Terminal device, network device, and communication method

Abstract

The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable medium. The communication method includes: receiving, at a terminal device, a configuration of a scheduling gap configured for a portion of a serving cell of the first network device from a first network device; and switching to a second network device based on the configuration of the scheduling gap while maintaining a radio resource control connection with the first network device. Thus, a scheduling gap with a fine granularity can be configured and used, and thus service interruption in the first network device can be minimized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to a method, apparatus, and computer storage medium for communication during network switching of a Multi-Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM).

Background Art

[0002] Currently, multi-USIM terminal devices occupy a large market share. Two USIMs may comply with the same or different communication standards such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), New Radio (NR), etc., and the capabilities of the terminal device can be 1 transmit (Tx) / 1 receive (Rx), 1Tx / 2Rx, 2Tx / 1Rx, etc. In 2Rx (dual Rx), a multi-USIM terminal device can receive traffic from two networks simultaneously. In 1Tx (single Tx), a multi-USIM terminal device can transmit traffic to one network at a time. In 2Tx (dual Tx), a multi-USIM terminal device can transmit traffic to two networks simultaneously. The terms single Rx / Tx and dual Rx / Tx do not refer to the type of device. As an example, one terminal device may use dual Tx in some cases and single Tx in other cases.

[0003] In some scenarios, a multi-USIM terminal device may establish a connection with network A of USIM A and remain in an idle or inactive state with network B of USIM B. Conventionally, when the terminal device needs to operate on network B, for example, when it needs to perform data transmission or monitor a paging opportunity, the terminal device simply releases the connection with network A and switches to network B without notifying network A. This has an adverse impact on the performance of network A.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Generally, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, an apparatus, and a computer storage medium for communication during network switching of a multi-USIM.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes receiving, at a terminal device, a scheduling gap setting configured for a part of a serving cell of a first network device from the first network device, and switching to a second network device based on the scheduling gap setting while maintaining a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the first network device. The first network device is associated with a first Subscriber Identity Module of the terminal device, and the second network device is associated with a second Subscriber Identity Module of the terminal device.

[0006] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes generating, at a first network device, a scheduling gap setting for a terminal device to switch to a second network device while maintaining a radio resource control connection with the first network device, and transmitting the setting to the terminal device. The scheduling gap is configured for a part of a serving cell of the first network device. The first network device is associated with a first Subscriber Identity Module of the terminal device, and the second network device is associated with a second Subscriber Identity Module of the terminal device.

[0007] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes determining, at a terminal device, whether a first gap of a network device overlaps with a second gap of the network device, and determining, in accordance with a determination that the first gap overlaps with the second gap, a first period within an overlapping period for performing a first operation corresponding to the first gap and a second period within the overlapping period for performing a second operation corresponding to the second gap. The first gap is a certain scheduling gap, and the second gap is another scheduling gap or a measurement gap.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. Instructions are stored in the memory, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the terminal device is caused to execute a method according to at least one of the first or third aspects of the present disclosure.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. Instructions are stored in the memory, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the network device is caused to execute a method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable medium storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor, the at least one processor is caused to execute a method according to at least one of the first or third aspects of the present disclosure.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium storing instructions is provided. When the instructions are executed on at least one processor, the at least one processor is caused to execute a method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0012] Other features of the present disclosure should be easily understood through the following description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013] Through the more detailed description of some embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure should become clearer.

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[0022] Throughout all the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] The principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to several embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are useful for those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0024] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0025] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device having a wireless or wired communication function. Examples of terminal devices include user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDA), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, IoT (internet of things) devices, IoE (internet of everything) devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, vehicle-mounted devices for V2X communication (where X means pedestrian, vehicle or infrastructure / network), imaging devices such as digital cameras, gaming devices, music storage / playback devices, internet devices enabling wireless / wired internet access and browsing, etc., but are not limited thereto. The term "terminal device" can be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber equipment, mobile terminal, user terminal or wireless device. Also, the term "network device" refers to a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage with which a terminal device can communicate. Examples of network devices include Node B (NodeB or NB), Evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), transmission and reception point (TRP), remote radio unit (RRU), radio head (RH), remote radio head (RRH), femto node, low-power nodes such as pico nodes, etc., but are not limited thereto.

[0026] In one embodiment, the terminal device may be connected to a first network device and a second network device. One of the first network device and the second network device may be a master node and the other may be a secondary node. The first network device and the second network device may use different RATs. In one embodiment, the first network device may be a first RAT device, and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In one embodiment, the first RAT device is an eNB and the second RAT device is a gNB. Information related to different RATs may be transmitted from at least one of the first network device and the second network device to the terminal device. In one embodiment, the first information may be transmitted from the first network device to the terminal device, and the second information may be directly transmitted from the second network device to the terminal device or transmitted via the first network device. In one embodiment, information related to the settings of the terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. Information related to the resetting of the terminal device set by the second network device may be directly transmitted from the second network device to the terminal device or transmitted via the first network device.

[0027] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term "including" and variations thereof are to be construed as an open-ended term meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" is construed as "at least in part based on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" are construed as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" is construed as "at least one other embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different objects or the same object. There may be other explicit and implicit definitions included in the following content.

