Communication methods, devices, and systems

Abstract

This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system. The method includes the following: A terminal device receives configuration information, which is used to configure the terminal device to perform communication in K cells, where K is a positive integer. The terminal device receives first instruction information, which indicates a first capability, the first capability relating to the configuration information, and the first capability being at least one of a first bandwidth combination, a first feature set, or a first carrier feature set. The terminal device can obtain an accurate communication configuration in a timely manner and avoid exceptions such as faulty uplink and downlink reception or bit errors caused by the inability to accurately match information between the network device and the terminal device. In this way, communication quality can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Cross - reference to Related Applications] This application claims the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 202311019187.5, titled "COMMUNICATION METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM", filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on August 11, 2023, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] [Technical Field] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to communication methods, apparatuses, and systems.

Background Art

[0003] In a wireless communication system, generally, a terminal first reports its terminal capabilities, and a base station distributes a radio configuration for carrying services to the terminal based on the terminal capabilities. In 5G, terminal capabilities include capabilities at the user equipment (UE) level, band (BAND) level, feature set (Feature Set, FS) level, feature set per component carrier (Feature Set Per Component Carrier, FSPC) level, and band combination (Band Combination, BC) level, which are extremely complex. The capabilities reported by the terminal are extremely complex. However, in the prior art, through downlink signaling configuration, the terminal cannot accurately know the specific capabilities based on which the configuration distributed by the base station is determined. When the terminal capabilities based on which the terminal expects the base station to distribute a configuration do not match the terminal capabilities based on which the network actually distributes the configuration, exceptions such as impaired uplink and downlink reception and bit errors occur, which affects communication.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system for improving communication quality.

[0005] According to a first embodiment, a communication method is provided. This method may be performed by a terminal device, or by a chip or circuit used in a terminal device. This is not limited to the present application. For the sake of clarity, the following examples will use a terminal device to perform the method.

[0006] The method includes the following: A terminal device receives configuration information, which is used to configure the terminal device to perform communication in K cells, where K is a positive integer. The terminal device receives first instruction information, which indicates a first capability, the first capability relating to the configuration information, and the first capability being at least one of a first bandwidth combination, a first feature set, or a first carrier feature set.

[0007] In some implementations, K cells may be replaced with K bandwidths, and the configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to perform dynamic uplink transmission channel switching in the K bandwidths.

[0008] This method allows terminal devices to acquire accurate communication configurations in a timely manner and avoid exceptions such as faulty uplink and downlink reception or bit errors caused by inaccurate information matching between network devices and terminal devices. Thus, communication quality can be improved.

[0009] In some implementations, before receiving configuration information, the method further includes: The terminal device transmits capability information, which includes at least one of the following: at least one bandwidth combination supported by the terminal device; at least one feature set supported by the terminal device, wherein the feature set includes a downlink feature set and / or an uplink feature set, and each feature set in the feature set corresponds to one bandwidth entity in one bandwidth combination; and at least one carrier feature set supported by the terminal device, wherein the carrier feature set includes a downlink carrier feature set and / or an uplink carrier feature set, and each carrier feature set in the carrier feature set corresponds to one carrier on one bandwidth in one bandwidth combination.

[0010] In some implementations, the first capability is a first bandwidth combination, the first instruction information indicates an identifier for the first bandwidth combination, and the first bandwidth combination belongs to at least one bandwidth combination supported by the terminal device.

[0011] In some implementations, the first capability is a first feature set, the first reference information indicates an index of the first feature set, the index of the first feature set indicates the position of the first feature set in the first feature set combination, the first feature set combination is a feature set combination corresponding to the first bandwidth combination, and the first feature set is a subset of at least one feature set supported by the terminal device.

[0012] In some implementations, the first capability is a first carrier feature set, the first referential information indicates an identifier for the first carrier feature set, the first carrier feature set is a first downlink carrier feature set and / or a first uplink carrier feature set, and the first carrier feature set is a subset of at least one carrier feature set supported by the terminal device.

[0013] In some implementations, the first carrier feature set belongs to the first carrier feature set combination, which contains L carrier feature sets, where L is a positive integer, and the first carrier feature set combination corresponds to the first cell, which belongs to K cells.

[0014] In some implementations, K cells have a one-to-one correspondence with K carrier feature set combinations, and each carrier feature set combination in the K carrier feature set combinations contains one or more carrier feature sets.

[0015] In some implementations, L carrier feature sets have a one-to-one correspondence with L carriers, the L carriers are candidate carriers used for communication in the first cell, the L carrier feature sets belong to the first carrier feature set combination, and the first carrier feature set combination corresponds to the first cell.

[0016] In some implementations, L uplink carrier feature sets are arranged based on a first order, where the first order is the arrangement order of the L carriers in the first cell, and / or L carrier feature sets are L downlink carrier feature sets, where the L downlink carrier feature sets are arranged based on a second order, where the second order is the arrangement order of the L downlink carriers in the first cell.

[0017] In this implementation, carrier feature sets are arranged based on the order of the carriers, and the carrier feature set corresponding to a particular carrier may be determined based on the order without requiring further instructions. This reduces instruction overhead.

[0018] In some implementations, the first referential information further indicates the first carrier corresponding to the first carrier feature set.

[0019] In some implementations, capability information is the first capability information, and capability information includes the first identifier, which indicates that the capability information is the first capability information.

[0020] In this way, the first identifier carried in the capability information enables network devices and terminal devices to determine the same capability information, thus avoiding the failure of terminal devices to determine the corresponding capability information among multiple capability information. In this manner, the accuracy of terminals determining the first capability is improved.

[0021] According to a second aspect, a communication method is provided. This method may be performed by a network device, or by a chip or circuit used in a network device. This is not limited to the present application. For the sake of clarity, the following examples will use a network device to perform the method.

[0022] The method includes the following: A network device determines configuration information based on a first capability, the first capability being at least one of a first bandwidth combination, a first feature set, or a first carrier feature set, and the configuration information is used to configure a terminal device to perform communication in K cells, where K is a positive integer. The network device transmits the configuration information. The network device transmits first instruction information, the first instruction information indicating a first capability.

[0023] In some implementations, before transmitting configuration information, the method further includes the following: The network device receives capability information, which includes at least one of the following: at least one bandwidth combination supported by the terminal device; at least one feature set supported by the terminal device, wherein the feature set includes a downlink feature set and / or an uplink feature set, and each feature set in the feature set corresponds to one bandwidth entity in one bandwidth combination; and at least one carrier feature set supported by the terminal device, wherein the carrier feature set includes a downlink carrier feature set and / or an uplink carrier feature set, and each carrier feature set in the carrier feature set corresponds to one carrier on one bandwidth in one bandwidth combination.

[0024] In some implementations, the first capability is a first bandwidth combination, the first instruction information indicates an identifier for the first bandwidth combination, and the first bandwidth combination belongs to at least one bandwidth combination supported by the terminal device.

[0025] The identifier of the first bandwidth combination may indicate the position of the first bandwidth combination in at least one bandwidth combination. The at least one bandwidth combination may be presented in the form of a list, a set, or the like. For example, the identifier of the first bandwidth combination may also be an index in the bandwidth combination list. Each bandwidth combination in the bandwidth combination list may correspond to one identifier (or one index). The identifiers may be in ascending order based on the array order of all bandwidth combination entries. For example, the identifier of the first bandwidth combination is 1, the identifier of the second bandwidth combination is 2, and the rest can be inferred by analogy.

[0026] Optionally, the band combination list is a band combination list that supports uplink transmission channel switching, and the identifier of the first band combination indicates the position of the first band combination in the band combination list that supports uplink transmission channel switching.

[0027] Optionally, in a Dual Connection (DC) scenario, the band combination list is the band combination list reported by the terminal device in UE-MRDC-Capability. In an NR scenario, the band combination list is the band combination list reported by the terminal device in UE-NR-Capability.

[0028] In some implementation manners, the first capability is the first feature set, the first indication information indicates the index of the first feature set, the index of the first feature set indicates the position of the first feature set in the first feature set combination, the first feature set combination is the feature set combination corresponding to the first band combination, and the first feature set is a subset of at least one feature set supported by the terminal device.

[0029] In some implementation manners, the first capability is the first carrier feature set, the first indication information indicates the identifier of the first carrier feature set, the first carrier feature set is the first downlink carrier feature set and / or the first uplink carrier feature set, and the first carrier feature set is a subset of at least one carrier feature set supported by the terminal device.

[0030] In some implementation manners, the first carrier feature set belongs to the first carrier feature set combination, the first carrier feature set combination includes L carrier feature sets, L is a positive integer, the first carrier feature set combination corresponds to the first cell, and the first cell belongs to K cells.

[0031] In some implementations, K cells have a one-to-one correspondence with K carrier feature set combinations, and each carrier feature set combination in the K carrier feature set combinations contains one or more carrier feature sets.

[0032] In some implementations, L carrier feature sets have a one-to-one correspondence with L carriers, the L carriers are candidate carriers used for communication in the first cell, the L carrier feature sets belong to the first carrier feature set combination, and the first carrier feature set combination corresponds to the first cell.

[0033] In some implementations, L uplink carrier feature sets are arranged based on a first order, where the first order is the arrangement order of the L carriers in the first cell, and / or L carrier feature sets are L downlink carrier feature sets, where the L downlink carrier feature sets are arranged based on a second order, where the second order is the arrangement order of the L downlink carriers in the first cell.

[0034] In some implementations, the first referential information further indicates the first carrier corresponding to the first carrier feature set.

[0035] In some implementations, the method further includes: capability information is first capability information, which includes first identifier, the first identifier indicating that the capability information is first capability information.

[0036] The second embodiment should be understood as an implementation method on the network device side corresponding to the first embodiment. The descriptions, supplements, possible implementations, and beneficial effects related to the first embodiment are also applicable to the second embodiment. Further details are not described herein.

[0037] A third aspect provides a communication method, which may be performed by a terminal device or by a chip or circuit used in a terminal device. This is not limited to this application. For the sake of clarity, the following examples will use a terminal device to perform the method.

