Communication methods, communication devices, and storage media

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a communication method, an apparatus, and a storage medium. The communication method applied to a terminal includes receiving configuration information for selectively activating a cell group and performing an activation process of the cell group based on the configuration information for selectively activating the cell group, where the activation process of the cell group includes activating and / or deactivating the cell group. According to the present disclosure, a communication operation of a terminal applied to selective activation of a cell group is provided, thereby assisting in the selective activation of the cell group.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, and particularly to communication methods, devices, and storage media.

Background Art

[0002] In related technologies, selective activation of cell groups in Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) is supported in communication technologies.

[0003] With the selective activation of cell groups, even after the cell group is changed, subsequent configurations can be executed without requiring network reconfiguration or re-initialization of the selective activation settings of the corresponding cell group. Therefore, in the selective activation of cell groups, the network device can provide the "cell group to be activated" to the terminal. For the "cell group to be activated", it can be activated or deactivated later without re-providing the cell group settings.

[0004] Multiple cell groups to be activated are introduced in related protocols, and cell groups can be selectively activated from the multiple cell groups to be activated. However, the communication operations of the terminal for selectively activating cell groups have not been clearly defined.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] To overcome the problems of related technologies, the present disclosure provides a communication method, device, and storage media.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method applicable to a terminal is provided. Receiving configuration information for the selective activation of cell groups, This includes performing a cell group activation process based on the setting information for the selective activation of the cell group, The cell group activation process includes activating the cell group and / or deactivating the cell group.

[0007] In one embodiment, the setting information for selective activation of the cell group includes a cell group selected from the cell group to be activated. Executing the cell group activation process based on the setting information for the selective activation of the aforementioned cell group is: This includes activating the selected cell group and / or deactivating the serving cell group.

[0008] In one embodiment, activating the selected cell group and / or deactivating the serving cell group is performed. This includes deactivating the serving cell group and activating the selected cell group in response to the presence of the serving cell group.

[0009] In one embodiment, activating the selected cell group and / or deactivating the serving cell group is performed. This includes changing the current serving cell group to the selected cell group in response to the existence of a serving cell group.

[0010] In one embodiment, activating the selected cell group and / or deactivating the serving cell group is performed. This includes activating the selected cell group in response to the absence of a serving cell group.

[0011] In one embodiment, the method further includes suspending the configuration information of a deactivated serving cell group in response to the deactivation of the serving cell group, wherein the configuration information of the serving cell group is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0012] In one embodiment, the method is For the deactivated serving cell group, the following actions may be taken: Execute or stop the execution of the wireless link management RLM. For the deactivated serving cell group, either perform or stop the execution of beam fault detection BFD, For the deactivated serving cell group, the timing advance TA timer is stopped, This further includes one or more of the following: resetting the media access control MAC entity.

[0013] In one embodiment, the method further includes applying or restoring configuration information for the selected cell group in response to activating the selected cell group, wherein the configuration information for the selected cell group is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0014] In one embodiment, the method is To initiate random access RACH for the selected cell group, This further includes one or more of the following: performing downlink synchronization on the selected cell group.

[0015] In one embodiment, the method further includes performing a synchronous reconfiguration process in response to the configuration information of the selected cell group including a synchronous reconfiguration.

[0016] In one embodiment, the method is The process further includes receiving cell group configuration information, acquiring and / or storing the cell group configuration information, wherein the cell group configuration information is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group. The cell group configuration information includes the configuration information for the serving cell group and / or the configuration information for the cell to be activated and / or the configuration information for the selected cell group.

[0017] In one embodiment, the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group includes the cell group to be activated, and performing the activation process of the cell group based on the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group includes deactivating the cell group to be activated.

[0018] In one embodiment, the mode of activation is: Deactivating the serving cell group and activating the selected cell group, This changes the current serving cell group to the selected cell group, This includes one or more of the above, including activating the selected cell group.

[0019] In one embodiment, the instruction information is further configured to instruct one or more activation operations to be performed on the selected cell group. The activation operation described above is: For the deactivated serving cell group, the following actions may be taken: Execute or stop the execution of the wireless link management RLM. Execute beam failure detection (BFD) or stop the execution of BFD for the deactivated serving cell group, Stop the timing advance (TA) timer for the deactivated serving cell group, Start random access (RACH) for the selected cell group, Execute downlink synchronization for the selected cell group, including resetting the media access control (MAC) entity.

[0020] In one embodiment, the activation process executed for the cell group is determined based on protocol rules or terminal implementation.

[0021] In one embodiment, the activation process executed in the cell group is Execute PDCP reconfiguration in response to the update of the secret key, Change the currently activated cell in a form of changing the cell group in response to the update of the secret key, Trigger the terminal to activate the specified cell group and start RACH in the specified cell group in response to the setting information of the specified cell group being included in the synchronization setting, including one or more of triggering the terminal to activate the specified cell group and starting RACH for the specified cell group in response to the stop of BFD or RLM in the specified cell group.

[0022] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication method applied to a network device is provided, including transmitting setting information for the selective activation of a cell group and causing the terminal to execute an activation process for the cell group based on the setting information for the selective activation of the cell group. The cell group activation process includes activating the cell group and / or deactivating the cell group.

[0023] In one embodiment, the setting information for selective activation of the cell group includes a cell group selected from the cell group to be activated. Executing the cell group activation process based on the setting information for the selective activation of the aforementioned cell group is: This includes activating the selected cell group and / or deactivating the serving cell group.

[0024] In one embodiment, the method is Further includes transmitting the configuration information of the serving cell group, The configuration information for the serving cell is included in the configuration information for the selective activation of the cell group.

[0025] In one embodiment, the method is This further includes sending the settings information for the selected cell group, The settings information for the selected cell group is included in the settings information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0026] In one embodiment, the settings information for the selected cell group includes synchronized reconfiguration.

[0027] In one embodiment, the method is This further includes sending cell group configuration information, The cell group configuration information is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group. The cell group configuration information includes the configuration information for the serving cell group and / or the configuration information for the cell to be activated and / or the configuration information for the selected cell group.

[0028] In one embodiment, the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group includes the cell group to be activated.

[0029] In one embodiment, the method is This further includes transmitting instruction information, The instruction information is configured to indicate the form of activation of the cell group that the terminal will perform the selection on.

[0030] In one embodiment, the mode of activation is: Deactivating the serving cell group and activating the selected cell group, This changes the current serving cell group to the selected cell group, This includes one or more of the above, including activating the selected cell group.

[0031] In one embodiment, the instruction information is further configured to instruct one or more activation operations to be performed on the selected cell group. The activation operation described above is: For the deactivated serving cell group, the following actions may be taken: Execute or stop the execution of the wireless link management RLM. For the deactivated serving cell group, either perform or stop the execution of beam fault detection BFD, For the deactivated serving cell group, the timing advance TA timer is stopped, To initiate random access RACH for the selected cell group, This includes performing downlink synchronization on the selected cell group.

[0032] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication device is provided. A receiving unit configured to receive configuration information for the selective activation of cell groups, The processing unit includes a processing unit configured to perform a cell group activation process based on setting information for the selective activation of the cell group, The cell group activation process includes activating the cell group and / or deactivating the cell group.

[0033] In one embodiment, the setting information for selective activation of the cell group includes a cell group selected from the cell group to be activated. Executing the cell group activation process based on the setting information for the selective activation of the aforementioned cell group is: This includes activating the selected cell group and / or deactivating the serving cell group.

[0034] In one embodiment, activating the selected cell group and / or deactivating the serving cell group is performed. This includes deactivating the serving cell group and activating the selected cell group in response to the presence of the serving cell group.

[0035] In one embodiment, activating the selected cell group and / or deactivating the serving cell group is performed. This includes changing the current serving cell group to the selected cell group in response to the existence of a serving cell group.

[0036] In one embodiment, activating the selected cell group and / or deactivating the serving cell group is performed. This includes activating the selected cell group in response to the absence of a serving cell group.

[0037] In one embodiment, the processing unit is configured to suspend the configuration information of a deactivated serving cell group in response to the deactivation of the serving cell group, wherein the configuration information of the serving cell group is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0038] In one embodiment, the processing unit is For the deactivated serving cell group, the following actions may be taken: Execute or stop the execution of the wireless link management RLM. For the deactivated serving cell group, either perform or stop the execution of beam fault detection BFD, For the deactivated serving cell group, the timing advance TA timer is stopped, It is configured to perform one or more of the following actions: resetting the media access control MAC entity.

[0039] In one embodiment, the receiving unit is further configured to apply or restore configuration information for the selected cell group in response to activating the selected cell group, wherein the configuration information for the selected cell group is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0040] In one embodiment, the processing unit is To initiate random access RACH for the selected cell group, The system is further configured to perform one or more of the following actions on the selected cell group: performing downlink synchronization.

[0041] In one embodiment, the processing unit is further configured to perform a synchronization reset process in response to the setting information of the selected cell group including synchronization reset.

[0042] In one embodiment, the receiving unit is Further configured to acquire and / or store cell group configuration information in response to receiving cell group configuration information, wherein the cell group configuration information is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group. The cell group configuration information includes the configuration information for the serving cell group and / or the configuration information for the cell to be activated and / or the configuration information for the selected cell group.

[0043] In one embodiment, the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group includes the cell group to be activated, and performing the activation process of the cell group based on the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group includes deactivating the cell group to be activated.

[0044] In one embodiment, the processing unit is further configured to reset the media access control MAC entity.

[0045] In one embodiment, the receiving unit is configured to receive instruction information transmitted by a network device, and the processing unit is further configured to determine the form of activation of the selected cell group based on the instruction information.

[0046] In one embodiment, the mode of activation is: Deactivating the serving cell group and activating the selected cell group, This changes the current serving cell group to the selected cell group, This includes one or more of the above, including activating the selected cell group.

[0047] In one embodiment, the instruction information is further configured to instruct one or more activation operations to be performed on the selected cell group. The activation operation described above is: For the deactivated serving cell group, the following actions may be taken: Execute or stop the execution of the wireless link management RLM. For the deactivated serving cell group, either perform or stop the execution of beam fault detection BFD, For the deactivated serving cell group, the timing advance TA timer is stopped, To initiate random access RACH for the selected cell group, Perform downlink synchronization on the selected cell group, This includes resetting the Media Access Control MAC entity.

[0048] In one embodiment, the activation process performed on the cell group is determined based on protocol rules or terminal implementation.

[0049] In one embodiment, the activation process performed in the cell group is: In response to the private key update, perform PDCP reconfiguration, In response to a private key update, the currently active cell is modified by changing the cell group, and The terminal is triggered to activate a specified cell group, and in response to the synchronization settings including the configuration information for the specified cell group, RACH is initiated in the specified cell group. This includes one or more of the following: triggering a terminal to activate a specified cell group, and initiating RACH on the specified cell group in response to the BFD or RLM of the specified cell group being stopped.

[0050] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication device is provided, The system includes a transmission unit configured to transmit configuration information for the selective activation of a cell group, and to cause a terminal to perform a cell group activation process based on the configuration information for the selective activation of a cell group, wherein the cell group activation process includes activating and / or deactivating a cell group.

[0051] In one embodiment, the setting information for selective activation of the cell group includes a cell group selected from the cell group to be activated. Executing the cell group activation process based on the setting information for the selective activation of the aforementioned cell group is: This includes activating the selected cell group and / or deactivating the serving cell group.

[0052] In one embodiment, the transmission unit is Further configured to send serving cell group configuration information, The serving cell group The configuration information is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0053] In one embodiment, the transmission unit is Further configured to send the settings information of the selected cell group, The settings information for the selected cell group is included in the settings information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0054] In one embodiment, the settings information for the selected cell group includes synchronized reconfiguration.

[0055] In one embodiment, the transmission unit is Further configured to send cell group configuration information, The cell group configuration information is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group. The cell group configuration information includes the configuration information for the serving cell group and / or the configuration information for the cell to be activated and / or the configuration information for the selected cell group.

[0056] In one embodiment, the transmission unit is Further configured to transmit instruction information, The instruction information is configured to indicate the form of activation of the cell group that the terminal will perform the selection on.

[0057] In one embodiment, the mode of activation is: Deactivating the serving cell group and activating the selected cell group, This changes the current serving cell group to the selected cell group, This includes one or more of the above, including activating the selected cell group.