[0028] In some examples, a value, process, or apparatus is referred to as "optimal", "lowest", "highest", "minimum", "maximum", etc. It should be understood that such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection is possible from among a plurality of functional alternatives being used, and that such a selection need not be better, smaller, higher, or more preferred than other selections.

[0029] As used herein, the term "Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)" refers to a Universal Subscriber Identity Module used in a terminal device. Examples of SIMs include, but are not limited to, SIM cards, USIM cards, ISIM cards, etc. The term "SIM" can be used interchangeably with USIM or ISIM.

[0030] Assume that a multi-USIM terminal device establishes a connection in Network A of USIM A and remains in an idle or inactive state in Network B of USIM B. In this case, when the terminal device needs to process a service arriving from Network B, the terminal device may perform a handover to Network B. For example, in some scenarios, when the arriving service is a long-duration service such as a voice call over VoLTE (Voice over LTE) or VoNR (Voice over NR), the terminal device may perform a long-duration handover. During the long-duration handover, the terminal device may release the connection with Network A and switch to Network B. For example, the terminal device may send a long-duration handover request to Network A and, in response to receiving an RRCRelease message from Network B, release the connection and switch to Network B. In some other scenarios, when the arriving service is a short-duration service such as paging reception, measurement, tracking area update (TAU), RAN (Radio Access Network)-based notification area update (RNAU), or MO SMS (Mobile-Originated Short Message Service), the terminal device may perform a short-duration handover. During the short-duration handover, the terminal device may maintain the connection with Network A and temporarily switch to Network B.

[0031] For short - time switching, a scheduling gap has been proposed. During the scheduling gap, the terminal device does not perform uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) transmission and monitoring of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in the serving cell of network A, except for random access - related procedures. For example, the terminal device may send a request for short - time switching to network A and receive the setting of the scheduling gap from network A. The terminal device may switch to network B during the scheduling gap to process the incoming services and return to network A at or before the end of the scheduling gap. However, if a scheduling gap per UE is adopted, that is, if the scheduling gap is applied to all serving cells, service interruption occurs in all serving cells within network A. This is particularly inappropriate for terminal devices with high capabilities such as 2Rx / 1Tx or 2Rx / 2Tx. Therefore, it is expected to avoid the impact on the services of network A as much as possible.

[0032] In view of this, one aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a solution to apply or support scheduling gaps with a smaller granularity. By doing so, the impact on the services of network A can be avoided as much as possible.

[0033] In some cases, a measurement gap during which the terminal device performs measurements for network A is also applied. In this case, the scheduling gap may overlap with the measurement gap. However, the terminal device cannot perform measurements for network A and data transmission / reception with network B simultaneously.

[0034] In some cases, multiple scheduling gaps may be set in the terminal device to accommodate different short - time services of Network B with different traffic patterns. For example, one of the scheduling gaps may be set for measurements in the IDLE / INACTIVE mode, and another scheduling gap may be set for paging monitoring. In this case, one scheduling gap may overlap with another scheduling gap. However, the terminal device may not be able to perform measurements in the IDLE / INACTIVE mode and paging monitoring of Network B simultaneously.

[0035] In view of this point, in another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution means for processing or resolving the overlap of gaps is provided. Thereby, the operation of the terminal device during the overlapping period can be defined.

[0036] The principle and implementation of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0037] Example of a communication network FIG. 1A shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication scenario 100A in which the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1A, the communication scenario 100A may involve a first communication network 101 including a first network device 110 and a second communication network 102 including a second network device 120. It should be understood that the first network device 110 is only an example of a network device in the first communication network 101, and in fact, the first communication network 101 may further include many more network devices. Similarly, the second network device 120 is only an example of a network device in the second communication network 102, and in fact, the second communication network 102 may further include many more network devices.

[0038] Communication scenario 100A may involve a terminal device 130 having a first USIM 131 and a second USIM 132. The first USIM 131 communicates with the external environment via a first communication network 101, and the second USIM 132 communicates with the external environment via a second communication network 102. That is, the network device of the first communication network 101 provides services to the first USIM 131, Second and the network device of the second communication network 102 provides services to the USIM 132.

[0039] The first USIM 131 and the second USIM 132 may comply with the same or different RATs, existing or to be developed in the future. That is, the first communication network 101 and the second communication network 102 may comply with the same or different RATs. It should be noted that the number of USIMs in the terminal device 130 is not limited to two, and three or more USIMs are also applicable. Therefore, it should also be noted that the communication scenario 100A may involve more communication networks that provide services to the USIMs. For the sake of convenience, the following will describe the example with two USIMs and two corresponding communication networks.

[0040] It should be understood that the first network device 110 can also support the second communication network 102, and the second network device 120 can also support the first communication network 101. Therefore, the first network device 110 can provide services to at least one of the first USIM 131 and the second USIM 132. The second network device 120 can also provide services to at least one of the first USIM 131 and the second USIM 132. For the sake of convenience, unless otherwise specified, the following description will be made under the assumption that the first network device 110 provides services to the first USIM 131 and the second network device 120 provides services to the second USIM 132. However, it should be noted that this is merely an example for explanation and does not limit the present disclosure. For example, the same network device such as the first network device 110 or the second network device 120 may provide services to the first USIM 131 and the second USIM 132.

