network device if the third timer is not operating. The third timer is the timer that expires first among the first and second timers.

[0216] Alternatively, in this scenario, the solution of the present application may be understood as follows: the terminal device starts a first timer and a second timer, decides to cancel the preference value of the first parameter, and sends the second information to the network device if at least one of the first timer and the second timer is not operating.

[0217] Optionally, after receiving the second piece of information, the network device may further perform the following step S606.

[0218] S606: The network device sends a second RRC message to the terminal device. In response, the terminal device receives a second RRC message from the network device. The second RRC message is used to set / reconfigure / modify the first parameter. See the relevant explanation in step S404. Details will not be repeated here.

[0219] Based on the solution, the terminal device starts or restarts a second timer in addition to the first timer, and if it is decided to cancel the preference value of the reported parameter, and the second timer is not running, it sends information to the network device to be used to cancel the preference. In other words, the terminal device does not need to be limited by the first timer when canceling a preference, and only needs to decide whether the second timer is running or not. The duration of the second timer as an additional timer can be flexibly adjusted, so that the terminal device can send information to be used to cancel a preference in a timely manner, and the network device can update the settings in a timely manner to match the parameter settings to the current service requirements, thereby improving the user experience. In addition, the second information is sent when the second timer is not running; in other words, the terminal device is not permitted to cancel a preference while the second timer is running. Therefore, the terminal device may be limited to canceling a preference immediately after reporting it, i.e., the terminal device may be limited to frequently requesting the network device to perform configuration, thereby reducing the complexity of the network device implementation.

[0220] In some implementation scenarios of the method shown in Figure 6, the terminal device may send a fourth piece of information to the network device before sending the second piece of information. In response, the network device receives the fourth piece of information from the terminal device. The fourth piece of information is as follows: The fourth piece of information is used to request permission for the terminal device to cancel its preference while the first timer is running. The fourth piece of information is used to request permission to send the second piece of information when the second timer is not running. The fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal device has the requirements to revoke a preference. The fourth piece of information is used to request that preference cancellation is not limited by the first timer. The fourth piece of information is used by the terminal device to request permission to revoke its preference, without being restricted by the first timer. The fourth piece of information is used to notify network devices that a terminal device may revoke its preference. The fourth piece of information is that the terminal device supports preference cancellation, or The fourth piece of information satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the terminal device supports preference cancellation without being limited by the first timer (or the terminal device supports preference cancellation without being limited by the first timer).

[0221] Optionally, the fourth information and capability information of the terminal device may be carried in the same message, or the fourth information may be carried in the capability information of the terminal device, or the fourth information may be carried in the UAI message. In addition, the fourth information and the first information may be carried in the same message, or the fourth information and the first information may be carried in different messages. This is not particularly limited in this application.

[0222] Optionally, the terminal device may transmit the fourth information to the network device multiple times. For example, the terminal device may transmit the fourth information to the network device once when transmitting capability information. In addition, the terminal device may further transmit the fourth information to the network device once when transmitting a UAI message or the first information. This is not particularly limited in this application.

[0223] There is no necessary logical dependency between whether a network device optionally transmits the fifth piece of information and whether a terminal device transmits the fourth piece of information. See the relevant explanation of the transmission relationship between the third and fourth pieces of information; details will not be repeated here.

[0224] In addition to the methods shown in Figure 4 and Figure 6, this application further provides a communication method in which a terminal device is permitted to cancel a preference after reporting a preference value over a period of time. As shown in Figure 7, the method includes the following steps:

[0225] S701: The terminal device transmits the first piece of information to the network device. In response, the network device receives the first piece of information from the terminal device. The first piece of information indicates the preferred value of the first parameter.

[0226] Optionally, the terminal device may further start a first timer. The first timer is used to prevent the terminal device from reporting preference information. Prior to step S701, the network device may configure the terminal device to provide or report preference values ​​for the first parameter. In addition, the network device may further configure a first timer for the terminal device.

[0227] Optionally, after receiving the first information, the network device may send a first RRC message to the terminal device. In response, the terminal device receives the first RRC message from the network device. The first RRC message is used to set / reconfigure / modify the first parameter.

