Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications. Provided are a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: sending first UAI, wherein the first UAI comprises a first preference value of the maximum value of a first parameter; receiving a first message, wherein the first message comprises a first configuration, the first parameter corresponding to the first configuration has a first numerical value, and the first numerical value is greater than the first preference value; and sending second UAI, wherein the second UAI comprises a second preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, and the second preference value is equal to the first preference value. The method can reduce the power consumption of a user equipment and / or avoid overheating of the user equipment.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on August 16, 2023, with application number 202311036603.2 and application name “Communication Method and Communication Device,” the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] User equipment assistance information (UAI) is information that indicates the preferences or status of a user equipment. The user equipment can transmit UAI to a network device via a radio resource control (RRC) message so that the network device can configure the user equipment based on the UAI.

[0004] The communication protocol places restrictions on UAI reporting. For example, when the to-be-reported UAI differs from the reported UAI, the user equipment may report the to-be-reported UAI. In some cases, this restriction can lead to increased power consumption and / or overheating of the user equipment. Reducing power consumption and / or preventing overheating are currently unresolved issues.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication device that can reduce the power consumption of a user device and / or prevent the user device from overheating.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, wherein the execution subject of the method may be a user device or a chip applied to the user device. The following description is based on the user device as an example. The method includes: sending a first UAI, wherein the first UAI includes a first preference value of the maximum value of a first parameter; receiving a first message, wherein the first message includes a first configuration, wherein the first parameter corresponding to the first configuration has a first value, and the first value is greater than the first preference value; and sending a second UAI, wherein the second UAI includes a second preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, and the second preference value is equal to the first preference value.

[0008] The first preference value indicates the user equipment's preference for configuration, which may be a preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter when the user equipment is in an overheated state and / or has energy-saving requirements. However, the network device may configure or reconfigure according to its own judgment. For example, when there is a downlink high-traffic service, the network device may configure radio resources for the user equipment through the first configuration, and the first value of the first parameter corresponding to the first configuration is greater than the first preference value. This can meet the needs of the downlink high-traffic service, but will cause the user equipment to increase power consumption and / or overheat. If the user equipment needs to report the UAI again for the purpose of reducing power consumption or cooling, it may not be possible to report the UAI again because the user equipment cannot repeatedly report the UAI including the same content, resulting in a certain probability that the user equipment fails to reduce power consumption or cool down. In this embodiment, after the user equipment reports the preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter, if the network device adjusts the configuration related to the first parameter, but the value of the first parameter corresponding to the adjusted configuration is still not what the user equipment wants (e.g., the first value is greater than the first preference value), then the user equipment is allowed to report its preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter again. Doing so has two benefits. On the one hand, it gives the user equipment the opportunity to again indicate its preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter (i.e., the second preference value), so that the network device can provide a configuration that meets the second preference value according to the second UAI, thereby reducing the power consumption of the user equipment and / or avoiding overheating of the user equipment; on the other hand, this embodiment stipulates that the user equipment needs to adjust the configuration related to the first parameter before reporting the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter again. Compared with unconditionally repeating the reporting of the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, this embodiment can reduce the reporting frequency of the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, thereby avoiding excessive signaling overhead.

[0009] Optionally, before sending the first UAI, the method further includes: receiving a second message, the second message including a second configuration, and the first parameter corresponding to the second configuration has a second value; sending the second UAI, including: if the second value is different from the first value, or if the second value is less than the first value, sending the second UAI.

[0010] Network devices typically configure or reconfigure wireless resources to adapt to wireless channel conditions or communication requirements. If the second value is different from the first value, or if the second value is less than the first value, it indicates that the currently configured value of the first parameter (the first value) may not meet the user equipment's power consumption or temperature reduction requirements. In this case, the user equipment may report a second UAI.

[0011] Optionally, sending the second UAI includes: if the first timer is not running, sending the second UAI, where the first timer is used to prohibit the user equipment from reporting the preference value.

[0012] Before sending the second UAI, the user equipment can determine whether the first timer is running. If the first timer is not running, it means that the user equipment has not sent UAI for a period of time, and the user equipment can send the second UAI. Therefore, this embodiment can reduce the frequency of UAI transmission, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0013] Optionally, the method further includes: starting a first timer.

[0014] When the first timer is in the running state, the user equipment cannot report the UAI. Therefore, this embodiment can reduce the frequency of sending the UAI, thereby reducing the signaling overhead.

[0015] Optionally, the method further includes: receiving a third message, the third message including a third configuration, the first parameter corresponding to the third configuration having a third value, and the third value being less than or equal to the second preference value.

[0016] The second preference value in the second UAI is different from the first value corresponding to the first configuration. The network device can determine the user device's preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter (i.e., the second preference value). The network device can provide a configuration that meets the second preference value through a third configuration, thereby reducing the power consumption of the user device and / or avoiding overheating of the user device.

[0017] Optionally, the first parameter includes at least one of: aggregation bandwidth, the number of secondary component carriers (CCs), and the number of multiple-input multiple-output layers.

[0018] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which may be performed by a user device or a chip applied to the user device. The method is described below using the user device as an example. The method includes: receiving a first message; if the first message includes a first secondary cell configuration for a first cell group, sending a first UAI, where the first UAI includes a preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells in the first cell group.

[0019] In the prior art, a user device may report a UAI when the network device has not configured a secondary cell. The preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells in the UAI may be 0. In this case, the network device will ignore the UAI or not respond. After the network device configures a secondary cell for the user device, if the user device needs to report the UAI again for the purpose of reducing power consumption or cooling, it may not be able to report the UAI again. The reason is that the user device has already sent the UAI before configuring the secondary cell. The user device that has sent the UAI cannot repeatedly send the UAI containing the same content, resulting in a certain probability of the user device failing to reduce power consumption or cooling. In fact, before the network device configures the secondary cell, the user device does not need to report the UAI including the preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells. In this embodiment, the user device needs to send the first UAI only when it is determined that the secondary cell has been configured. If the user device has a need to reduce power consumption or cooling, it can report the need through the first UAI, thereby avoiding the failure of power consumption or cooling caused by the inability to report the UAI.

[0020] Optionally, sending the first UAI includes: if the preference value exists, sending the first UAI.

[0021] In some cases, the user equipment does not need to reduce power consumption or temperature, so there is no need to send UAI. Reserving the opportunity to send UAI for situations where there is a preference value can avoid power consumption or temperature reduction failures caused by the inability to report UAI.

[0022] Optionally, sending the first UAI includes: if a preference value providing the maximum number of secondary cells of the first cell group is configured, and / or the UAI including the preference value of the maximum number of secondary cells of the first cell group has not been transmitted, sending the first UAI.

[0023] In this embodiment, if the first message includes the first secondary cell configuration of the first cell group, the user equipment needs to meet at least one of the above two conditions before sending the first UAI. Therefore, this embodiment can reduce the frequency of UAI transmission, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0024] Optionally, the method further includes: receiving a second message, where the second message includes a second secondary cell configuration of the first cell group, and the number of secondary cells configured in the second secondary cell configuration is less than or equal to the preference value.

[0025] The network device may reconfigure the secondary cell to meet the preference value through the second secondary cell configuration, thereby reducing the power consumption of the user equipment and / or preventing the user equipment from overheating.

[0026] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the execution subject of which can be a user device or a chip applied to a user device. The following description takes the execution subject being a user device as an example. The method includes: receiving a first message, the first message including a first configuration, a first parameter corresponding to the first configuration having a first value; if the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter is less than the first value, sending a first UAI, the first UAI including the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter.

[0027] The network device can be configured or reconfigured according to its own judgment. For example, when there is a downlink high-traffic service, the network device will configure wireless resources for the user device through the first configuration. The first value of the first parameter corresponding to the first configuration may be greater than the preference value, which can meet the needs of the downlink high-traffic service, but will cause the user device to increase power consumption and / or overheat. If the user device needs to report UAI for the purpose of reducing power consumption or cooling, it may not be able to report UAI. The reason is that the user device in the prior art cannot repeatedly report UAI including the same content, which causes the user device to have a certain probability of failing to reduce power consumption or cooling. In this embodiment, after the user device determines that the preference value is less than the first value, it can send the first UAI (without considering other constraints), and report its own preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter through the first UAI, so that the network device can reconfigure the wireless resources that meet the preference value according to the first UAI, thereby reducing the power consumption of the user device and / or avoiding overheating of the user device. In addition, this embodiment stipulates that the user equipment needs to report the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter only after receiving the configuration related to the first parameter. Compared with unconditionally reporting the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, this embodiment can reduce the reporting frequency of the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter and avoid excessive signaling overhead.

[0028] Optionally, sending the first UAI includes: if a preference value providing the maximum value of the first parameter of the first cell group is configured, and / or a UAI including the maximum number of preference values ​​of the first parameter of the first cell group has not been transmitted, sending the first UAI.

[0029] In this embodiment, if the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter is less than the first value, the user equipment needs to meet at least one of the above two conditions before sending the first UAI. Therefore, this embodiment can reduce the frequency of sending UAI, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0030] Optionally, the method further includes: receiving a second message, the second message including a second configuration, the first parameter corresponding to the second configuration having a second value, and the second value being less than or equal to the preference value.

[0031] The network device can reconfigure the first parameter to meet the preference value through the second configuration, thereby reducing the power consumption of the user equipment and / or preventing the user equipment from overheating.

[0032] Optionally, the first parameter includes: the aggregate bandwidth or the number of multiple-input multiple-output layers of the first cell group.

[0033] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the execution subject of which can be a network device or a chip applied to a network device. The following description takes the execution subject as an example. The method includes: receiving a first UAI, the first UAI including a first preference value of the maximum value of a first parameter; sending a first message, the first message including a first configuration, the first parameter corresponding to the first configuration having a first value, the first value being greater than the first preference value; receiving a second UAI, the second UAI including a second preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, the second preference value being equal to the first preference value.