[0058] In one embodiment, the instruction information is further configured to instruct one or more activation operations to be performed on the selected cell group. The activation operation described above is: For the deactivated serving cell group, the following actions may be taken: Execute or stop the execution of the wireless link management RLM. For the deactivated serving cell group, either perform or stop the execution of beam fault detection BFD, For the deactivated serving cell group, the timing advance TA timer is stopped, To initiate random access RACH for the selected cell group, Perform downlink synchronization on the selected cell group. 、 Resetting the Media Access Control MAC entity and Includes.

[0059] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication device is provided. Processor and The processor includes memory for storing executable instructions, The processor is configured to perform the method described in either the first embodiment or any embodiment of the first embodiment.

[0060] According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication device is provided, Processor and The processor includes memory for storing executable instructions, The processor is configured to perform the method described in either the second embodiment or any embodiment of the second embodiment.

[0061] According to a seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided which, when executed by the processor of a terminal, enables the terminal to perform the method according to the first embodiment or the method according to either embodiment of the first embodiment.

[0062] According to an eighth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided which, when executed by the processor of a network device, enables the network device to perform the method of the second embodiment or the method of the second embodiment.

[0063] The technical solutions provided by embodiments of this disclosure may include the beneficial effect of providing terminal communication behavior suitable for selective activation of cell groups, and thus supporting selective activation of cell groups, by performing activation and / or deactivation of cell groups based on configuration information for selective activation of cell groups.

[0064] Please understand that the general descriptions above and the detailed descriptions below are illustrative and explanatory only and do not limit this disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0065] The accompanying drawings incorporated herein and constituting part of this specification are used in conjunction with this specification to illustrate embodiments in accordance with this disclosure and to illustrate the principles of this disclosure. [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the EN-DC architecture illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a diagram of the network architecture of an NR-DC illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the MCG and SCG under dual connection, illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 14] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 15] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 16] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 17] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 18] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 19] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 20] This is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 21] This is a block diagram of a communication device illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 22] This is a block diagram of a communication device illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 23] This is a block diagram of a communication device illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 24] This is a block diagram of a communication device illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0066] Exemplary embodiments are described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. Where the following description relates to the accompanying drawings, the same figures in different accompanying drawings indicate identical or similar elements unless otherwise noted. The embodiments described below in the exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.

[0067] It should be noted that the methods provided in any one embodiment of the present disclosure may be performed independently, any implementation in the embodiment may be performed independently, or in combination with other embodiments or possible implementations in other embodiments, or in combination with any technical solutions in the related art.

[0068] The communication methods provided by embodiments of this disclosure may be applied in a wireless communication system. In a wireless communication system, a mobile station is accessed via a radio access network via a radio access network device such as a base station, and the radio access network device and the core network device complete the reverse and forward transmission of data to perform various communication services.

[0069] A wireless communication system is a network that provides wireless communication functionality. Wireless communication systems can utilize various communication technologies, including code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA®), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), and carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance. Different networks can be classified into future evolutionary networks such as 2G (generation) networks, 3G networks, 4G networks, or 5G networks based on factors such as capacity, rate, and latency, with 5G networks sometimes being called New Radio (NR) networks. For ease of explanation, in this disclosure, wireless communication networks may be simply referred to as networks or systems. The network in this disclosure may include a Radio Access Network (RAN) and a Core Network (CN). The network includes network devices, which may be radio access network nodes, core network functions, etc. Here, radio access network nodes are also called base stations. The network can provide network services to terminals via network devices, and different operators can provide different network services to terminals, which can be understood as different operators having different operator networks.

[0070] Here, current wireless communication systems support the selective activation of cell groups (CG) in Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC).

[0071] MR-DC is an Intra-Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (Intra-E-UTRA) dual connectivity for a generalized, identically evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Here, a terminal can utilize radio resources provided from two different schedulings located at two different 5G radio access network (NG-RAN) nodes connected by a non-ideal backhaul, one providing NR access and the other providing E-UTRA or NR access. One functions as the Master Node (MN) and the other as the Secondary Node (SN). The MN and SN are connected via a network interface, with at least the MN connected to the core network.

[0072] Here, MR-DC is supported by the 4G Evolved Packet Core (EPC). Here, MR-DC is supported by E-UTRAN through (E-UTRAN-NR DC, EN-DC), and the architecture of EN-DC is shown in Figure 1. Referring to Figure 1, it is shown that the terminal is connected to an eNB acting as an MN and an en-gNB acting as an SN. The eNB is connected to the EPC via the S1 interface and to the en-gNB via the X2 interface. The en-gNB may be connected to the EPC via the S1-U interface and may be connected to other en-gNBs via the X2-U interface.

[0073] Here, the 5G core network (5GC) supports MR-DC. In one method, NG-RAN supports dual connectivity (NG-RAN E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity, NGEN-DC), where the terminal is connected to NG-eNB as MN and to gNB as SN. The NG-eNB is connected to 5GC, and the gNB is connected to ng-eNB via the X2-U interface. Alternatively, NG-RAN supports NR-E-UTRA DC (NR-E-UTRA Dual Connectivity, NE-DC). Here, the terminal is connected to a gNB acting as MN and an ng-eNB acting as SN. The gNB is connected to 5GC, and the ng-eNB is connected to gNB via the Xn interface. Yet another method is that NG-RAN supports (NR-NR DC, NR-DC). Figure 2 illustrates the network architecture diagram of NR-DC. Here, the terminal is connected to a gNB acting as MN and another gNB acting as SN. The primary gNB is connected to the 5GC via the NG interface, the two gNBs are connected via the Xn interface, and the secondary gNB can also be connected to the 5GC via the NG-U interface. Additionally, the NR-DC can be used by the UE to access a single gNB and operates as both an MN and SN, forming both the MCG and SCG.

[0074] Under a dual connection, a terminal can access two cell groups: a Master Cell group (MCG) and a Secondary Cell group (SCG). Under the MCG, there can be numerous cells. One of these cells is used to initiate the initial access; this cell is called a PCell. The PCell is the "primary" cell within the MCG. Figure 3 shows the structure of the MCG and SCG under a dual connection. The PCell and SCell under the MCG are joined by carrier aggregation (CA). In the MCG, the primary cell is a PCell, and the secondary cell is a SCell. In the SCG, the primary secondary cell is a PSCell, and the secondary cell is a SCell. Because much signaling is transmitted over PCells and PSCells, for convenience of explanation, the protocol collectively refers to PCells and PSCells as sPCells. sPCells are called special cells in English.

[0075] Related technologies proposed include Conditional Switching (CHO), Conditional PSCell Modification (CPC), and Conditional PSCell Addition (CPA). Of these, with CHO / CPC / CPA, the terminal must deactivate the CHO / CPC / CPA setting once random access to the target PCell / PSCell is complete. Therefore, unless the network reconfigures and reinitializes the CHO / CPC / CPA, the terminal will not have the opportunity to continue using CHO / CPC / CPA. Consequently, latency for switching or SCG modification increases, and signaling overhead increases.

[0076] Therefore, selective activation of cell groups in MR-DC has been proposed. This allows subsequent configuration to be performed even after a cell group (CG) has been changed, without the need to reconfigure the network or reinitialize the selective activation settings corresponding to the cell group. As a result, signaling overhead and the interruption time due to cell group changes can be reduced.

[0077] Here, the selective activation setting information for a cell group may include at least one of the following: a setting ID, activation conditions (if any), and the settings for the cell group / cell to be activated.

[0078] Here, selective activation of cell groups allows subsequent configurations to be performed even after a cell group has been changed, without the network needing to reconfigure or reinitialize the selective activation settings for the corresponding cell group. Therefore, in selective activation of cell groups, a network device can provide a "cell group to be activated" to a terminal. The "cell group to be activated" can then be activated or deactivated later without having to resupply the cell group settings.

[0079] In selective activation of cell groups, a network device may provide a terminal device with a pre-configured candidate target cell group or target cell. The terminal device can then activate or deactivate the pre-configured candidate cell group or cell based on the configuration sent by the network device (e.g., an activation message) or the corresponding activation event, without having to re-provide the cell group configuration. Alternatively, in selective activation of cell groups, it may be understood that the terminal device does not delete the selective activation configuration information for the corresponding cell group after activating a new cell or cell group, or after applying a new cell configuration or cell group configuration, or after accessing a new cell or cell group.

[0080] Selective activation of cell groups is also called cell group activation. Cell group activation allows the corresponding activation settings for a cell group or cell to be executed even after the cell group or cell has been changed, without requiring network reconfiguration or reinitialization. Therefore, cell group activation can reduce signaling overhead and the downtime of cell group changes. Cell group activation settings may include a setting ID and the settings for the target cell or target cell group. Optionally, cell group activation settings may also include trigger conditions (also called execution conditions or activation conditions).

[0081] In the embodiment, cell group activation is a mobility management process that includes any mobility management process in which a terminal device activates or deactivates a corresponding cell or cell group, applies a corresponding cell setting or cell group setting, or accesses a cell or cell group, in accordance with signaling transmitted by the network, criteria specified by a protocol, or the autonomy of the terminal device, by setting activation settings for any cell group.

[0082] In one embodiment, cell group activation is a mobility management process, which includes a mobility management process that, after performing any mobility management process, does not delete or release some or all of the corresponding configuration information. Here, not deleting or releasing some or all of the corresponding configuration information can also be referred to as retaining some or all of the corresponding configuration information.

[0083] In this disclosure, a cell group is one or more of a primary cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG). Here, an MCG includes one or more of a primary cell (PCell) and a secondary cell (SCell). Here, an SCG includes one or more of a primary secondary cell (PSCell) and a secondary cell (SCell).

[0084] In this disclosure, selective activation of a cell group may include one or more cell selective activations or cell activations, such as PCell activation, PSCell activation, and SCell activation.

[0085] The relevant protocols introduce SCG activation and deactivation, but such forms apply to state changes of a single SCG and do not involve state changes of multiple SCGs. However, the introduction of multiple cell groups to be activated is now supported, and it is now possible to selectively activate cell groups from among multiple cell groups to be activated. However, because it may involve changes to cell groups, the current protocols do not specify the specific actions of the terminal in how to selectively activate cell groups from among multiple cell groups to be activated. In other words, the communication actions of the terminal to perform selective cell activation are not specified.

[0086] Therefore, in order to support the selective activation of cell groups, this disclosure provides a communication method for performing a cell group activation process based on configuration information for the selective activation of cell groups, in order to clarify the communication operation of a terminal that performs the selective activation of cell groups.

[0087] Here, the cell groups relating to each of the following embodiments in this disclosure may include one or more cells. The activation process of a cell group may be understood as the activation process of a cell group / cell. Therefore, the cell groups relating to the following embodiments in this disclosure may be understood as cells or cell groups.

[0088] It will be understood that the cell groups relating to the following embodiments of this disclosure may be primary cell groups (MCG) or secondary cell groups (SCG), and that the cells may be primary cells (PCell), primary secondary cells (PSCell), and secondary cells (SCell).

[0089] In this disclosure, a cell group may refer to one or more of a primary cell, a primary secondary cell, and a secondary cell.

[0090] Furthermore, it should be understood that the cell group activation process relating to this disclosure may include a cell group activation process, a cell group deactivation process, or both a cell group activation process and a cell group deactivation process.

[0091] Furthermore, in this disclosure, the cell group activation process may include the cell activation process.

[0092] The cell activation process relating to this disclosure may include a cell activation process, a cell deactivation process, or both a cell activation process and a cell deactivation process.

[0093] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, and as shown in Figure 4, the communication method is used in a terminal and includes the following steps.

[0094] In step S11, configuration information for selective activation of the cell group is received.

[0095] In step S12, a cell group activation process is performed based on the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group, and the cell group activation process includes activating the cell group and / or deactivating the cell group.

[0096] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the terminal receives configuration information for selective activation of a cell group, and activates and / or deactivates the cell group based on the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group, thereby providing the communication operation of the terminal used for selective activation of the cell group and supporting the selective activation of the cell group.

[0097] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes cell group configuration information for the cell group to be activated. The configuration information for selective activation of cell groups may also include configuration information for currently activated cell groups.