[0228] For a detailed explanation of the implementation of step S701, please refer to the relevant explanation in step S401. Details will not be repeated here.

[0229] S702: The terminal device decides to cancel the preference value for the first parameter. For the implementation of step S702, please refer to the relevant explanation in step S402. Details will not be repeated here.

[0230] S703: The terminal device transmits the second information to the network device. In response, the network device receives the second information from the terminal device. For details on the implementation of the second information, please refer to the relevant explanation in step S403a. Details will not be repeated here.

[0231] The time interval between the transmission time of the second piece of information and the transmission time of the first piece of information is greater than or equal to the first period. In other words, after transmitting the first piece of information, the terminal device transmits the second piece of information to the network device at least the first period later. That is, after reporting the preference values ​​for the parameters, the terminal device must transmit information to the network device that will be used to cancel the preference at least the first period later.

[0232] Optionally, the first period is shorter than the duration of the first timer. That is, the terminal device sending the second information to the network device may include the terminal device sending the second information to the network device while the first timer is running. In other words, the transmission time of the second information occurs while the first timer is running.

[0233] Optionally, the first period may be predefined in the protocol, determined by the terminal device, or set by the network device. This is not particularly limited in this application.

[0234] Optionally, after receiving the second piece of information, the network device may further perform the following step S704.

[0235] S704: The network device sends a second RRC message to the terminal device. In response, the terminal device receives a second RRC message from the network device. The second RRC message is used to set / reconfigure / modify the first parameter. See the relevant explanation for step S404. Details will not be repeated here.

[0236] Optionally, prior to step S703, the method further includes the network device transmitting sixth information to the terminal device. In response, the terminal device receives sixth information from the network device. The sixth information indicates at least one of the following: that the sixth information indicates a first period; that the sixth information indicates whether the first period is permitted to be used; that the sixth information indicates whether the first period is available; or that the sixth information indicates whether the terminal device is permitted to cancel a preference while the first timer is running. For implementations of the sixth information, see the relevant description of the fifth information, which will not be repeated here.

[0237] Optionally, before step S703, the terminal device may further transmit the fourth information to the network device. In response, the network device receives the fourth information from the terminal device. The fourth information is as follows: The fourth piece of information is used by the terminal device to request permission to cancel a preference while the first timer is running. The fourth piece of information will be used to request permission to cancel the preference after the first period. The fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal device has the requirements to revoke a preference. The fourth piece of information is used to request that preference cancellation is not limited by the first timer. The fourth piece of information is used by the terminal device to request permission to revoke its preference, without being restricted by the first timer. The fourth piece of information is used to notify network devices that the terminal device may cancel its preference. The fourth piece of information is that the terminal device supports preference cancellation, or The fourth piece of information satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the terminal device supports preference cancellation without being limited by the first timer (or the terminal device supports preference cancellation without being limited by the first timer).

[0238] Optionally, the fourth information and capability information of the terminal device may be carried in the same message, or the fourth information may be carried in the capability information of the terminal device, or the fourth information may be carried in the UAI message. In addition, the fourth information and the first information may be carried in the same message, or the fourth information and the first information may be carried in different messages. This is not particularly limited in this application.

[0239] There is no necessary logical dependency between whether a network device optionally transmits the sixth piece of information and whether a terminal device transmits the fourth piece of information. See the relevant explanation of the transmission relationship between the third and fourth pieces of information; details will not be repeated here.

[0240] After reporting the parameter preference values ​​based on the solution, the terminal device may, without being restricted by a prohibition timer, send second information used to cancel the preference values ​​after a first period. In this way, the network device can set parameter values ​​that match the current service requirements based on the second information in a timely manner, thereby improving the user experience. In addition, the interval between the transmission time of the second information and the transmission time of the first information is at least a first period; in other words, the terminal device is not allowed to cancel the preference within the first period after the first information has been transmitted. Thus, the terminal device is prevented from frequently requesting the network device to perform configuration, thereby reducing the complexity of the network device implementation.