[0034] The first preference value indicates the user equipment's preference for configuration, which may be a preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter when the user equipment is in an overheated state and / or has energy-saving requirements. However, the network device may configure or reconfigure according to its own judgment. For example, when there is a downlink high-traffic service, the network device may configure radio resources for the user equipment through the first configuration, and the first value of the first parameter corresponding to the first configuration is greater than the first preference value. This can meet the needs of the downlink high-traffic service, but will cause the user equipment to increase power consumption and / or overheat. If the user equipment needs to report the UAI again for the purpose of reducing power consumption or cooling, it may not be possible to report the UAI again because the user equipment cannot repeatedly report the UAI including the same content, resulting in a certain probability that the user equipment fails to reduce power consumption or cool down. In this embodiment, after the user equipment reports the preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter, if the network device adjusts the configuration related to the first parameter, but the value of the first parameter corresponding to the adjusted configuration is still not what the user equipment wants (e.g., the first value is greater than the first preference value), then the user equipment is allowed to report its preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter again. Doing so has two benefits. On the one hand, it gives the user equipment the opportunity to again indicate its preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter (i.e., the second preference value), so that the network device can provide a configuration that meets the second preference value according to the second UAI, thereby reducing the power consumption of the user equipment and / or avoiding overheating of the user equipment; on the other hand, this embodiment stipulates that the user equipment needs to adjust the configuration related to the first parameter before reporting the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter again. Compared with unconditionally repeating the reporting of the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, this embodiment can reduce the reporting frequency of the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, thereby avoiding excessive signaling overhead.

[0035] Optionally, before receiving the first UAI, the method further includes: sending a second message, the second message including a second configuration, the first parameter corresponding to the second configuration having a second value, wherein the second value is different from the first value, or the second value is smaller than the first value.

[0036] Network devices typically configure or reconfigure wireless resources to adapt to wireless channel conditions or communication requirements. If the second value is different from the first value, or if the second value is less than the first value, it indicates that the currently configured value of the first parameter (the first value) may not meet the user equipment's power consumption or temperature reduction requirements. In this case, the user equipment may report a second UAI.

[0037] Optionally, the difference between the time of receiving the second UAI and the time of receiving the first UAI is greater than the running time of the first timer, and the first timer is used to prohibit the user equipment from reporting the preference value.

[0038] Before sending the second UAI, the user equipment can determine whether the first timer is running. If the first timer is not running, it means that the user equipment has not sent UAI for a period of time, and the user equipment can send the second UAI. Therefore, this embodiment can reduce the frequency of UAI transmission, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0039] Optionally, the method further includes: sending a third message, the third message including a third configuration, the first parameter corresponding to the third configuration has a third value, and the third value is less than or equal to the second preference value.

[0040] The second preference value in the second UAI is different from the first value corresponding to the first configuration. The network device can determine the user device's preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter (i.e., the second preference value). The network device can provide a configuration that meets the second preference value through a third configuration, thereby reducing the power consumption of the user device and / or avoiding overheating of the user device.

[0041] Optionally, the first parameter includes: at least one of: aggregated bandwidth, the number of secondary CCs, and the number of multiple-input multiple-output layers.

[0042] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device may include a processing unit and a transceiver unit, configured to perform: any of the methods in the first aspect and its optional embodiments, or any of the methods in the second aspect and its optional embodiments, or any of the methods in the third aspect and its optional embodiments. The transceiver unit is a sending unit when performing the sending step, and is a receiving unit when performing the receiving step.

[0043] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a user device or a chip applied to a user device. The communication device may include a processor for executing: any method in the first aspect and its optional embodiments, or any method in the second aspect and its optional embodiments, or any method in the third aspect and its optional embodiments.

[0044] Optionally, the communication device may further include a transceiver. When the communication device is a user equipment, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an antenna, etc.; when the device is a chip applied to the user equipment, the transceiver may be an input / output interface, a pin, a circuit, etc.

[0045] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory for storing instructions, and the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory to cause the communication device to perform any of the methods in the first aspect and its optional embodiments, or to cause the communication device to perform any of the methods in the third aspect and its optional embodiments, or to cause the communication device to perform any of the methods in the fifth aspect and its optional embodiments. When the communication device is a user equipment, the memory may be a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.; when the device is a chip applied to a user equipment, the memory may be a register, a cache, etc.

[0046] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication device. The communication device may include a processing unit and a transceiver unit, configured to perform any of the methods described in the fourth aspect and its optional embodiments. The transceiver unit is a sending unit when performing the sending step, and is a receiving unit when performing the receiving step.

[0047] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a network device or a chip applied to a network device. The device may include a processor configured to execute any of the methods in the fourth aspect and its optional embodiments.

[0048] Optionally, the communication device may further include a transceiver. When the communication device is a network device, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an antenna, etc.; when the device is a chip used in a network device, the transceiver may be an input / output interface, a pin, a circuit, etc.

[0049] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory for storing instructions, and the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory to cause the communication device to perform any of the methods in the fourth aspect and its optional embodiments. When the communication device is a network device, the memory may be a read-only memory, a random access memory, or the like; when the device is a chip used in a network device, the memory may be a register, a cache, or the like.

[0050] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer executes any one of the methods in the first aspect and its optional embodiments, or the computer executes any one of the methods in the second aspect and its optional embodiments, or the computer executes any one of the methods in the third aspect and its optional embodiments.

[0051] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed on a computer, it enables the computer to execute any method in the fourth aspect and its optional implementation methods.

[0052] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code or computer program instructions, which, when the computer program code or computer program instructions are executed by a communication device, enable the communication device to execute any one of the methods in the first aspect and its optional implementation methods, or enable the communication device to execute any one of the methods in the third aspect and its optional implementation methods.

[0053] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code or computer program instructions, which, when the computer program code or computer program instructions are executed by a communication device, enables the communication device to execute any one of the methods in the fourth aspect and its optional implementation methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to the present application;

[0055] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a protocol stack applicable to the present application;

[0056] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a process for reporting auxiliary information applicable to the present application;

[0057] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a process for reducing the number of CCs in an energy-saving scenario applicable to the present application;

[0058] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of a user equipment provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0071] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to the present application. The communication system includes user equipment 110, access network 120, core network 130 and data network 140. Each part of the communication system is described below.

[0072] 1. User equipment 110.

[0073] In the embodiment of the present application, the user equipment 110 may be a device that provides voice and / or data to a user, such as a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with a wireless connection function. The user equipment 110 may be referred to as a terminal device, and is sometimes also referred to as a terminal, an access station, a UE station, a remote station, a wireless communication device, or a user device.

[0074] For example, the user device 110 can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a whole vehicle, a wireless communication module in the whole vehicle, a telematics box (T-box), a road side unit (RSU), a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a smart speaker in the Internet of Things (IoT), a wireless user device in remote medical, a wireless user device in a smart grid, a wireless user device in transportation safety, a wireless user device in a smart city, or a wireless user device in a smart home. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0075] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the user device 110 may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be referred to as wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include electronic devices that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve full or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, or electronic devices that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for measuring vital signs.

[0076] The user equipment 110 may also be a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) device, such as a smart car (or intelligent car), a digital car, an unmanned car (or driverless car, or pilotless car, or automobile), a self-driving car (or autonomous car), a pure electric vehicle (or battery EV), a hybrid electric vehicle (or HEV), a range-extended EV (or REEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (or PHEV), or a new energy vehicle. The various user equipments described above, if located on a vehicle (e.g., placed inside or installed inside the vehicle), may be considered as on-board user equipment, which is also referred to as an on-board unit (OBU).

[0077] The user device 110 of the present application can also be a vehicle-mounted module, vehicle-mounted module, vehicle-mounted component, vehicle-mounted chip or vehicle-mounted unit built into the vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle can implement the method of the present application through the built-in vehicle-mounted module, vehicle-mounted module, vehicle-mounted component, vehicle-mounted chip or vehicle-mounted unit.

[0078] In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the user equipment 110 may also be a device in a future-evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), for example, the user equipment 110 may be a sixth generation mobile communication (6G mobile communication) th The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific type of user equipment 110.

[0079] 2. Access network 120.

[0080] Access network 120 is a network device that provides wireless communication capabilities for user equipment (UEs). It is responsible for functions related to the air interface ("air interface"). For example, access network 120 can provide radio link maintenance, protocol conversion between radio link data and Internet Protocol (IP) data, radio resource management, and mobility management. Radio resource management includes establishing and releasing radio links, as well as scheduling and allocating radio resources. Mobility management includes configuring UEs for measurement, evaluating radio link quality, and making decisions regarding UE handovers between cells.

[0081] As an optional example, the access network 120 can be one of the following devices: a macro base station in a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) or a long term evolution (LTE) network, a micro base station in a heterogeneous network (HetNet), a base band unit (BBU) and a remote radio unit (RRU) in a distributed base station scenario, a BBU pool and RRU in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or a next generation node B (gNB). The access network 120 can also be a relay station, access point, vehicle-mounted device, wearable device, or network equipment in a future PLMN that assumes base station functions.

[0082] As an optional example, the access network 120 may be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio access network (RAN) device including a CU and a DU, or a RAN device including a CU, a DU, and an active antenna unit (AAU).

[0083] The access network 120 may also be a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cell here may include: a metro cell, a micro cell, a pico cell, or a femto cell. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific type of the access network 120.

[0084] 3. Core network 130.

[0085] The core network 130 is a network device that provides functions such as user connection, user management, and service bearing, and can connect call requests or data requests on the air interface to different external networks.

[0086] For example, user connectivity includes functions such as mobility management (MM), connection management (CM), switching / routing, and recorded notifications. User management includes user description, quality of service (QoS), authentication, authorization, and accounting. Service carrying includes connecting the wireless access network to external networks such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN), packet switching networks, and the Internet. Core network 130 can also provide services such as paging, location-based services, and telemetry.

[0087] As an optional example, the core network 130 may include functional units such as access mobility function (AMF), session management function (SMF), policy control function (PCF), and user plane function (UPF). These functional units can work independently or be combined to implement certain control functions. For example, AMF, SMF, and PCF can be combined as a management device to implement access control and mobility management functions such as access authentication, security encryption, and location registration of user equipment, session management functions such as establishment, release, and change of user plane transmission paths, and policy control functions such as network slice status analysis and traffic management. UPF mainly completes functions such as routing and forwarding of user plane data, such as filtering data packets of user equipment, data transmission or forwarding, rate control, and generation of billing information.