[0098] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes an activation command. It may also be understood as configuration information for indicating selected cell groups to be activated and / or configuration information for cell groups to be deactivated.

[0099] In one embodiment, in response to configuration information for selective activation of cell groups including an indication of the selected cell groups to be activated, performing a cell group activation process based on the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes activating the selected cell groups and / or deactivating the serving cell groups.

[0100] In one embodiment, in response to the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups including the configuration information for selected cell groups, performing a cell group activation process based on the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes activating the selected cell groups and / or deactivating the serving cell groups.

[0101] Here, the configuration information for selective activation of a cell group in the embodiments of this disclosure may include a configuration ID and a target cell configuration or a target cell group configuration. Optionally, the configuration information for activation of a cell group may also include a trigger condition (which may also be called an execution condition or activation condition).

[0102] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, and as shown in Figure 5, the communication method is used for a terminal and includes the following steps.

[0103] In step S21, configuration information for selective activation of cell groups is received, and the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes a cell group selected from among the cell groups to be activated.

[0104] In step S22, the selected cell group is activated and / or the serving cell group is deactivated.

[0105] The serving cell groups involved in the embodiments of this disclosure and the embodiments described below may be understood to be currently activated cell groups.

[0106] In embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes, on the one hand, cell group configuration information for the cell group to be activated. On the other hand, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups may also include configuration information for currently activated cell groups.

[0107] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes an activation command. It may also be understood that the configuration information includes a selection of cell groups to be activated and / or a configuration information to be deactivated.

[0108] Here, the configuration information for selective activation of a cell group in the embodiments of this disclosure may include a configuration ID and a target cell configuration or a target cell group configuration. Optionally, the configuration information for activation of a cell group may also include a trigger condition (which may also be called an execution condition or activation condition).

[0109] Here, the serving cell group in the embodiments of this disclosure is the currently activated cell group. The selected cell group becomes a serving cell group when it is successfully activated. The current serving cell group may also be the "activated cell group" before activation. The serving cell group may also be the activated cell group after it has been deactivated.

[0110] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the terminal performs activation and / or deactivation of a selected cell group, including one or more of the following cases: Case 1: Deactivate the serving cell group and activate the selected cell group. Case 2: Change the current serving cell group to the selected cell group. Case 3: Activate the selected cell group.

[0111] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the terminal performs activation of a selected cell group and / or deactivation of a serving cell group, further including one or more of the following cases: Case 1: In response to the presence of a serving cell group, deactivate the serving cell group and activate the selected cell group. Case 2: In response to the existence of a serving cell group, change the current serving cell group to the selected cell group. Case 3: Activate the selected cell group in response to the absence of a serving cell group.

[0112] In embodiments of this disclosure, the absence of a serving cell group on a terminal may, on the one hand, mean that a serving secondary cell group does not exist or that the secondary cell group is not activated. In this case, the terminal can interact with network devices based on the primary cell group and obtain corresponding information, for example, it can receive configuration information for selective activation of cell groups through the primary cell group. On the other hand, in embodiments of this disclosure, the absence of a serving cell group on a terminal may mean that a serving primary cell group does not exist or that no primary cell groups are activated. In this case, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups may be obtained in advance while a serving cell group is present.

[0113] There, embodiments of the present disclosure are described as an example in which a terminal activates a specific cell group / cell.

[0114] In the communication methods provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, the terminal communicates in one or more of the following ways: A: In response to triggering the terminal to activate a specific cell group / cell (let's call this cell group / cell to be activated the selected cell group / cell), if there is an activated cell group / cell at this point, one or more of the following A / B / C may be performed: a) Deactivate the currently activated cell group / cell and activate the selected cell group / cell. In this form, the current serving cell group / cell is understood to be the cell group / cell currently activated by the terminal. b) Perform a cell group / cell change to change the cell group / cell to which the current terminal is connected. Here, this can be understood as a change from the connection to the current serving cell group / cell to the connection to the selected cell group / cell. B: In response to a trigger that activates a selected cell group / cell, if no cell group / cell has been activated at this point, the following steps can be taken: a) Activate the selected cell group / cell. In response to C:UE deactivating the current serving cell group / cell, the following steps can be taken: a) Perform deactivation of the current serving cell group / cell.

[0115] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, in response to a trigger that causes a terminal to activate a particular cell group, if an activated cell group exists at that time, the terminal may, on the one hand, deactivate the current serving cell group and activate a selected cell group, and on the other hand, the terminal may also change cell groups, i.e., change the cell group to which the current terminal is connected. The connection is changed from the current serving cell group to the selected cell group.

[0116] In a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, in response to triggering a terminal to activate a selected cell group, if no activated cell group currently exists, the activation of the selected cell group is performed.

[0117] In a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the deactivation of the current serving cell group is performed in response to a terminal deactivating the current serving cell group.

[0118] In the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, on the one hand, in the selective activation of cell groups, all "cell groups / cells to be activated" may be in an inactive state, that is, the terminal does not currently activate any cell groups / cells, that is, there are currently no serving cell groups / cells.

[0119] On the other hand, in the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, in the selective activation of cell groups, there is only one "cell group / cell to be activated" in the activated state, meaning that a terminal can only activate one or more cell groups / cells at a time.

[0120] In the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, the terminal determines whether or not to activate a cell group / cell based on one or more of the following forms: network preconfiguration conditions, network instructions, protocol specifications, or terminal implementations.

[0121] In a communication method provided by one embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal may also determine the cell group / cell selected to change the current serving cell group / cell based on one or more of the following forms: network preconfiguration conditions, network instructions, protocol specifications, or terminal implementations.

[0122] In one embodiment, in the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, when a cell group is selected, the settings information of the selected cell group may be applied or restored.

[0123] In one embodiment of the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, a terminal determines whether or not to deactivate the current serving cell group / cell based on one or more of network preconfiguration conditions, network instructions, protocol specifications, or embodiments.

[0124] In one embodiment, when a serving cell group is deactivated in the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information of the deactivated serving cell group may be suspended.

[0125] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, and as shown in Figure 6, the communication method is used for a terminal and includes the following steps.

[0126] In step S31, in response to the deactivation of the serving cell group, the serving cell group is deactivated.

[0127] As an example, the serving cell group is deactivated, that is, the currently active cell group is deactivated.

[0128] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, deactivating a serving cell group includes suspending the configuration information of the deactivated serving cell group.

[0129] Here, suspending the configuration information of a deactivated serving cell group means, for example, suspending the radio resource reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) information corresponding to the deactivated serving cell group.

[0130] For example, the configuration information for a serving cell group is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0131] The configuration information for selective activation of cell groups may, on the one hand, include the cell group configuration information of the cell group to be activated. On the other hand, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups may also include the configuration information of the currently activated cell group.

[0132] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, configuration information for the selective activation of cell groups includes activation commands, which can be understood as indicating selected cell groups to be activated and / or deactivated.

[0133] In yet another communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, deactivating a serving cell group may include one or more of the following: a) Run or stop running radio link monitoring (RLM) for the deactivated serving cell group. b) Perform beam failure detection (BFD) or stop BFD for the deactivated serving cell group. c) Stop the Timing Advance (TA) timer for deactivated serving cell groups. d) Reset the media access control (MAC) entity.

[0134] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the deactivation of a serving cell group is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0135] Herein, embodiments of the present disclosure are described as examples where the serving cell group is a specific cell group / cell.

[0136] In yet another communication method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, deactivating a serving cell group may include, but not limited to, one or more of the following: a) Suspend the settings corresponding to this cell group / cell (e.g., RRCReconfiguration); b) Consider this cell group / cell to be inactive; c) The Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer notifies the lower layers that this cell group / cell is in an inactive state; d) Based on the instruction information, decide whether to continue or stop RLM in this cell group / cell; e) Based on the instructions, decide whether to continue or stop BFD in this cell or cell group; f) Stop timer T310; g) Stop timer T312; h) Reset counters N310 and N312; i) Reconstruction of the Radio Link Control (RLC) protocol layer; j) Reconstruction of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer; k) A PDCP entity that triggers a Signaling Radio Bearer (SDU) discards a service data unit (SDU); l) Reset the MAC entity.

[0137] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the activation of the selected cell group may be performed when the selected cell group is activated.

[0138] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, the communication method being used for a terminal and including the following steps, as shown in Figure 7.

[0139] In step S41, in response to activating the selected cell group, the activation of the selected cell group is performed.

[0140] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, activating a selected cell group includes applying or restoring the configuration information of the selected cell group.

[0141] Here, the configuration information for the selected cell group may be, for example, RRCReconfiguration.

[0142] Exemplary, in embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for a selected cell group is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0143] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups may, on the one hand, include cell group configuration information for the cell group to be activated. On the other hand, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups may also include configuration information for the currently activated cell group.

[0144] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, configuration information for the selective activation of cell groups includes an activation command, which can also be understood as indicating selected cell groups to be activated and / or deactivated.

[0145] In the communication methods provided by embodiments of this disclosure, activating a selected cell group may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: a) Start random access RACH on the selected cell group. b) Perform downlink synchronization on the selected cell group.

[0146] Herein, the activation of selected cell groups in embodiments of this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0147] In the communication methods provided by embodiments of this disclosure, activating a selected cell group may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: a) Applying / restoring the settings of this cell group (e.g., RRCReconfiguration), and applying / restoring the settings of this cell group includes performing some or all of the processes that apply or restore this configuration information; b) This cell group / cell is considered to be in an activated state; c) The RRC layer notifies the lower layers that this cell group / cell is in an activated state; d) Restoring RLM for this cell group / cell (in such cases, it must be established that RLM for this cell group / cell was previously suspended); e) Restoring BFD to this cell or cell group (in such cases, it must be established that BFD to this cell group / cell was previously stopped); f) Activate a Random Access Channel (RACH) in this cell or in the cells of this cell group; g) Perform a synchronization reset process, for example, by performing part or all of the synchronization reset process.

[0148] In one embodiment of the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, the synchronization reset process is performed in response to the synchronization reset being included in the configuration information of the selected cell group.

[0149] Exemplary examples of the embodiments of this disclosure, performing a synchronization reset process includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: a) Start T304 corresponding to this cell or the cells in this group of cells; b) Start downlink synchronization and perform downlink synchronization with this cell or the cells in this cell group; c) Apply the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) settings for this cell or the cells in this cell group; d) Retrieve the Master Information Block (MIB) for this cell or the cells in this group of cells; e) Reset the MAC; f) Apply the value of the new terminal identifier (newUE-Identity) in the configuration information as the temporary cell radio network identifier (CellRNTI, C-RNTI); g) Based on the configuration information, configure the PDCP, RLC, MAC, and physical layer (Physical, PHY).

[0150] Exemplary, the communication methods provided in this disclosure supplement the following description of downlink synchronization in order to perform the process of downlink synchronization for a particular cell group / cell: The terminal initiates downlink synchronization to cells within this cell or multiple groups of cells within this cell upon activation of a cell group / cell according to the protocol; For example, if synchronization for this cell group or this cell is unavailable, downlink synchronization to this cell or multiple groups of this cell will be initiated when the cell group / cell is activated.

[0151] In one embodiment of the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, in response to receiving configuration information for a cell group to be activated, configuration information for a selected cell group is received. In other words, when a terminal receives configuration information for the selective activation of a cell group, it reads the configuration information for the cell group in the selective activation of the cell group and / or applies the configuration information for the cell group.

[0152] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, the communication method being used for a terminal and including the following steps, as shown in Figure 8.

[0153] In step S51, in response to receiving cell group configuration information, the cell group configuration information is acquired and / or stored.

[0154] For example, cell group configuration information is included in the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups.

[0155] Here, the cell group configuration information refers to the configuration information of the serving cell group and / or the configuration information of the cell to be activated and / or the configuration information of the selected cell group.

[0156] Here, the configuration information for the serving cell group may be included in the configuration information for the selective activation of the cell group. The configuration information for the cell to be activated may also be included in the configuration information for the selective activation of the cell group. The configuration information for the selected cell group may also be included in the configuration information for the selective activation of the cell group.

[0157] For example, cell group configuration information may include initial configuration information for the cell group / cell.

[0158] In embodiments of this disclosure, a predetermined communication operation may be performed when applying cell group configuration information.