[0241] In the embodiments described above, it can be understood that methods and / or steps performed by a network device may be performed by alternative components that can be used in the network device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, logic module, or software), and methods and / or steps performed by a terminal device may be performed by alternative components that can be used in the terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, logic module, or software). A chip system may include a chip, or it may include a chip and other separate devices.

[0242] To realize the functions described herein, it can be understood that the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules for performing the corresponding functions. Those skilled in the art will readily understand, in combination with the example units and algorithmic steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein, that this application can be implemented in hardware or in combination of hardware and computer software. Whether the functions are performed by hardware or by hardware driven by computer software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functions in various ways for specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0243] In embodiments of this application, the communication device may be divided into functional modules based on embodiments of the method described above. For example, each functional module may be obtained by division based on each corresponding function, or two or more functions may be integrated into a single processing module. The integrated module may be implemented in hardware form or in the form of a software functional module. Note that in embodiments of this application, the module divisions are examples and are merely logical functional divisions. In actual implementations, other division methods may be used.

[0244] Figure 8 shows the structure of the communication device 80. The communication device 80 includes a processing module 801 and a transceiver module 802. The communication device 80 may be configured to implement the functions of a network device or a terminal device.

[0245] In some embodiments, the communication device 80 may further include a storage module (not shown in Figure 8) configured to store program instructions and data.

[0246] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 802 may be referred to as a transceiver unit configured to provide transmit and / or receive functions. The transceiver module 802 may include transceiver circuitry, a transceiver machine, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0247] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 802 may include a receive module and a transmit module configured to perform receive and transmit steps, respectively, performed by the network device or terminal device in embodiments of the methods described herein, and / or to support another process of the technology described herein. The processing module 801 may be configured to perform processing (e.g., decision) steps, which are performed by the network device or terminal device in embodiments of the methods described herein, and / or to support another process of the technology described herein.

[0248] When the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of a terminal device, in possible implementations, The transceiver module 802 is configured to transmit first information, which indicates a preference value for a first parameter. The processing module 801 is configured to transmit second information via the transceiver module 802 if it is decided to cancel the preference value for the first parameter and the terminal device is permitted to cancel the preference while the first timer is running. The first timer is used to prevent the terminal device from reporting preference information. The second information is used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0249] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive a third piece of information indicating that the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running.

[0250] Optionally, configuring the transceiver module 802 to transmit second information includes configuring the transceiver module 802 to transmit second information while the first timer is operating.

[0251] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to transmit a fourth piece of information, which satisfies at least one of the following: the fourth piece of information is used to request the third piece of information; the fourth piece of information is used to request permission for a terminal device to cancel a preference while the first timer is running; the fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal device has a requirement to cancel a preference; the fourth piece of information is used to request that the cancellation of a preference is not restricted by the first timer; the fourth piece of information is used to request permission for the terminal device to cancel a preference without being restricted by the first timer; or the fourth piece of information is used to notify a network device that the terminal device may cancel a preference.

[0252] Optionally, the processing module 801 is further configured to start or restart the first timer.

[0253] Optionally, the processing module 801 may be further configured to control the transceiver module 802 to transmit second information when the first timer is not operating, if the terminal device is not permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is operating.

[0254] If the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of a terminal device, in another possible implementation, The transceiver module 802 is configured to transmit first information, which indicates a preference value for a first parameter. The transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive third information, which indicates that a terminal device is permitted to cancel a preference while a first timer is running. The transceiver module 802 is further configured to transmit second information while a first timer is running. The first timer is used to prevent a terminal device from reporting preference information. The second information is used to cancel a preference value for a first parameter.

[0255] In another possible implementation, if the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of a terminal device, The transceiver module 802 is configured to transmit first information, and the processing module 801 is configured to start a first timer. The first information indicates a preference value for a first parameter, and the first timer is used to prevent the terminal device from reporting preference information. The processing module 801 is further configured to start or restart a second timer, which is used to prevent the terminal device from canceling a preference. If it is decided to cancel the preference value for the first parameter and the second timer is not running, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to transmit second information, which is used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0256] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 may be further configured to transmit a fourth piece of information. This fourth piece of information is used to request permission for a terminal device to cancel a preference while the first timer is running, or to request permission to transmit the second piece of information when the second timer is not running.