[0088] It should be noted that the core network 130 utilizes a service-based architecture and supports the separation of the control and user planes. A service-based architecture builds the core network using a software-based, modular, and service-oriented approach. The separation of the control and user planes frees user plane functions from centralized constraints, allowing them to be flexibly deployed in both the core network and the access network.

[0089] 4. Data network 140.

[0090] The data network 140 can provide business services to users. For example, the data network 140 can be a PSTN, a packet switching network, or the Internet.

[0091] It should be understood that the above-mentioned communication system and network architecture are illustrative illustrations and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art will know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar problems.

[0092] The following describes the protocol stack applicable to this application.

[0093] Figure 2 shows the control plane protocol stack of a communication system. The control plane protocol stack can be divided into two categories: the non-access stratum (NAS) and the access stratum. The access stratum can be further divided into the RRC layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, the medium access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer.

[0094] The protocol stack of the user equipment 110 includes an access layer and a non-access layer, the protocol stack of the access network 120 includes an access layer, and the protocol stack of the core network 130 (eg, AMF) includes a non-access layer.

[0095] The following describes the workflow of the control plane protocol stack using uplink transmission as an example.

[0096] (1) The main functions of NAS include session management, user management, security management, and billing. The control plane data related to these functions is generated in NAS. The control plane data generated in NAS is packaged into NAS protocol data units (PDUs) and passed to the RRC layer.

[0097] (2) The main functions of the RRC layer include system messages, admission control, security management, measurement and reporting, as well as handover and mobility. The control plane data related to these functions is generated in the NAS. The RRC layer is also responsible for radio resource management for NAS message transmission. After the NAS PDU reaches the RRC layer, it is processed as an RRC service data unit (SDU) to generate an RRC PDU. The control plane data generated by the RRC layer (such as RRC reconfiguration messages) is also packaged into RRC PDUs.

[0098] (3) The main functions of the PDCP layer include transmitting user plane and control plane data, maintaining PDCP sequence numbers, routing and repetition, encryption / decryption and integrity protection, reordering, supporting out-of-order delivery, and duplicate discard. After the RRC PDU reaches the PDCP layer, it is processed as a PDCP SDU to generate a PDCP PDU.

[0099] (4) The main functions of the RLC layer include error detection and correction, segmentation and reassembly, resegmentation, and duplicate packet detection. After the PDCP PDU reaches the RLC layer, it is processed as an RLC SDU and generates an RLC PDU.

[0100] (5) The main functions of the MAC layer include mapping between logical and transport channels, multiplexing / demultiplexing, scheduling, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), and logical channel priority setting. After the RLC PDU reaches the MAC layer, it is processed as a MAC SDU to generate a MAC sub-PDU. Multiple MAC sub-PDUs are concatenated to form a MAC PDU.

[0101] (6) The main functions of the PHY layer include coding, modulation, and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO). After the MAC PDU reaches the PHY layer, it is sent out on the corresponding time-frequency resources.

[0102] As can be seen above, data transferred between the same protocol layers can be called SDUs, and data transferred between adjacent protocol layers can be called PDUs. For a protocol layer, the data it processes can be called SDUs, and the data it outputs can be called PDUs.

[0103] For example, the data processed by the RRC layer of user equipment 110 is an RRC SDU. The RRC layer adds protocol control information (PCI) to the RRC SDU and encapsulates it into an RRC PDU. The RRC PDU is processed by the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer, and then transmitted to the access network 120 via a wireless signal. The information carried by the wireless signal reaching the access network 120 is processed by the PHY layer, the MAC layer, the RLC layer, and the PDCP layer in sequence, and reaches the RRC layer in the form of an RRC PDU. The RRC layer decapsulates the RRC PDU, removes the PCI, and restores the RRC SDU.

[0104] If the data volume of an SDU is large, the user equipment 110 can split the SDU into multiple segments, encapsulate them into multiple PDUs, and send them. The access network 120 then decapsulates the multiple PDUs and reassembles them into an SDU. If the data volume of multiple SDUs is small, the user equipment 110 can concatenate the multiple SDUs, encapsulate them into a single PDU, and send them. The access network 120 then decapsulates the PDU and separates the multiple SDUs.

[0105] The embodiments of the present application primarily involve the RRC layer, which is primarily used to manage air interface resources. If air interface resources change and user equipment 110 is in an RRC connected state, access network 120 can manage the air interface resources through a reconfiguration process. During the reconfiguration process, access network 120 can configure user equipment 110 to report auxiliary information through an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0106] FIG3 shows a process in which the access network 120 configures the user equipment 110 to report auxiliary information.

[0107] S310 , the user equipment 110 sends capability information to the access network 120 .

[0108] The capability information may be information sent by the user equipment 110 in response to a request from the access network 120, and is used to report the capabilities of the user equipment 110. The capability information is typically sent before an RRC reconfiguration message to help the access network 120 provide the user equipment 110 with a configuration that does not exceed the capabilities of the user equipment 110. Optionally, the user equipment 110 may indicate in the capability information the types of UAI that it supports reporting.

[0109] S320 , the access network 120 sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the user equipment 110 .

[0110] RRC reconfiguration is an important step in establishing a wireless connection between user equipment and network equipment. Through RRC reconfiguration messages, network equipment can: modify the RRC connection; perform synchronization reconfiguration; set, modify, or release measurements; add, modify, or release conditional handover configurations; and add, modify, or release secondary cells and cell groups.

[0111] The RRC reconfiguration message may include an other configuration (otherConfig) field, which may be used by the network device to configure the user equipment to report UAI.

[0112] The following example illustrates the UAI configuration in otherConfig.

[0113] 1. If otherConfig received by the user equipment 110 includes maxBW-PreferenceConfig, and if maxBW-PreferenceConfig is set to setup, the user equipment 110 may consider itself to be configured to provide its preference on the maximum aggregated bandwidth for power saving for the cell group.

[0114] If otherConfig received by the user equipment 110 includes maxBW-PreferenceConfig, and if maxBW-PreferenceConfig is set to setup, and if otherConfig includes maxBW-PreferenceConfigFR2-2, the user equipment 110 may consider itself to be configured to provide its preference on the maximum aggregated bandwidth for FR2-2 for power saving for the cell group.

[0115] 2. If the otherConfig received by the user equipment 110 includes maxCC-PreferenceConfig, and if maxCC-PreferenceConfig is set to setup, the user equipment 110 may consider itself to be configured to provide its preference on the maximum number of secondary component carriers for power saving for the cell group.

[0116] 3. If the otherConfig received by the user equipment 110 includes maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceConfig, and if maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceConfig is set to setup, the user equipment 110 may consider itself to be configured to provide its preference on the maximum number of MIMO layers for power saving for the cell group.

[0117] If otherConfig received by the user equipment 110 includes maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceConfig, and if maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceConfig is set to setup, and if otherConfig includes maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceConfigFR2-2, the user equipment 110 may consider itself to be configured to provide its preference on the maximum number of MIMO layers for FR2-2 for power saving for the cell group.

[0118] S330 , the user equipment 110 sends the UAI to the access network 120 .

[0119] The user equipment can send UAI in the following scenarios:

[0120] The user equipment is experiencing overheating; or, for the purpose of energy saving, the user equipment selects: a determined discontinuous reception (DRX) parameter value, and / or a reduced maximum number of CCs, and / or a reduced maximum aggregate bandwidth, and / or a reduced maximum number of MIMO layers, and / or minimum scheduling offsets K0 and K2.

[0121] Exemplarily, for energy-saving scenarios, the parameters of preference values ​​supported by the user equipment in the UAI may include but are not limited to: DRX parameters, maximum aggregate bandwidth, maximum number of CCs, maximum number of multi-MIMO layers, and minimum scheduling offset.

[0122] Exemplarily, DRX parameters may include DRX cycle, on duration, etc. The maximum aggregate bandwidth may refer to the maximum aggregate bandwidth on all uplink carriers and all downlink carriers. The maximum number of CCs may also be referred to as the maximum number of carriers, which may refer to the maximum number of secondary cells (SCells) for downlink or uplink. The maximum number of MIMO layers may also be referred to as the maximum number of MIMO streams or the maximum number of MIMO transmission layers. The minimum scheduling offset may refer to the minimum scheduling offset for cross-slot scheduling.

[0123] In addition, the UAI may also indicate the preference value of at least one of the following parameters, or carry information on related characteristics corresponding to at least one of the following parameters: uplink (UL) frequency range 2 (FR2) gap, multi-universal subscriber identity module (MUSIM) gap, radio link monitoring (RLM) relaxation status, beam failure detection (BFD) relaxation status, secondary cell group (SCG) deactivation request, radio resource control (RRC) connection release request, radio resource management (RRM) measurement relaxation criterion satisfaction, propagation delay difference information (PropDelayDiffReport) of the service link between the serving cell and the neighboring cell, and in-device coexistence (IDC) information.

[0124] The embodiments of the present application mainly focus on the preferences for the maximum number of CCs, the maximum aggregate bandwidth, and the maximum number of MIMO layers.

[0125] 1. Maximum aggregate bandwidth preference: Indicates the maximum aggregate bandwidth preferred by the user equipment. In energy-saving scenarios, the maximum value reported by the user equipment is equal to the activated bandwidth. Examples of maximum bandwidth preferences are reducedBW-FR1, reducedBW-FR2, and reducedBW-FR2-2. ReducedBW-FR1 is used for frequency range (FR) 1, and reducedBW-FR2 and reducedBW-FR2-2 are used for FR2.

[0126] Taking reducedBW-FR1 as an example, the main functions of this parameter are as follows:

[0127] Indicates the UE's preference for a reduced aggregate bandwidth configuration, which corresponds to the maximum aggregate bandwidth on all downlink carriers and all uplink carriers in FR1, to address overheating or energy saving issues. Reporting of this field is allowed only if the UE is configured with a serving cell operating in FR1. The aggregate bandwidth on all downlink carriers in FR1 is the sum of the bandwidths of the activated downlink part bandwidths (BWP) on all activated downlink carriers in FR1. The aggregate bandwidth across all uplink carriers in FR1 is the sum of the bandwidths of the activated uplink BWPs across all activated uplink carriers in FR1. If this field (reducedBW-FR1) is not present in the MaxBW-Preference information element (IE) or the OverheatingAssistance IE, it is interpreted as the UE having no preference on the maximum aggregate bandwidth for FR1.

