Communication method, network node, access network node, communication system, and storage medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to a communication method, a network node, an access network node, a communication system, and a storage medium. The communication method can be applied to a first network node, and the method comprises: receiving a first measurement result, wherein the first measurement result is a layer 1 (L1) measurement result. Thus, in the embodiments of the present application, a first network node receives a L1 measurement result of a terminal to determine candidate cells for mobility (such as LTM), thereby implementing mobility management of the terminal, improving the system performance.

Description

Communication method, network node, access network node, communication system and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, a network node, an access network node, a communication system, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] With the development of wireless communication systems, mobility enhancement technologies have been introduced to improve the efficiency and stability of terminal switching between different cells. These technologies include, for example, handover (HO), conditional handover (CHO), conditional primary secondary cell addition / change (CPAC), cell group selective activation, and layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility (LTM). In LTM, the network side can provide the terminal with multiple candidate cells (or candidate cell groups). The network side can subsequently control the terminal to change among multiple candidate cells (or candidate cell groups) through layer 1 (L1) signaling or layer 2 (L2) signaling to change the serving cell of the terminal.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] In the preparation process of inter-node LTM and conditional LTM on the network side, determining LTM candidate cells based solely on layer 3 (L3) measurement results is insufficient and affects system performance.

[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a network node, an access network node, a communication system, and a storage medium.

[0006] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is proposed, which is performed by a first network node. The method includes: receiving a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

[0007] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is proposed, which is performed by a second network node. The method includes: sending a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

[0008] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is proposed, which is performed by an access network, the access network including a first network node and a second network node. The method includes: the first network node receiving a first measurement result sent by the second network node, the first measurement result being a layer 1 measurement result.

[0009] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network node is proposed, including: a first transceiver module, configured to receive a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

[0010] According to a fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network node is proposed, including: a second transceiver module, configured to send a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

[0011] According to a sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an access network node is proposed, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the access network node is used to execute the communication method of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0012] According to a seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system is proposed, including a first network node and a second network node, wherein the first network node is configured to implement the communication method of the first aspect, and the second network node is configured to implement the communication method of the second aspect.

[0013] According to an eighth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium is proposed, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on an access network node, the access network node executes the communication method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0014] Through the embodiments of the present disclosure, terminal mobility management is implemented based on L1 measurement results, thereby improving system performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following drawings required for describing the embodiments are introduced. The following drawings are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG1A is a schematic diagram showing an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG1B is a schematic diagram showing the system architecture of an EPC-based MR-DC according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG1C is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of MR-DC based on 5GC according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG1D is a schematic diagram showing cells in dual connectivity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG1E is a schematic diagram showing the process of LTM according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG2A is a schematic diagram showing a first interaction of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG2B is a schematic diagram of a second interaction of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG2C is a third interaction diagram of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG2D is a fourth interaction schematic diagram of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG2E is a fifth interaction diagram of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG2F is a sixth interaction diagram of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG3A is a schematic diagram showing a flow chart of a communication method executed by a first network node according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG3B is a schematic diagram showing a flow chart of a communication method executed by a second network node according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a network node proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG5A is a schematic structural diagram of an access network node proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG5B is a schematic structural diagram of a chip proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a terminal, a network device, a communication system, and a storage medium.

[0033] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication method, which is performed by a first network node. The method includes: receiving a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

[0034] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first network node determines a candidate cell for mobility (such as LTM) by receiving an L1 measurement result of the terminal, thereby implementing mobility management of the terminal and improving system performance.

[0035] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result is used for layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility LTM management of the terminal.

[0036] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first network node receives the L1 measurement result of the terminal, thereby avoiding the problem of insufficient LTM decision-making caused by making LTM decisions based solely on the L3 measurement result, thereby improving the efficiency of LTM decision-making and further improving system performance.

[0037] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result is further used to determine at least one candidate cell for LTM.

[0038] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result includes at least one of the following: the measurement result of at least one cell; the measurement result of at least one beam; the frequency corresponding to the measurement result; the configuration information of the reference signal corresponding to the measurement result; and the identifier of the network node associated with at least one cell.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first measurement result may include an L1 measurement result at the cell level or beam level. In this way, the first network node may perform cell-level or beam-level mobility management on the terminal based on the first measurement result, thereby making the mobility management of the terminal more flexible and further improving the system performance.

[0040] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first network node is a first access network node, and receiving the first measurement result includes one of the following: receiving the first measurement result sent by the terminal; receiving the first measurement result sent by the second access network node.

[0041] In the disclosed embodiments, a first access network node can implement inter-node L1 measurement result exchange by receiving the first measurement result sent by a second access network node. This allows the first network node to manage the mobility of a terminal based on the L1 measurement result of the cell or beam covered by the second network node, providing the terminal with more accurate mobility configuration and instructions, thereby improving the efficiency of mobility management and further enhancing system performance.