[0257] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive a fifth piece of information. The fifth piece of information indicates the duration of the second timer, or indicates that the second timer is permitted to be used, or indicates that the second timer is available, or is used to enable the second timer.

[0258] Optionally, the processing module 801 may be further configured to start or restart a second timer, which includes the processing module 801 being further configured to start or restart a second timer after a first radio resource control RRC message is received, and the first RRC message is used to reconfigure a first parameter. Alternatively, the processing module 801 may be further configured to start or restart a second timer if it is decided to transmit second information.

[0259] In another possible implementation, if the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of a terminal device, The transceiver module 802 is configured to transmit first information, which indicates a preference value for a first parameter. The processing module 801 is configured to decide to cancel the preference value for the first parameter. The transceiver module 802 is further configured to transmit second information, the time interval between the transmission time of the second information and the transmission time of the first information being greater than or equal to a first period, and the second information is used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0260] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive a sixth piece of information, the sixth piece of information, which indicates a first period.

[0261] When the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of a network device, in possible implementations, The transceiver module 802 is configured to transmit a third piece of information indicating whether the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running. The first timer is used to prevent the terminal device from reporting preference information.

[0262] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive first information, which indicates a preference value for a first parameter, and the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive second information, which is used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0263] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 may be further configured to receive second information, which includes the transceiver module 802 being further configured to receive second information while the first timer is operating.

[0264] If the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of a network device, in another possible implementation, The transceiver module 802 is configured to receive first information, which indicates a preference value for a first parameter. The transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive second information while a first timer is operating, which is used to prevent a terminal device from reporting preference information. The second information is used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0265] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 may be further configured to transmit a third piece of information indicating whether the terminal device is permitted to cancel its preference while the first timer is running.

[0266] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive a fourth piece of information, which satisfies at least one of the following: the fourth piece of information is used to request the third piece of information; the fourth piece of information is used to request permission for a terminal device to cancel a preference while the first timer is running; the fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal device has requirements to cancel a preference; the fourth piece of information is used to request that the cancellation of a preference is not restricted by the first timer; the fourth piece of information is used to request permission for the terminal device to cancel a preference without being restricted by the first timer; or the fourth piece of information is used to notify a network device that the terminal device may cancel a preference.

[0267] If the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of a network device, in yet another possible implementation, The transceiver module 802 is configured to transmit configuration information for a first timer, which is used to prevent a terminal device from reporting preference information. The transceiver module 802 is further configured to transmit fifth information, which indicates the duration of a second timer, or that the second timer is permitted to be used, or that the second timer is available, or that the fifth information is used to enable the second timer.

[0268] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive first information, which indicates a preference value for a first parameter, and the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive second information, which is used to cancel the preference value for the first parameter.

[0269] Optionally, configuring transceiver module 802 to receive second information includes configuring transceiver module 802 to receive second information when the second timer is not operating.

[0270] All relevant details of the steps in the embodiments of the method described above can be referenced in the functional description of the corresponding functional module. Details will not be repeated here.

[0271] In this application, the communication device 80 is presented in the form of a functional module obtained by classification in an integrated manner. The term "module" as used herein may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor running one or more software or firmware programs, memory, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other components capable of realizing the above-described functions.

[0272] In some embodiments, when the communication device 80 in Figure 8 is a chip or chip system, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 802 may be implemented using the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 801 may be implemented using the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0273] The communication device 80 provided in this embodiment can perform the method described above. Therefore, for the technical effects that can be achieved by the communication device 80, please refer to the embodiments of the method described above. Details will not be repeated here.

[0274] In possible product forms, the terminal or network device in the embodiments of this application may be implemented using one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, individual hardware components, any other suitable circuitry, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described herein.