[0128] When used to address overheating, the maximum aggregate bandwidth includes carriers in FR1 of both the new radio (NR) primary cell group (MCG) and secondary cell group (SCG). This maximum aggregate bandwidth includes only carriers in FR1 of the SCG in (NG) E-UTRAN with NR dual connectivity (E-UTRAN new radio dual connectivity, EN-DC). E-UTRAN stands for evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network, and UMTS stands for universal mobile telecommunications system. When used to address overheating, the parameter (reducedBW-FR1) does not use the value MHz0.

[0129] When used to address energy conservation, the parameter (reducedBW-FR1) includes the carriers in FR1 of the cell group associated with the UE assistance information. When used to address energy conservation, the maximum value of the parameter (reducedBW-FR1) can only range up to the currently active configuration. The currently active configuration can, for example, be the sum of the bandwidths of the uplink BWP or downlink BWP activated on the current uplink or downlink carrier.

[0130] 2. Maximum CC number preference: Indicates the number of cells preferred by the user equipment in addition to the primary cell. In energy-saving scenarios, the maximum value of this parameter that the user equipment can report is equal to the number of activated cells in addition to the primary cell. Examples of the maximum CC number preference are reducedCCsDL and reducedCCsUL, where reducedCCsDL is the number of downlink secondary cells and reducedCCsUL is the number of uplink secondary cells.

[0131] The main features of reducedCCsDL are as follows:

[0132] Indicates the user equipment's preference for a configuration that reduces the maximum number of downlink secondary cells (SCells) to address overheating or power saving issues.

[0133] When used to address overheating, the maximum number includes the SCells of the NR MCG and the primary secondary cell (PSCell) or SCell of the SCG. The maximum number only includes the PSCell or SCell of the SCG in (NG) EN-DC.

[0134] When used to address energy conservation, this maximum number includes the PSCells or SCells of the cell group associated with the UAI. When used to address energy conservation, the maximum value of this parameter (reducedCCsDL) can only range up to the currently activated configuration. The currently activated configuration can, for example, be the number of secondary cells currently activated on the downlink.

[0135] The main functions of reducedCCsUL are as follows:

[0136] Indicates the user equipment's preference to reduce the maximum number of uplink SCells to address overheating or power saving issues.

[0137] When used to address overheating, the maximum number includes the SCells of the NR MCG and the PSCells or SCells of the SCG. The maximum number includes only the PSCells or SCells of the SCG in the (NG) EN-DC.

[0138] When used to address energy conservation, this maximum number includes the PSCells or SCells of the cell group associated with the UAI. When used to address energy conservation, the maximum value of the parameter (reducedCCsUL) can only range up to the currently active configuration. The currently active configuration can, for example, be the number of secondary cells currently activated on the uplink.

[0139] 3. Maximum MIMO layer preference: indicates the MIMO layer number preferred by the user equipment. In energy-saving scenarios, the maximum value of this parameter that the user equipment can report is equal to the currently activated MIMO layer number. The preferences for the maximum number of MIMO layers are, for example, reducedMIMO-LayersFR1-DL, reducedMIMO-LayersFR1-UL, reducedMIMO-LayersFR2-DL, reducedMIMO-LayersFR2-UL, reducedMIMO-LayersFR2-2-DL and reducedMIMO-LayersFR2-2-UL, where reducedMIMO-LayersFR1-DL is used for the downlink of FR1, reducedMIMO-LayersFR1-UL is used for the uplink of FR1, reducedMIMO-LayersFR2-DL and reducedMIMO-LayersFR2-2-DL are used for the downlink of FR2, and reducedMIMO-LayersFR2-UL and reducedMIMO-LayersFR2-2-UL are used for the uplink of FR2.

[0140] The main features of reducedMIMO-LayersFR1-DL are as follows:

[0141] Indicates the user equipment's preference for reducing the number of downlink MIMO layers configured, corresponding to the maximum number of downlink MIMO layers for a serving cell in FR1, to address overheating or power saving issues. This field is only allowed to be reported when the user equipment is configured with a serving cell in FR1. When used to address power saving issues, the maximum number of downlink MIMO layers can only range up to the maximum number of MIMO layers configured on all activated downlink carriers in FR1 in the cell group.

[0142] The main functions of reducedMIMO-LayersFR1-UL are as follows:

[0143] Indicates the user equipment's preference for reducing the maximum number of uplink MIMO layers configured for a serving cell in FR1 to address overheating or power saving. This field is only allowed to be reported when the user equipment is configured with a serving cell in FR1. When used to address power saving, the maximum number of uplink MIMO layers can only range up to the maximum number of MIMO layers configured on all activated uplink carriers in FR1 in the cell group.

[0144] S340: The access network 120 updates the current configuration.

[0145] The access network 120 may update the network configuration according to the UAI, but whether to accept the request in the UAI depends on the access network 120.

[0146] S350 , the access network 120 sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the user equipment 110 .

[0147] The RRC reconfiguration message is used to reconfigure the user equipment 110. If the RRC reconfiguration is successful, the user equipment 110 may perform the following steps.

[0148] S360 , the user equipment 110 sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the access network 120 .

[0149] The RRC reconfiguration complete message indicates that the RRC reconfiguration is successful.

[0150] Subject to the protocol, the user equipment 110 must meet one of the following two conditions to report UAI:

[0151] Condition 1: UAI has not been transmitted yet;

[0152] Condition 2: The UAI transmitted this time is different from the UAI transmitted last time, and / or the timer associated with the UAI is not running.

[0153] If the user equipment 110 is configured to provide its preference for the maximum aggregate bandwidth of a cell group for energy saving, the user equipment 110 may send the UAI including the preference for the maximum aggregate bandwidth when one of the following two conditions is met:

[0154] Condition 1.1: If the user equipment 110 has a preference for the maximum aggregate bandwidth of the cell group, and since the user equipment 110 is configured to provide its preference for the maximum aggregate bandwidth of the cell group to facilitate energy saving, the user equipment 110 has not yet transmitted the UAI including maxBW-Preference and / or maxBW-PreferenceFR2-2 for the cell group.

[0155] Condition 2.1: If the current maxBW-Preference information of the cell group is different from the content indicated by the last transmitted UAI of the cell group including maxBW-Preference and / or maxBW-PreferenceFR2-2, and the timer T346b associated with the cell group is not running.

[0156] The user equipment 110 may then execute:

[0157] Timer T346b is started and the time value is set to the maxBW-PreferenceProhibitTimer of the cell group; to provide the current maxBW-Preference and / or maxBW-PreferenceFR2-2.

[0158] If the user equipment 110 is configured to provide its preference for the maximum number of secondary CCs of a cell group for energy saving, the user equipment 110 may send a UAI including maxCC-Preference when one of the following two conditions is met:

[0159] Condition 1.2: If the user equipment 110 has a preference for the maximum number of secondary CCs for the cell group, and since the user equipment 110 is configured to provide its preference for the maximum number of secondary CCs for the cell group to facilitate energy saving, the user equipment 110 has not yet transmitted the UAI including the maxCC-Preference for the cell group.

[0160] Condition 2.2: If the current maxCC-Preference information of the cell group is different from the content of the UAI indication including maxCC-Preference of the cell group transmitted last time, and the timer T346c associated with the cell group is not running.

[0161] The user equipment 110 may then execute:

[0162] Start timer T346c and set the time value to the maxCC-PreferenceProhibitTimer of the cell group to provide the current maxCC-Preference.

[0163] If the user equipment 110 is configured to provide its preference for the maximum number of MIMO layers for a cell group for energy saving, the user equipment 110 may send a UAI including the preference for the maximum aggregate bandwidth when one of the following two conditions is met:

[0164] Condition 1.3: If the user equipment 110 has a preference for the maximum number of MIMO layers for the cell group, and since the user equipment 110 is configured to provide its preference for the maximum number of MIMO layers for the cell group to facilitate energy saving, the user equipment 110 has not yet transmitted the UAI for the cell group including maxMIMO-LayerPreference and / or maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceFR2-2.

[0165] Condition 2.3: If the current maxMIMO-LayerPreference information of the cell group is different from the content of the last transmitted UAI indication of the cell group including maxMIMO-LayerPreference and / or maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceFR2-2, and the timer T346d associated with the cell group is not running.

[0166] The user equipment 110 may then execute:

[0167] Start timer T346d and set the time value to maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceProhibitTimer of the cell group; to provide the current maxMIMO-LayerPreference and / or maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceFR2-2.

[0168] As can be seen above, the protocol constrains the frequency of UAI reporting and also prevents multiple UAIs containing the same content from being reported. However, these protocol constraints can render energy saving and cooling ineffective. This issue is illustrated below using CC reduction in an energy-saving scenario as an example.

[0169] As shown in FIG4 , the process of reducing the number of CCs in energy-saving scenarios includes the following steps.

[0170] S410 , the access network 120 sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the user equipment 110 .

[0171] The RRC reconfiguration message includes configuration parameters of a single CC, and is used to configure the single CC for the user equipment 110. The single CC configured by the RRC reconfiguration message is a currently activated configuration.

[0172] In various embodiments of the present application, a single CC may be a primary CC (PCC), and multiple CCs mentioned below may be a primary CC and one or more secondary CCs (SCCs).

[0173] S420: The user equipment 110 determines that a single CC is required.

[0174] The user equipment 110 may determine that a single CC is required based on the need to reduce the number of CCs in an energy-saving scenario and protocol constraints. The protocol constraints mentioned above mean that the maximum number of SCells can only range up to the currently activated configuration.

[0175] Since the user equipment 110 was configured to provide its preference for the maximum number of secondary CCs for the cell group, the user equipment 110 has not yet transmitted UAI including maxCC-Preference for the cell group. According to the protocol, the user equipment 110 may send UAI including maxCC-Preference.

[0176] S430 , the user equipment 110 sends the UAI to the access network 120 .

[0177] The UAI includes a maxCC-Preference, which is used to indicate a single CC requirement of the user equipment 110 .

[0178] S440: The access network 120 determines that there is no need to respond to the single CC requirement.

[0179] Since the access network 120 has previously configured a single CC through an RRC reconfiguration message, which is the same as the single CC requirement indicated by the UAI, the access network 120 may ignore the single CC requirement.