[0041] The first network device 110 may communicate with the terminal device 130 via a channel such as a wireless communication channel. Similarly, the second network device 120 may communicate with the terminal device 130 via a channel such as a wireless communication channel. In some embodiments where the first network device 110 supports the first communication network 101 and the second network device 120 supports the second communication network 102, the first USIM 131 may communicate with the first network device 110, and the second USIM 132 may communicate with the second network device 120. In some embodiments where the first network device 110 supports the second communication network 102 and the second network device 120 supports the first communication network 101, the first USIM 131 may communicate with the second network device 120, and the second USIM 132 may communicate with the first network device 110. In some embodiments where the first network device 110 supports both the first communication network 101 and the second communication network 102, both the first USIM 131 and the second USIM 132 may communicate with the first network device 110. In some embodiments where the second network device 120 supports both the first communication network 101 and the second communication network 102, both the first USIM 131 and the second USIM 132 may communicate with the second network device 120.

[0042] It should be understood that the number of devices in FIG. 1A is shown for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation to the present disclosure. The communication scenario 100A may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices suitable for implementing the implementation of the present disclosure.

[0043] The communication in communication scenario 100A may conform to any suitable standard, including but not limited to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Machine Type Communication (MTC), etc. Further, the communication may be performed according to any generation of communication protocol known currently or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, the communication protocols of the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, and the fifth generation (5G).

[0044] FIG. 1B shows a schematic diagram 100B illustrating a configuration example of a network device in an exemplary communication scenario 100A. For the purpose of explanation, FIG. 1B will be described in association with the first network device 110. It should be understood that the description of FIG. 1B also applies to other network devices shown or not shown in the communication scenario 100A. As shown in FIG. 1B, the first network device 110 may include a master node (MN) 111 and a secondary node (SN) 112. It should be understood that MN 111 and SN 112 may be implemented as network devices. MN 111 has serving cells 111-1, 111-2, and SN 112 has serving cells 112-1, 112-2. The serving cell group associated with MN 111 (i.e., the master cell group, MCG) may include a primary cell (PCell) and at least one secondary cell (SCell), and the serving cell group associated with SN 112 (i.e., the secondary cell group, SCG) may include a primary secondary cell (PSCell) and at least one secondary cell (SCell). It should be understood that each of MCG and SCG may have more or fewer serving cells and is not limited to those shown.

[0045] Returning to FIG. 1A, assume that the terminal device 130 establishes a connection between the first USIM 131 and the first network device 110 and remains in an idle or inactive state between the second USIM 132 and the second network device 120. If the terminal device 130 performs transmission and reception between the second USIM 132 and the second network device 120, the terminal device 130 may consider switching to the second network device 120.

[0046] In some scenarios, when there are short - time services to be processed from the second network device 120, such as paging reception, measurement, TAU, RNAU, MO SMS, etc., the terminal device 130 may perform a short - time switch. In this case, the terminal device 130 may maintain the connection with the first network device 110 and temporarily switch to the second network device 120.

[0047] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved solutions for the above - mentioned scenarios. It should be noted that the above - mentioned scenarios are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the present disclosure. The solutions according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to any suitable scenario. For the sake of convenience, these solutions will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 in connection with the scenario of short - time switching.

[0048] Exemplary implementation of a smaller-grained scheduling gap FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a communication process 200 during the switch of a multi - USIM network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the process 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The process 200 may involve the terminal device 130, the first network device 110, and the second network device 120 shown in FIG. 1. Assume that the terminal device 130 needs to switch from the first network device 110 to the second network device 120.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 130 may send a switch request to the first network device 110 (210). In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may send the request together with assistance information regarding the switch. In some alternative embodiments, the terminal device 130 may send the request without assistance information regarding the switch. In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may send the request via an RRC message or any other suitable method. For example, the terminal device 130 may send the request with or without assistance information via a UEAssistanceInformation message.

[0050] In some embodiments, the assistance information regarding the handover may include the purpose of the handover, for example, IDLE / IACTIVE state measurement, paging monitoring for the second network device 120, etc.

[0051] In some embodiments, the assistance information regarding the handover may include at least one bandwidth expected for the handover. For example, the assistance information may include bandwidth-related information such as the bandwidth of the cell of the second network device 120, the bandwidth of the required scheduling gap, etc. As another example, the assistance information may include combination-related information of bandwidths such as the combination of the bandwidths of the required scheduling gaps (i.e., multiple bandwidths).

[0052] In some embodiments, the assistance information regarding the handover may include at least one frequency expected for the handover. For example, the assistance information may include frequency-related information such as the frequency of the cell of the second network device 120, the frequency of the required scheduling gap, etc. As another example, the assistance information may include FR-related information such as the frequency range (FR) of the cell of the second network device 120, the FR of the required scheduling gap.

[0053] In some embodiments, the assistance information regarding the handover may include a cell group (CG) expected for the handover, for example, a master cell group (MCG) or a secondary cell group (SCG). In some embodiments, the assistance information regarding the handover may include at least one serving cell expected for the handover.

[0054] In some embodiments, the assistance information regarding handover may include the direction of services in the second network device 120. For example, the direction of services may be DL only. As another example, the direction of services may be both UL and DL. For example, assume that the terminal device 130 is 2Rx / 1Tx. In the case of DL only, the terminal device 130 may continue some services with the first network device 110, and the first network device 110 may set the scheduling gap with a smaller granularity. In the case of both UL and DL, the terminal device 130 may not continue any services with the first network device 110, and the first network device 110 may directly set the per-UE scheduling gap (i.e., the scheduling gap applied to all serving cells).