[0275] In another possible product form, the terminal or network device in the embodiments of this application may be implemented by using a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, please refer to Figure 9. Figure 9 is a diagram of the structure of a communication device 900 according to one embodiment of this application. The communication device 900 includes a processor 901 and a transceiver 902. The communication device 900 may be a network device, or a chip or chip system within a network device. Alternatively, the communication device 900 may be a terminal device, or a chip or module within a terminal device. Figure 9 shows only the main components of the communication device 900. In addition to the processor 901 and transceiver 902, the communication device may further include a memory 903 and an input / output device (not shown).

[0276] Optionally, the processor 901 is primarily configured to process communication protocols and data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process data for the software programs. The memory 903 is primarily configured to store software programs and data. The transceiver 902 may include a radio frequency circuit and an antenna. The radio frequency circuit is primarily configured to perform conversions between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and to process radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily configured to receive and transmit radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices such as touchscreens, displays, or keyboards are primarily configured to receive data entered by the user and output data to the user.

[0277] Optionally, the processor 901, transceiver 902, and memory 903 may be connected via a communication bus.

[0278] After power is supplied to the communication device, the processor 901 may read the software program in the memory 903, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 901 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal to the outside in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is transmitted to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 901. The processor 901 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0279] In other implementation forms, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna may be arranged independently of the processor that executes baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna may be arranged independently away from the communication device.

[0280] In some embodiments, regarding hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can understand that the communication device 80 may be in the form of the communication device 900 shown in FIG. 9.

[0281] In one example, the function / implementation process of the processing module 801 in FIG. 8 may be realized by the processor 901 of the communication device 900 shown in FIG. 9 by calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 903. The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 802 in FIG. 8 may be realized by the transceiver 902 of the communication device 900 shown in FIG. 9.

[0282] In yet another possible product form, the network device or terminal device of the present application may use the configuration structure shown in FIG. 10 or may include the components shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram of the configuration of the communication device 1000 according to the present application. The communication device 1000 may be a terminal device or a chip or system-on-chip within the terminal device, or may be a network device or a module, chip or system-on-chip within the network device.

[0283] As shown in FIG. 10, the communication device 1000 includes at least one processor 1001 and at least one communication interface (in FIG. 10, only an example where one communication interface 1004 and one processor 1001 are included respectively is used for illustration). Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a communication bus 1002 and a memory 1003.

[0284] The processor 1001 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processing (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. Alternatively, the processor 1001 may be another device having processing capabilities, such as a circuit, component, or software module. This is not limited to these.

[0285] The communication bus 1002 is configured to connect different components within the communication device 1000, so that the different components can communicate with each other. The communication bus 1002 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. Buses can be classified into address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 10 shows only one thick line to represent a bus, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0286] The communication interface 1004 is configured to communicate with another device or communication network. For example, the communication interface 1004 may be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any device capable of implementing communication. Optionally, the communication interface 1004 may also be an input / output interface located within the processor 1001, configured to implement signal input and signal output for the processor.

[0287] The memory 1003 may be a device having a storage function and is configured to store instructions and / or data. The instructions may be computer programs.

[0288] For example, memory 1003 may be read-only memory (ROM) or another type of static storage device capable of storing static information and / or instructions; random access memory (RAM) or another type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and / or instructions; or it may be electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other compact disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, and Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disc storage medium or another magnetic storage device, etc. This is not limited to these.

[0289] It should be noted that the memory 1003 may be independent of the processor 1001 or may be integrated with the processor 1001. The memory 1003 may be located inside the communication device 1000 or outside the communication device 1000. This is not limited to the memory 1003. The processor 1001 is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 1003 in order to implement the communication method provided in the following embodiments of this application.

[0290] In an optional implementation, the communication device 1000 may further include an output device 1005 and an input device 1006. The output device 1005 communicates with the processor 1001 and can display information in multiple ways. For example, the output device 1005 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 1006 communicates with the processor 1001 and can receive user input in multiple ways. For example, the input device 1006 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touchscreen device, or a sensor device.

[0291] In some embodiments, with respect to hardware implementation, those skilled in the art will understand that the communication device 80 shown in Figure 8 may be in the form of the communication device 1000 shown in Figure 10.