[0038] The method includes the following: A terminal device receives configuration information, which is used to configure the terminal device to perform uplink transmission channel switching or downlink reception channel switching between bands in a first band pair, the first band pair comprising at least two bands, and the configuration information is as follows: Identifiers of the bands included in the first band pair, Switching options for switching transmission channels between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair, Switching time for switching transmission channels between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair, The number of transmission channels for switching between transmission channels in the first bandwidth pair, and Identifier of the second band affected by the transmission channel switching between bands in the first band pair. It includes at least one of the following.

[0039] In this method, the network includes information in its configuration information, such as the switching time for transmission channel switching in the first bandwidth pair, to avoid conflicting understandings between the terminal and the network regarding transmission channel switching. When the switching time expected by the terminal in the first bandwidth pair is shorter than the switching time for the network to dynamically schedule the transmission channel switching, the terminal may not be able to correctly decode the data block delivered by the network, thus avoiding bit errors that occur during transmission channel switching. In this way, the reliability of communication is improved.

[0040] The identifiers of the bands included in the first band pair are the positions of the bands that support dynamic switching and indicate their positions in at least one band pair. The at least one band pair may be in the form of a list or a set. For example, the identifiers of the bands included in the first band pair may also be the identifiers (or indexes) of the bands included in the first band pair in the band pair list, indicating the positions of the bands included in the first band pair in the band pair list. The identifiers may be in ascending order based on the array order of all band combination entries. For example, the identifier of the first band combination is 1, the identifier of the second band combination is 2, and the rest can be inferred by analogy.

[0041] Optionally, the bandwidth combination list is a list of bandwidth combinations that support uplink transmission channel switching, and the identifier of the first bandwidth combination indicates the position of the first bandwidth combination within the bandwidth combination list that supports uplink transmission channel switching.

[0042] Optionally, in a Dual Connection (DC) scenario, the bandwidth combination list is the bandwidth combination list reported by the terminal device in UE-MRDC-Capability. In an NR scenario, the bandwidth combination list is the bandwidth combination list reported by the terminal device in UE-NR-Capability.

[0043] In some implementations, when the transmission channel switching is an uplink transmission channel switching, the second bandwidth is the bandwidth in which downlink reception is affected by the uplink transmission channel switching between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair.

[0044] In some implementations, when the transmission channel switching is uplink transmission channel switching, the switching options for transmission channel switching between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair are either switched uplink transmission (switchedUL) or dual uplink transmission (dualUL), or When the transmission channel switching is downlink receive channel switching, the switching options for transmission channel switching between bands in the first band pair are switched downlink transmission (switchedDL) or dual downlink transmission (dualDL).

[0045] In some implementations, before receiving configuration information, the method further includes: the terminal device transmits capability information, which includes the transmission channel switching capability supported by the terminal device.

[0046] According to a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. This method may be performed by a network device, or by a chip or circuit used in a network device. This is not limited to the present application. For the sake of clarity, the following examples will use a network device to perform the method.

[0047] The network device transmits configuration information, which is used to configure the terminal device to perform uplink transmission channel switching or downlink reception channel switching between bands in a first band pair, the first band pair comprising at least two bands, and the configuration information is as follows: Identifiers of the bands included in the first band pair, Switching options for switching transmission channels between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair, Switching time for switching transmission channels between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair, The number of transmission channels for switching between transmission channels in the first bandwidth pair, and Identifier of the second band affected by the transmission channel switching between bands in the first band pair. It includes at least one of the following.

[0048] In some implementations, when the transmission channel switching is an uplink transmission channel switching, the second bandwidth is the bandwidth in which downlink reception is affected by the uplink transmission channel switching between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair.

[0049] In some implementations, when the transmission channel switching is uplink transmission channel switching, the switching options for transmission channel switching between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair are either switched uplink transmission (switchedUL) or dual uplink transmission (dualUL), or When the transmission channel switching is downlink receive channel switching, the switching options for transmission channel switching between bands in the first band pair are switched downlink transmission (switchedDL) or dual downlink transmission (dualDL).

[0050] In some implementations, before transmitting configuration information, the method further includes the following:

[0051] The network device receives capability information, which includes the transmission channel switching capability supported by the terminal device. Based on the capability information, the network device determines configuration information.

[0052] The fourth aspect should be understood as an implementation method on the network device side corresponding to the third aspect. The descriptions, supplements, possible implementations, and beneficial effects related to the third aspect are also applicable to the fourth aspect. Further details are not described again herein.

[0053] According to a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device including a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The communication device is configured to perform a method in the first aspect, the third aspect, any possible configuration of the first aspect, any possible configuration of the third aspect, all possible configurations of the first aspect, or all possible configurations of the third aspect.

[0054] According to a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device including a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The communication device is configured to perform a method in the second aspect, the fourth aspect, any possible configuration of the second aspect, any possible configuration of the fourth aspect, all possible configurations of the second aspect, or all possible configurations of the fourth aspect.

[0055] According to a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device including an interface circuit and a processor. The interface circuit is configured to implement the functions of a transceiver module in the fifth aspect, and the processor is configured to implement the functions of a processing module in the fifth aspect.

[0056] According to the eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device including an interface circuit and a processor. The interface circuit is configured to implement the functions of the transceiver module in the sixth aspect, and the processor is configured to implement the functions of the processing module in the sixth aspect.

[0057] According to the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable medium that stores program code to be executed by a terminal device, the program code including instructions used to execute methods in the first aspect, the third aspect, any possible form of the first aspect, any possible form of the third aspect, all possible forms of the first aspect, or all possible forms of the third aspect.

[0058] According to a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable medium that stores program code to be executed by a terminal device, the program code including instructions used to execute methods in the second aspect, the fourth aspect, any possible form of the second aspect, any possible form of the fourth aspect, all possible forms of the second aspect, or all possible forms of the fourth aspect.

[0059] According to the eleventh aspect, a computer program product storing computer-readable instructions is provided. When the computer-readable instructions are executed on a computer, the computer becomes capable of executing the methods in the first aspect, the third aspect, any possible way of the first aspect, any possible way of the third aspect, all possible ways of the first aspect, or all possible ways of the third aspect.

[0060] According to the twelfth aspect, a computer program product storing computer-readable instructions is provided. When the computer-readable instructions are executed on a computer, the computer becomes capable of executing the methods in the second aspect, the fourth aspect, any possible way of the second aspect, any possible way of the fourth aspect, all possible ways of the second aspect, or all possible ways of the fourth aspect.

[0061] According to the 13th aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes a device having the function of implementing a method in the first aspect, the third aspect, any possible method of the first aspect, any possible method of the third aspect, all possible methods of the first aspect, or all possible methods of the third aspect, and various possible designs, and a device having the function of implementing a method in the second aspect, the fourth aspect, any possible method of the second aspect, any possible method of the fourth aspect, all possible methods of the second aspect, or all possible methods of the fourth aspect, and various possible designs.

[0062] According to the 14th aspect, a processor is provided, which is coupled to memory and configured to perform a method in the first aspect, the third aspect, any possible way of the first aspect, any possible way of the third aspect, all possible ways of the first aspect, or all possible ways of the third aspect.

[0063] According to the 15th aspect, a processor is provided, which is coupled to memory and configured to perform a method in the second aspect, the fourth aspect, any possible way of the second aspect, any possible way of the fourth aspect, all possible ways of the second aspect, or all possible ways of the fourth aspect.

[0064] According to the sixteenth aspect, a chip system is provided. The chip system includes a processor and may further include memory. The processor is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in memory, enabling the chip system to implement a method in any one of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects and any possible implementations of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects. The chip system may include a chip, or a chip and other discrete devices.

[0065] According to the 17th aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes: A network device determines configuration information based on a first capability, the first capability being at least one of a first bandwidth combination, a first feature set, or a first carrier feature set, and the configuration information is used to configure a terminal device to perform communication in K cells, where K is a positive integer. The network device transmits the configuration information to the terminal device. The network device transmits first instruction information to the terminal device, the first instruction information indicating a first capability.

[0066] According to the 18th aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes: a network device transmits configuration information to a terminal device, which is used to configure the terminal device to perform uplink transmission channel switching or downlink reception channel switching between bands in a first band pair, the first band pair comprising at least two bands, and the configuration information is as follows: Identifiers of the bands included in the first band pair, Transmission type of transmission channel switching between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair, The switching time for switching transmission channels between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair, and Identifier of the second band affected by the transmission channel switching between bands in the first band pair. It includes at least one of the following. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0067] [Figure 1] This invention illustrates a system architecture to which the embodiments described herein can be applied. [Figure 2] This is a diagram illustrating the communication method. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing the correspondence between feature sets and bandwidth combinations. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating the communication method. [Figure 5] This is a schematic flowchart of several communication methods. [Figure 6] This is a schematic flowchart of the two communication methods. [Figure 7] This is a schematic flowchart of another communication method. [Figure 8] This is a block diagram of the communication device. [Figure 9] This is a block diagram of another communication device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0068] The technical solution of this application will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0069] Figure 1 is a diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 to which embodiments of this application are applicable. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a wireless access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may further include an internet 300. The wireless access network 100 may include at least one wireless access network device (e.g., 110a and 110b in Figure 1) and may further include at least one terminal (e.g., 120a to 120j in Figure 1). The terminal is connected to the wireless access network device wirelessly, and the wireless access network device is connected to the core network wirelessly or wired. The core network device and the wireless access network device may be separate physical devices, and the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the wireless access network device may be integrated into the same physical device, or some functions of the core network device and some functions of the wireless access network device may be integrated into one physical device. Wired or wireless connections may be used between terminals and between wireless access network devices. Figure 1 is merely a diagram. The communication system may further include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0070] A radio access network device may be a base station, an evolved node B (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation node B (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access node in a Wi-Fi system, etc. Alternatively, it may be a module or unit that completes some of the functions of a base station, for example, a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). In this specification, the CU completes the functions of the base station's radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and may further complete the functions of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP). The DU completes the functions of the base station's radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer, and may further complete some or all of the functions of the physical layer. For a detailed description of the protocol layer described above, refer to the technical specifications related to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The radio access network device may be a macro base station (e.g., 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station or indoor base station (e.g., 110b in Figure 1), or a relay node or donor node. The specific technologies and device forms used by the radio access network device are not limited to the embodiments of this application. For the sake of clarity, the following explanation will be provided using an example in which the radio access network device is a base station.