[0055] Based on the assistance information regarding handover, the first network device 110 may set an appropriate scheduling gap for the terminal device 130. Naturally, the first network device 110 may also set the scheduling gap for the terminal device 130 without using the assistance information.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 2, the first network device 110 transmits (220) the setting of the scheduling gap to the terminal device 130. In some embodiments, the first network device 110 may transmit the setting to the terminal device 130 via an RRC message. Naturally, any other appropriate method is also feasible.

[0057] In some embodiments, the configuration may include the granularity or the applicable scope of the scheduling gap. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the scheduling gap is configured with a granularity smaller than the per-UE scheduling gap. In some embodiments, the scheduling gap is configured for a part of the serving cell of the first network device 110. In some alternative embodiments, the scheduling gap may be configured for a part of the serving cell of the first network device 110. For example, the scheduling gap may be configured for a bandwidth part (BWP). Of course, the scheduling gap may be configured with any other smaller granularity.

[0058] In some embodiments, the first network device 110 may configure a per-CG scheduling gap for the terminal device 130. In this case, the configuration may include at least one of the MCG or SCG (also referred to as the MCG scheduling gap or the SCG scheduling gap) to which the scheduling gap is applied. In the case of the MCG scheduling gap, the scheduling gap is applied only to the serving cell of the MCG. In the case of the SCG scheduling gap, the scheduling gap is applied only to the serving cell of the SCG.

[0059] In some embodiments, the first network device 110 may configure a per-band scheduling gap for the terminal device 130. In this case, the configuration may include the band to which the scheduling gap is applied. In other words, the scheduling gap is applied only to the serving cell belonging to that band.

[0060] In some embodiments, the first network device 110 may set a scheduling gap for each combination of bands for the terminal device 130. In this case, the setting may include the combination of bands to which the scheduling gap is applied. In other words, the scheduling gap is applied only to serving cells belonging to the combination of bands.

[0061] In some embodiments, the first network device 110 may set a scheduling gap for each frequency for the terminal device 130. In this case, the setting may include at least one frequency to which the scheduling gap is applied. In other words, the scheduling gap is applied only to one or more serving cells of at least one frequency.

[0062] In some embodiments, the first network device 110 may set a scheduling gap for each serving cell for the terminal device 130. In this case, the setting may include at least one serving cell to which the scheduling gap is applied. In other words, the scheduling gap is applied only to at least one serving cell.

[0063] In some embodiments, upon receiving the setting, the terminal device 130 may store the setting. For example, the terminal device may store the setting in a UE variable. Of course, any other appropriate method is also feasible.

[0064] In some embodiments, upon receiving the setting, the terminal device 130 may send a message indicating the application of the scheduling gap to the first network device 110 (230). For example, the terminal device 130 may send an RRCReconfigurationComplete message or any other appropriate message.

[0065] While maintaining the RRC connection with the first network device 110, the terminal device 130 switches (240) to the second network device 120 based on the setting of the scheduling gap. In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may switch to the second network device 120 during the scheduling gap to process services on the second network device 120.

[0066] By the process described in relation to FIG. 2, a scheduling gap with a smaller granularity can be set and used. In this way, interruption of services on the first network device can be avoided as much as possible.

[0067] Exemplary implementation for handling gap overlaps As described above, the scheduling gap of the network device may overlap with another scheduling gap or measurement gap of the network device. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for handling the overlap of gaps. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram showing a process 300 for handling the overlap of gaps according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the process 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Assume that the terminal device 130 needs to switch from the first network device 110 to the second network device 120, and a scheduling gap (also referred to as the first gap in this specification) of the first network device 110 is set for the terminal device 130 in order to switch to the second network device 120. The process 300 may involve the terminal device 130 and the first network device 110 (also referred to as the network device in this specification) shown in FIG. 1.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal device 130 determines (310) whether the first gap of the first network device 110 overlaps with the second gap of the first network device 110. In some embodiments, the second gap may be another scheduling gap of the first network device 110. In some alternative embodiments, the second gap may be a measurement gap of the first network device 110.

[0069] When the first gap overlaps with the second gap, the terminal device 130 determines (320) a first period within the overlapping period for executing a first operation corresponding to the first gap and a second period within the overlapping period for executing a second operation corresponding to the second gap. In other words, the first period and the second period are part of the overlapping period. Some exemplary implementations for determining the first period and the second period will be described in connection with Embodiments 1-3.

[0070] Embodiment 1 In this embodiment, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period and the second period based on the priorities of the first gap and the second gap.

[0071] In some embodiments, the first gap and the second gap have different priorities. In some embodiments, the priorities of the first gap and the second gap may be predefined. In some alternative embodiments, the priorities of the first gap and the second gap may be set by the first network device 110. In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may receive from the first network device 110 a setting indicating whether the priority of the first gap is higher or lower than the priority of the second gap (330). For example, the terminal device 130 may receive a setting indicating that the first gap has a higher priority than the second gap. As another example, the terminal device 130 may receive a setting indicating that the second gap has a higher priority than the first gap.