[0292] For example, the function / implementation process of the processing module 801 in Figure 8 can be realized by the processor 1001 of the communication device 1000 shown in Figure 10 by calling computer executable instructions stored in memory 1003. The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 802 in Figure 8 can be realized by the communication interface 1004 in the communication device 1000 shown in Figure 10.

[0293] It should be noted that the structure shown in Figure 10 does not constitute a specific limitation on network devices or terminal devices. For example, in some other embodiments of this application, network devices or terminal devices may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or may include combinations of some components, divisions of some components, or different arrangements of components. The components shown in the figure may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0294] In some embodiments, one embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor configured to perform the method in any one of the embodiments of the method described above.

[0295] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes memory. The memory is configured to store the necessary computer programs and data. The computer programs may include instructions. The processor may call instructions in the computer programs stored in memory to instruct the communication device to perform the method in any of the embodiments of the method described above. Of course, the communication device does not have to include memory.

[0296] In another possible implementation, the communication device further includes an interface circuit. The interface circuit is a code / data read / write circuit and is configured to receive computer executable instructions (which are stored in memory and may be read directly from memory or through another component) and to transmit the computer executable instructions to the processor.

[0297] In yet another possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, which is configured to communicate with modules other than the communication device.

[0298] It can be understood that a communication device may be a chip or a chip system. When a communication device is a chip system, it may include a chip, or it may include a chip and other separate components. This is not particularly limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0299] This application further provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are executed by a computer, the functions of any embodiment of the above-described method are realized.

[0300] This application further provides a computer program product. When the computer program product is executed by a computer, the functions of the embodiments of any one of the above methods are realized.

[0301] Those skilled in the art can understand that, for the purpose of simplifying the description, for the detailed operation processes of the above-mentioned system, device, and unit, reference may be made to the corresponding processes of the embodiments of the above methods. Details are not repeated here.

[0302] It can be understood that the system, device, and method described in this application may be implemented in another way as an alternative. For example, the described embodiments of the device are merely examples. For example, the division into units is only a division of logical functions, and in actual implementation, other divisions may be used. For example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Further, the displayed or discussed mutual connection, direct connection, or communication connection may be realized by using some interfaces. The indirect connection or communication connection between devices or units may be realized in electronic, mechanical, or other forms.

[0303] The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separated, that is, they may be arranged together in the same place, or dispersed on a plurality of network units. The parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of the units may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

[0304] In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of this application may be incorporated into one processing unit, or each unit may physically exist alone, or two or more units may be incorporated into one unit.

[0305] All or part of the embodiments described above may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When a software program is used to implement an embodiment, the embodiment may be implemented in whole or in part as a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed in a computer, the procedure or function according to the embodiments of this application is produced, in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions may be transmitted by wired means (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless means (e.g., infrared, radio, or microwave) from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center. A computer-readable storage medium can be any usable medium accessible by a computer, or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more usable media. The usable media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disk drives, or magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state drives (SSDs)). In embodiments of this application, the computer may include the aforementioned devices.

[0306] While this application is described with reference to embodiments, those skilled in the art may understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments by examining the accompanying drawings, the content of the disclosure and the accompanying claims in the process of implementing this application for which protection is claimed. In the claims, “comprising” does not exclude other components or other steps, and “a” or “one” does not exclude multiple cases. A single processor or another unit may implement some of the functions enumerated in the claims. Although some means are described in different dependent claims, this does not mean that these means cannot be combined to produce a better effect.

[0307] While this application is described with reference to its specific features and embodiments, it is clear that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto, as long as they do not deviate from the spirit and scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative descriptions of the application as defined by the accompanying claims and can be considered as any or all of the modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents that fall within the scope of this application. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. This application is intended to encompass these modifications and variations of this application, provided that they fall within the scope of protection defined by the accompanying claims and equivalent art. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0308] 110a, 110b network devices 120a, 120b, 120c, 120d, 120e, 120f, 120g, 120h, 120i, 120j Terminal Devices 80 Communication equipment 801 Processing Module 802 Transceiver Module 900 Communication equipment 901 Processor 902 Transceiver 903 memory 1000 Communication devices 1001 Processor 1002 Communications Bus 1003 memory 1004 Communication Interface 1005 Output Device 1006 Input Devices

Claims

1. A method of communication, A step of transmitting first information, wherein the first information indicates a preference value for a first parameter, If it is decided to cancel the preference value of the first parameter and the terminal device is permitted to cancel the preference during the operation of the first timer, the step of transmitting second information, wherein the first timer is used to prohibit the terminal device from reporting preference information, and the second information is used to cancel the preference value of the first parameter. Methods that include...