[0180] S450 , the access network 120 sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the user equipment 110 .

[0181] If the access network 120 processes downlink high-traffic traffic, the access network 120 may configure multiple CCs for the user equipment 110. The access network 120 may send multiple CC configuration parameters to the user equipment 110 via an RRC reconfiguration message for configuring one or more secondary CCs.

[0182] S460: The user equipment 110 determines that a single CC is required.

[0183] If the user activates energy-saving mode, user equipment 110 determines that a single CC is required. At this time, access network 120 is configured with multiple CCs, which does not meet the energy-saving mode requirements. User equipment 110 needs to convey the single CC requirement to access network 120 via UAI. However, user equipment 110 has already sent a UAI indicating a single CC requirement. According to the protocol, user equipment 110 cannot send a UAI indicating a single CC requirement again, which results in increased power consumption of user equipment 110.

[0184] One approach to solving the problem is that after receiving the UAI, the access network 120 must record the energy-saving requirement in the UAI and always meet the requirement, regardless of whether it responds immediately.

[0185] However, the access network 120 can process UAI according to its own implementation, and it is not mandatory for the access network 120 to meet the requirements of UAI.

[0186] Another approach to solving the problem is to report the UAI if the resources configured by the access network 120 do not meet the energy-saving requirements.

[0187] However, this approach may still result in increased power consumption. For example, if the user equipment 110 immediately reports a UAI indicating a single CC requirement after generating a single CC requirement, the access network 120 may not configure multiple CCs. If the user equipment 110 delays reporting a UAI indicating a single CC requirement after generating a single CC requirement, the access network 120 may assume that the user equipment 110 has no preference for the number of secondary CCs and may configure multiple CCs for the user equipment 110. The user equipment 110 will then undergo a process of single CC, then multiple CCs, then single CC, resulting in increased power consumption.

[0188] The following takes the user equipment 110 and the access network 120 as an example to introduce the communication method for solving the above-mentioned problems provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0189] As shown in FIG5 , method 500 includes the following contents.

[0190] S510 : The user equipment 110 sends a first UAI, where the first UAI includes a first preference value of a maximum value of a first parameter.

[0191] Accordingly, the access network 120 receives the first UAI.

[0192] The user equipment 110 may send the first UAI after receiving the RRC reconfiguration message including the other configuration (otherConfig) field, wherein the other configuration (otherConfig) field may be used to configure the user equipment 110 to report the UAI. The user equipment 110 may also send the first UAI when the first preference value exists. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the prerequisites for the user equipment 110 to send the first UAI.

[0193] The first parameter may be a parameter related to energy saving or overheating. For example, the first parameter includes at least one of: aggregation bandwidth, the number of secondary CCs, and the number of MIMO layers.

[0194] In various embodiments of the present application, the secondary CC may also be referred to as a secondary cell, and the two may be interchangeable. For the sake of brevity, they will not be described in detail later.

[0195] When the first parameter includes the aggregate bandwidth, the first preference value may include: maxBW-Preference and / or maxBW-PreferenceFR2-2; when the first parameter includes the number of secondary CCs, the first preference value may include: maxCC-Preference; when the first parameter includes the number of MIMO layers, the first preference value may include: maxMIMO-LayerPreference and / or maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceFR2-2.

[0196] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific content of the first parameter and the first preference value.

[0197] The first preference value indicates the preference of the user equipment 110 for the configuration, and may be a desired maximum value of the first parameter when the user equipment 110 is in an overheated state and / or has energy saving requirements.

[0198] After receiving the first preference value, the access network 120 may configure the user equipment 110 according to the first preference value, or may not configure the user equipment 110 according to the first preference value. For example, when there is a downlink high-traffic service, the access network 120 may configure wireless resources for the terminal device using the first configuration, and the first value of the first parameter corresponding to the first configuration is greater than the first preference value.

[0199] S520: The user equipment 110 receives a first message, where the first message includes a first configuration. A first parameter corresponding to the first configuration has a first value, and the first value is greater than a first preference value.

[0200] Accordingly, the access network 120 sends a first message.

[0201] The first message may be an RRC reconfiguration message (RRC reconfiguration). The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific form of the first message.

[0202] The first configuration may be an aggregated bandwidth, a secondary CC, or a MIMO-related configuration.

[0203] S530: The user equipment 110 sends a second UAI, where the second UAI includes a second preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, and the second preference value is equal to the first preference value.

[0204] Accordingly, the access network 120 receives the second UAI.

[0205] The user equipment 110 reports the same preference value so that the access network 120 knows that the user equipment 110 needs to configure the second preference value (or the first preference value). The access network 120 can subsequently configure the user equipment 110 with an aggregated bandwidth, a number of secondary CCs, or a number of MIMO layers that meets the second preference value.

[0206] In the prior art, if a user device needs to report UAI again for the purpose of reducing power consumption or cooling, it may not be able to report UAI again because the user device cannot repeatedly report UAI including the same content, which results in a certain probability that the user device fails to reduce power consumption or cooling. In this embodiment, after the user device 110 reports the preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter, if the access network 120 adjusts the configuration related to the first parameter, but the value of the first parameter corresponding to the adjusted configuration is still not what the user device 110 wants (for example, the first value is greater than the first preference value), then the user device 110 is allowed to report its preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter again. Doing so has two benefits. On the one hand, it gives the user equipment 110 the opportunity to again indicate its preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter (i.e., the second preference value), so that the access network 120 can provide a configuration that meets the second preference value, reduce the power consumption of the user equipment 110 and / or avoid overheating of the user equipment 110; on the other hand, this embodiment stipulates that the user equipment 110 needs to adjust the configuration related to the first parameter before it can report the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter again. Compared with unconditionally repeating the reporting of the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, this embodiment can reduce the reporting frequency of the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, thereby avoiding excessive signaling overhead.

[0207] Optionally, as shown in FIG6 , the method 500 may further include:

[0208] S501: User equipment 110 receives a second message, where the second message includes a second configuration, and a first parameter corresponding to the second configuration has a second value.

[0209] Accordingly, the access network 120 sends a second message.

[0210] The second message may be an RRC reconfiguration message (RRC reconfiguration), an RRC setup message (RRC setup) or an RRC resume message (RRC resume). The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific form of the second message.

[0211] Since the first parameter corresponding to the second configuration has a second value, according to the constraints of the protocol, the maximum value of the first parameter can only reach (can only range up to) the currently activated configuration, that is, the first preference value reported by the user equipment 110 in the first UAI needs to be less than or equal to the second value.

[0212] Taking the first parameter maxCC-Preference as an example, if the user equipment 110 has a power consumption reduction requirement or a temperature reduction requirement, the values ​​of reducedCCsDL and reducedCCsUL in maxCC-Preference in the first UAI can be 0. At this time, maxCC-Preference indicates that the user equipment 110 has a single CC requirement.

[0213] If the access network 120 does not enable the multi-CC function, or if the access network 120 does not configure multiple CCs for the user equipment 110, the single CC requirement indicated by the maxCC-Preference is the same as the number of CCs configured in the first configuration. The access network 120 may not need to pay attention to the maxCC-Preference in the first UAI and may perform the following steps.

[0214] S511: The access network 120 ignores the first preference value.

[0215] Subsequently, if there is a downlink high-traffic service, the access network 120 may configure multiple CCs for the user equipment through the first configuration. If the multiple CC configuration cannot meet the power consumption reduction or temperature reduction requirements of the user equipment 110, the user equipment 110 may perform the following steps.

[0216] S521: If the second value is different from the first value, or if the second value is smaller than the first value, the user equipment 110 determines to send a second UAI.

[0217] If the second value is different from the first value, or if the second value is less than the first value, this indicates that access network 120 has reconfigured multiple CCs for user equipment 110. This multiple CC configuration cannot meet the power consumption or cooling requirements of user equipment 110, and user equipment 110 needs to report its preference for the maximum CC value again. Therefore, user equipment 110 determines to send a second UAI. Similar to the first UAI, the values ​​of reducedCCsDL and reducedCCsUL in maxCC-Preference in the second UAI can be 0, indicating that user equipment 110 requires a single CC.

[0218] Optionally, the user equipment 110 may send a second UAI when the first timer is not running, wherein the first timer is used to prohibit the user equipment from reporting a preference value (e.g., a second preference value). Optionally, the function of the first timer can also be expressed as: the first timer is used to prohibit the user equipment from reporting the second UAI, or the first timer is used to prohibit the user equipment from reporting a UAI including a preference value.

[0219] Before sending the second UAI, the user equipment 110 can determine whether the first timer is running. If the first timer is not running, it means that the user equipment has not sent the UAI for a long time, and the user equipment can send the second UAI. Therefore, this embodiment can reduce the frequency of UAI transmission, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0220] The first timer is not running, which may be that the first timer is not started or that the first timer has timed out. For maxCC-Preference, the first timer may be T346c.

[0221] Optionally, the user equipment 110 starts the first timer after sending the second UAI. Alternatively, the user equipment 110 starts the first timer before sending the second UAI. Alternatively, the user equipment 110 starts the first timer simultaneously with sending the second UAI. This embodiment does not limit the order of "the user equipment 110 starting the first timer" and "the user equipment 110 sending the second UAI."

[0222] When the first timer is in the running state, the user equipment 110 cannot report the UAI at will. Therefore, this embodiment can reduce the frequency of sending the UAI, thereby reducing the signaling overhead.

[0223] After receiving the second UAI, the access network 120 may pay attention to the maxCC-Preference in the second UAI and perform the following steps because the number of secondary CCs indicated by the maxCC-Preference in the second UAI is different from the number corresponding to the CCs configured in the first configuration.

[0224] S531: The access network 120 determines a third configuration according to the second preference value.

[0225] The first parameter corresponding to the third configuration has a third value, and the third value is equal to the second preference value. For example, the third configuration may configure a single CC for the user equipment 110 to meet the power consumption reduction or cooling requirements of the user equipment, thereby reducing the power consumption of the user equipment and / or preventing the user equipment from overheating.

[0226] It should be noted that the above first parameter is a parameter corresponding to a cell group. In various embodiments of the present application, the cell group may be an MCG or an SCG.