[0071] The term "terminal" may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals may be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, and smart cities. Terminals may also include mobile phones, tablet computers, computers with wireless receiver functionality, wearable devices, vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. Specific technologies and device forms used by terminals are not limited to the embodiments of this application. The following explanation will be provided by using an example where a wireless terminal device is the terminal.

[0072] Base stations and terminals may be in a fixed location or they may be mobile. Base stations and terminals, including indoor devices, outdoor devices, handheld devices or vehicle-mounted devices, may be located on land, on water, or on an airplane, balloon or satellite. Application scenarios for base stations and terminals are not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0073] The roles of base stations and terminals may be relative. For example, the helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicle 120i in Figure 1 may be configured as a mobile base station, and for terminal 120j accessing the radio access network 100 via 120i, terminal 120i is a base station. However, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal. In other words, communication between 110a and 120i is performed based on the radio air interface protocol. Obviously, communication between 110a and 120i may, alternatively, be performed based on the interface protocol between base stations. In this case, for 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals may be collectively called communication devices, and 110a and 110b in Figure 1 may be called communication devices having the function of a base station, and 120a to 120j in Figure 1 may be called communication devices having the function of terminals.

[0074] Communication between a base station and a terminal, between base stations, or between terminals may be performed using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Communication may be performed using spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), above 6 GHz, or both below 6 GHz and above 6 GHz. The spectrum resources used for wireless communication are not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0075] In embodiments of this application, the functions of a base station may, alternatively, be performed by a module (e.g., a chip) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes the functions of a base station. The control subsystem that includes the functions of a base station as described herein may also be a control center in the above application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart cities. The functions of a terminal may, alternatively, be performed by a module (e.g., a chip or modem) within the terminal, or by a device that includes the functions of a terminal.

[0076] The technical solutions provided in embodiments of this application may be applied to wireless communications between communication devices. Wireless communications between communication devices may include wireless communications between a base station and a terminal, wireless communications between base stations, and wireless communications between terminal devices. In embodiments of this application, the term “wireless communications” may also be abbreviated as “communications,” and the term “communications” may also be written as “data transmission,” “information transmission,” or “transmission.”

[0077] In embodiments of this application, it may be understood that the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) are used simply as examples of the downlink data channel, downlink control channel, and uplink data channel, respectively. In different systems and different scenarios, the data channels and control channels may have different names. This is not limited to embodiments of this application.

[0078] In wireless communication systems, terminals typically report their capabilities first, and base stations then deliver a radio configuration to the terminal for carrying services based on those capabilities. In 5G, terminal capabilities are extremely complex, encompassing capabilities at the UE level, band level, feature set (FS) level, feature set per component carrier (FSPC) level, and band combination (BC) level. A single BC may contain multiple bands, each band may have multiple types of FS level capabilities, and each FS may contain multiple FSPC level capabilities. Various types of BCs exist. Each type supports up to 65,536 BCs. The BC type may be a BC used for NR Standalone (SA) (e.g., reported in the supportedBandCombinationList information element in UE-NR-Capability), a BC used for MR-DC (e.g., reported in the supportedBandCombinationList information element in UE-MRDC-Capability), or a BC used for uplink antenna selection (e.g., reported in the supportedBandCombinationList-UplinkTxSwitch information element).

[0079] When configuring carrier aggregation or dual connectivity, the base station delivers the configuration to the terminal, taking into account terminal-level and band-level capabilities based on the BC-level capabilities reported by the terminal. For example, for dynamic uplink transmission switching, the terminal reports the BCs that support uplink transmission switching. Each BC for uplink transmission switching includes at least two bands. The terminal further reports the switching time for dynamic uplink switching in the pre- and post-switching band pair, and the terminal does not perform uplink transmission within the switching time. The terminal further reports the switching option (switchable uplink UL or dual uplink dual UL) and other capabilities. When configuring dynamic uplink antenna switching, the base station indicates the bands for uplink transmission switching in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration and dynamically schedules uplink transmission switching via lower-layer signaling (e.g., downlink control information, DCI). Based on the information regarding the RRC configuration, the terminal decides how to perform the uplink antenna switching. However, a terminal may report multiple BCs, and these multiple BCs may include the same bandwidth pair that supports uplink transmission switching, but these bandwidth pairs have different switching times in different BCs. Therefore, the terminal needs to align with the base station regarding specific BC level capabilities based on when the uplink transmission switching configured by the base station is determined, in the case of a mismatch between the BC level capability that applies when the terminal expects the base station to deliver the configuration and the BC level capability that actually applies when the base station configures the configuration, in which case the switching time expected by the terminal for scheduling by the base station is shorter than the switching time actually used by the base station for scheduling, and therefore the terminal is unable to correctly decode data during dynamic switching.

[0080] In another example, considering the protection of the underlying hardware, the terminal must perform certain capability checks on the base station configuration, in other words, it must ensure that the base station configuration meets the capabilities reported by the terminal. Therefore, the terminal also needs to know certain BCs, certain FSs, or certain FSPCs based on when the base station delivers the configuration.

[0081] The BC level capabilities reported by terminals are extremely complex, and a unique BC cannot be accurately matched using downlink signaling configurations. The following is used as an example for a simplified explanation.

[0082] The device reports the following capabilities: [Table 1]

[0083] The carrier aggregation (CA) combination formed by the base stations is PCell (band A) + SCell#1 (band B) + SCell#2 (band C).

[0084] The CA combination {bandA+bandB+bandC} configured by the base station may be obtained from BC1 and BC2 above. Therefore, the base station may configure the CA combination {bandA+bandB+bandC} based on the capability of BC#1, or based on the capability of BC#2. The terminal cannot uniquely determine the specific BC level capability based on when the base station distributes the configuration. As a result, the switching time for uplink transmission switching cannot be matched between the terminal and the base station, leading to faulty uplink and downlink reception and exceptions such as bit errors.

[0085] In view of this, this application provides a communication method. According to this method, a terminal can accurately obtain the configuration of a base station and avoid any impact on communications.

[0086] Transmission Channel (transmitter, TX): In this application, a radio frequency (RF) transmission channel is abbreviated as transmission channel, and it should be understood that this is a physical concept. The transmission channel may receive a baseband signal from a baseband chip, perform radio frequency processing (upconversion, amplification, and filtering, etc.) on the baseband signal to obtain a radio frequency signal, and finally radiate the radio frequency signal into space through an antenna. Specifically, the transmission channel may include one or more electronic devices such as an antenna switch, an antenna tuner, a low noise amplifier (LNA), a power amplifier (PA), a mixer, a local oscillator (LO), and a filter. These electronic devices may be integrated into one or more chips based on requirements. The antenna may also be considered part of the transmission channel.

[0087] In embodiments of this application, the transmission channel may be replaced by, alternatively, a Tx, an antenna, a radio frequency, a radio frequency chain, a transmission port, a certain number of radio frequency chains, a certain number of transmission layers, a maximum number of transmission layers, a maximum number of layers supported for transmission, a receiving channel, or any combination thereof.

[0088] As shown in Figure 2, the method includes the following steps.

[0089] 210: The base station transmits the first instruction information to the terminal, and the terminal receives the first instruction information in response.

[0090] The first instruction information indicates a first capability. The first capability is at least one of a first bandwidth combination (BC), a first feature set (FS), or a first carrier feature set.

[0091] The first capability may also be a first bandwidth combination. The first bandwidth combination belongs to at least one bandwidth combination supported by the terminal.

[0092] For example, at least one bandwidth combination may be BC1, BC2, and BC3 as described above, and the first capability is BC1.

[0093] In possible implementations, the first instruction information indicates an identifier for a first bandwidth combination. Within a set of bandwidth combinations, a bandwidth combination identifier can be used to uniquely determine a bandwidth combination. For example, a bandwidth combination set includes bandwidth combination A, bandwidth combination B, and bandwidth combination C. The identifier for bandwidth combination A is 1, the identifier for bandwidth combination B is 2, and the identifier for bandwidth combination C is 3. When the first instruction information indicates an identifier for a bandwidth combination within a particular set of bandwidth combinations, the first instruction information can uniquely indicate a particular bandwidth combination within that set. For example, the first instruction information indicates identifier 2, specifically indicating bandwidth combination B.

[0094] A bandwidth combination set may be a bandwidth combination list (BC List) instead, and one bandwidth combination list may contain multiple bandwidth combinations. At least one bandwidth combination supported by a terminal may be a bandwidth combination list. The bandwidth combination list supported by a terminal may be determined from multiple bandwidth combination lists. For example, a terminal may determine a bandwidth combination list for a first bandwidth combination, e.g., bandwidth combination list A, from bandwidth combination list A, bandwidth combination list B, or bandwidth combination list C. In possible schemes, a terminal may select a corresponding bandwidth combination list from multiple bandwidth combination lists based on current communication requirements. For example, if the current wireless communication access technology is NR, the terminal may determine a first bandwidth combination based on a bandwidth combination list applicable to NR; if the current wireless communication access technology is MRDC, the terminal may determine a first bandwidth combination based on a bandwidth combination list applicable to MRDC; or, if uplink transmission switching is currently configured in the network, the terminal may determine a first bandwidth combination based on a bandwidth combination list applicable to uplink transmission switching.

[0095] Alternatively, the identifier of a first bandwidth combination may indicate the position of the first bandwidth combination in at least one bandwidth combination. The at least one bandwidth combination may be presented in the form of a list, a set, or the like. For example, the identifier of a first bandwidth combination may also be an index in the bandwidth combination list. Each bandwidth combination in the bandwidth combination list may correspond to a single identifier (or a single index) to indicate the position of the corresponding bandwidth combination in the bandwidth combination list. The identifiers may be in ascending order based on the array order of all bandwidth combination entries. For example, the identifier of the first bandwidth combination is 1, the identifier of the second bandwidth combination is 2, and the rest can be inferred by analogy. Different bandwidth combination lists correspond to different identifiers. In other words, bandwidth combination lists may be distinguished from one another by using identifiers.