2. The aforementioned method, The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a third piece of information, the third piece of information indicating that the terminal device is permitted to cancel the preference while the first timer is running.

3. The method includes the step of transmitting a fourth piece of information, The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step that the fourth information is used to request the third information, or the fourth information is used to request permission for the terminal device to cancel the preference while the first timer is operating.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the step of transmitting the second information includes the step of transmitting the second information during the operation of the first timer.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising the step of starting or restarting the first timer.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first information or the second information is conveyed in a user equipment assistance (UAI) message.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first parameter includes at least one of the following: intermittent reception (DRX) parameters, maximum aggregation bandwidth, maximum number of carriers, or maximum number of multi-input multi-output layers.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising the step of transmitting the second information when the first timer is not operating, if the terminal device is not permitted to cancel the preference while the first timer is operating.

9. A method of communication, A step of transmitting first information, wherein the first information indicates a preference value for a first parameter, A step of starting a first timer, the first timer being used to prevent a terminal device from reporting preference information, A step of starting or restarting a second timer, wherein the second timer is used to prevent the terminal device from canceling its preference; If it is decided to cancel the preference value of the first parameter and the second timer is not operating, a step of transmitting second information, wherein the second information is used to cancel the preference value of the first parameter. Methods that include...

10. The method includes the step of transmitting a fourth piece of information, The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step that the fourth information is used by the terminal device to request permission to cancel the preference while the first timer is operating, or the fourth information is used to request permission to transmit the second information when the second timer is not operating.

11. The method includes the step of receiving a fifth piece of information, The method according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising the step that the fifth information indicates the duration of the second timer, or that the fifth information indicates that the second timer is permitted to be used.

12. The step of starting or restarting the second timer is: A step of starting or restarting the second timer after a first radio resource control (RRC) message is received, wherein the first RRC message is used to reconfigure the first parameter, or If it is decided to transmit the second information, the step of starting or restarting the second timer. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, including the method described in any one of claims 9 to 11.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the duration of the second timer is shorter than the duration of the first timer.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the first information or the second information is conveyed in a user equipment assistance (UAI) message.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the first parameter includes at least one of the following: intermittent reception (DRX) parameters, maximum aggregation bandwidth, maximum number of carriers, or maximum number of multi-input multi-output layers.

16. A method of communication, A step of transmitting first information, wherein the first information indicates a preference value for a first parameter, The steps include deciding to cancel the preference value of the first parameter, A step of transmitting a second piece of information, wherein the time interval between the transmission time of the second piece of information and the transmission time of the first piece of information is greater than or equal to a first period, and the second piece of information is used to cancel the preference value of the first parameter. Methods that include...

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of receiving a sixth piece of information, the sixth piece of information indicating the first period.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the first information or the second information is conveyed in a user equipment assistance (UAI) message.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the first parameter includes at least one of the following: intermittent reception (DRX) parameters, maximum aggregation bandwidth, maximum number of carriers, or maximum number of multi-input multi-output layers.

20. A communication device comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or the method according to any one of claims 9 to 15, or the method according to any one of claims 16 to 19.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or computer programs, and when the computer instructions or computer programs are executed on a computer, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is performed, or the method described in any one of claims 9 to 15 is performed, or the method described in any one of claims 16 to 19 is performed.

22. A computer program product comprising computer instructions, wherein when some or all of the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is performed, or the method described in any one of claims 9 to 15 is performed, or the method described in any one of claims 16 to 19 is performed.

23. It's a tip, Memory configured to store computer program instructions, A processor configured to execute the aforementioned computer program instructions, thereby causing a communication device comprising the chip to perform the method described in any one of claims 1 to 19. A chip equipped with this feature.

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