[0227] Below, the content of method 500 is summarized and explained by taking the first parameter in the energy-saving scenario as the aggregated bandwidth, the number of secondary CCs, or the number of MIMO layers as an example.

[0228] 1. The first parameter is the aggregate bandwidth.

[0229] 1.1. The user equipment determines and reports the UAI based on changes in network configuration.

[0230] If the UE is configured to provide its preference on the maximum aggregated bandwidth of a cell group for power saving; and if the currently configured bandwidth has changed since the UE reported its preference on the maximum aggregated bandwidth of a cell group;

[0231] The transmission of the UAI message is initiated to provide the current maxBW-Preference and / or maxBW-PreferenceFR2-2.

[0232] Optionally, if the UE is configured to provide its preference value for the maximum aggregate bandwidth of the cell group to facilitate energy saving; and if the bandwidth in the current configuration changes after the UE has reported its preference value for the maximum aggregate bandwidth of the cell group; and if the timer T346b associated with the cell group is not running;

[0233] Then initiate the transmission of a UAI message to provide the current maxBW-Preference and / or maxBW-PreferenceFR2-2; and start timer T346b and set the time value to the maxBW-PreferenceProhibitTimer of the cell group.

[0234] 1.2. The user equipment reports UAI without considering changes in network configuration.

[0235] If the UE is configured to provide its preference value for the maximum aggregate bandwidth of the cell group to facilitate energy saving; and if the UE has a preference value for the maximum aggregate bandwidth of the cell group;

[0236] The transmission of the UAI message is initiated to provide the current maxBW-Preference and / or maxBW-PreferenceFR2-2.

[0237] Optionally, if the UE is configured to provide its preference value for the maximum aggregate bandwidth of the cell group to facilitate energy saving; and if the UE has a preference value for the maximum aggregate bandwidth of the cell group; and if the timer T346b associated with the cell group is not running;

[0238] Then initiate the transmission of a UAI message to provide the current maxBW-Preference and / or maxBW-PreferenceFR2-2; and start timer T346b and set the time value to the maxBW-PreferenceProhibitTimer of the cell group.

[0239] 2. The first parameter is the number of auxiliary CCs.

[0240] 2.1. The user equipment determines and reports the UAI based on changes in network configuration.

[0241] If the UE is configured to provide its preference value for the maximum number of secondary CCs for a cell group to facilitate energy saving; and if the maximum number of downlink secondary cells and / or uplink secondary cells in the current configuration has changed since the UE reported its preference value for the maximum number of secondary CCs for the cell group;

[0242] The transmission of the UAI message is initiated to provide the current maxCC-Preference.

[0243] Optionally, if the UE is configured to provide its preference value for the maximum number of secondary CCs of the cell group to facilitate energy saving; and if the maximum number of downlink secondary cells and / or uplink secondary cells in the current configuration changes after the UE has reported its preference value for the maximum number of secondary CCs of the cell group; and if the timer T346c associated with the cell group is not running;

[0244] Then initiate the transmission of a UAI message to provide the current maxCC-Preference; and start timer T346c, setting the time value to the maxCC-PreferenceProhibitTimer of the cell group.

[0245] 2.2. The user equipment reports UAI without considering changes in network configuration.

[0246] If the UE is configured to provide its preference value for the maximum number of secondary CCs for a cell group to facilitate energy saving; and if the UE has a preference value for the maximum number of secondary CCs for a cell group;

[0247] The transmission of the UAI message is initiated to provide the current maxCC-Preference.

[0248] Optionally, if the UE is configured to provide its preference value for the maximum number of secondary CCs of the cell group to facilitate energy saving; and if the UE has a preference value for the maximum number of secondary CCs of the cell group; and timer T346c associated with the cell group is not running;

[0249] Then initiate the transmission of a UAI message to provide the current maxCC-Preference; and start timer T346c, setting the time value to the maxCC-PreferenceProhibitTimer of the cell group.

[0250] 3. The first parameter is the number of MIMO layers.

[0251] 3.1. The user equipment determines and reports the UAI based on changes in network configuration.

[0252] If the UE is configured to provide its preference for the maximum number of MIMO layers for a cell group to facilitate energy conservation; and if the number of MIMO layers in the current configuration changes after the UE has reported its preference for the maximum number of MIMO layers for a cell group;

[0253] The transmission of the UAI message is initiated to provide the current maxMIMO-LayerPreference and / or maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceFR2-2.

[0254] Optionally, if the UE is configured to provide its preference value for the maximum number of MIMO layers for the cell group to facilitate energy saving; and if the number of MIMO layers in the current configuration changes after the UE has reported its preference value for the maximum number of MIMO layers for the cell group; and if timer T346d associated with the cell group is not running;

[0255] Then initiate the transmission of a UAI message to provide the current maxMIMO-LayerPreference and / or maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceFR2-2; and start timer T346d, setting the time value to the maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceProhibitTimer of the cell group.

[0256] 3.2. The user equipment reports UAI without considering changes in network configuration.

[0257] If the UE is configured to provide its preference value for the maximum number of MIMO layers for the cell group to facilitate energy saving; and if the UE has a preference value for the maximum number of MIMO layers for the cell group;

[0258] The transmission of the UAI message is initiated to provide the current maxMIMO-LayerPreference and / or maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceFR2-2.

[0259] Optionally, if the UE is configured to provide its preference value for the maximum number of MIMO layers of the cell group to facilitate energy saving; and if the UE has a preference value for the maximum number of MIMO layers of the cell group; and if the timer T346d associated with the cell group is not running;

[0260] Then initiate the transmission of a UAI message to provide the current maxBW-Preference and / or maxBW-PreferenceFR2-2; and start timer T346d, setting the time value to the maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceProhibitTimer of the cell group.

[0261] The following takes the user equipment 110 and the access network 120 as an example to introduce another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0262] As shown in FIG. 7 , method 700 includes the following contents.

[0263] S710: The user equipment 110 receives a first message.

[0264] The first message may be an RRC reconfiguration message (RRC reconfiguration), an RRC setup message (RRC setup) or an RRC resume message (RRC resume). The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific form of the first message.

[0265] S720: If the first message includes the first secondary cell configuration of the first cell group, the user equipment 110 sends a first UAI, where the first UAI includes a preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells of the first cell group.

[0266] In the prior art, a user device may report a UAI when the network device has not configured a secondary cell. The preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells in the UAI may be 0. In this case, the network device may ignore the UAI or not respond. After the network device configures a secondary cell for the user device, if the user device needs to report the UAI again for the purpose of reducing power consumption or cooling, it may not be able to report the UAI again. The reason is that the user device has already sent the UAI before configuring the secondary cell. The user device that has sent the UAI cannot repeatedly send the UAI containing the same content, resulting in a certain probability of the user device failing to reduce power consumption or cooling. In fact, before the network device configures the secondary cell, the user device does not need to report the UAI including the preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells. In this embodiment, the user device 110 needs to send the first UAI only when it determines that the secondary cell has been configured. If the user device 110 has a need to reduce power consumption or cooling, it can report the need through the first UAI, thereby avoiding the failure of power consumption or cooling caused by the inability to report the UAI.

[0267] Optionally, when executing S720 , the user equipment 110 may perform the following steps: if the preference value exists, send the first UAI.

[0268] In some cases, the user equipment 110 does not need to reduce power consumption or temperature, and therefore does not need to send UAI. Leaving the opportunity to send UAI to situations where there is a preference value can avoid power consumption or temperature reduction failures caused by failure to report UAI.

[0269] Optionally, when executing S720, the user equipment 110 may perform the following steps: if it is configured to provide a preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells of the first cell group, and / or the UAI including the preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells of the first cell group has not been transmitted, send the first UAI.

[0270] In this embodiment, if the first message includes the first secondary cell configuration of the first cell group, the user equipment needs to meet at least one of the above two conditions before sending the first UAI. Therefore, this embodiment can reduce the frequency of UAI transmission, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0271] When executing S720, the user equipment 110 may also implement the above two embodiments in combination, that is, the user equipment 110 may send the first UAI when there is a preference value and, when the preference value for providing the maximum number of secondary cells of the first cell group is configured, and / or when the UAI for the preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells of the first cell group has not been transmitted.

[0272] Optionally, as shown in FIG8 , method 700 may further include:

[0273] S730 : The user equipment 110 receives a second message, where the second message includes a second secondary cell configuration of the first cell group, and the number of secondary cells configured in the second secondary cell configuration is less than or equal to the preference value.

[0274] The second message may be an RRC reconfiguration message. The access network 120 may reconfigure the secondary cell to meet the preference value through the second secondary cell configuration, thereby reducing power consumption of the user equipment 110 and / or preventing the user equipment 110 from overheating.

[0275] Optionally, before S710, the method 700 further includes:

[0276] S701: User equipment 110 receives a third message.

[0277] The third message may be an RRC reconfiguration message, an RRC setup message, or an RRC resume message. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific form of the third message. The third message does not include the secondary cell configuration of the first cell group.

[0278] S702: If the third message does not include the secondary cell configuration of the first cell group, the user equipment 110 determines not to send a UAI including a preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells of the first cell group.

[0279] In this embodiment, the access network 120 has not yet configured a secondary cell for the user equipment 110. The user equipment 110 does not need to report the UAI including the preference value of the maximum number of secondary cells. The opportunity to send the UAI is reserved for the case where a secondary cell is configured. This can avoid power consumption reduction or temperature reduction failure caused by the inability to report the UAI.

[0280] It should be noted that the secondary cell configuration in the method 700 is a secondary cell configuration corresponding to a cell group. The following summarizes the method 700 by taking an energy-saving scenario as an example.

[0281] if the UE has a preference on the maximum number of secondary component carriers of the cell group, the UE is configured with SCells of the cell group and the UE did not transmit a UEAssistanceInformation message with maxCC-Preference for the cell group since it was configured to provide its preference on the maximum number of secondary component carriers of the cell group for power saving.

[0282] Then the UE initiates the transmission of a UAI message to provide the current maxCC-Preference. Optionally, the UE may also start a timer T346c and set the time value to the maxCC-PreferenceProhibitTimer of the cell group.

[0283] The following takes the user equipment 110 and the access network 120 as an example to introduce another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0284] As shown in FIG. 9 , method 900 includes the following contents.