[0096] Optionally, the first instruction information further indicates identifiers of the bandwidth combination lists. The identifiers of the bandwidth combination lists and the bandwidth combination identifiers can be used to uniquely determine a bandwidth combination. For example, the identifier of bandwidth combination list A is A and it contains 10 bandwidth combinations with identifiers from 1 to 10, and the identifier of bandwidth combination list B is B and it contains 12 bandwidth combinations with identifiers from 1 to 12. If the first instruction information indicates only a bandwidth combination identifier, for example 8, then there are bandwidth combinations with identifier 8 in both bandwidth combination lists. When the first instruction information indicates identifier A and identifier 8, the bandwidth combination with identifier 8 in bandwidth combination list A may be uniquely indicated.

[0097] It should be understood that identifiers and indices may be interchangeable. For example, the identifier of a first bandwidth combination may be replaced with the index of a first bandwidth combination. This application is not limited thereto. For example, any scheme having a distinguishing function may be applied to the identifiers of the bandwidth combinations and / or bandwidth combination lists described above.

[0098] Optionally, before transmitting the first instruction information, the base station may obtain capability information of the terminal. Capability information may be from the terminal or from another access network device or core network device, in other words, capability information transferred from the terminal by another access network device or core network device. Capability information includes at least one bandwidth combination supported by the terminal, in other words, a list of supported bandwidth combinations reported to the base station by the terminal.

[0099] It should be understood that the base station transmitting the first instruction information and the base station acquiring the terminal capability information may be the same base station or different base stations.

[0100] Optionally, in the dual connectivity (EUTRA-NR Dual Connection, EN-DC) scenario, the bandwidth combination list is the bandwidth combination list reported by the terminal device in UE-MRDC-Capability. In the NR scenario, the bandwidth combination list is the bandwidth combination list reported by the terminal device in UE-NR-Capability.

[0101] Optionally, the bandwidth combination list is a list of bandwidth combinations that support uplink transmission channel switching, and the identifier of the first bandwidth combination indicates the position of the first bandwidth combination within the bandwidth combination list that supports uplink transmission channel switching.

[0102] Below, we provide an example of the first instruction information when the first capability is the first bandwidth combination.

[0103] An example of the first instruction information is as follows: bandCombinationIndex BandCombinationIndex

[0104] This field is an index of bandwidth combinations, in other words, it is a bandwidth combination found in the Bandwidth Combination List (BCList) reported by the terminal in the capability information, and it indicates the index of the bandwidth combination referenced by the BC configured by the base station.

[0105] The bandwidth combination list has the following versions:

[0106] When uplinkTxSwitching is not configured for SA, BCList corresponds to supportedBandCombinationList in UE-NR-Capability.

[0107] When uplinkTxSwitching is configured for SA, BCList corresponds to supportedBandCombinationList-UplinkTxSwitch-r16 in UE-NR-Capability.

[0108] When uplinkTxSwitching is not configured for MRDC, BCList corresponds to supportedBandCombinationList in UE-MRDC-Capability.

[0109] When uplinkTxSwitching is configured for MRDC, BCList corresponds to supportedBandCombinationList-UplinkTxSwitch-r16 in UE-MRDC-Capability.

[0110] In other words, BCList relates to whether NR, MRDC, and uplinkTxSwitching are configured.

[0111] Capability information is the first capability information, and it includes a first identifier, which indicates that the capability information is the first capability information. In possible scenarios, when terminal capability is updated, the base station is triggered to requery, and the terminal reports its terminal capability. However, the capability reported by the terminal may not be transmitted to another network device in a timely manner. When a terminal moves between base stations, for example, from a first access network device to a second access network device, if the second access network device fails to obtain the latest terminal capability information in a timely manner and uses capability information from before the capability update, the bandwidth combination determined by the second access network device will differ from the bandwidth combination determined by the terminal based on the bandwidth combination identifier shown in the configuration information. For example, the number of bandwidth combinations in the bandwidth combination list, the order of arrangement, etc., change, so the bandwidth combinations corresponding to the same identifier in the bandwidth combination list change before and after the capability update. For example, capability information includes a total of 32 identifiers, the identifiers in the initial terminal capability information are 0, and the identifiers increase by 1 when terminal capability changes. Capability containers for different access technologies may correspond to different identifiers.

[0112] The possible implementation methods for capability information reported to the base station by the terminal are as follows: UE-NR-Capability::= SEQUENCE { ... versionIndication INTEGER(0...31), UE ability version information } or UE-MRDC-Capability::= SEQUENCE { ... versionIndication INTEGER(0...31), UE ability version information }

[0113] versionIndication is an example of the first identifier.

[0114] The first ability may be replaced by the first set of features.

[0115] A feature is the function and characteristics of a communication resource used for data transmission in a wireless communication system to meet specific communication requirements.

[0116] For example, a feature set may cover multiple aspects, such as modulation schemes, coding methods, modulation rates, spectral efficiency, and multiple access techniques. These features and characteristics are important for aspects such as ensuring communication quality, maximizing bandwidth utilization, and providing different quality of service.

[0117] Optionally, the features may be carrier features or band features in a band combination. In other words, the feature set may be a set of carrier features or may include a set of band features in a band combination. For the purposes of this specification, a feature set corresponds to a set of capability parameters for one band entry in a band combination, and a feature set per CC corresponds to a set of capability parameters for one carrier on one band entry in a band combination.

[0118] The first feature set belongs to at least one feature set supported by the terminal. In other words, the first feature set is a subset of at least one feature set supported by the terminal. Each feature set within at least one feature set corresponds to one band entry in one band combination (BC).

[0119] Figure 3 shows the correspondence between feature sets and bandwidth combinations.

[0120] As shown in the diagram, the band combination BC1 includes three band entities, namely bandA, bandB, and bandC. Each band entity corresponds to at least one feature set. For example, bandA corresponds to FSUL-1 (feature set uplink, FSUL) and FSDL-5 (feature set downlink, FSDL), or FSUL-6 and FSDL-10; bandB corresponds to FSUL-2 and FSDL-2, FSUL-2 and FSDL-7, or FSUL-2 and FSDL-8; and bandC corresponds to FSUL-0 and FSDL-3, FSUL-0 and FSDL-8, or FSUL-0 and FSDL-0.

[0121] FSDL is a downlink feature set, which may be used for downlink transmission. FSUL is an uplink feature set, which may be used for uplink transmission. The uplink and downlink feature sets corresponding to each band entity are collectively called a feature set. In other words, the first feature set includes the uplink and downlink feature sets. FSUL-1 and FSDL-5 mean the following: In the first row of FS, the identifiers for the uplink FS and downlink FS of band A in the FSUL and FSDL sets are 1 and 5, respectively.

[0122] A feature set combination corresponding to BC1 includes three rows of FS, each row of FS containing at least one pair of downlink / uplink feature sets, where each pair of downlink / uplink feature sets corresponds to one band entity within BC#1. For example, the first row includes feature sets FSUL-1 and FSDL-5, FSUL-2 and FSDL-2, and FSUL-0 and FSDL-3, corresponding to bandA, bandB, and bandC, respectively. A single BC may have multiple rows of FS, each corresponding to the capabilities of different feature sets for each band entity. For example, in the second row, the feature sets are FSUL-6 / FSDL-10, FSUL-2 / FSDL-7, and FSUL-0 / FSDL-8, corresponding to the capabilities of other sets for bandA, bandB, and bandC, respectively.

[0123] In possible implementations, the first instruction information indicates the index (or identifier) ​​of the first feature set, and the index of the first feature set indicates the position of the first feature set in the first feature set combination. The first feature set combination is the feature set combination corresponding to the first band combination. In other words, the first feature set is used to determine the downlink / uplink feature set pairs corresponding to each band in the band combination. For example, when the index of the first feature set is 1, it indicates that in BC#1, the feature sets corresponding to band A are FSUL-1 and FSDL-5, the feature sets corresponding to band B are FSUL-2 and FSDL-2, and the feature sets corresponding to band C are FSUL-0 and FSDL-3. In other words, when the first instruction information indicates index 1, it indicates FS in the first row.

[0124] It should be understood that the feature set in the above example includes a downlink feature set and an uplink feature set. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the feature set may include a downlink feature set, or the feature set may include an uplink feature set. In other words, the feature set in this application includes an uplink feature set and / or a downlink feature set.

[0125] Specifically, an example of the first instruction information is as follows: featureSetEntryIndex

[0126] This field indicates a specific line of the FS in the FSC corresponding to the BC referenced by the base station's FS. In other words, the first instruction information indicates the position of the first feature set in the first feature set combination. Furthermore, the first capability may be a first carrier feature set (Feature set per CC). The first carrier feature set is a subset of at least one carrier feature set supported by the terminal. The first carrier feature set is a first downlink carrier feature set and / or a first uplink carrier feature set.

[0127] The first carrier feature set belongs to the first carrier feature set combination. The first carrier feature set combination contains L carrier feature sets, where L is a positive integer, and the first carrier feature set combination corresponds to the first cell. The first cell is the cell in which the terminal is configured to perform communication. In other words, the first cell is the serving cell of the terminal. There may be multiple cells in which the terminal is configured to perform communication, for example, K cells, where K is a positive integer. The first cell belongs to the K cells.

[0128] K cells have a one-to-one correspondence with K carrier feature set combinations. Each carrier feature set combination contains one or more carrier feature sets.

[0129] In a possible configuration, the K carrier feature set combinations are arranged based on a predetermined order, which is the arrangement order of the K cells. For example, if the value of K is 3, the three cells are arranged in the order of cell A, cell B, and cell C, and the three carrier feature set combinations are carrier feature set combination A, carrier feature set combination B, and carrier feature set combination C, respectively, with carrier feature set combination A corresponding to cell A, carrier feature set combination B corresponding to cell B, and carrier feature set combination C corresponding to cell C. Alternatively, the three cells are arranged in the order of PCell, SCell#1, and SCell#2, and the three carrier feature set combinations are carrier feature set combination A, carrier feature set combination B, and carrier feature set combination C, respectively, corresponding to PCell, SCell#1, and SCell#2.