[0072] In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may perform an operation or an action corresponding to the one with a higher priority among the first gap and the second gap. In some embodiments where the first gap has a higher priority than the second gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as the overlapping period and determine the second period as zero. In some embodiments where the second gap has a higher priority than the first gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as zero and determine the second period as the overlapping period. For example, when the scheduling gap overlaps with the measurement gap and the scheduling gap has a higher priority than the measurement gap, the terminal device 130 may perform a short-time service of the second network device 120 during the overlapping period.

[0073] In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may perform an operation or an action corresponding to the one with the lowest priority among the first gap and the second gap during the overlapping period. In some embodiments where the first gap has a lower priority than the second gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as the overlapping period and determine the second period as zero. In some embodiments where the second gap has a lower priority than the first gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as zero and determine the second period as the overlapping period. For example, when the scheduling gap overlaps with the measurement gap and the scheduling gap has a lower priority than the measurement gap, the terminal device 130 may perform a short-time service of the second network device 120 during the overlapping period.

[0074] As a modification of Embodiment 1, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period and the second period based on the priorities of the first operation and the second operation corresponding to the first gap and the second gap. In some embodiments where the first operation has a higher priority than the second operation, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as the overlapping period and determine the second period as zero. In some embodiments where the second operation has a higher priority than the first operation, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as zero and determine the second period as the overlapping period. By doing so, the overlapping period will be used to execute the operation corresponding to the gap and having a higher priority.

[0075] In some alternative embodiments, the overlapping period can also be used to execute the operation corresponding to the gap and having a lower priority. In some embodiments where the first operation has a lower priority than the second operation, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as the overlapping period and determine the second period as zero. In some embodiments where the second operation has a lower priority than the first operation, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as zero and determine the second period as the overlapping period. By doing so, the overlapping period will be used to execute the operation corresponding to the gap and having a lower priority.

[0076] In some embodiments, the priorities of the first operation and the second operation may be predefined. In some alternative embodiments, the priorities of the first operation and the second operation may be set by the first network device 110. In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may receive from the first network device 110 a setting indicating whether the priority of the first operation is higher or lower than the priority of the second operation. For example, the terminal device 130 may receive a setting indicating that the first operation has a higher priority than the second operation. As another example, the terminal device 130 may receive a setting indicating that the second operation has a higher priority than the first operation.

[0077] Embodiment 2 In this embodiment, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period and the second period based on at least one of the lengths or periodicities of the first gap and the second gap.

[0078] In some embodiments where the first gap and the second gap do not completely overlap, the terminal device 130 may perform an operation corresponding to the one with a shorter length or a longer periodicity among the first gap and the second gap during the overlapping period. In some embodiments where the first gap has a length shorter than the length of the second gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as the overlapping period and determine the second period as zero. In some embodiments where the second gap has a length shorter than the length of the first gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the second period as the overlapping period and determine the first period as zero.

[0079] In some embodiments where the first gap has a periodicity longer than the periodicity of the second gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as the overlapping period and determine the second period as zero. In some embodiments where the second gap has a periodicity longer than the periodicity of the first gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the second period as the overlapping period and determine the first period as zero.

[0080] Embodiment 3 In this embodiment, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period and the second period based on the ratio between the first gap and the second gap within the overlapping period.

[0081] For example, the terminal device 130 may perform measurements for the first network device 110 and short-time services for the second network device 120 during the overlapping period based on K1 and K2. The relationship between K1 and K2 is shown in Equation (1). K2 = 100 - K1 (1) Here, K1 indicates the ratio of the measurements for the first network device 110, and K2 indicates the ratio of the short-time services for the second network device 120.

[0082] In some embodiments, the ratio of the first gap to the second gap may be predefined. In some alternative embodiments, the ratio of the first gap to the second gap may be set by the first network device 110. In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may receive the ratio setting from the first network device 110 (340).

[0083] Note that, for the embodiments of the present disclosure, the overlap of two gaps has been described above by way of example. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable when three or more gaps overlap. For example, the terminal device 130 may allocate an overlap period to the one with the highest priority among three or more gaps. As another example, the terminal device 130 may allocate an overlap period to the one with the shortest length or the longest period among three or more gaps. As yet another example, the terminal device 130 may also allocate an overlap period to each of the three or more gaps based on their respective ratios.

[0084] By the process described in relation to FIG. 3, the overlap of gaps can be processed and the operations during the overlap period can be defined.

[0085] The operations shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are not necessarily required to implement the embodiments of the present disclosure. If necessary, more operations or fewer operations may be adapted as needed. Corresponding to the processes described in FIGS. 2 and 3, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide communication methods implemented in the terminal device and the network device. These methods will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

[0086] Exemplary implementation of a method FIG. 4 shows an exemplary communication method 400 implemented by a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 400 may be executed by the terminal device 130 as shown in FIG. 1. For the purpose of discussion, method 400 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. Method 400 may include additional blocks not shown and / or some of the shown blocks may be omitted, and it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 4, in block 410, the terminal device 130 receives a scheduling gap setting from the first network device 110. The scheduling gap is set for a part of the serving cell of the first network device 110. In some embodiments, the setting may include at least one of the master cell group or the secondary cell group to which the scheduling gap is applied, at least one band to which the scheduling gap is applied, at least one frequency to which the scheduling gap is applied, or at least one of the at least one serving cell to which the scheduling gap is applied. In this way, a scheduling gap with a smaller granularity can be used, and the interruption of the service at the first network device 110 can be avoided as much as possible.