[0042] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first network node is a first centralized unit, and receiving the first measurement result includes one of the following: receiving the first measurement result sent by the first distribution unit, wherein the first distribution unit and the first centralized unit belong to the same access network node; receiving the first measurement result sent by the second centralized unit, wherein the second centralized unit and the first centralized unit belong to different access network nodes.

[0043] In the disclosed embodiments, the first centralized unit can implement intra-node or inter-node L1 measurement result interaction by receiving L1 measurement results sent by a first distributed unit belonging to the same network node or a second centralized unit belonging to a different network node (e.g., a second network node). In this way, the first access network node can provide more accurate mobility configuration and instructions to the terminal based on the L1 measurement results of the cell or beam covered by itself and the cell or beam covered by the second access network node, thereby improving the efficiency of mobility management and further enhancing system performance.

[0044] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, in response to receiving the first measurement result sent by the first distribution unit, the method further includes: sending a first message to the first distribution unit, where the first message is used to request the first measurement result.

[0045] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first network node is a first distribution unit, and receiving the first measurement result includes one of the following: receiving the first measurement result sent by the terminal; receiving the first measurement result sent by the first centralized unit, and the first distribution unit and the first centralized unit belong to the same access network node.

[0046] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first distributed unit can realize the interaction of L1 measurement results within the node by receiving the L1 measurement results sent by the first centralized unit belonging to the same network node, so that the first network node can provide mobility configuration and instructions to the terminal based on the L1 measurement results of the cell or beam covered by itself, thereby improving the efficiency of mobility management and further improving system performance.

[0047] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first network node is a first centralized node associated with a target cell for LTM, and the target cell is one of at least one candidate cell; wherein, receiving the first measurement result includes: receiving the first measurement result sent by the terminal.

[0048] In the disclosed embodiment, the first centralized node associated with the target cell receives the L1 measurement results, enabling the first distributed unit associated with the target cell to perform mobility management for the terminal based on the L1 measurement results. In this way, the first centralized unit associated with the target cell can subsequently provide a more appropriate mobility configuration for the terminal based on the L1 measurement results of the terminal on the target cell or beam within the target cell, thereby improving the efficiency of mobility management and further enhancing system performance.

[0049] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication method, which is executed by a second network node. The method includes: sending a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

[0050] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result is used for layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility LTM management of the terminal.

[0051] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result is further used to determine at least one candidate cell for LTM.

[0052] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result includes at least one of the following: the measurement result of at least one cell; the measurement result of at least one beam; the frequency corresponding to the measurement result; the configuration information of the reference signal corresponding to the measurement result; and the identifier of the network node associated with at least one cell.

[0053] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second network node is a second access network node, and sending the first measurement result includes: sending the first measurement result to the first access network node.

[0054] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second network node is a first centralized unit, and sending the first measurement result includes one of the following: sending the first measurement result to the second centralized unit, the second centralized unit and the first centralized unit belong to different access network nodes; sending the first measurement result to the first distribution unit, the first distribution unit and the first centralized unit belong to the same access network node.

[0055] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second network node is a first distribution unit, and sending the first measurement result includes: sending the first measurement result to a first centralized unit, and the first centralized unit and the first distribution unit belong to the same access network node.

[0056] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second network node is a first centralized node associated with a target cell for LTM; wherein sending the first measurement result includes: sending the first measurement result to a first distribution unit associated with the target cell.

[0057] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication method, which is executed by an access network, the access network including a first network node and a second network node. The method includes: the first network node receives a first measurement result sent by the second network node, and the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

[0058] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result is used for layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility LTM management of the terminal.

[0059] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result is further used to determine at least one candidate cell for LTM.

[0060] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result includes at least one of the following: the measurement result of at least one cell; the measurement result of at least one beam; the frequency corresponding to the measurement result; the configuration information of the reference signal corresponding to the measurement result; and the identifier of the network node associated with at least one cell.

[0061] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first network node is a first access network node, and the second network node is a second access network node; wherein, the first network node receives the first measurement result sent by the second network node, including: the first access network node receives the first measurement result sent by the second access network node in the access network.

[0062] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first network node is a first centralized unit, the second network node is a first distributed unit, and the first centralized unit and the first distributed unit belong to the same access network node; wherein, the first network node receives the first measurement result sent by the second network node, including: the first centralized unit receives the first measurement result sent by the first distributed unit.

[0063] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first network node is a first distribution unit, the second network node is a first centralized unit, and the first centralized unit and the first distribution unit belong to the same access network node; wherein, the first network node receives the first measurement result sent by the second network node, including: the first distribution unit receives the first measurement result sent by the first centralized unit.

[0064] In combination with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first network node is a first centralized unit, the second network node is a second centralized unit, and the first centralized unit and the second centralized unit belong to different access network nodes; wherein the first network node receives the first measurement result sent by the second network node, including: the second centralized unit receives the first measurement result sent by the first centralized unit.