[0130] The order in which the cells are arranged may be primary cells first, followed by secondary cells, and the order in which the secondary cells are arranged may be in ascending order (in other words, arranged in ascending order of cell index) or descending order (in other words, arranged in descending order of cell index) of the secondary cell index configured by the network.

[0131] In another possible configuration, L carrier feature sets have a one-to-one correspondence with L carriers, and L carriers are candidate carriers used for communication in a first cell. In other words, the L carriers are configured for a terminal to perform communication in a first cell. The terminal may perform communication in the first cell by using some of the carriers or by using all L carriers. For example, when a cell corresponds to two uplink carriers, namely a supplementary uplink (UL) and a normal uplink (normal UL, NUL), the carrier feature set combination corresponding to the cell includes two carriers that have a one-to-one correspondence with NUL and SUL.

[0132] The L carrier feature sets mentioned above belong to a first carrier feature set combination, and the first carrier feature set combination corresponds to a first cell. In other words, the first cell corresponds to a carrier feature set combination, and a carrier feature set combination contains multiple carrier feature sets, and multiple carrier feature sets have a one-to-one correspondence with multiple carriers. In other words, a carrier feature set is a level per CC.

[0133] For example, if the value of L is 3, and the three carriers are CC1, CC2, and CC3, then the first carrier feature set combination includes three carrier feature sets, namely carrier feature set 1, carrier feature set 2, and carrier feature set 3. Carrier feature set 1 corresponds to CC1, carrier feature set 2 corresponds to CC2, and carrier feature set 3 corresponds to CC3. The correspondence can also be understood as carrier feature sets being feature sets of carriers. For example, carrier feature set 1 is the feature set of CC1 and represents the function or feature of CC1.

[0134] In possible implementations, the carrier feature set may be either an uplink carrier feature set or a downlink carrier feature set. The L uplink carrier feature sets are arranged based on a first order, which is the order in which the L carriers are arranged in the first cell. The L downlink carrier feature sets are arranged based on a second order, which is the order in which the L downlink carriers are arranged in the first cell. In other words, the carrier feature sets are arranged based on the order of the carriers.

[0135] For example, if the value of L is 4, the four carriers are carrier B, carrier A, carrier C, and carrier D, and the four carrier feature sets are carrier feature set 1, carrier feature set 2, carrier feature set 3, and carrier feature set 4. Carrier feature set 1 corresponds to carrier B, carrier feature set 2 corresponds to carrier A, carrier feature set 3 corresponds to carrier C, and carrier feature set 4 corresponds to carrier D.

[0136] In another example, if one cell corresponds to two uplink carriers, namely NUL and SUL, and the first order is NUL first, then SUL, then carrier feature set 1 corresponds to NUL and carrier feature set 2 corresponds to SUL.

[0137] Optionally, the first referential information further indicates the carrier corresponding to the first carrier feature set, specifically the first carrier. For example, the first referential information may indicate the index of the first carrier.

[0138] A feature set can also be a cell feature set. For example, the first ability is the first cell feature set. The first cell feature set corresponds to the first cell. A feature set has a one-to-one correspondence with a cell; that is, a feature set is at the cell level.

[0139] Optionally, within a given set of cell feature sets, multiple cell feature sets are arranged sequentially, for example, based on the order of the cells. For example, if there are 4 cells, and the 4 cells are cell B, cell A, cell C, and cell D, then the 4 cell feature sets are cell feature set 1, cell feature set 2, cell feature set 3, and cell feature set 4. Cell feature set 1 corresponds to cell B, cell feature set 2 corresponds to cell A, cell feature set 3 corresponds to cell C, and cell feature set 4 corresponds to cell D.

[0140] Multiple cells may also be serving cells.

[0141] An example of the first instruction information is as follows: featureSetDownlinkPerCCList SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxNrofServingCells)) OF FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC-Id

[0142] FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC-Id is the identifier (or index) of the downlink carrier feature set corresponding to each cell.

[0143] In a possible implementation, multiple cells are arranged in ascending order of cellIndex, with the smallest cellIndex corresponding to the first feature set in featureSetDownlinkPerCCList.

[0144] In a DAPS handover scenario, the source cell may be ranked before the target cell. The source cell is the serving cell before the handover, and the target cell is the destination cell for the handover.

[0145] Another example of the first instruction information is as follows: featureSetUplinkPerCCPerServingCellList SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxNrofServingCells)) OF FeatureSetUplinkPerCCPerServingCell

[0146] FeatureSetUplinkPerCCPerServingCell is the set of uplink carrier features corresponding to each cell.

[0147] In possible implementations, cells are arranged in ascending order of cellIndex, with the smallest cellIndex corresponding to the first feature set in featureSetUplinkPerCCPerServingCellList.

[0148] In a DAPS handover scenario, the source cell is ranked before the target cell.

[0149] Another example of the first instruction information is as follows: BandCombinationIndication SEQUENCE{ ... featureSetUplinkPerCCList SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxNrofUplinks)) OF FeatureSetUplinkPerCC-Id } maxNrofUplinks NTEGER::= 64

[0150] FeatureSetUplinkPerCC-Id is the identifier (or index) of the uplink carrier feature set corresponding to the uplink.

[0151] In possible implementations, an identifier value of 0 indicates an invalid value used in carrierSwitching or SDL scenarios.

[0152] The cells are arranged in ascending order of cellIndex. All NULs are arranged first, followed by all SULs. The smallest cellIndex corresponds to the first uplink carrier feature set in featureSetUplinkPerCCList.

[0153] In a DAPS handover scenario, the source cell is ranked before the target cell.

[0154] In another example of the first instruction information, FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC is placed in the configuration of each CC. ServingCellConfig::= SEQUENCE{ ... featureSetDownlinkPerCC FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC OPTIONAL, -- Need M }

[0155] This field indicates the FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC-Id corresponding to the cell.

[0156] In another example of the first instruction information, FeatureuplinkPerCC is placed in each uplink configuration. UplinkConfig::= SEQUENCE{ ... featureSetUplinkPerCC FeatureSetUplinkPerCC OPTIONAL, -- Need M }

[0157] A FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC-Id value of 0 corresponding to a cell indicates an invalid value used in carrierSwitching scenarios.

[0158] Optionally, the first instruction information may be carried by RRC signaling, such as an RRC Reconfiguration message or an RRC Resume message.

[0159] Optionally, the first instruction information may be of type Need M (maintained), meaning the terminal needs to remember the first instruction information. When the first instruction information in the RRC signaling that carries the first instruction information is the default, the terminal uses the first instruction information that is either stored or the one that was received last time.

[0160] 220: The base station determines the configuration information based on the first capability.

[0161] In other words, configuration information is related to a first capability. For example, the first capability is a first band combination, and the configuration information is configuration information related to the first band combination, such as a carrier configuration used for CA or DC, or a carrier configuration determined based on the first band combination. For example, a base station may determine the number of MIMO layers configured for a carrier based on the capability of the first band combination. In another example, a base station may determine information such as a band pair and corresponding switching period for switching in an uplink transmission switching scenario based on the first band combination. Different band combinations may correspond to different configuration information.

[0162] It should be understood that the switching period, switching time, and switching interruption duration in this application may be replaced.

[0163] For example, the first capability is BC1, which includes three bands, namely band A, band B, and band C. Based on the capability of BC1, the base station distributes a CA configuration of CC1 on band A, CC2 on band B, and CC3 on band C. Based on the first capability, the terminal determines that the switching period for uplink transmission switching between the carrier on band A and the carrier on band C is 35 μs, and the switching period for uplink transmission switching between the carrier on band A and the carrier on band B is 140 μs.

[0164] Optionally, the configuration information does not include the switching cycle in the bandwidth pair, but the terminal may determine the uplink switching time used for uplink transmission switching by determining a specific BC level capability based on when the base station distributes the configuration, based on the first instruction information.

[0165] In another example, carrier feature set 1 corresponds to CC1, carrier feature set 2 corresponds to CC2, and carrier feature set 3 corresponds to CC3. The first capability delivered to the terminal by the base station is carrier feature set 1. Based on carrier feature set 1, the terminal determines that the switching period for transmission switching on CC1 is 35 μs.

[0166] In yet another example, cell feature set 1 corresponds to cell 1, cell feature set 2 corresponds to cell 2, and cell feature set 3 corresponds to cell 3. The first capability delivered to the terminal by the base station is cell feature set 2. Based on cell feature set 2, the terminal determines that the transmission switching period in cell 2 is 140 μs. For example, the terminal determines that the transmission switching period on the carrier in cell 2 is 140 μs.

[0167] In other words, the base station determines a first capability, and then, based on that first capability, determines the relevant configuration for the terminal; that is, the configuration information is associated with the terminal capability.

[0168] It should be understood that the first instruction information and configuration information may be carried in the same message. For example, the message may be an RRC Reconfiguration message or an RRC Resume message. Alternatively, the first instruction information and configuration information may be carried in different messages.

[0169] 230: The base station transmits configuration information to the terminal, and the terminal receives the configuration information in response.

[0170] The configuration information shows the configuration determined by the base station for the terminal based on the first capability in step 220. See the description in step 220 for details on the configuration information.

[0171] The terminal may communicate with the base station in the serving cell based on its configuration information.

[0172] For example, the message may be an RRC Reconfiguration message, an RRC Resume message, or an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message.

[0173] For example, configuration information may be transported by RRCmobilityFromEUTRACommand, or by NR target access technology capability container message NR targetRAT-MessageContainer.

[0174] This method allows the terminal to acquire the correct communication configuration in a timely manner and avoid exceptions such as faulty uplink and downlink reception or bit errors caused by the inability to accurately match information between the base station and the terminal. In this way, communication quality can be improved.

[0175] Embodiments of this application further provide a communication method. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes the following steps.

[0176] 410: The terminal transmits capability information to the base station, and the base station receives the capability information in response.

[0177] Capability information includes the transmission channel switching capability supported by the terminal.

[0178] For example, the terminal reports two bandwidth combinations, namely BC#1 and BC#2. BC#1 includes bandwidth {bandA+bandB+bandC+bandD}, and BC#2 includes bandwidth {bandA+bandB+bandC+bandD}. The bandwidth pairs and switching times for uplink transmission switching reported in BC#1 and BC#2 may be as shown in the table below. [Table 2]

[0179] It should be understood that the table is used merely as an example. For instance, the correspondence between switching time and bandwidth pairs and bandwidth combinations in the table is used simply as an example.