[0088] It should be noted that the above setting is merely an example, and any other appropriate method may be adopted for the setting to realize a scheduling gap with a smaller granularity. For example, the setting may include at least one BWP of at least one serving cell to which the scheduling gap is applied.

[0089] In block 420, the terminal device 130 switches to the second network device 120 based on the scheduling gap setting while maintaining the RRC connection with the first network device 110. In some embodiments, the first network device 110 is associated with the first USIM of the terminal device 130, and the second network device 120 is associated with the second USIM of the terminal device 130.

[0090] In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may send a message to the first network device 110 to request a handover. The message may include assistance information regarding the handover. By doing so, it becomes easier for the network side to generate a more appropriate scheduling gap for the terminal device.

[0091] In some embodiments, the assistance information may include at least one of the purpose of the handover, at least one band expected for the handover, at least one frequency expected for the handover, at least one of the master cell group or secondary cell group expected for the handover, at least one serving cell expected for the handover, or at least one of the service directions in the second network device 120. It should be understood that the assistance information is not limited to these examples and any other appropriate information is also possible.

[0092] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary communication method 500 implemented by a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the method 500 may be executed by the first network device 110 as shown in FIG. 1. For the purpose of discussion, the method 500 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that the method 500 may include additional blocks not shown and / or some of the shown blocks may be omitted, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 5, in block 510, the first network device 110 generates a setting of a scheduling gap for the terminal device 130 to switch to the second network device 120 while maintaining an RRC connection with the first network device 110. The scheduling gap is set for a part of the serving cell of the first network device 110. In some embodiments, the first network device 110 is associated with the first USIM of the terminal device 130, and the second network device 120 is associated with the second USIM of the terminal device 130.

[0094] In block 520, the first network device 110 transmits a configuration to the terminal device 130. In some embodiments, the configuration may include at least one of a master cell group or a secondary cell group to which a scheduling gap is applied, at least one band to which a scheduling gap is applied, at least one frequency to which a scheduling gap is applied, or at least one serving cell to which a scheduling gap is applied. In this way, a scheduling gap with a smaller granularity can be set, and interruption of services at the first network device 110 can be avoided as much as possible.

[0095] It should be noted that the above configuration is merely an example, and any other appropriate method may be adopted for the configuration to achieve a scheduling gap with a smaller granularity. For example, the configuration may include at least one BWP of at least one serving cell to which a scheduling gap is applied.

[0096] In some embodiments, the first network device 110 may receive a message from the terminal device 130 for requesting a handover, and the message includes assistance information regarding the handover. In some embodiments, the first network device 110 may generate a setting of the scheduling gap by referring to the assistance information. In some alternative embodiments, the first network device 110 may generate a setting of the scheduling gap without referring to the assistance information.

[0097] In some embodiments, the assistance information may include at least one of a purpose of the handover, at least one expected band for the handover, at least one expected frequency for the handover, at least one of a master cell group or a secondary cell group expected for the handover, at least one serving cell expected for the handover, or at least one of directions of services in the second network device 120. It should be understood that the assistance information is not limited to these examples, and any other appropriate information is also possible.

[0098] FIG. 6 shows another exemplary communication method 600 implemented in a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 600 may be executed by a terminal device 130 as shown in FIG. 1. For the purpose of discussion, method 600 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 600 may include additional blocks not shown and / or may omit some of the blocks shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0099] As shown in FIG. 6, in block 610, the terminal device 130 determines whether a first gap of a network device (e.g., the first network device 110) overlaps with a second gap of the first network device 110. In some embodiments, the first gap is a certain scheduling gap and the second gap is another scheduling gap. In some alternative embodiments, the first gap is a certain scheduling gap and the second gap is a measurement gap.

[0100] If the first gap overlaps with the second gap, the process proceeds to block 620. In block 620, the terminal device 130 determines a first period within the overlapping period for performing a first operation corresponding to the first gap and a second period within the overlapping period for performing a second operation corresponding to the second gap. By doing so, it is possible to process the overlap of the gaps and define the operation of the terminal device during the overlapping period.

[0101] In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may determine a first period and a second period based on the priorities of the first gap and the second gap. In some embodiments where the first gap has a higher priority than the second gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as the overlapping period and determine the second period as zero. In some embodiments where the second gap has a higher priority than the first gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as zero and determine the second period as the overlapping period.

[0102] In some embodiments, the priorities of the first gap and the second gap may be predefined. In some embodiments, the priorities of the first gap and the second gap may be set by the network device. In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may receive an indication from the first network device 110 indicating that the first gap has a higher priority than the second gap. In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may receive a setting from the first network device 110 indicating that the second gap has a higher priority than the first gap.

[0103] In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may determine a first period and a second period based on the priorities of the first operation and the second operation corresponding to the first gap and the second gap. In some embodiments, the priorities of the first operation and the second operation may be predefined. In some embodiments, the priorities of the first operation and the second operation may be set on the network side.