[0159] In the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, a predetermined communication operation may be performed for a specific cell group / cell based on the initial setup information of the cell group / cell, or it may not be performed.

[0160] Example: If the initial information of a cell group / cell indicates that this cell group / cell is active, the specified communication action will be performed.

[0161] Example: If the initial settings information for a cell group / cell indicates that this cell group / cell is inactive, the specified communication action will not be performed.

[0162] In the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, when applying cell group / cell configuration information, if the cell group / cell corresponding to the execution of this process is an activated cell group / cell (if this cell group / cell is activated during initial setup), a predetermined communication operation is performed. If the cell group / cell corresponding to the execution of this process is an inactivated cell group / cell (if this cell / cell group is not activated during initial setup), the specified communication operation is not performed.

[0163] In this case, the specified communication actions performed when applying the cell group settings include one or more of the following: a) Start T304 corresponding to this cell or the cells in this group of cells; b) Start downlink synchronization and perform downlink synchronization with this cell or the cells in this cell group; c) Apply the BCCH setting to this cell or the cells in this group of cells; d) Get the MIB of this cell or the cells in this group of cells; e) Reset the MAC; f) Apply the value of newUE-Identity in the configuration information as C-RNTI; g) Perform PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY settings according to the configuration information; h) Start RACH.

[0164] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, in the process of applying cell group / cell configuration information, the terminal determines, in accordance with the protocol, to initiate downlink synchronization to the cell or to the cells in multiple groups of this cell when the cell group / cell is activated. For example, if synchronization to the cells of this cell group or this cell is unavailable, downlink synchronization to the cells of this cell or multiple groups of this cell is initiated when the cell group / cell is activated.

[0165] In a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, in response to a terminal triggering the activation of a selected cell group / cell, if it is determined that the configuration for this cell group / cell exists and / or that this cell group / cell is not the current serving cell group / cell, the activation of the selected cell group / cell is performed.

[0166] For example, the process of activating a selected cell group / cell includes the process of applying / restoring the settings of that cell group.

[0167] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes cell group configuration information for the cell group to be activated. The configuration information for selective activation of cell groups may also include configuration information for currently activated cell groups.

[0168] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes activation commands. It can also be understood as configuration information for indicating selected cell groups to be activated and / or for indicating cell groups to be deactivated.

[0169] In one embodiment, in response to configuration information for selective activation of cell groups including support for a designated selective cell group to be activated, the activation process for a cell group is performed based on the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups, which includes performing the activation of a selective cell group and / or performing the deactivation of a serving cell group.

[0170] In one embodiment, in response to the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups including the configuration information for selected cell groups, performing a cell group activation process based on the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes activating the selected cell groups and / or deactivating the serving cell groups.

[0171] Here, the configuration information for selective activation of a cell group in the embodiments of this disclosure may include a configuration ID and a configuration for a target cell or a target cell group. Optionally, the configuration information for activation of a cell group may also include a trigger condition (also called an execution condition or activation condition).

[0172] In the communication method provided in embodiments of this disclosure, different actions may be performed on MAC entities and / or cell groups corresponding to upper-layer instruction information based on upper-layer instructions in order to activate or deactivate cell groups.

[0173] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, the communication method being used on a terminal as shown in Figure 9, and includes the following steps.

[0174] In step S61, upper layer instruction information is acquired, and the upper layer instruction information is configured to instruct the activation or deactivation of the cell group.

[0175] For example, here the upper layer is the layer above the MAC layer and may be one or more of the RRC layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, and NAS layer.

[0176] For example, if a higher layer indicates the activation or deactivation of a cell group, it may also be a higher layer indicating that the cell group is in an activated or deactivated state.

[0177] In step S62, different actions are performed on the cell group corresponding to the MAC entity and / or the higher layer instruction information.

[0178] The communication method provided in embodiments of this disclosure performs different actions on MAC entities and / or cell groups corresponding to instruction information based on the activation or deactivation state of cell groups instructed by a higher layer.

[0179] For example, when a higher layer instructs a cell group to be activated, one or more of the following actions may be performed: a) If a beam fault is detected or the TA timer is not operating, start RACH; b) Instruct the physical layer to activate this cell / cell group; c) Restart or initiate uplink authorization for suspended settings; d) Perform SRS transmission in this cell or the cells of this cell group; e) Perform a CSI report in this cell or cell group; f) Perform PDCCH monitoring in this cell or cell group; g) Perform PUCCH transmission in this cell or cell group; h) Initialize the logical message Bj to 0.

[0180] In another example, if a higher layer instructs a cell group to be deactivated, one or more of the following actions may be performed: a) Deactivate all SCells within this cell group; b) Instruct the physical layer to deactivate this cell / cell group; c) Reset MAC; d) Do not perform SRS transmission in this cell or the cells in this cell group; e) Do not report CSI in this cell or in the cells of this cell group; f) Do not transmit in UL-SCH in this cell or the cells of this cell group; g) Do not perform PUCCH transmission in this cell or the cells of this cell group; h) Do not transmit in RACH in this cell or in the cells of this cell group; i) Do not monitor PDCCH in this cell or the cells in this cell group.

[0181] In one embodiment, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the MAC entity is reset in response to the deactivation of a specific cell group.

[0182] In one embodiment, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the MAC entity is reset in response to a change in the current serving cell.

[0183] In one embodiment, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, MAC entities are reset in response to the activation of a specific cell group.

[0184] Embodiments of this disclosure include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following steps for resetting a MAC entity: a) If the MAC reset is not initiated by the deactivation of a cell / cell group, the Bj of each logical channel can be initialized to zero; b) For a deactivated cell / cell group, if the corresponding instruction information indicates the continuation of BFD / RLM for this deactivated cell / cell group, stop all running timers except the BFD timer and TA timer. c) For deactivated cells / cell groups, if the corresponding instruction information does not instruct BFD / RLM to continue for this deactivated cell / cell group, stop all running timers; d) If the MAC reset is not initiated by the deactivation of a cell / cell group, stop all running timers; e) Set the NDI value of all uplink HARQ processes to 0; f) If there is a MAC reset initiated to deactivate a cell / cell group, stop the running MAC reset; g) For 4-step random access and 2-step random access types, if a MAC reset initiated for deactivating a cell / cell group exists, discard the explicitly indicated non-conflicting MAC resources; h) Clear the message 3 (Msg3) buffer; i) Flushe the message A (MSGA) buffer; j) If a MAC reset has been initiated to deactivate a cell / cell group, cancel the triggered scheduling request procedure; k) If a MAC reset has been initiated due to the deactivation of a cell / cell group, cancel the triggered buffer state reporting procedure; l) If a MAC reset is initiated due to the deactivation of a cell / cell group, cancel the triggered power margin reporting procedure; m) If a MAC reset has been initiated due to the deactivation of a cell / cell group, cancel the triggered LBT (listen before talk) failure; n) If a MAC reset has been initiated due to cell / cell group deactivation, cancel the triggered Beam Failure Recovery (BFR); o) If a MAC reset is triggered by the deactivation of a cell / cell group, cancel the triggered recommended code rate query procedure; p) If a MAC reset is triggered by the deactivation of a cell / cell group, cancel the triggered configuration uplink authorization confirmation; q) If a MAC reset is triggered by cell / cell group deactivation, flush the soft buffer of all downlink hybrid auto retransmission (DL HARQ) processes; r) If a MAC reset is initiated by the deactivation of a cell / cell group, for each DL HARQ process, the transmission received after the transport block (TB) shall be considered the first transmission; s) If a MAC reset is initiated by deactivating a cell / cell group, temporarily disable C-RNTI; t) If the upper layer indicates that the SCG has been deactivated and the corresponding instruction information does not instruct the continuation of BFD / RLM for this deactivated cell / cell group, or if the MAC reset is not initiated due to the deactivation of the cell / cell group, reset the beam fault instruction counters (BFI_COUNTERs). u) Reset all listen-before-talk counters (LBT_COUNTERs).

[0185] In a communication method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal receives configuration information for selective activation of a cell group, and activates and / or deactivates the cell group based on the configuration information for selective activation of a cell group, thereby providing a terminal communication operation suitable for selective activation of a cell group and supporting the selective activation of a cell group.

[0186] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes cell group configuration information for the cell group to be activated. The configuration information for selective activation of cell groups may also include configuration information for currently activated cell groups.

[0187] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes an activation command. It may also be understood as configuration information for indicating selected cell groups to be activated and / or configuration information for cell groups to be deactivated.

[0188] In one embodiment, in response to configuration information for selective activation of cell groups including an indication of the selected cell groups to be activated, performing a cell group activation process based on the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes activating the selected cell groups and / or deactivating the serving cell groups.

[0189] In one embodiment, in response to the setting information for selective activation of cell groups including setting information for selected cell groups, performing a cell group activation process based on the setting information for selective activation of cell groups includes activating the selected cell groups and / or deactivating the serving cell groups.

[0190] Here, the configuration information for selective activation of a cell group in the embodiments of this disclosure may include a configuration ID and a target cell configuration or a target cell group configuration. Optionally, the configuration information for activation of a cell group may also include a trigger condition (which may also be called an execution condition or activation condition).

[0191] In a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal includes activating a selected cell group and / or deactivating a serving cell group, and changing the current serving cell group to the selected cell group.

[0192] Figure 10 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. 8 As shown, the communication method used for the terminal includes the following steps:

[0193] In step S71, configuration information for selective activation of cell groups is received, and the current serving cell group is changed to the selected cell group.

[0194] In the communication method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, changing the current serving cell group to the selected cell group may include, on the one hand, deactivating the current serving cells involved in the embodiments, as well as part or all of the process of activating the selected cells.

[0195] In the communication method provided in embodiments of this disclosure, when changing the current serving cell group to the selected cell group, a cell switching process may also be initiated. Here, initiating a cell switching process for changing the serving cell group does not require reading the configuration information if the configuration information has been received. Furthermore, when triggering the change of cell group, the application may include the configuration information for this cell group in a synchronous reassignment.

[0196] Furthermore, in the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, a network device may instruct the activation mode of the cell group that the terminal selects.

[0197] Figure 11 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, the communication method being used for a terminal and including the following steps:

[0198] In step S81, instruction information transmitted by the network device is received and used to instruct the terminal on the activation form of the cell group in which to make a selection.

[0199] In step S82, the activation form of the cell group to be selected is determined based on the instruction information.

[0200] Exemplary, in embodiments of this disclosure, instruction information transmitted by a network device may be for instructing a terminal to change the activation mode of a cell.

[0201] In one embodiment of the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, the activation mode includes one or more of the following: a) Deactivate the serving cell group and activate the selected cell group; b) Change the current serving cell group to the selected cell group; c) Activate the selected cell group.

[0202] In a communication method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal decides to change an activated cell by activating and / or deactivating a cell group / cell based on instruction information transmitted by a network device.

[0203] In a communication method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal decides to change the activated cell by changing the configuration of the current serving cell group based on instruction information transmitted by a network device.

[0204] Example: Change the activated cell by changing the current serving cell to the selected cell, thereby changing the current serving cell group.

[0205] In a communication method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal determines a specific action to perform a cell group activation process based on instruction information transmitted by a network device.

[0206] In the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the specific operations for performing the activation process of a cell group include one or more of the following: a) Deactivate the serving cell group and activate the selected cell group. b) Change the current serving cell group to the selected cell group. c) Activate the selected cell group.

[0207] The embodiments of the present disclosure are described as examples of performing the activation process of a specific cell group / cell.

[0208] In the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, since the network device also transmits the indication information for instructing the specific operations of the terminal to perform the activation process of the cell group, the terminal determines the specific actions of the terminal to perform the activation process of the cell group based on the indication information transmitted from the network device.

[0209] FIG. a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. the communication method is used for a terminal and includes the following steps.

[0210] In step S91, receive the indication information transmitted by the network device, where the indication information is configured to instruct a specific operation for implementing the activation process of the cell group.

[0211] In step S92, based on the indication information, determine a specific action for the terminal to perform the activation process of the cell group.

[0212] For example, a terminal may determine a specific action to perform the activation process for a particular cell group / cell based on the instruction information sent from the network device, by using instruction information sent from the network device to instruct the terminal to perform a specific action to perform the activation process for the cell group / cell.