[0180] 420: The base station determines the configuration information based on capability information.

[0181] The configuration information is used to configure the terminal to perform uplink transmission channel switching or downlink reception channel switching between bands in the first band pair.

[0182] Uplink transmission channel (Tx chain) switching in this application may be replaced with uplink transmission (Tx) switching. Uplink transmission switching may also be dynamic uplink transmission switching, in other words, uplink transmission switching that integrates RRC configuration and dynamic scheduling via lower-layer signaling.

[0183] A first bandwidth pair includes at least two bandwidths. For example, a first bandwidth pair includes a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth, where the first bandwidth is the bandwidth of the uplink transmission channel before channel switching and the second bandwidth is the bandwidth of the uplink transmission channel after channel switching, and the first bandwidth is different from the second bandwidth. A first bandwidth pair belongs to a first bandwidth combination, which may further include a second bandwidth pair. In other words, a first bandwidth combination includes at least one bandwidth pair.

[0184] The first band pair may, alternatively, include more than two bands. In one example, the first band pair includes four bands. The first band includes two bands that are the uplink transmission channel bands before channel switching. The second band includes two bands that are the uplink transmission channel bands after channel switching. The bands included in the first band may be different from or partially the same as the bands included in the second band. For example, a terminal has two transmission channels. Before channel switching, the transmission channels are located in band A and band B, respectively, and after switching, the transmission channels are located in band C and band D, respectively. In another example, before switching, the transmission channels are located in band A and band B, respectively, and after switching, the transmission channels are located in band A and band C, respectively.

[0185] In another example, the first bandwidth pair contains three bandwidths. The first bandwidth contains two bandwidths, which are the bandwidths of the uplink transmission channel before channel switching. The second bandwidth contains one bandwidth, which is the bandwidth of the uplink transmission channel after channel switching.

[0186] For example, the first bandwidth combination includes bandwidth pair A and bandwidth pair B, where bandwidth pair A includes bandwidth 1 and bandwidth 2, and bandwidth pair B includes bandwidth 3 and bandwidth 4.

[0187] The identifier of a band included in the first band pair is the position of a band that supports dynamic switching, indicating its position in at least one band pair. The at least one band pair may be in the form of a list or a set. For example, the identifier of a band included in the first band pair may also be the identifier (or index) of a band included in the first band pair in the band pair list, indicating the position of the band included in the first band pair in the band pair list.

[0188] The configuration information is as follows: Identifiers of the bands included in the first band pair, Switching option for switching transmission channels between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair (UplinkTxSwitchingOption), Switching time for switching transmission channels between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair, The number of transmission channels for switching between transmission channels in the first bandwidth pair, and Identifier of the second band affected by the transmission channel switching between bands in the first band pair. It includes at least one of the following.

[0189] Each band in the first band pair corresponds to one identifier. For example, the first band pair includes bandA and bandB, where bandA corresponds to identifier 1 and bandB corresponds to identifier 2. It should be understood that the identifier may also be called the band index.

[0190] Examples of switching options for switching transmission channels between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair are as follows: When the transmission channel switching is uplink transmission channel switching, the switching options for transmission channel switching between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair are either switched uplink transmission (switchedUL) or dual uplink transmission (dualUL), or When the transmission channel switching is downlink receive channel switching, the switching options for transmission channel switching between bands in the first band pair are switched downlink transmission (switchedDL) or dual downlink transmission (dualDL).

[0191] Regarding the second bandwidth affected by the transmission channel switching between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair,

[0192] In possible implementations, when the transmission channel switching is an uplink transmission channel switching, the second bandwidth is the bandwidth in which downlink reception is affected by the uplink transmission channel switching between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair.

[0193] In another possible implementation, when the transmission channel switching is downlink receive channel switching, the second bandwidth is the bandwidth in which uplink transmission is affected by downlink receive channel switching between bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair.

[0194] For example, capability information reported to the base station by a terminal is shown in Table 2. Table 2 includes two types of capabilities, namely BC#1 and BC#2. From Table 2, the base station determines that the first capability is BC#1, and then determines the configuration information based on BC#1. For example, the bands include band A, band B, band C, and band D. The band pairs include three types, namely band A-band B, band A-band C, and band B-band C. Furthermore, the transmission channel switching between bands in the three types of band pairs is uplink transmission switching. In addition, the base station may determine that the switching times for transmission channel switching in different band pairs are as follows: namely, the switching time for band A-band B is 140 μs, the switching time for band A-band C is 35 μs, and the switching time for band B-band C is 35 μs.

[0195] Optionally, the terminal may determine configuration information corresponding to a capability based on capability information indicated by the base station. For example, if the base station indicates to the terminal that the first capability is BC#1 and configures the band pairs for uplink transmission switching as the three types of band pairs described above, the terminal may further determine information based on BC#1, such as the switching time for transmission channel switching between the above band pairs. In other words, the switching times in the three band pairs bandA-bandB, bandA-bandC, and bandB-bandC are 140μs, 35μs, and 35μs, rather than 35μs, 140μs, and 35μs in BC#2. In this way, receive bit errors caused by a mismatch between the switching time the terminal expects to use with the base station and the switching time actually used by the base station can be avoided.

[0196] Optionally, when the number of transmission channels for transmission channel switching in the first bandwidth pair is different, the corresponding switching times may also be different. For example, for a transmission channel switch between 1Tx (in other words, the number of transmission channels is 1) and 2Tx (in other words, the number of transmission channels is 2) in the first bandwidth pair, the corresponding switching time is the first switching time, and for a transmission channel switch between 2Tx and 2Tx in the first bandwidth pair, the corresponding switching time is the second switching time. The first switching time may be different from the second switching time. In the above configuration information, the base station may indicate the first switching time and the second switching time separately.

[0197] Optionally, in the EN-DC scenario, the terminal may report a bandwidth pair list in UE-MRDC-Capability. In the NR scenario, the terminal may report a bandwidth pair list in UE-NR-Capability.

[0198] Steps 410 and 420 are optional. It should be further understood that in possible implementations, the base station that receives capability information in step 410 and the base station that determines configuration information based on the capability information in step 420 may be different base stations.

[0199] For example, capability information may come from a terminal, or from another access network device or core network device; in other words, capability information transferred from a terminal by another access network device or core network device. Base station #A receives the capability information and transfers it to base station #B, and then base station #B determines the configuration information based on the capability information.

[0200] 430: The base station transmits configuration information to the terminal, and the terminal receives the configuration information in response.

[0201] For configuration information, refer to the explanation in step 420.

[0202] In this method, the base station indicates in its configuration information information such as a first band pair for transmission channel switching, the switching time for transmission channel switching between bands in the first band pair, and the switching options for transmission channel switching in the first band pair, thereby avoiding conflicting understandings between the terminal and the base station regarding transmission channel switching. This also avoids situations where, if the switching time expected by the terminal in the first band pair is shorter than the switching time for the base station to dynamically schedule the transmission channel switching, the terminal may not be able to correctly decode the data blocks delivered by the network, and thus a bit error may occur during transmission channel switching. This improves the reliability of communication.

[0203] To facilitate understanding of the communication method in this application, several implementation examples in different communication scenarios are provided below.

[0204] Example 1: In an SA networking scenario,

[0205] A possible implementation method is shown in Figure 5(a).

[0206] The terminal transmits capability information to the base station (for example, next-generation node B (gNB)), and the base station receives the capability information in response.

[0207] Capability information is UECapabilityInformation. The terminal includes a capability version indicator (an example of a first identifier) ​​in the UECapabilityInformation and reports the capabilities supported by the terminal, such as BCList, to the base station.

[0208] The base station sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal, and the terminal receives the RRC reconfiguration message in response.

[0209] The base station shall include in the RRCReconfiguration message at least one of the following: capability version information, BC instruction, instruction for a specific line of FS corresponding to the BC, featureSetDownlinkPerCC corresponding to each CC, and featureSetUplinkPerCC corresponding to each uplink.

[0210] In other words, the first instruction information is carried in the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0211] The terminal completes RRC reconfiguration with the base station based on the configuration indicated by the base station.

[0212] The terminal sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the base station.

[0213] Another possible implementation is shown in Figure 5(b).

[0214] The base station sends an RRC release message (RRCRelease) to the terminal, and the terminal receives the RRC release message in response.

[0215] The terminal enters an RRC inactive state based on the RRC release message. In this case, the first instruction information is invalid. The invalidity of the first instruction information means that the terminal deletes the first instruction information that was last stored or received, in other words, that the first instruction information is of type Need M. For a further explanation of what it means for the first instruction information to be invalid, please refer to the explanation in this specification. Further details will not be explained again.

[0216] The terminal sends an RRC restart request to the base station, and the base station receives the RRC restart request in response.

[0217] The base station sends an RRC Resume message to the terminal, and the terminal receives the RRC Resume message in response.

[0218] The RRC restart message carries at least one of the following: capability version information, BC instructions, instructions for a specific row of the FS corresponding to the BC, featureSetDownlinkPerCC corresponding to each CC, and featureSetUplinkPerCC corresponding to each uplink. In other words, the first instruction information is carried in the RRC restart message.

[0219] The terminal completes the RRC resumption with the base station based on the RRC resumption message.

[0220] The terminal sends an RRC restart completion message to the base station, and the base station receives the RRC restart completion message in response.

[0221] Another possible implementation is shown in (c) of Figure 5.

[0222] The terminal sends an RRC Reestablishment Request to the base station, and the base station receives the RRC Reestablishment Request in response.

[0223] In this case, the first instruction information is invalid. For example, the first instruction information is invalid before the RRC re-establishment request is sent.

[0224] The base station sends an RRC reestablishment message to the terminal, and the terminal receives the RRC reestablishment message in response.

[0225] The terminal sends an RRC re-establishment complete message to the base station, and the base station receives the RRC re-establishment complete message in response.

[0226] Example 2: In an NSA networking scenario, a terminal accesses a network (e.g., an evolved node B (eNB)).