[0104] In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period and the second period based on at least one of the lengths or periodicities of the first gap and the second gap. In some embodiments where the first gap has a length shorter than that of the second gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as the overlapping period and determine the second period as zero. In some embodiments where the second gap has a length shorter than that of the first gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the second period as the overlapping period and determine the first period as zero. In some embodiments where the first gap has a periodicity longer than that of the second gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period as the overlapping period and determine the second period as zero. In some embodiments where the second gap has a periodicity longer than that of the first gap, the terminal device 130 may determine the second period as the overlapping period and determine the first period as zero.

[0105] In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may determine the first period and the second period based on the ratio between the first gap and the second gap within the overlapping period. In some embodiments, the ratio may be predefined. In some embodiments, the ratio may be set on the network side. In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 130 may receive the setting of the ratio from the first network device 110.

[0106] The operations of the steps in methods 400-600 are the same as those described in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3, and thus other details are not repeated here.

[0107] Exemplary implementation of a device FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 700 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 700 can be considered as a further exemplary implementation of the first network device 110, the terminal device 130, or the second network device 120 shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, the apparatus 700 can be implemented in at least a part of, or as at least a part of, the first network device 110, the terminal device 130, or the second network device 120.

[0108] As shown in the figure, the apparatus 700 includes a processor 710, a memory 720 coupled to the processor 710, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 740 coupled to the processor 710, and a communication interface connected to the TX / RX 740. The memory 720 is stores at least a part of the program 730. The TX / RX 740 is for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 740 has at least one antenna for facilitating communication, but in practice, the access node described in the present application may have a plurality of antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communicating with other network elements, for example, the X2 / Xn interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs / gNBs, the S1 / NG interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / SGW / UPF and an eNB / gNB, the Un interface for communication between an eNB / gNB and a relay node (RN), or the Uu interface for communication between an eNB / gNB and a terminal device.

[0109] Program 730 is considered to include program instructions, and when the program is executed by the associated processor 710, it enables the device 700 to operate in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure, as discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-6 herein. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware executable by the processor 710 of the device 700. The processor 710 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, the combination of the processor 710 and the memory 720 may constitute processing means 750 suitable for implementing each embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0110] The memory 720 may be of any type suitable for a local technical network and may be implemented by any suitable data storage technology (examples include, but are not limited to, computer-readable non-transitory storage media, semiconductor-based storage devices, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory, etc.). Although only one memory 720 is shown for the device 700, a plurality of physically different memory modules may be installed in the device 700. The processor 710 may be of any type suitable for a local technical network and may include, for example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor configuration, but is not limited thereto. The device 700 may have a plurality of processors, for example, application-specific integrated circuit chips that are temporally dependent on a clock synchronized with a master processor.

[0111] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives, from a first network device, a scheduling gap setting for a part of a serving cell of the first network device, and includes a circuit configured to switch to a second network device based on the scheduling gap setting while maintaining a radio resource control connection with the first network device. The first network device is associated with a first Subscriber Identity Module of the terminal device, and the second network device is associated with a second Subscriber Identity Module of the terminal device.

[0112] In some embodiments, the setting may include at least one of a master cell group or a secondary cell group to which the scheduling gap is applied, at least one band to which the scheduling gap is applied, at least one frequency to which the scheduling gap is applied, or at least one serving cell to which the scheduling gap is applied.

[0113] In some embodiments, the circuit may further be configured to send a message to the first network device to request the switch. The message includes assistance information regarding the switch.

[0114] In some embodiments, the assistance information may include at least one of a purpose of the switch, at least one band expected for the switch, at least one frequency expected for the switch, at least one of a master cell group or a secondary cell group expected for the switch, at least one serving cell expected for the switch, or a direction of a service in the second network device.

[0115] In some embodiments, the terminal device determines whether a first gap of the network device overlaps with a second gap of the network device, and according to the determination that the first gap overlaps with the second gap, determines a first period within the overlapping period for performing a first operation corresponding to the first gap and a second period within the overlapping period for performing a second operation corresponding to the second gap. The first gap is a certain scheduling gap, and the second gap is another scheduling gap or a measurement gap.

[0116] In some embodiments, the circuit may be configured to determine the first period and the second period based on the priorities of the first gap and the second gap. In some embodiments, according to the determination that the first gap has a higher priority than the second gap, the circuit determines the first period as the overlapping period and determines the second period as zero, and according to the determination that the second gap has a higher priority than the first gap, the circuit determines the first period as zero and determines the second period as the overlapping period.

[0117] In some embodiments, the circuit may be further configured to receive from the network device a setting indicating that the first gap has a higher priority than the second gap, or receive from the network device a setting indicating that the second gap has a higher priority than the first gap.

[0118] In some embodiments, the circuit may be configured to determine the first period and the second period based on the priorities of the first operation and the second operation corresponding to the first gap and the second gap.

[0119] In some embodiments, the circuit may be configured to determine a first period and a second period based on at least one of the lengths or periodicities of the first gap and the second gap. In some embodiments, the circuit is configured to determine the first period as an overlapping period and the second period as zero according to a determination that the first gap has a length shorter than that of the second gap, and to determine the second period as an overlapping period and the first period as zero according to a determination that the second gap has a length shorter than that of the first gap.

[0120] In some embodiments, the circuit is configured to determine the first period as an overlapping period and the second period as zero according to a determination that the first gap has a periodicity longer than that of the second gap, and to determine the second period as an overlapping period and the first period as zero according to a determination that the second gap has a periodicity longer than that of the first gap.