[0213] In one example, instruction information is used to indicate the process that the terminal should perform to activate a cell group / cell, and the terminal determines the process to perform to activate the cell group / cell based on the instruction information.

[0214] In an exemplary embodiment, instruction information is used to indicate the process that the terminal should perform to deactivate a cell group / cell, and the terminal determines the process that it should perform to deactivate the cell group / cell based on the instruction information.

[0215] In an exemplary embodiment, instruction information is used to indicate the process that the terminal should perform in order to modify a cell group / cell, and the terminal determines the process that it should perform in order to modify a cell group / cell based on the instruction information.

[0216] In embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal may, based on instruction information, determine one or more operations in the corresponding processing that the terminal should perform on the cell group / cell involved in the above embodiment, and it should be understood that embodiments of the present disclosure are not described in detail herein.

[0217] In embodiments of this disclosure, it will be understood that instructional information transmitted by a network device may be used to indicate at least one of the following: a) The activation mode of the cell group in which the terminal performs the selection. b) A specific action performed by a terminal to activate a cell group.

[0218] In one embodiment of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, the instruction information is further configured to instruct one or more activation operations to be performed on a selected group of cells.

[0219] Figure 13 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, the communication method being used for a terminal and including the following steps, as shown in Figure 13.

[0220] In step S101, instruction information transmitted by the network device is received, and the instruction information is used to indicate one or more activation operations to be performed on the selected cell group.

[0221] In step S102, based on the instruction information, one or more activation operations to be performed on the selected cell group are determined.

[0222] Exemplary examples of activation actions include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: a) The terminal determines whether to perform RACH, such as initiating RACH, in the cell that is to be activated or in the cell group that should be activated based on the instruction information. b) Perform or stop BFD on the deactivated serving cell group. For example, the UE decides whether to perform BFD on the deactivated cell group / cell based on the instruction information. c) Whether to run or stop RLM for deactivated serving cell groups. For example, the terminal decides whether to run RLM for deactivated cell groups / cells based on the instruction information. d) Stop the timing advance TA timer for deactivated serving cell groups. For example, the terminal decides whether or not to stop the TA timer for deactivated cell groups / cells based on the instruction information. e) The UE decides whether or not to perform downlink synchronization based on the instruction information. f) Perform downlink synchronization on the selected cell group. For example, the terminal decides whether or not to perform downlink synchronization based on the instruction information, and performs downlink synchronization on the cell that should be activated or on the cell in the cell group that should be activated.

[0223] The activation operations involved in embodiments of the Disclosure may also be activation operations involved in the processes that a terminal should perform to activate a cell group / cell and / or to deactivate a cell group / cell and / or to modify a cell group / cell in the embodiments described above, and it should be understood that embodiments of the Disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, an embodiment of the Disclosure may, based on instruction information, determine whether or not to perform one or more activation operations involved in the processes that a terminal should perform to activate a cell group / cell and / or to deactivate a cell group / cell and / or to modify a cell group / cell in the embodiments described above.

[0224] It will be further understood that, in embodiments of this disclosure, instruction information transmitted by a network device may be used to instruct at least one of the following: a) The activation mode of the cell group in which the terminal performs the selection. b) The specific actions taken when the terminal performs the cell group activation process. c) One or more activation operations performed on the selected cell group.

[0225] In the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the indication information transmitted by a network device may be configured independently for each cell / cell group, or may be configured independently for selective activation settings for each cell / cell group. Here, the activation / deactivation of a cell group / cell determines whether to execute a specific step according to specific indication information for this cell group / cell.

[0226] In the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the indication information transmitted by a network device may be general indication information, and the determination of whether to execute a specific step is made according to this indication information regardless of which cell group / cell is activated / deactivated.

[0227] In the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the indication information transmitted by a network device may be single indication information transmitted independently, or may be carried in existing signaling. For example, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the indication information transmitted by a network device may be included in the selective activation setting of a cell group, and when this cell group is activated, the terminal determines whether to execute a process related to the activation process to be executed for this cell group according to the corresponding configuration information. For example, in this embodiment of the present disclosure, the indication information may be included in an activation command, and when the terminal receives the activation command, it determines whether to execute a related process of the activation process to be executed for the above cell group according to the indication information included in the activation command.

[0228] In an embodiment of the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the activation process to be executed for a cell group may be determined based on protocol rules or terminal implementation.

[0229] In one embodiment, an example of an activation process for a cell group / cell, described below, includes one or more of the following activation processes performed on a cell group determined based on protocol rules or terminal implementation: a) Perform PDCP reconfiguration in response to the private key update; b) Modify the currently active cell group / cell by changing the cell group / cell in response to the private key update; c) In response to the trigger terminal activating the specified cell group / cell and the synchronization settings containing the configuration information for the specified cell group / cell, RACH is initiated in the specified cell group, or cell, or cell of the cell group; d) The trigger terminal activates the specified cell group / cell, and in response to the BFD or RLM of the specified cell group / cell being stopped, initiates RACH on the specified cell group, or cell, or cell of the cell group.

[0230] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure provides terminal operations to be applied to the selective activation of a cell group in order to support the selective activation of a cell group.

[0231] Here, the terminal activates one of the "cell groups to be activated" (which may be referred to as the selected cell group or the selected cell group), which includes one or more of the following cases: a) If a serving cell group currently exists on the terminal, the serving cell group will be deactivated and the selected cell group will be activated. b) If no serving cell group currently exists on the terminal, the selected cell group will be activated. c) If a serving cell group currently exists on the terminal, perform a cell group change and start the switching process.

[0232] In embodiments of this disclosure, a serving cell group is a currently activated cell group. Once a selected cell group is successfully activated, it becomes a serving cell group. The current serving cell group may also be an "activated cell group" before activation. After being deactivated, a serving cell group becomes an activated cell group.

[0233] In particular, the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure also defines specific terminal actions for a terminal to activate / deactivate cell groups / cells, for example, during initial setup, the terminal reads the cell group / cell configuration information and applies the corresponding cell group / cell configuration to the configuration of the cell group that is initially activated. For deactivated cell groups / cells, the terminal suspends the configuration corresponding to that cell group / cell. If a cell group / cell with existing configurations is activated, the terminal applies or restores the corresponding cell group / cell configuration.

[0234] In embodiments of this disclosure, the terminal may determine, based on instructions from a network device, whether activating a deactivated cell group / cell requires the execution of a corresponding process, for example, based on instructions from a network device, whether to activate the corresponding cell or cell group using an activation / deactivation solution or a switching solution. Furthermore, for example, the terminal may determine, based on instructions from a network device, whether to continue RLM / BFD when deactivating the corresponding cell group / cell, and determine specific actions of the terminal to perform the cell group / cell activation process based on instructions transmitted from the network device.

[0235] Based on the same idea, embodiments of this disclosure also provide communication methods applicable to network devices.

[0236] Figure 14 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, the communication method being used for a network device and including the following steps, as shown in Figure 14.

[0237] In step S111, configuration information for selective activation of the cell group is transmitted, causing the terminal to perform a cell group activation process based on the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group, and the cell group activation process includes activating the cell group and / or deactivating the cell group.

[0238] In the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes cell group configuration information for the cell group to be activated. The configuration information for selective activation of cell groups may also include configuration information for currently activated cell groups.

[0239] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes an activation command. It can also be understood as configuration information for indicating selected cell groups to be activated and / or configuration information for cell groups to be deactivated.

[0240] In one embodiment, in response to configuration information for selective activation of cell groups including an indication of the selected cell groups to be activated, the cell group activation process performed based on the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes activating the selected cell groups and / or deactivating the serving cell groups.

[0241] In one embodiment, in response to the setting information for selective activation of cell groups including setting information for selected cell groups, performing a cell group activation process based on the setting information for selective activation of cell groups includes activating the selected cell groups and / or deactivating the serving cell groups.

[0242] Here, the configuration information for selective activation of a cell group in the embodiments of this disclosure may include a configuration ID and a target cell configuration or a target cell group configuration. Optionally, the configuration information for activation of a cell group may also include a trigger condition (which may also be called an execution condition or activation condition).

[0243] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the terminal performs activation of a selected cell group and / or deactivation of a serving cell group, including one or more of the following cases: Case 1: Deactivate the serving cell group and activate the selected cell group. Case 2: Change the current serving cell group to the selected cell group. Case 3: Activate the selected cell group.

[0244] In a communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the terminal performs activation of a selected cell group and / or deactivation of a serving cell group, further including one or more of the following: Case 1: In response to the presence of a serving cell group, deactivate the serving cell group and activate the selected cell group. Case 2: In response to the existence of a serving cell group, change the current serving cell group to the selected cell group. Case 3: Activate the selected cell group in response to the absence of a serving cell group.

[0245] In one embodiment, activating a selected cell group and / or deactivating a serving cell group includes deactivating a serving cell group and activating a selected cell group in response to the presence of a serving cell group.

[0246] In one embodiment, activating a selected cell group and / or deactivating a serving cell group includes changing the current serving cell group to the selected cell group in response to the presence of a serving cell group.

[0247] In one embodiment, activating a selected cell group and / or deactivating a serving cell group includes activating a selected cell group in response to the absence of a serving cell group.

[0248] Herein, embodiments of the present disclosure describe an example in which a terminal activates a specific cell group / cell.

[0249] In the communication methods provided in embodiments of this disclosure, the terminal communicates in one or more of the following ways: A: In response to a trigger that activates a specific cell group / cell (let's call this cell group / cell to be activated the selected cell group / cell), if there is an activated cell group / cell at this point, the terminal may perform one or more of the following A / B / C: a) Deactivate the currently serving cell group / cell and activate the selected cell group / cell. In this embodiment, the current serving cell group / cell can be understood as the cell group / cell currently activated by the terminal. b) Perform a cell group / cell change to change the cell group / cell to which the current terminal is connected. This can be understood as changing from a connection to the current serving cell group / cell to a connection to the selected cell group / cell. B: In response to a trigger that activates a selected cell group / cell, if no cell group / cell has been activated at this point, the following steps can be taken: a) Activate the selected cell group / cell. In response to C:UE activating the current serving cell group / cell, the following steps can be taken: a) Perform deactivation of the current serving cell group / cell.

[0250] In a communication method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, in response to a terminal triggering the activation of a particular cell group, if an activated cell group exists at that time, the terminal may, on the one hand, deactivate the current serving cell group and activate a selected cell group, and on the other hand, the terminal may also change the cell group, i.e., change the cell group to which the current terminal is connected, from the connection to the current serving cell group to the connection to the selected cell group.

[0251] In a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, in response to triggering a terminal to activate a selected cell group, if no activated cell group currently exists, the activation of the selected cell group is performed.

[0252] In a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the deactivation of the current serving cell group is performed in response to a terminal deactivating the current serving cell group.

[0253] In the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, on the one hand, in the selective activation of cell groups, all "cell groups / cells to be activated" may be deactivated, that is, the terminal does not activate any cell groups / cells at the moment, i.e., there are no currently serving cell groups / cells.

[0254] On the other hand, in the communication method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, in the selective activation of cell groups, only one "activated cell group / cell" is in an activated state, that is, a terminal can activate only one or more cell groups / cells at a time.

[0255] In one embodiment, in the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, the network device may transmit serving cell group configuration information.

[0256] Figure 15 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, the communication method being used for a network device and including the following steps, as shown in Figure 15.

[0257] In step S121, the serving cell group configuration information is transmitted. For example, the configuration information for a serving cell is included in the configuration information for the selective activation of a cell group.

[0258] In embodiments of this disclosure, a network device transmits serving cell group configuration information and causes a terminal to deactivate the serving cell group based on the serving cell group configuration information and to perform the deactivation of the serving cell group.

[0259] For example, deactivate a serving cell group, that is, deactivate a cell group that is currently active.

[0260] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, deactivating a serving cell group includes suspending the configuration information of the deactivated serving cell group.

[0261] Here, suspending the configuration information of a deactivated serving cell group may, for example, mean suspending the radio resource reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) information corresponding to the deactivated serving cell group.

[0262] In yet another communication method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, deactivating a serving cell group may include one or more of the following: e) Run or stop running radio link monitoring (RLM) for the deactivated serving cell group. f) Perform beam failure detection (BFD) or stop BFD execution for deactivated serving cell groups. g) Stop the Timing Advance (TA) timer for the deactivated serving cell group. h) Reset the media access control (MAC) entity.