[0227] Possible implementation methods are shown in Figure 6(a).

[0228] The eNB sends an RRC connection reconfiguration message to the terminal, and the terminal receives the RRC connection reconfiguration message in response.

[0229] The RRC connection reconfiguration message carries capability version information, BC instructions, instructions for a specific line of the FS corresponding to the BC, featureSetDownlinkPerCC corresponding to each CC, and featureSetUplinkPerCC corresponding to each uplink. In other words, the first instruction information is carried in the RRC connection reconfiguration message.

[0230] The terminal sends an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message to the eNB, and in response, the eNB receives the connection reconfiguration complete message.

[0231] The gNB sends an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message to the terminal.

[0232] The RRC connection reconfiguration message carries at least one of the following: capability version information, BC instructions, instructions for a specific line of the FS corresponding to the BC, featureSetDownlinkPerCC corresponding to each CC, and featureSetUplinkPerCC corresponding to each uplink. In other words, the first instruction information is carried in the RRC connection reconfiguration message.

[0233] The terminal completes the RRC connection reconfiguration with the gNB based on the RRC connection reconfiguration message.

[0234] The terminal sends an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message to the gNB, and in response, the gNB receives the RRC connection reconfiguration complete message.

[0235] Another possible implementation is shown in Figure 6(b).

[0236] The eNB sends capability inquiry information to the terminal, and in response, the terminal receives the capability inquiry message.

[0237] The terminal sends capability information to the eNB, and in response, the eNB receives the capability information.

[0238] Capability information is UECapabilityInformation. The terminal includes a capability version instruction (an example of first identification information) in the UECapabilityInformation and reports the capabilities supported by the terminal, such as BCList, to the base station.

[0239] The gNB sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal, and the terminal receives the RRC reconfiguration message in response.

[0240] The terminal sends an RRC reconstruction complete message to the gNB, and in response, the gNB receives an RRC reconstruction message.

[0241] When the eNB sends a Terminal Capability Inquiry message (UECapabilityEnquiry) to a terminal, the first instruction information preceding the message is invalid. The terminal may report the supported capabilities to the eNB in ​​a Capability message (UECapabilityinformation). The gNB may include the first instruction information again in the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0242] Example 2: In a wireless access technology switching scenario,

[0243] Possible implementation methods are shown in Figure 7.

[0244] The device accesses the network and enters a connected state.

[0245] The eNB sends a mobilityFromEUTRACommand message to the terminal, and in response, the terminal receives the mobilityFromEUTRACommand.

[0246] The RRCmobilityFromEUTRACommand carries an NR target access technology capability container message, NR targetRAT-MessageContainer, which carries at least one of the following: capability version information, BC instructions, instructions for a specific line of the FS corresponding to the BC, featureSetDownlinkPerCC corresponding to each CC, and featureSetUplinkPerCC corresponding to each uplink. In other words, the first instruction information is carried by mobilityFromEUTRACommand.

[0247] The terminal sends an RRC reconstruction complete message to the gNB, and in response, the gNB receives the RRC reconstruction complete message.

[0248] Furthermore, if the base station provides the terminal with the bandwidth of the uplink transmission channel and at least one bandwidth pair for uplink transmission switching, but does not provide the terminal with the time for uplink transmission switching in the bandwidth pair, the terminal may determine the switching time based on the following two implementations and further determine the first capability.

[0249] Method 1: When a terminal device supports multiple switching times in a bandwidth pair, the terminal device selects the shortest switching time in the bandwidth pair and then determines a first capability to complete the subsequent communication.

[0250] The table in 410 is used as an example. The terminal supports BC#1 and BC#2, and the base station indicates to the terminal that the band pair for uplink transmission switching is bandA-bandB, but does not indicate whether the base station determines the switching time for the band pair based on BC#1 or BC#2. In BC#1, the switching time for bandA-bandB is 140 μs, and in BC#2, the switching time for bandA-bandB is 35 μs. The terminal selects the switching time of 35 μs, and further determines that the first capability is BC#2.

[0251] Method 2: The terminal determines the switching time based on the priority of the bandwidth pair and further determines the first capability to complete the subsequent communication.

[0252] For example, a base station indicates to a terminal that the bandwidth for uplink transmission switching includes band A, band B, and band C, and the three bands are transmitted to the terminal device in a manner that constitutes a band list for uplink transmission switching. The bands in the band list are arranged in descending order of priority, specifically, the first-ranked band has the highest priority, the second-ranked band has the second-highest priority, the rest can be inferred by analogy, and the last-ranked band has the lowest priority. Different bands have different priorities, and the priority of a band pair may be determined based on the priorities of the bands included in the band pair. For example, band A has a priority of 1, band B has a priority of 2, and band C has a priority of 3. Smaller values ​​indicate higher priority. In this case, band A-band B has the highest priority, band A-band C has the next highest priority, and band B-band C has the lowest priority.

[0253] The table in 410 is used as an example, and the terminal device supports BC#1 and BC#2. For the terminal, the bandwidths configured by the base station for uplink transmission switching are band A, band B, and band C, which are arranged in descending order of priority. In this case, band A has the highest priority, band B has the next highest priority, and band C has the lowest priority. However, the base station does not indicate whether the configuration is based on BC#1 or BC#2. Based on the bandwidth priority, the terminal may decide that band A-band B has the highest priority, and the terminal selects the BC with the shorter switching time corresponding to band A-band B as its first capability. In other words, in BC#1, the switching time corresponding to band A-band B is 140 μs, and in BC#2, the switching time corresponding to band A-band B is 35 μs. The terminal decides that the switching time for band A-band B is 35 μs, and further, the terminal decides that the first capability is BC#2. In this case, the switching times for bandA-bandB, bandA-bandC, and bandB-bandC may be determined based on BC#2.

[0254] This method allows the terminal to acquire the correct communication configuration in a timely manner and avoid exceptions such as faulty uplink and downlink reception or bit errors caused by inaccurate matching between the base station and the terminal. In this way, communication quality can be improved.

[0255] It should be understood that the above-mentioned bandwidth pairs, bandwidths, or priority levels corresponding to bandwidth pairs, the format of the list of bandwidths for uplink transmission switching, and the order in which the bandwidths are arranged within the list are merely examples and should not constitute a limitation to this application.

[0256] To realize the functions in the embodiments described above, it can be understood that network devices and terminal devices include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for performing the functions. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the units and method steps in the examples described with reference to the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by hardware or by a 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 scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0257] Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the structure of possible communication devices according to embodiments of this application. These communication devices may be configured to implement the functions of a terminal or base station in the embodiments of the method described above. Thus, the beneficial effects of the embodiments of the method can also be achieved. In embodiments of this application, the communication device may be one of the terminals 120a to 120j shown in Figure 1, or a base station 110a or 110b shown in Figure 1, or a module (e.g., a chip) used in a terminal or base station.

[0258] As shown in Figure 8, the communication device 800 includes a processing unit 810 and a transceiver unit 820. The communication device 800 is configured to implement the functions of a base station or terminal in the embodiment of the method shown in Figure 2.

[0259] When the communication device 800 is configured to implement the functions of a base station in the embodiment of the method shown in Figure 2, The transceiver unit 820 may be configured to transmit first instruction information. The transceiver unit 820 may be further configured to transmit configuration information. The processing unit 810 is configured to determine configuration information based on a first capability.

[0260] When the communication device 800 is configured to implement the functions of a terminal in the embodiment of the method shown in Figure 2, The transceiver unit 820 is configured to receive first instruction information. The transceiver unit 820 is further configured to receive configuration information.

[0261] When the communication device 800 is configured to implement the functions of a base station in the embodiment of the method shown in Figure 4, The transceiver unit 820 may be configured to receive capability information. The processing unit 810 is configured to determine configuration information based on capability information. The transceiver unit 820 may be configured to transmit configuration information.

[0262] When the communication device 800 is configured to implement the functions of the terminal in the embodiment of the method shown in Figure 4, The transceiver unit 820 may be configured to transmit capability information. The transceiver unit 820 may be configured to receive configuration information.

[0263] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 810 and the transceiver unit 820, refer directly to the relevant descriptions in the embodiments of the method shown in Figures 3 and 4. Further details are not described again herein.

[0264] As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 900 includes a processor 910 and an interface circuit 920. The processor 910 and the interface circuit 920 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 920 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a memory 940 configured to store instructions executed by the processor 910, input data required by the processor 910 to execute instructions, or data generated after the processor 910 has executed instructions.

[0265] When the communication device 900 is configured to implement the methods shown in FIGS. 2-7, the processor 910 is configured to implement the functions of the processing unit 810, and the interface circuit 920 is configured to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 820.

[0266] When the communication device is a chip used in a terminal, the chip in the terminal implements the functions of the terminal in the method embodiments. The chip in the terminal receives information from another module in the terminal (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is transmitted to the terminal by a base station. Alternatively, the chip in the terminal transmits information to another module in the terminal (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is transmitted to the base station by the terminal.

[0267] When the communication device is a module used in a base station, the module in the base station implements the functions of the base station in the method embodiments. The module in the base station receives information from another module in the base station (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is transmitted to the base station by a terminal. Alternatively, the module in the base station transmits information to another module in the base station (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is transmitted to the terminal by the base station. The module in the base station in this specification may be a baseband chip in the base station, or may be a DU or another module. The DU in this specification may be a DU in an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0268] The processor in the embodiments of this application may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or alternatively, another general-purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or another programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, any ordinary processor, etc.

[0269] The steps of the method in the embodiments of this application may be implemented in hardware, or alternatively, may be implemented by software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions may include corresponding software modules. The software modules may be stored in a Random Access Memory, a Flash Memory, a Read-Only Memory, a Programmable Read-Only Memory, an Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, a register, a hard disk, a removable hard disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium well-known in the art. For example, the storage medium is coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium may alternatively be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. Further, the ASIC may be located in a base station or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium may alternatively exist in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0270] All or part of the embodiments described above may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded onto a computer and executed, all or part of the procedures or functions in the embodiments of this application are performed. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a computer network, a base station, user equipment, or another programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transmitted wired or wirelessly from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a computer, or a data storage device that integrates one or more available media, such as a server or data center. The usable media may be magnetic media, such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, or magnetic tapes; optical media, such as digital video discs; or semiconductor media, such as solid-state drives. The computer-readable storage medium may be volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include two types of storage media, namely volatile and non-volatile storage media.