[0285] S910, the user equipment 110 receives a first message, where the first message includes a first configuration, and a first parameter corresponding to the first configuration has a first value.

[0286] The first parameter may be a parameter related to energy saving or overheating. For example, the first parameter includes: aggregated bandwidth and / or the number of MIMO layers.

[0287] The first message may be an RRC reconfiguration message (RRC reconfiguration), an RRC setup message (RRC setup) or an RRC resume message (RRC resume). The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific form of the first message.

[0288] S920: If the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter is smaller than the first value, the user equipment 110 sends a first UAI, where the first UAI includes the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter.

[0289] The network device can be configured or reconfigured according to its own judgment. For example, when there is a downlink high-traffic service, the network device can configure wireless resources for the user equipment through the first configuration. The first value of the first parameter corresponding to the first configuration may be greater than the preference value, which can meet the needs of the downlink high-traffic service, but will cause the user equipment to increase power consumption and / or overheat. If the user equipment needs to report UAI for the purpose of reducing power consumption or cooling, it may not be able to report UAI. The reason is that the user equipment in the prior art cannot repeatedly report UAI including the same content, which causes the user equipment to have a certain probability of failing to reduce power consumption or cooling. In this embodiment, after the user equipment 110 determines that the preference value is less than the first value, it can send the first UAI (without considering other constraints), and report its own preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter through the first UAI, so that the access network 120 can provide a configuration that meets the preference value according to the first UAI, thereby reducing the power consumption of the user equipment 110 and / or avoiding overheating of the user equipment 110. In addition, this embodiment stipulates that the user equipment 110 needs to report the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter only after receiving the configuration related to the first parameter. Compared with unconditionally reporting the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, this embodiment can reduce the reporting frequency of the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter and avoid excessive signaling overhead.

[0290] Optionally, when executing S920, the user equipment 110 may perform the following steps: if a preference value providing the maximum value of the first parameter of the first cell group is configured, and / or a UAI including the maximum number of preference values ​​of the first parameter of the first cell group has not been transmitted, a first UAI is sent.

[0291] In this embodiment, if the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter is less than the first value, the user equipment needs to meet at least one of the above two conditions before sending the first UAI. Therefore, this embodiment can reduce the frequency of sending UAI, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0292] Optionally, as shown in FIG10 , method 900 may further include:

[0293] S930: The user equipment 110 receives a second message, where the second message includes a second configuration. The first parameter corresponding to the second configuration has a second value, and the second value is less than or equal to the preference value.

[0294] The second message may be an RRC reconfiguration message (RRC reconfiguration). The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific form of the second message.

[0295] The access network 120 may reconfigure the first parameter to meet the preference value through the second configuration, thereby reducing the power consumption of the user equipment 110 and / or preventing the user equipment 110 from overheating.

[0296] S940: The user equipment 110 receives a third message, where the third message includes a third configuration, and the first parameter corresponding to the third configuration has a third value.

[0297] The third message may be an RRC reconfiguration message (RRC reconfiguration). The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific form of the third message.

[0298] S950: If the third value is less than or equal to the preference value of the user equipment 110 for the maximum value of the first parameter, the user equipment 110 determines not to send the UAI including the preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter.

[0299] If the third value is less than or equal to the preference value, it means that the first parameter configured by the access network 120 can meet the energy saving and / or cooling requirements of the user equipment 110. The user equipment 110 does not need to send the UAI including the preference value, and reserves the opportunity to send the UAI for the case where the value of the configured first parameter is greater than the preference value. This can avoid power consumption reduction or cooling failure due to the inability to report UAI.

[0300] It should be noted that the first parameter in method 900 is a parameter corresponding to a cell group.

[0301] Below, the method 900 is summarized and described by taking the case where the first parameter in an energy-saving scenario is the aggregated bandwidth or the number of MIMO layers as an example.

[0302] 1. The first parameter is the aggregate bandwidth.

[0303] if the UE is configured to provide its preference on the maximum aggregated bandwidth of the cell group for power saving; and if the UE has a preference on the maximum aggregated bandwidth of the cell group, the preference is smaller than the bandwidth in the current UE configuration and the UE did not transmit a UAI with maxBW-Preference and / or maxBW-Preference FR2-2 for the cell group since it was configured to provide its preference on the maximum aggregated bandwidth of the cell group for power saving;

[0304] The UE initiates the transmission of a UAI message to provide the current maxBW-Preference and / or maxBW-PreferenceFR2-2. Optionally, the UE may start a timer T346b and set the time value to the maxBW-PreferenceProhibitTimer of the cell group.

[0305] 2. The first parameter is the number of MIMO layers.

[0306] if the UE is configured to provide its preference on the maximum number of MIMO layers of the cell group for power saving; and if the UE has a preference on the maximum number of MIMO layers of the cell group, the preference is smaller than the MIMO layers in the current UE configuration and the UE did not transmit a UAI with maxMIMO-LayerPreference and / or maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceFR2-2 for the cell group since it was configured to provide its preference on the maximum number of MIMO layers of the cell group for power saving;

[0307] Then initiate the transmission of a UAI message to provide the current maxMIMO-LayerPreference and / or maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceFR2-2. Optionally, the UE may start timer T346d and set the time value to maxMIMO-LayerPreferenceProhibitTimer for the cell group;

[0308] The above describes in detail the method examples provided by the embodiments of the present application. It is understandable that, in order to implement the above functions, the corresponding device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily appreciate that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in a hardware or computer software driven hardware manner depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0309] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 1100 includes a processing unit 1110 and a transceiver unit 1120. The transceiver unit 1120 performs a receiving step or a sending step under the control of the processing unit 1110. Specifically, the transceiver unit 1120 is a sending unit when performing the sending step, and is a receiving unit when performing the receiving step.

[0310] The transceiver unit 1120 is used to: send a first UAI, where the first UAI includes a first preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter; receive a first message, where the first message includes a first configuration, where the first parameter corresponding to the first configuration has a first value, and the first value is greater than the first preference value; and send a second UAI, where the second UAI includes a second preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, and the second preference value is equal to the first preference value.

[0311] Optionally, before sending the first UAI, the transceiver unit 1120 is also used to: receive a second message, the second message includes a second configuration, and the first parameter corresponding to the second configuration has a second value; the transceiver unit 1120 is specifically used to: if the second value is different from the first value, or if the second value is less than the first value, send the second UAI.

[0312] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1120 is specifically configured to: send a second UAI if the first timer is not running, and the first timer is configured to prohibit the user equipment from reporting a preference value.

[0313] Optionally, the processing unit 1110 is configured to: start a first timer.

[0314] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1120 is further used to: receive a third message, the third message includes a third configuration, the first parameter corresponding to the third configuration has a third value, and the third value is less than or equal to the second preference value.

[0315] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the specific working process of the device 1100 and the technical effects produced by the execution steps can be referred to the description in the aforementioned corresponding method embodiment. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0316] Device 1100 may be a user device or a chip. Processing unit 1110 may be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, processing unit 1110 may be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, or the like. When implemented in software, processing unit 1110 may be a general-purpose processor implemented by reading software code stored in a storage unit. The storage unit may be integrated into processing unit 1110 or located independently of processing unit 1110.

[0317] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 1200 includes a processing unit 1210 and a transceiver unit 1220. The transceiver unit 1220 performs a receiving step or a sending step under the control of the processing unit 1210. Specifically, the transceiver unit 1220 is a sending unit when performing the sending step, and is a receiving unit when performing the receiving step.

[0318] The transceiver unit 1220 is configured to: receive a first message; if the first message includes a first secondary cell configuration of the first cell group, send a first UAI, where the first UAI includes a preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells of the first cell group.

[0319] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1220 is specifically configured to: send the first UAI if a preference value exists.

[0320] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1220 is specifically configured to: send the first UAI if it is configured to provide a preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells in the first cell group, and / or if the UAI including the preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells in the first cell group has not been transmitted.

[0321] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1220 is further configured to: receive a second message, where the second message includes a second secondary cell configuration of the first cell group, and the number of secondary cells configured in the second secondary cell configuration is less than or equal to the preference value.

[0322] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the specific working process of the device 1200 and the technical effects produced by the execution steps can be referred to the description in the aforementioned corresponding method embodiment. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0323] Device 1200 may be a user device or a chip. Processing unit 1210 may be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, processing unit 1210 may be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, or the like. When implemented in software, processing unit 1210 may be a general-purpose processor implemented by reading software code stored in a storage unit. The storage unit may be integrated into processing unit 1210 or located independently of processing unit 1210.

[0324] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 1300 includes a processing unit 1310 and a transceiver unit 1320. The transceiver unit 1320 performs a receiving step or a sending step under the control of the processing unit 1310. Specifically, the transceiver unit 1320 is a sending unit when performing the sending step, and is a receiving unit when performing the receiving step.

[0325] The transceiver unit 1320 is used to: receive a first message, the first message includes a first configuration, and the first parameter corresponding to the first configuration has a first value; if the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter is less than the first value, send a first UAI, and the first UAI includes the preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter.

[0326] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1320 is specifically used to: send the first UAI if it is configured to provide a preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter of the first cell group, and / or the UAI including the maximum number of preference values ​​of the first parameter of the first cell group has not been transmitted.

[0327] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1320 is further used to: receive a second message, the second message includes a second configuration, the first parameter corresponding to the second configuration has a second value, and the second value is less than or equal to the preference value.

[0328] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the specific working process of the device 1300 and the technical effects produced by the execution steps can be referred to the description in the aforementioned corresponding method embodiment. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0329] Device 1300 may be a user device or a chip. Processing unit 1310 may be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, processing unit 1310 may be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, or the like. When implemented in software, processing unit 1310 may be a general-purpose processor implemented by reading software code stored in a storage unit. The storage unit may be integrated into processing unit 1310 or located independently of processing unit 1310.

[0330] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 1400 includes a processing unit 1410 and a transceiver unit 1420. The transceiver unit 1420 performs a receiving step or a sending step under the control of the processing unit 1410. Specifically, the transceiver unit 1420 is a sending unit when performing the sending step, and is a receiving unit when performing the receiving step.