[0263] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the deactivation of a serving cell group is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0264] Herein, embodiments of the present disclosure are described in an example where the serving cell group is a specific cell group / cell.

[0265] In yet another communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, deactivating a serving cell group may further include one or more of the following: a) Suspend the settings corresponding to this cell group / cell (e.g., RRCReconfiguration); b) This cell group / cell is considered inactive; c) The Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer notifies the lower layers that this cell group / cell has been deactivated; d) Based on the instructions, decide whether to continue or stop RLM in this cell group / cell; e) Based on the instructions, decide whether to continue or stop BFD in this cell or cell group; f) Stop timer T310; g) Stop timer T312; h) Reset counters N310 and N312; i) Reconstruction of the Radio Link Control (RLC) protocol layer; j) Reconfiguration of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer; k) Trigger the PDCP entity of a Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB3) to discard a service data unit (SDU); l) Reset the MAC entity.

[0266] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the network device may transmit configuration information for a selected cell group so that when the selected cell group is activated, a terminal can perform the activation of the selected cell group.

[0267] Figure 16 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, the communication method being used for a network device and including the following steps, as shown in Figure 16.

[0268] In step S131, the settings information for the selected cell group is transmitted.

[0269] In embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for the selected cell group is included in the configuration information for the selective activation of the cell group.

[0270] In the communication method provided in embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes, on the one hand, cell group configuration information for the cell group to be activated; and on the other hand, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups may include configuration information for the currently activated cell group.

[0271] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes an activation command. It may also be understood to indicate the configuration information of selected cell groups to be activated and / or the configuration information of cell groups to be deactivated.

[0272] For example, activating a selected cell group includes applying or restoring the settings information of the selected cell group.

[0273] Here, the configuration information for the selected cell group may be, for example, RRCReconfiguration.

[0274] In the communication methods provided by embodiments of this disclosure, activating a selected cell group may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: a) Start random access RACH on the selected cell group. b) Perform downlink synchronization on the selected cell group. Herein, the activation of selected cell groups in embodiments of this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0275] In the communication methods provided by embodiments of this disclosure, activating a selected cell group may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: a) Applying / restoring the settings for this cell group (e.g., RRCReconfiguration) involves performing some or all of the process of applying or restoring this configuration information; b) This cell group / cell is considered to be in an activated state; c) The RRC layer notifies the lower layers that this cell group / cell is activated; d) Restore the RLM for this cell group / cell (where it is necessary to confirm that the RLM for this cell group / cell was previously stopped in this case); e) Restore the BFD for this cell or cell group (where it is necessary to confirm that the BFD for this cell group / cell was previously stopped); f) Start a Random Access Channel (RACH) in this cell or in the cells of this group of cells; g) Perform the resynchronization process (for example, perform part or all of the resynchronization process).

[0276] In one embodiment, the configuration information for the selected cell group includes a sync reset that allows the terminal to perform the sync reset process.

[0277] Exemplary examples of the embodiments of this disclosure, performing a synchronization reset process includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: a) Start T304 corresponding to this cell or the cells in this group of cells; b) Start downlink synchronization and perform downlink synchronization with this cell or the cells in this cell group; c) Apply the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) settings for this cell or the cells in this cell group; d) Obtain the Master Information Block (MIB) for this cell or cell group; e) Reset Media Access Control (MAC); f) Apply the value of the new identifier (newUE-Identity) of the terminal in the configuration information as the temporary cell radio network identifier (CellRNTI, C-RNTI); g) Based on the configuration information, configure the PDCP, RLC, MAC, and physical layer (Physical, PHY). h) Exemplary, the communication methods provided by this disclosure are supplemented by the following description of downlink synchronization described above in order to perform the process of downlink synchronization for a particular cell group / cell: i) When a cell group / cell is activated in accordance with the protocol, the terminal initiates downlink synchronization to the cell or to the cells within a group of cells containing this cell; j) For example, when a cell group / cell is activated, if synchronization is unavailable for the cells in this cell group or for the cell group of these cells, downlink synchronization is initiated for the cells in this cell or for the cells in the group of these cells.

[0278] In one embodiment of the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, in response to the transmission of configuration information for a cell group to be activated, configuration information for a selected cell group is transmitted.

[0279] Figure 17 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, the communication method being used for a network device and including the following steps, as shown in Figure 17.

[0280] In step S141, the cell group configuration information is sent.

[0281] Here, the cell group configuration information is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0282] Here, the cell group configuration information refers to the serving cell group configuration information, and / or the configuration information of the cell to be activated, and / or the configuration information of the selected cell group.

[0283] Here, the configuration information for the serving cell group is included in the configuration information for the selective activation of the cell group. The configuration information for the cell to be activated may also be included in the configuration information for the selective activation of the cell group. The configuration information for the selected cell group may also be included in the configuration information for the selective activation of the cell group.

[0284] For example, cell group configuration information may include initial configuration information for the cell group / cell.

[0285] In embodiments of this disclosure, a specified communication operation may be performed when applying cell group configuration information.

[0286] In the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, a specified communication operation may be performed for a particular cell group / cell based on the initial settings information of the cell group / cell, or the specified communication operation may not be performed.

[0287] In the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, when applying cell group / cell configuration information, if the cell group / cell corresponding to the execution of this process is an activated cell group / cell (if this cell group / cell is activated during initial setup), the specified communication action is performed. If the cell group / cell corresponding to the execution of this process is an inactivated cell group / cell (if this cell / cell group is not activated during initial setup), the specified communication action is not performed.

[0288] In this case, the specified communication actions performed when applying the cell group settings include one or more of the following: i) Start T304 corresponding to this cell or the cells in this group of cells; j) Start downlink synchronization and perform downlink synchronization with this cell or the cells in this cell group; k) Apply the BCCH setting to this cell or the cells in this group of cells; l) Get the MIB of this cell or the cells in this group of cells; m) Reset your MAC; n) Apply the value of newUE-Identity in the configuration information as C-RNTI; o) Perform PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY settings according to the configuration information; p) Start RACH.

[0289] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, in the process of applying cell group / cell configuration information, the terminal determines, in accordance with the protocol, to initiate downlink synchronization to the cell or multiple groups of this cell when the cell group / cell is activated. For example, if synchronization to the cell group or the cells of this cell is unavailable, downlink synchronization to the cell or multiple groups of this cell is initiated when the cell group / cell is activated.

[0290] In a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal determines, in response to a trigger for activating a selected cell group / cell, that a configuration for this cell group / cell exists, and / or, if this cell group / cell is not the current serving cell group / cell, performs the activation of the selected cell group / cell.

[0291] For example, the process of activating a selected cell group / cell includes the process of applying / restoring the settings of that cell group.

[0292] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes cell group configuration information for the cell group to be activated. The configuration information for selective activation of cell groups may also include configuration information for currently activated cell groups.

[0293] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes an activation command. It can also be understood to indicate the configuration information for selected cell groups to be activated and / or the configuration information for cell groups to be deactivated.

[0294] In one embodiment, in response to configuration information for selective activation of cell groups including an indication of the selected cell groups to be activated, performing a cell group activation process based on the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes activating the selected cell groups and / or deactivating the serving cell groups.

[0295] In one embodiment, in response to the setting information for selective activation of cell groups including setting information for selected cell groups, performing a cell group activation process based on the setting information for selective activation of cell groups includes activating the selected cell groups and / or deactivating the serving cell groups.

[0296] Here, the configuration information for selective activation of a cell group in the embodiments of this disclosure may include a configuration ID and a configuration for a target cell or a target cell group. Optionally, the configuration information for activation of a cell group may also include a trigger condition (also called an execution condition or activation condition).

[0297] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the terminal receives configuration information for selective activation of a cell group, and performs activation and / or deactivation of the cell group based on the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group, thereby providing a terminal communication operation applicable to the selective activation of a cell group and supporting the selective activation of the cell group.

[0298] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes cell group configuration information for the cell group to be activated. The configuration information for selective activation of cell groups may also include configuration information for currently activated cell groups.

[0299] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes an activation command. It may also be understood to indicate the configuration information for selected cell groups to be activated and / or the configuration information for cell groups to be deactivated.

[0300] In one embodiment, in response to configuration information for selective activation of cell groups including an indication of the selected cell groups to be activated, performing a cell group activation process based on the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes activating the selected cell groups and / or deactivating the serving cell groups.

[0301] In one embodiment, in response to the setting information for selective activation of cell groups including setting information for selected cell groups, performing a cell group activation process based on the setting information for selective activation of cell groups includes activating the selected cell groups and / or deactivating the serving cell groups.

[0302] Here, the configuration information for selective activation of a cell group in the embodiments of this disclosure may include a configuration ID and a target cell configuration or a target cell group configuration. Optionally, the configuration information for activation of a cell group may also include a trigger condition (which may also be called an execution condition or activation condition).

[0303] In a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal includes activating a selected cell group and / or deactivating a serving cell group, and changing the current serving cell group to the selected cell group.

[0304] In the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, changing the current serving cell group to the selected cell group may, on the one hand, include some or all of the processes involved in the process of deactivating the current serving cell and activating the selected cell in the embodiments described above.

[0305] In the communication method provided in embodiments of this disclosure, when changing the current serving cell group to the selected cell group, a cell switching process may also be initiated. When the serving cell group is changed by initiating the cell switching process, it is not necessary to read the configuration information when the configuration information is received. Furthermore, when triggering the change of cell group, the application may include the configuration information of this cell group in the synchronous reassignment.

[0306] In a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network device may transmit instructional information indicating the activation mode for a selected cell group that a terminal will perform.

[0307] Figure 18 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, the communication method being used for a network device and including the following steps, as shown in Figure 18.

[0308] In step S151, instruction information is transmitted, and the instruction information is configured to indicate the activation mode of the selected cell group that the terminal will perform.

[0309] Exemplary, in embodiments of this disclosure, instruction information transmitted by a network device may be for instructing a terminal to change the activation mode of a cell group.

[0310] In one embodiment of the communication method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, the activation method comprises one or more of the following: a) Deactivate the serving cell group and activate the selected cell group; b) Change the current serving cell group to the selected cell group; c) Activate the selected cell group.

[0311] In a communication method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal determines the form of activating and / or deactivating cell groups / cells based on instruction information transmitted by a network device, and modifies activated cells.

[0312] In a communication method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal determines, based on instruction information transmitted by a network device, how to modify the current serving cell group and modifies the activated cell.

[0313] Example: Change the current serving cell group and the activated cell by changing the current serving cell to the selected cell.

[0314] In a communication method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal determines a specific action of the terminal to perform a cell group activation process based on instruction information transmitted by a network device.

[0315] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, the specific actions that perform the cell group activation process include one or more of the following: a) Deactivate the serving cell group and activate the selected cell group. b) Change the current serving cell group to the selected cell group. c) Activate the selected cell group.

[0316] Embodiments of this disclosure are described as examples of performing an activation process for a specific cell group / cell.

[0317] In a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network device transmits instruction information configured to instruct a terminal to perform a specific action for performing a cell group activation process, so that the terminal determines a specific action for performing a cell group activation process based on the instruction information transmitted by the network device.

[0318] Figure 19 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, the communication method being used for a network device and including the following steps, as shown in Figure 19.

[0319] In step S161, instruction information is transmitted, which is configured to instruct a specific action of the terminal to perform the cell group activation process.

[0320] For example, instruction information is used to instruct a specific action to perform the cell group / cell activation process, so that the terminal determines the specific action to perform the cell group / cell activation process based on the instruction information transmitted by the network device.

[0321] In one example, instruction information is used to instruct the terminal on the process it should perform to activate a cell group / cell, and the terminal determines the process it should perform to activate the cell group / cell based on the instruction information.

[0322] In one example, instruction information is used to instruct the terminal on the process it should perform to deactivate a cell group / cell, and the terminal determines the process it should perform to deactivate the cell group / cell based on the instruction information.

[0323] In one example, instruction information is used to instruct the terminal on the process it should perform to change a cell group / cell, and the terminal determines the process it should perform to change the cell group / cell based on the instruction information.

[0324] In embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal may, based on instruction information, determine one or more actions in the corresponding process that the terminal should perform for the cell group / cell involved in the above embodiment, and it should be understood that embodiments of the present disclosure are not described in detail herein.