[0271] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or unless there is a logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and may be referenced to one another, and the technical features of different embodiments may be combined on the basis of their internal logical relationships to form new embodiments.

[0272] Depending on whether the options are used herein, in this application, “at least one” means one or more, and “multiple” means two or more. “And / or” describes an association between related objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may mean 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. In the textual description of this application, the letter “ / ” represents an “or” relationship between related objects. In the formulas of this application, the letter “ / ” represents a “division” relationship between related objects. “Containing at least one of A, B and C” may mean containing A, containing B, containing C, containing A and B, containing A and C, containing B and C, and containing A, B and C.

[0273] It should be understood that the various numbers in the embodiments of this application are used for distinction only to facilitate explanation and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The sequence numbers of the processes described above do not imply an order of execution, and the order of execution of the processes should be determined based on the function and internal logic of the processes.

Claims

1. A method of communication, Step 1: Receiving configuration information, said configuration information is used to configure the terminal device to perform communication in K cells, where K is a positive integer; Step 2: The steps include receiving first instruction information, wherein the first instruction information indicates a first capability, the first capability is related to the configuration information, and the first capability is at least one of a first bandwidth combination, a first feature set, or a first carrier feature set. A method that includes this.

2. Before receiving the aforementioned configuration information, the method The process further includes the step of transmitting capability information, The aforementioned capability information includes the following, namely: At least one bandwidth combination supported by the aforementioned terminal device, At least one feature set supported by the terminal device, wherein the feature set includes a downlink feature set and / or an uplink feature set, and each feature set within the feature set corresponds to one bandwidth entity in one bandwidth combination. At least one carrier feature set supported by the terminal device, wherein the carrier feature set includes a downlink carrier feature set and / or an uplink carrier feature set, and each carrier feature set in the carrier feature set corresponds to one carrier on one band in one band combination. The method according to claim 1, comprising at least one of the following.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first capability is the first bandwidth combination, the first instruction information indicates an identifier of the first bandwidth combination, and the first bandwidth combination belongs to the at least one bandwidth combination supported by the terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first capability is the first feature set, the first instruction information indicates an index of the first feature set, the index of the first feature set indicates the position of the first feature set in a first feature set combination, the first feature set combination is a feature set combination corresponding to the first bandwidth combination, and the first feature set is a subset of the at least one feature set supported by the terminal device.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first capability is the first carrier feature set, the first instruction information indicates an identifier of the first carrier feature set, the first carrier feature set is a first downlink carrier feature set and / or a first uplink carrier feature set, and the first carrier feature set is a subset of the at least one carrier feature set supported by the terminal device.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first carrier feature set belongs to a first carrier feature set combination, the first carrier feature set combination includes L carrier feature sets, where L is a positive integer, the first carrier feature set combination corresponds to a first cell, and the first cell belongs to the K cells.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the K cells have a one-to-one correspondence with the K carrier feature set combinations, and each carrier feature set combination in the K carrier feature set combinations includes one or more carrier feature sets.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the L carrier feature sets have a one-to-one correspondence with the L carriers, the L carriers are candidate carriers used for communication in the first cell, the L carrier feature sets belong to the first carrier feature set combination, and the first carrier feature set combination corresponds to the first cell.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the L uplink carrier feature sets are arranged based on a first order, the first order being the arrangement order of the L carriers in the first cell, and / or the L carrier feature sets are L downlink carrier feature sets, the L downlink carrier feature sets are arranged based on a second order, the second order being the arrangement order of the L downlink carriers in the first cell.

10. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the first instruction information further indicates a first carrier corresponding to the first carrier feature set.

11. This method is The method according to any one of claims 2 to 10, further comprising the ability information being first ability information, the ability information including a first identifier, and the first identifier indicating that the ability information is the first ability information.

12. A method of communication, Steps include: determining configuration information based on a first capability, wherein the first capability is at least one of a first bandwidth combination, a first feature set, or a first carrier feature set, and the configuration information is used to configure a terminal device to perform communication in K cells, where K is a positive integer; and The step of transmitting the aforementioned configuration information, The steps include transmitting first instruction information, wherein the first instruction information indicates the first capability, and A method that includes this.

13. Before transmitting the aforementioned configuration information, the method The process further includes the step of receiving capability information, The aforementioned capability information includes the following, namely: At least one bandwidth combination supported by the aforementioned terminal device, At least one feature set supported by the terminal device, wherein the feature set includes a downlink feature set and / or an uplink feature set, and each feature set within the feature set corresponds to one bandwidth entity in one bandwidth combination. At least one carrier feature set supported by the terminal device, wherein the carrier feature set includes a downlink carrier feature set and / or an uplink carrier feature set, and each carrier feature set in the carrier feature set corresponds to one carrier on one band in one band combination. The method according to claim 12, comprising at least one of the above.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first capability is the first bandwidth combination, the first instruction information indicates an identifier of the first bandwidth combination, and the first bandwidth combination belongs to the at least one bandwidth combination supported by the terminal device.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first capability is the first feature set, the first instruction information indicates an index of the first feature set, the index of the first feature set indicates the position of the first feature set in a first feature set combination, the first feature set combination is a feature set combination corresponding to the first bandwidth combination, and the first feature set is a subset of the at least one feature set supported by the terminal device.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first capability is the first carrier feature set, the first instruction information indicates an identifier of the first carrier feature set, the first carrier feature set is a first downlink carrier feature set and / or a first uplink carrier feature set, and the first carrier feature set is a subset of the at least one carrier feature set supported by the terminal device.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first carrier feature set belongs to a first carrier feature set combination, the first carrier feature set combination includes L carrier feature sets, where L is a positive integer, the first carrier feature set combination corresponds to a first cell, and the first cell belongs to the K cells.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the K cells have a one-to-one correspondence with K carrier feature set combinations, and each carrier feature set combination in the K carrier feature set combinations includes one or more carrier feature sets.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the L carrier feature sets have a one-to-one correspondence with the L carriers, the L carriers are candidate carriers used for communication in the first cell, the L carrier feature sets belong to the first carrier feature set combination, and the first carrier feature set combination corresponds to the first cell.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the L uplink carrier feature sets are arranged based on a first order, the first order being the arrangement order of the L carriers in the first cell, and / or the L carrier feature sets are L downlink carrier feature sets, the L downlink carrier feature sets are arranged based on a second order, the second order being the arrangement order of the L downlink carriers in the first cell.

21. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, wherein the first instruction information further indicates a first carrier corresponding to the first carrier feature set.

22. This method is The method according to any one of claims 17 to 21, further comprising the ability information being first ability information, the ability information including a first identifier, and the first identifier indicating that the ability information is the first ability information.

23. A method of communication, Includes the step of receiving configuration information, The configuration information is used to configure a terminal device to perform uplink transmission channel switching or downlink reception channel switching between bands in a first band pair, wherein the first band pair includes at least two bands, and the configuration information is as follows: The identifier of the bandwidth included in the first bandwidth pair, Switching options for switching transmission channels between the bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair, The switching time for switching the transmission channel between the bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair, and Identifier of the second band affected by the transmission channel switching between the bands in the first band pair. A method that includes at least one of the following.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein, when the transmission channel switching is the uplink transmission channel switching, the second bandwidth is a bandwidth in which downlink reception is affected by the uplink transmission channel switching between the bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair.

25. When the transmission channel switching is the uplink transmission channel switching, the switching option for the transmission channel switching between the bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair is either switched uplink transmission (switchedUL) or dual uplink transmission (dualUL), or The method according to claim 23 or 24, wherein when the transmission channel switching is the downlink receiving channel switching, the switching option for the transmission channel switching between the bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair is switched downlink transmission (switchedDL) or dual downlink transmission (dualDL).

26. Before receiving the aforementioned configuration information, the method The method according to any one of claims 23 to 25, further comprising the step of transmitting capability information, wherein the capability information includes a transmission channel switching capability supported by the terminal device.

27. A method of communication, Includes the step of sending configuration information, The configuration information is used to configure a terminal device to perform uplink transmission channel switching or downlink reception channel switching between bands in a first band pair, wherein the first band pair includes at least two bands, and the configuration information is as follows: The identifier of the bandwidth included in the first bandwidth pair, Switching options for switching transmission channels between the bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair, The switching time for switching the transmission channel between the bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair, and Identifier of the second band affected by the transmission channel switching between the bands in the first band pair. A method that includes at least one of the following.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein, when the transmission channel switching is the uplink transmission channel switching, the second bandwidth is a bandwidth in which downlink reception is affected by the uplink transmission channel switching between the bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair.

29. When the transmission channel switching is the uplink transmission channel switching, the switching option for the transmission channel switching between the bandwidths in the first bandwidth pair is either switched uplink transmission (switchedUL) or dual uplink transmission (dualUL), or The method according to claim 27 or 28, wherein when the transmission channel switching is the downlink receiving channel switching, the switching option for the transmission channel switching between the bands in the first band pair is switched downlink transmission (switchedDL) or dual downlink transmission (dualDL).

30. Before transmitting the aforementioned configuration information, the method A step of receiving capability information, wherein the capability information includes the transmission channel switching capability supported by the terminal device, A step of determining the configuration information based on the capability information. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 29, further comprising:

31. A communication device including a processing module and a transceiver module, The communication device is configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 1 to 11 or any one of claims 23 to 26.

32. A communication device including a processing module and a transceiver module, The communication device is configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 12 to 22 or any one of claims 27 to 30.

33. A communication device including a processor, A communication device wherein the processor is connected to a memory, the memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory, thereby enabling the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

34. A communication system including the communication device described in claims 31 and 32.

35. A computer-readable storage medium, The computer-readable storage medium is configured to store a computer program, and when the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer is able to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

36. A chip including a processor and a communication interface, The processor is a chip configured to read instructions and perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

37. A computer program product, The computer program product stores computer-readable instructions, and when the computer-readable instructions are executed on the computer, the computer becomes capable of executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

Images