[0121] In some embodiments, the circuit may be configured to determine the first period and the second period based on the ratio of the first gap to the second gap within the overlapping period. In some embodiments, the circuit may further be configured to receive a setting of the ratio from a network device.

[0122] In some embodiments, a first network device includes a circuit configured to generate a setting of a scheduling gap for a terminal device to switch to a second network device while maintaining a radio resource control connection with the first network device, and to transmit the setting to the terminal device. The scheduling gap is set for a part of a serving cell of the first network device, the first network device is associated with a first Subscriber Identity Module of the terminal device, and the second network device is associated with a second Subscriber Identity Module of the terminal device.

[0123] In some embodiments, the configuration may include at least one of a master cell group or a secondary cell group to which a scheduling gap is applied, at least one band to which a scheduling gap is applied, at least one frequency to which a scheduling gap is applied, or at least one serving cell to which a scheduling gap is applied.

[0124] In some embodiments, the circuit may further be configured to receive, from the terminal device, a message requesting a handover. The message includes assistance information regarding the handover.

[0125] In some embodiments, the assistance information may include at least one of the purpose of the handover, at least one band expected for the handover, at least one frequency expected for the handover, at least one of a master cell group or a secondary cell group expected for the handover, at least one serving cell expected for the handover, or at least one of the directions of services in the second network device.

[0126] As used herein, the term "circuit" may mean a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be an analog hardware circuit and / or a digital hardware circuit in combination with software / firmware. As a further example, a circuit may be any portion of a hardware processor with software, such as a digital signal processor, software, and memory that cooperate to cause a device such as a terminal device or a network device to perform various functions. In yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software / firmware for operation but may not have software present when not required for operation. As used herein, the term "circuit" encompasses mere hardware circuits or processors, or portions of hardware circuits or processors, and their (or their) attendant software and / or firmware implementations.

[0127] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented by firmware or software executable by a controller, a microprocessor, or other computing device. Various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or by some other pictorial representation, and the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented, for example, by hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or a controller or other computing device, or a combination thereof, but are not limited thereto as will be understood.

[0128] The present disclosure further provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable non-transitory memory medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules. The instructions are executed on a device on a target physical processor or virtual processor, and perform, for example, the processes or methods described above with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7. Usually, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of program modules may be combined or divided among program modules as needed. The machine-readable instructions of program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located on either local or remote storage media.

[0129] The program code for implementing the method of the present disclosure may be described by any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing device. When the program code is executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations defined in the flowchart and / or block diagram are implemented. All of the program code may be executed on a machine, partially executed on a machine, executed as an independent software package, partially executed on a machine and partially executed on a remote machine, or all executed on a remote machine or server.

[0130] The above program code may be embodied on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that includes or stores a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine-readable storage medium may include one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0131] Note that although the operations have been described in a particular order, it should not be understood that such operations must be performed in the order shown or sequentially in order to obtain the desired result, and in some circumstances multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although the above discussion includes some specific implementation details, these are not limitations on the scope of the present disclosure and should be construed as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Some features described in the context of individual embodiments may be implemented in combination in one embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of one embodiment may be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0132] Although this disclosure has been described in terms of language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined by the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. means for receiving information indicating a first priority of a first gap and a second priority of a second gap from a network device; means for determining that the first gap and the second gap overlap; means for executing an operation of the second gap according to a determination that the second priority is higher than the first priority; comprising wherein the first gap is for a Multi-Universal Subscriber Identity Module (MUSIM) operation in which the own device can switch from a first network to a second network; a terminal device.

2. further comprising means for setting a period for executing an operation corresponding to the first gap to zero; the terminal device according to claim 1.

3. wherein the second gap is a gap for performing measurement; the terminal device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. further comprising means for executing an operation corresponding to a gap having a longer period among the first gap and the second gap; the terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. comprising means for transmitting information indicating a first priority of a first gap and a second priority of a second gap to a terminal device, wherein it is determined that the first gap and the second gap overlap, an operation of the second gap is executed according to a determination that the second priority is higher than the first priority, wherein the first gap is for a Multi-Universal Subscriber Identity Module (MUSIM) operation in which the terminal device can switch from a first network to a second network; a network device.

6. wherein a period for executing an operation corresponding to the first gap is set to zero; the network device according to claim 5.

7. wherein the second gap is a gap for measurement; the network device according to claim 5 or 6.

8. wherein an operation corresponding to a gap having a longer period among the first gap and the second gap is executed; the network device according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

9. A communication method executed by a terminal device, comprising: receiving, from a network device, information indicating a first priority of a first gap and a second priority of a second gap; determining that the first gap and the second gap overlap; Performing an operation on the second gap according to the determination that the second priority is higher than the first priority; including; The first gap is for a Multi-Universal Subscriber Identity Module (MUSIM) operation in which the terminal device can switch from a first network to a second network. Communication method. **Claim 10** Further including setting the period for performing the operation corresponding to the first gap to zero. The method according to claim 9. **Claim 11** The second gap is a gap for performing measurements. The method according to claim 9 or 10. **Claim 12** Further comprising performing an operation corresponding to the gap with a longer period among the first gap and the second gap. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

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