[0325] It should be understood that the instruction information transmitted by the network device in the embodiments of this disclosure may be used to instruct at least one of the following: a) A method for activating a cell group in which a terminal performs a selection. b) A specific action performed by a terminal to activate a cell group.

[0326] In one embodiment of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, the instruction information is further configured to instruct one or more activation operations to be performed on a selected group of cells.

[0327] Figure 20 is a flowchart of a communication method shown according to an exemplary embodiment, the communication method being used for a network device and including the following steps, as shown in Figure 20.

[0328] In step S171, instruction information is transmitted, which is configured to instruct one or more activation operations to be performed on the selected cell group.

[0329] Exemplary examples include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: a) The terminal decides, based on the instruction information, whether or not to perform RACH, such as initiating RACH in the cell to be activated or in a cell in the cell group that should be activated. b) Perform or stop BFD on the deactivated serving cell group. For example, the UE decides whether or not to perform BFD on the deactivated cell group / cell based on the instruction information. c) Whether to run RLM or stop RLM for deactivated serving cell groups, for example, the terminal decides whether to run RLM for deactivated cell groups / cells based on instruction information. d) Stop the timing advance TA timer for deactivated serving cell groups. For example, the terminal decides whether or not to stop the TA timer for deactivated cell groups / cells based on the instruction information. e) The UE decides whether or not to perform downlink synchronization based on the instruction information. f) Perform downlink synchronization on the selected cell group. For example, the terminal decides whether or not to perform downlink synchronization based on the instruction information, and downlink synchronization is performed on the cell that should be activated or on the cells in the cell group that should be activated.

[0330] The activation operations involved in the embodiments of the Disclosure may be, and are not limited to, the activation operations involved in the processes that a terminal should perform to activate a cell group / cell and / or to deactivate a cell group / cell and / or to modify a cell group / cell in the embodiments described above. For example, the embodiments of the Disclosure may, based on instruction information, determine whether or not to perform one or more of the activation operations included in the processes that a terminal should perform to activate a cell group / cell and / or to deactivate a cell group / cell and / or to modify a cell group / cell in the embodiments described above, and the embodiments of the Disclosure are not limited to this.

[0331] It will be further understood that, in embodiments of this disclosure, instruction information transmitted by a network device may be used to instruct at least one of the following: a) The activation mode of the cell group in which the terminal performs the selection. b) Specific actions of the terminal that performs the cell group activation process. c) One or more activation operations performed on the selected cell group.

[0332] In the communication method provided by embodiments of this disclosure, instruction information transmitted by a network device may be configured independently for each cell / cell group, or independently for each cell / cell group for selective activation settings. Here, activation / deactivation of a cell group / cell determines whether or not to perform a specific step in accordance with the specific instruction information for that cell group / cell.

[0333] In the communication method provided in embodiments of this disclosure, the instruction information transmitted by the network device may be general instruction information, and the decision of whether or not to perform a particular step is made according to this instruction information, regardless of which cell group / cell is activated / deactivated.

[0334] In the communication method provided in embodiments of this disclosure, the instruction information transmitted by the network device may be a separate instruction information transmitted independently, or it may be carried in existing signaling. For example, in embodiments of this disclosure, the instruction information transmitted by the network device may be included in a selective activation setting for a cell group, and when the cell group is activated, the terminal decides whether or not to execute the above-mentioned process related to the activation process performed on the cell group according to the corresponding setting information. Alternatively, for example, in embodiments of this disclosure, the instruction information may be included in an activation command, and when the terminal receives an activation command, it decides whether or not to execute the above-mentioned process related to the activation process performed on the cell group according to the instruction information included in the activation command.

[0335] Here, since the communication method applied to the network device provided in the embodiments of this disclosure is the same as the execution process of the communication method applied to the terminal, if the explanation of the communication method performed by the network device is insufficient, one can refer to the corresponding part of the communication method performed by the terminal, and a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0336] It should be noted that the communication method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure is applicable to an activation process in which a terminal interacts with a network device to activate and / or deactivate a cell group. In the activation process in which a network device interacts with a terminal to activate and / or deactivate a cell group, the network device and the terminal have the functions of the network device and terminal in the embodiments described above, which are not detailed herein.

[0337] It should be noted that the various embodiments / examples involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may be used in combination with the embodiments described above or independently, as can be seen by those skilled in the art. Whether used alone or in combination with the embodiments described above, the principles of implementation are similar. Some embodiments of this disclosure are described in combination embodiments. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that such examples do not limit the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0338] Based on the same idea, embodiments of this disclosure also provide communication devices.

[0339] To implement the functions described above, it should be understood that the communication device provided in the embodiments of this disclosure consists of hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. In combination with the various example units and algorithmic steps disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure, the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware form or in combination with hardware and computer software. Whether a particular function is executed as hardware or as computer software driving the hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functions using different forms for each specific application to achieve the described functions, but such implementations should not be considered outside the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0340] Figure 21 is a block diagram of a communication device illustrated according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to Figure 21, the communication device 100 may be applied to a terminal, and the communication device 100 includes a receiving unit 101 and a processing unit 102.

[0341] The receiving unit 101 is configured to receive configuration information for the selective activation of cell groups, and the processing unit 102 is configured to perform cell group activation processing based on the configuration information for the selective activation of cell groups, the cell group activation processing includes activating and / or deactivating cell groups.

[0342] In one embodiment, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes a cell group selected from among the cell groups to be activated; Performing a cell group activation process based on configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes activating the selected cell group and / or deactivating the serving cell group.

[0343] In one embodiment, activating a selected cell group and / or deactivating a serving cell group is performed. This includes deactivating a serving cell group and activating a selected cell group in response to the presence of a serving cell group.

[0344] In one embodiment, activating a selected cell group and / or deactivating a serving cell group is performed. This includes changing the current serving cell group to a selected cell group in response to the existence of a serving cell group.

[0345] In one embodiment, activating a selected cell group and / or deactivating a serving cell group is performed. This includes activating a selected cell group in response to the absence of a serving cell group.

[0346] In one embodiment, the processing unit 102 further: in response to the deactivation of a serving cell group, suspends the configuration information for the deactivated serving cell group, and the configuration information for the serving cell group is included in the configuration information for the selective activation of the cell group.

[0347] In one embodiment, the processing unit 102 is further used to perform one or more of the following: For deactivated serving cell groups, run or stop running the Radio Link Management (RLM); For deactivated serving cell groups, perform or stop the execution of beam fault detection (BFD); Stop the timing advance TA timer for deactivated serving cell groups; Reset the MAC entity.

[0348] One embodiment, Processing unit 102 Furthermore, in response to activating the selected cell group, the system applies or restores the settings information of the selected cell group, and the settings information of the selected cell group is included in the settings information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0349] In one embodiment, the processing unit 102 further, It is used to perform one or more of the following actions on a selected cell group: initiating random access RACH, and performing downlink synchronization on a selected cell group.

[0350] In one embodiment, the processing unit 102 performs a synchronization reset process in response to the selection of the cell group's configuration information including synchronization reset.

[0351] In one embodiment, the receiving unit 101 is further used for the following: In response to receiving the configuration information of the cell group, the configuration information of the cell group is acquired and / or stored, and the configuration information of the cell group is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group. Here, the cell group configuration information refers to the configuration information of the serving cell group and / or the configuration information of the cell to be activated and / or the configuration information of the selected cell group.

[0352] In one embodiment, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes the cell groups to be activated, and the cell group activation process performed based on the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes deactivating the cell groups to be activated.

[0353] In one embodiment, the processing unit 102 further: It is configured to reset the Media Access Control MAC entity.

[0354] In one embodiment, the receiving unit 101 is further configured to receive instruction information transmitted by a network device, and the processing unit 102 is further configured to determine the activation form of the selected cell group based on the instruction information.

[0355] In one embodiment, the activation method includes one or more of the following: Deactivate the serving cell group and activate the selected cell group; Change the current serving cell group to the selected cell group; Activate the selected cell group.

[0356] In one embodiment, the instruction information is further configured to instruct one or more activation actions to be performed on the selected cell group: The activation process includes the following: For deactivated serving cell groups, run or stop running the Radio Link Management (RLM); For deactivated serving cell groups, perform or stop the execution of beam fault detection (BFD); Stop the timing advance TA timer for deactivated serving cell groups; Start random access RACH on the selected cell group; Perform downlink synchronization on the selected cell group; Reset the Media Access Control MAC entity.

[0357] In one embodiment, the activation process performed on a cell group is determined based on protocol rules or terminal implementations.

[0358] In one embodiment, the activation process performed in a cell group includes one or more of the following: Perform PDCP reconfiguration in response to the private key update; In response to a private key update, modify the currently active cell using a form of cell group modification; The terminal triggers the activation of the specified cell group, and in response that the synchronization settings include the configuration information for the specified cell group, RACH is initiated in the specified cell group; The terminal triggers the activation of the specified cell group, and in response to the BFD or RLM being stopped for the specified cell group, it initiates RACH for the specified cell group.

[0359] Figure 22 is a block diagram of a communication device shown according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to Figure 22, the communication device 200 may be applied to a network device, and the communication device 200 includes a transmitting unit 201.

[0360] The transmitting unit 201 is configured to transmit configuration information for the selective activation of cell groups, causing a terminal to perform a cell group activation process based on the configuration information for the selective activation of cell groups, and the cell group activation process includes activating and / or deactivating cell groups.

[0361] In one embodiment, the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes a cell group selected from the cell groups to be activated. Performing the cell group activation process based on the configuration information for selective activation of cell groups includes activating the selected cell group and / or deactivating the serving cell group.

[0362] In one embodiment, the transmitting unit 201 is further configured to transmit configuration information for a serving cell group, wherein the configuration information for the serving cell is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0363] In one embodiment, the transmission unit 201 is further configured to transmit configuration information for a selected cell group, the configuration information for the selected cell group being included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0364] In one embodiment, the settings information for the selected cell group includes synchronized resetting.

[0365] In one embodiment, the transmitting unit 201 is further configured to transmit cell group configuration information, wherein the cell group configuration information includes configuration information for selective activation of the cell group.

[0366] Here, the cell group configuration information refers to the configuration information of the serving cell group and / or the configuration information of the cell to be activated and / or the configuration information of the selected cell group.

[0367] In one embodiment, the transmission unit 201 is further configured to transmit instruction information, and the terminal determines the activation form of the selected cell group based on the instruction information.

[0368] In one embodiment, the activation mode includes one or more of the following: Deactivate the serving cell group and activate the selected cell group. Change the current serving cell group to the selected cell group. Activate the selected cell group.

[0369] In one embodiment, the instruction information is further configured to instruct one or more activation operations to be performed on the selected cell group: The activation operations include: For deactivated serving cell groups, run or stop running the Radio Link Management (RLM). For deactivated serving cell groups, either run or stop the execution of beam fault detection (BFD). The timing advance TA timer is stopped for the deactivated serving cell group. Start a random access RACH on the selected cell group. Perform downlink synchronization on the selected cell group. This includes resetting the Media Access Control MAC entity.

[0370] It should be noted that the various modules / units relating to the communication devices 100 and 200 in embodiments of the present disclosure are described only illustratively and are not limited to their use by reference. For example, the communication device 200 in embodiments of the present disclosure may further include a receiving unit and / or a processing unit. The receiving unit may, for example, receive relevant information transmitted by a terminal for use by a network device to determine relevant cell group configuration information, and the processing unit may, for example, determine a specific action for subsequent cell group activation processing based on the cell group relevant configuration information.

[0371] The specific manner in which each module performs its operation in the apparatus of the above embodiment has been described in detail in the embodiment of the method, so it will not be described in detail here.

[0372] Figure 23 is a block diagram of a communication device 300 according to an exemplary embodiment. The device 300 may be provided as a terminal. For example, the device 300 may be a mobile phone, computer, digital broadcasting terminal, messaging device, game console, tablet device, medical device, fitness device, personal digital assistant, etc.

[0373] Referring to Figure 23, the device 300 may include one or more of the following components: a processing component 302, a memory 304, a power supply component 306, a multimedia component 308, an audio component 310, an input / output (I / O) interface 312, a sensor component 314, and a communication component 316.