[0331] The transceiver unit 1420 is used to: receive a first UAI, the first UAI including a first preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter; send a first message, the first message including a first configuration, the first parameter corresponding to the first configuration has a first value, and the first value is greater than the first preference value; receive a second UAI, the second UAI including a second preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, and the second preference value is equal to the first preference value.

[0332] Optionally, before receiving the first UAI, the transceiver unit 1420 is further used to: send a second message, the second message includes a second configuration, and the first parameter corresponding to the second configuration has a second value, wherein the second value is different from the first value, or the second value is less than the first value.

[0333] Optionally, the difference between the time of receiving the second UAI and the time of receiving the first UAI is greater than the running time of the first timer, and the first timer is used to prohibit the user equipment from reporting the preference value.

[0334] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1420 is further used to: send a third message, the third message includes a third configuration, the first parameter corresponding to the third configuration has a third value, and the third value is less than or equal to the second preference value.

[0335] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the specific working process of the device 1400 and the technical effects produced by the execution steps can be referred to the description in the aforementioned corresponding method embodiment. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0336] Device 1400 may be an access network device or chip. Processing unit 1410 may be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, processing unit 1410 may be a logic circuit, integrated circuit, or the like. When implemented in software, processing unit 1410 may be a general-purpose processor implemented by reading software code stored in a storage unit. The storage unit may be integrated into processing unit 1410 or located independently of processing unit 1410.

[0337] Figure 15 is a structural diagram of a user device provided in an embodiment of the present application. For ease of explanation, Figure 15 only shows the main components of the user device. As shown in the device, the user device 150 includes a processor, a memory, a control circuit, an antenna, and input and output devices. The processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, as well as to control the entire user device, execute software programs, and process the data of software programs, for example, to support the user device in performing the actions described in the above method embodiments. The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The control circuit is mainly used for converting digital signals into radio frequency signals and processing radio frequency signals. The control circuit and antenna together can also be called a transceiver, which is mainly used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input and output devices, such as a touch screen, a display screen, a keyboard, etc., are mainly used to receive data input by the user and output data to the user.

[0338] When the user device is powered on, the processor reads the software program in memory, interprets and executes its instructions, and processes the data. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor processes the data and outputs a digital signal to the RF circuit. The RF circuit then processes the digital signal and transmits it as electromagnetic waves via the antenna. When data is sent to the user device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal via the antenna, converts it into a digital signal, and outputs the digital signal to the processor, which converts the digital signal into data and processes it.

[0339] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, for ease of explanation, FIG15 illustrates only one memory and one processor. In an actual user device, multiple processors and multiple memories may exist. A memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or storage device, etc., which is not limited in this application.

[0340] As an optional implementation, the processor may include a baseband processor and / or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is primarily responsible for processing communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is primarily responsible for controlling the entire user equipment, executing software programs, and processing data from software programs. The processor in Figure 15 may integrate the functions of both a baseband processor and a CPU. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the baseband processor and the CPU may also be independent processors interconnected via a bus or other technology. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a user equipment may include multiple baseband processors to accommodate different network standards, multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities, and various components of the user equipment may be connected via various buses. The baseband processor may also be referred to as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU may also be referred to as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The functionality for processing communication protocols and communication data may be built into the processor or stored in memory as a software program, with the processor executing the software program to implement the baseband processing functionality.

[0341] In the embodiments of the present application, the antenna and control circuitry with transceiver functions may be considered as the transceiver unit 1501 of the user equipment 150, for example, for supporting the user equipment in implementing the receiving and transmitting functions described in the method embodiments. The processor with processing functions may be considered as the processor 1502 of the user equipment 150. The user equipment 150 includes a transceiver unit 1501 and a processor 1502. The transceiver unit 1501 may also be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc. For example, the device in the transceiver unit 1501 that implements the receiving function may be considered as a receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit 1501 that implements the transmitting function may be considered as a transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver unit 1501 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, an input port, a receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit may be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc. For example, the transceiver unit 1501 may not include an antenna, but may only include a circuit portion, such that the antenna is external to the transceiver unit.

[0342] Processor 1502 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to control transceiver unit 1501 to receive and / or transmit signals, thereby completing the functions of the user equipment in the above-described method embodiment. As an implementation, the functions of transceiver unit 1501 may be implemented using a transceiver circuit or a dedicated transceiver chip. When performing the transmission and reception of various signals, processor 1502 controls transceiver unit 1501 to implement the reception. Therefore, processor 1502 is the signal transmission and reception decision maker and initiates data transmission and reception operations, while transceiver unit 1501 is the executor of signal transmission and reception.

[0343] Figure 16 is a structural diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The network device may be, for example, a base station, which performs the steps of accessing the network in the above method embodiment. The base station 160 may include one or more radio frequency units, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) 1601 and one or more baseband units (BBU) (also referred to as distributed units (DU)) 1602. The RRU 1601 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, etc., and may include at least one antenna 16011 and a radio frequency unit 16012. The RRU 1601 is mainly used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals and converting radio frequency signals into baseband signals. The BBU 1602 is mainly used for baseband processing, controlling the base station, etc. The RRU 1601 and the BBU 1602 may be physically arranged together or physically separated, i.e., a distributed base station.

[0344] BBU 1602 is the control center of the base station, which can also be called a processing unit. It is mainly used to perform baseband processing functions such as channel coding, multiplexing, modulation, spread spectrum, etc. For example, BBU 1602 can be used to control the base station to execute the operation process of the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0345] In one embodiment, the BBU 1602 can be composed of one or more single boards, and multiple single boards can jointly support a wireless access network with a single access indication (such as an NR network), or can respectively support wireless access networks with different access standards (such as an LTE network and an NR network). The BBU 1602 also includes a memory 16021 and a processor 16022, and the memory 16021 is used to store necessary instructions and data. The processor 16022 is used to control the base station to perform necessary actions, for example, to control the base station to execute the operation process of the network device in the above method embodiment. The memory 16021 and the processor 16022 can serve one or more single boards. That is, a memory and a processor can be set separately on each single board. Alternatively, multiple single boards can share the same memory and processor. In addition, necessary circuits can also be set on each single board.

[0346] It is understood that the processor in each embodiment of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above-mentioned method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or by software instructions. The above-mentioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the various embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented and executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium well-known in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above-mentioned method.

[0347] It is understood that the memory in each embodiment of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0348] It can be understood that the chip in each embodiment of the present application can be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD) or other integrated chips.

[0349] During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art such as a random access register, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0350] The present application also provides a computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0351] The present application also provides a computer program product, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0352] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless or microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0353] It should be understood that the “embodiment” mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments in the entire specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the terminal device and / or the network device can perform some or all of the steps in each embodiment. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application can also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, the various steps can be performed in a different order than presented in the various embodiments, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application need to be performed. Moreover, the size of the sequence number of each of the above processes does not mean the order of execution. The order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0354] It should also be understood that in this application, "when", "if" and "if" all mean that the UE or base station will take corresponding measures under certain objective circumstances. It does not limit the time, and does not require the UE or base station to take judgment actions when implementing it, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0355] Additionally, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. The term "and / or" is simply used to describe an association between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone.

[0356] It should be understood that in each embodiment of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining B based on A does not mean determining B based solely on A, but B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0357] The above contents are optional embodiments of the technical solution of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the principles of this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Sending first user equipment assistance information UAI, where the first UAI includes a first preference value of a maximum value of a first parameter; receiving a first message, wherein the first message includes a first configuration, the first parameter corresponding to the first configuration has a first value, and the first value is greater than the first preference value; A second UAI is sent, where the second UAI includes a second preference value of the maximum value of the first parameter, and the second preference value is equal to the first preference value.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before sending the first UAI, the method further includes: receiving a second message, where the second message includes a second configuration, and the first parameter corresponding to the second configuration has a second value; The sending the second UAI includes: If the second value is different from the first value, or if the second value is less than the first value, the second UAI is sent.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The sending the second UAI includes: If the first timer is not running, the second UAI is sent, where the first timer is used to prohibit the user equipment from reporting a preference value.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first timer is started.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: A third message is received, where the third message includes a third configuration, where the first parameter corresponding to the third configuration has a third value, and where the third value is less than or equal to the second preference value.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first parameter includes: At least one of an aggregated bandwidth, a number of secondary component carriers, and a number of multiple-input multiple-output layers.

7. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving a first message; If the first message includes the first secondary cell configuration of the first cell group, first user equipment assistance information UAI is sent, and the first UAI includes a preference value for the maximum number of secondary cells of the first cell group.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The sending of the first UAI includes: If the preference value exists, the first UAI is sent.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The sending of the first UAI includes: If a preference value providing the maximum number of secondary cells of the first cell group is configured, and / or a UAI including the preference value of the maximum number of secondary cells of the first cell group has not been transmitted, the first UAI is sent.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: A second message is received, where the second message includes a second secondary cell configuration of the first cell group, where the number of secondary cells configured in the second secondary cell configuration is less than or equal to the preference value.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receiving first user equipment assistance information UAI, where the first UAI includes a first preference value for a maximum value of a first parameter; Sending a first message, where the first message includes a first configuration, the first parameter corresponding to the first configuration has a first value, and the first value is greater than the first preference value; A second UAI is received, the second UAI comprising a second preference value for the maximum value of the first parameter, the second preference value being equal to the first preference value.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that Before receiving the first UAI, the method further includes: A second message is sent, where the second message includes a second configuration, and the first parameter corresponding to the second configuration has a second value, wherein the second value is different from the first value, or the second value is smaller than the first value.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The difference between the time of receiving the second UAI and the time of receiving the first UAI is greater than the running time of a first timer, and the first timer is used to prohibit the user equipment from reporting a preference value.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: A third message is sent, where the third message includes a third configuration, where the first parameter corresponding to the third configuration has a third value, and where the third value is less than or equal to the second preference value.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that The first parameter includes: At least one of an aggregated bandwidth, a number of secondary component carriers, and a number of multiple-input multiple-output layers.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, or comprising a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 10, or comprising a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 15.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, configured to execute a computer program stored in a memory, so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 15; A communication interface is coupled to the processor and is used to input or output information.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, enables the processor to execute the method described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or enables the processor to execute the method described in any one of claims 7 to 10, or enables the processor to execute the method described in any one of claims 11 to 15.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 7 to 10 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 15 is executed.

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