[0374] The processing component 302 typically controls the overall operation of the device 300 related to the display, telephone calls, data communication, camera operation, recording operation, etc. The processing component 302 may include one or more processors 320 that execute instructions to complete all or some of the steps of the method described above. Furthermore, the processing component 302 may include one or more modules that facilitate interaction between the processing component 302 and other components. For example, the processing component 302 may include a multimedia module that facilitates interaction between the multimedia component 308 and the processing component 302.

[0375] Memory 304 is configured to store various types of data to support operation on device 300. Examples of this data include instructions for any application or method to operate on device 300, contact data, phonebook data, messages, images, videos, etc. Memory 304 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device, or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.

[0376] The power supply component 306 supplies power to various components of the device 300. The power supply component 306 may include a power management system, one or more power supplies, and other components related to the generation, management, and distribution of power for the device 300.

[0377] The multimedia component 308 includes a screen that provides an output interface between the device 300 and the user. In some embodiments, the screen may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a touch panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen is implemented as a touch screen and can receive input signals from the user. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors for sensing touches, slides, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensors can not only sense the boundary of a touch or slide operation but also detect the duration and pressure associated with the touch or slide operation. In some embodiments, the multimedia component 308 includes a front camera and / or a rear camera. When the device 300 is in an operating mode such as shooting mode or video mode, the front camera and / or the rear camera can receive external multimedia data. Each front camera and rear camera may have a fixed optical lens system or may have a focal length and optical zoom capability.

[0378] The audio component 310 is configured to output and / or input audio signals. For example, the audio component 310 includes a microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when the device 300 is in an operating mode such as call mode, recording mode, or voice recognition mode. The received audio signals may be further stored in memory 304 or transmitted via communication component 316. In some embodiments, the audio component 310 further includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

[0379] The I / O interface 312 provides an interface between the processing component 302 and peripheral interface modules, which may include a keyboard, click wheel, buttons, etc. These buttons include, but are not limited to, a homepage button, volume buttons, a start button, and a lock button.

[0380] The sensor component 314 includes one or more sensors to provide the device 300 with various forms of state evaluation. For example, the sensor component 314 may detect the on / off state of the device 300, the relative position of components (e.g., the display and keypad of the device 300), changes in the position of the device 300 or one of its components, the presence or absence of user contact with the device 300, the orientation or acceleration / deceleration of the device 300, and temperature changes of the device 300. The sensor component 314 may include proximity sensors configured to detect the presence of nearby objects when there is no physical contact. The sensor component 314 may also include optical sensors, such as CMOS or CCD image sensors, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, the sensor component 314 may also include acceleration sensors, gyroscopes, magnetic sensors, pressure sensors, or temperature sensors.

[0381] The communication component 316 is configured to facilitate wired or wireless communication between the device 300 and other devices. The device 300 can access wireless networks based on communication standards such as WiFi, 2G or 3G, or a combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 316 receives broadcast signals or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 316 described above further includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communication. For example, the NFC module may be implemented based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, Infrared Data Association (IrDA) technology, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth® (BT) technology, and other technologies.

[0382] In exemplary embodiments, the apparatus 300 may be implemented by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing units (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the methods described above.

[0383] In exemplary embodiments, a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium containing instructions is also provided, such as a memory 304 containing instructions, the instructions being executable by the processor 320 of the apparatus 300 to accomplish the method. For example, the non-temporary computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, etc.

[0384] Figure 24 is a block diagram of a communication device 400 according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, the device 400 may be provided as a network device. Referring to Figure 24, the device 400 includes a processing component 422 further comprising one or more processors, and memory resources represented by memory 432 for storing instructions, such as applications, that can be executed by the processing component 422. The application program stored in memory 432 may include one or more modules, each corresponding to a set of instructions. Furthermore, the processing component 422 is configured to execute instructions for performing the method described above.

[0385] The device 400 may also include a power supply component 426 configured to perform power management of the device 400, a wired or wireless network interface 450 configured to connect the device 400 to a network, and an input / output (I / O) interface 458. The device 400 can be operated by an operating system stored in memory 432, such as Windows Server®, Mac OS X®, Unix®, Linux®, or FreeBSD®.

[0386] In exemplary embodiments, a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium containing instructions is also provided, such as a memory 432 containing instructions, the instructions being executable by a processing component 422 of the apparatus 400 to accomplish the method. For example, the non-temporary computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, etc.

[0387] Furthermore, it should be understood that “plural” as used in this disclosure refers to two or more, and the same applies to other quantifiers. The term “and / or” indicates a relation between related objects; for example, A and / or B indicates that there may be three types of relationships: A existing alone, A and B existing together, or B existing alone. The letter “ / ” generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an “or” relationship. It should be further understood that in this disclosure, the singular forms of “one kind,” “the said,” and “the said” are intended to include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0388] Terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various types of information, but it should be understood that this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish information of the same kind from one another and do not indicate any particular order or importance. In fact, expressions such as "first" and "second" can be used interchangeably. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, the first information may also be called the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be called the first information.

[0389] Although the operations in embodiments of this disclosure are described in a specific order in the drawings, it should be understood that these operations should not be understood as requiring them to be performed in a specific order shown, or in a serial order, or as requiring all shown operations to be performed to obtain a desired result. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0390] Other embodiments of the Disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description and consideration of the embodiments disclosed herein. The Disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the Disclosure, which, in accordance with the general principles of the Disclosure, include prior art or common means in the art not disclosed herein.

[0391] This disclosure is not limited to the exact structures described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and it should be understood that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the attached claims.

Claims

1. A communication method applied to a terminal, Receiving configuration information for the selective activation of cell groups, This includes performing the cell group activation process based on the setting information for selective activation of the cell group, and then not canceling the setting information for selective activation of the cell group. The cell group activation process includes activating the cell group and / or deactivating the cell group. The setting information for the selective activation of the aforementioned cell group includes the cell group selected from the cell group to be activated, Executing the cell group activation process based on the setting information for the selective activation of the aforementioned cell group is: This includes activating the selected cell group, Activating the selected cell group means This includes changing the current serving cell group to the selected cell group, The method further includes performing downlink synchronization on the selected cell group. A communication method characterized by the following features.

2. Performing a cell group activation process based on setting information for selective activation of the cell group is: This further includes deactivating the serving cell group. The communication method according to feature 1.

3. Activating the selected cell group and deactivating the serving cell group are performed as follows: In response to the presence of a serving cell group, the serving cell group is deactivated and the selected cell group is activated. This includes at least one of the following: activating the selected cell group in response to the absence of a serving cell group. The communication method according to feature 2.

4. Activating the selected cell group and deactivating the serving cell group are performed as follows: This includes changing the current serving cell group to the selected cell group in response to the existence of a serving cell group. The communication method according to feature 2.

5. For the deactivated serving cell group, either run or stop the execution of the wireless link management RLM. For the deactivated serving cell group, either perform or stop the execution of beam fault detection BFD, The timing advance TA timer is stopped for the deactivated serving cell group, This further includes one or more of the following: resetting the Media Access Control MAC entity. The communication method according to feature 1.

6. In response to activating the selected cell group, the configuration information of the selected cell group is further applied or restored. The setting information for the selected cell group is included in the setting information for selective activation of the cell group. The communication method according to feature 1.

7. The process further includes performing a synchronization reset process in response to the selection of cell group settings including synchronization reset. The communication method described in feature 6.

8. The process further includes receiving instruction information transmitted by a network device and determining the form of activation for the selected cell group based on the instruction information. The communication method according to feature 1.

9. The aforementioned activation mode is, Deactivating the serving cell group and activating the selected cell group, This includes one or more of the following: activating the selected cell group. The communication method according to feature 8.

10. The instruction information is further configured to instruct one or more activation operations to be performed on the selected cell group. The activation operation described above is: For the deactivated serving cell group, either run or stop the execution of the wireless link management RLM. For the deactivated serving cell group, either perform or stop the execution of beam fault detection BFD, The timing advance TA timer is stopped for the deactivated serving cell group, To initiate random access RACH for the selected cell group, This includes resetting the Media Access Control MAC entity. The communication method according to feature 9.

11. Further comprising suspending the configuration information of a deactivated serving cell group in response to the deactivation of the serving cell group, The configuration information for the serving cell group is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group. The communication method according to feature 1.

12. The activation process performed in the cell group is: In response to the private key update, perform a PDCP reconfiguration, This includes one or more of the following: modifying the currently activated cell by changing the cell group in response to a private key update. The communication method according to feature 1.

13. When the serving cell group does not exist, the setting information for selective activation of the cell group is obtained in advance when the serving cell group exists. The communication method according to feature 1.

14. The configuration information for selective activation of the cell groups includes an activation command, the activation command includes configuration information for indicating the selected cell groups to be activated and / or indicating the cell groups to be deactivated. The communication method according to feature 1.

15. A communication method applicable to network devices, This includes transmitting configuration information for selective activation of a cell group, causing the terminal to perform the cell group activation process based on the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group, and then not canceling the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group. The cell group activation process includes activating the cell group and / or deactivating the cell group. The setting information for the selective activation of the aforementioned cell group includes the cell group selected from the cell group to be activated, Executing the cell group activation process based on the setting information for the selective activation of the aforementioned cell group is: This includes activating the selected cell group, Activating the selected cell group means This includes changing the current serving cell group to the selected cell group, The method further includes performing downlink synchronization on the selected cell group. A communication method characterized by the following features.

16. Performing an activation process for the cell group based on setting information for selective activation of the cell group is: This further includes deactivating the serving cell group. The communication method according to feature 15.

17. This further includes sending the configuration information of the serving cell group, The configuration information for the serving cell group is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group. The communication method according to feature 15.

18. This further includes sending the settings information for the selected cell group, The settings information for the selected cell group is included in the settings information for selective activation of the cell group. The communication method according to feature 15.

19. The settings information for the selected cell group includes synchronized resetting. The communication method according to claim 18, characterized by...

20. This further includes transmitting instruction information, The instruction information is configured to indicate the form of activation of the cell group that the terminal will use to make a selection. The communication method according to feature 15.

21. The aforementioned activation mode is, Deactivating the serving cell group and activating the selected cell group, This includes one or more of the following: activating the selected cell group. The communication method according to item 20, characterized by...

22. The instruction information is further configured to instruct one or more activation operations to be performed on the selected cell group. The activation operation described above is: For the deactivated serving cell group, either run or stop the execution of the wireless link management RLM. For the deactivated serving cell group, either perform or stop the execution of beam fault detection BFD, The timing advance TA timer is stopped for the deactivated serving cell group, To initiate random access RACH for the selected cell group, This includes resetting the Media Access Control MAC entity. The communication method according to feature 21.

23. Further comprising suspending the configuration information of the deactivated serving cell group in response to the deactivation of the serving cell group, The configuration information for the serving cell group is included in the configuration information for selective activation of the cell group. The communication method according to feature 15.

24. The activation process performed in the cell group is: In response to the private key update, perform a PDCP reconfiguration, This includes one or more of the following: modifying the currently activated cell by changing the cell group in response to a private key update. The communication method according to feature 15.

25. When the serving cell group does not exist, the setting information for selective activation of the cell group is obtained in advance when the serving cell group exists. The communication method according to feature 15.

26. The configuration information for selective activation of the cell groups includes an activation command, the activation command including configuration information for indicating the selected cell groups to be activated and / or the cell groups to be deactivated. The communication method according to feature 15.

27. Processor and The processor includes memory for storing executable instructions, The processor is configured to perform a communication method applicable to a terminal, which includes receiving configuration information for the selective activation of a cell group, performing an activation process for the cell group based on the configuration information for the selective activation of the cell group, and then not canceling the configuration information for the selective activation of the cell group, wherein the activation process for the cell group includes activating and / or deactivating the cell group, the configuration information for the selective activation of the cell group includes a cell group selected from the cell group to be activated, performing the activation process for the cell group based on the configuration information for the selective activation of the cell group includes activating the selected cell group, performing the activation of the selected cell group includes changing the current serving cell group to the selected cell group, and the method further includes performing downlink synchronization for the selected cell group. A communication device characterized by the following features.

28. Processor and The processor includes memory for storing executable instructions, The processor is configured to perform the method described in claim 15. A communication device characterized by the following features.

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