[0065] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a network node, such as a first network node, comprising: a first transceiver module configured to receive a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

[0066] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result is used for layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility LTM management of the terminal.

[0067] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result is further used to determine at least one candidate cell for LTM.

[0068] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result includes at least one of the following: the measurement result of at least one cell; the measurement result of at least one beam; the frequency corresponding to the measurement result; the configuration information of the reference signal corresponding to the measurement result; and the identifier of the network node associated with at least one cell.

[0069] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first network node is a first access network node, and the first transceiver module is configured to perform one of the following: receiving a first measurement result sent by a terminal; receiving a first measurement result sent by a second access network node.

[0070] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first network node is a first centralized unit, and the first transceiver module is configured to perform one of the following: receiving a first measurement result sent by a first distribution unit, wherein the first distribution unit and the first centralized unit belong to the same access network node; receiving a first measurement result sent by a second centralized unit, wherein the second centralized unit and the first centralized unit belong to different access network nodes.

[0071] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, in response to receiving the first measurement result sent by the first distribution unit, the first transceiver module is further configured to send a first message to the first distribution unit, where the first message is used to request the first measurement result.

[0072] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first network node is a first distribution unit, and the first transceiver module is configured to perform one of the following: receiving a first measurement result sent by a terminal; receiving a first measurement result sent by a first centralized unit, and the first distribution unit and the first centralized unit belong to the same access network node.

[0073] In combination with some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first network node is a first centralized node associated with a target cell for LTM, and the target cell is one of at least one candidate cell; wherein the first transceiver module is configured to receive a first measurement result sent by the terminal.

[0074] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a network node, such as a second network node, comprising: a second transceiver module, configured to send a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

[0075] In combination with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result is used for layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility LTM management of the terminal.

[0076] In combination with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result is further used to determine at least one candidate cell for LTM.

[0077] In combination with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the first measurement result includes at least one of the following: the measurement result of at least one cell; the measurement result of at least one beam; the frequency corresponding to the measurement result; the configuration information of the reference signal corresponding to the measurement result; and the identifier of the network node associated with at least one cell.

[0078] In combination with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the second network node is a second access network node, and the second transceiver module is configured to send the first measurement result to the first access network node.

[0079] In combination with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the second network node is a first centralized unit, and the second transceiver module is configured to perform one of the following: sending the first measurement result to the second centralized unit, where the second centralized unit and the first centralized unit belong to different access network nodes; sending the first measurement result to the first distribution unit, where the first distribution unit and the first centralized unit belong to the same access network node.

[0080] In combination with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the second network node is a first distribution unit, and the second transceiver module is configured to send the first measurement result to the first centralized unit, and the first centralized unit and the first distribution unit belong to the same access network node.

[0081] In combination with some embodiments of the fifth aspect, in some embodiments, the second network node is a first centralized node associated with a target cell for LTM; wherein the second transceiver module is configured to send the first measurement result to a first distribution unit associated with the target cell.

[0082] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes an access network node, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the above-mentioned access network node is used to execute optional implementation methods of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0083] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication system, which includes: a first network node and a second network node; wherein the first network node is configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation manner of the first aspect, and the second network node is configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0084] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on an access network node, the access network node executes the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0085] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a program product. When the program product is executed by an access network node, the access network node executes the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0086] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0087] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a chip or a chip system, wherein the chip or chip system includes a processing circuit configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects above.

[0088] It is understandable that the above-mentioned access network nodes, communication systems, storage media, program products, computer programs, chips, or chip systems are all used to perform the methods proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding methods and will not be repeated here.

[0089] The present disclosure provides a communication method, a network node, an access network node, a communication system, and a storage medium. In some embodiments, the terms communication method, information processing method, measurement report transmission method, etc. are interchangeable, and the terms information processing system, communication system, etc. are interchangeable.

[0090] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0091] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0092] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0093] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular, such as "a", "an", "the", "above", "said", "the", "the", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc. For example, when using articles such as "a", "an", "the" in English in translation, the noun following the article may be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0094] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0095] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0096] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "A in one case, B in another case," or "in response to one case A, in response to another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0097] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0098] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restriction on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description object, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restriction should be constituted due to the use of prefixes. For example, if the description object is a "field", the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields". "First" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the description object is a "level", the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of description objects is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. Taking "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device", then the "first device" and the "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; for another example, if the description object is "information", then the "first information" and the "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0099] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0100] In some embodiments, terms such as "time / frequency" and "time / frequency domain" refer to at least one of a time domain and a frequency domain.

[0101] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0102] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0103] In some embodiments, devices, etc. can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. Terms such as "device", "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", and "subject" can be used interchangeably.

[0104] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network (eg, access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.).

[0105] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)", "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station" "fixed station", "node", "access network node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission and / or reception point (TRP)" "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macro cell", "small cell", "femtocell", "picocell", "sector", "cell group", "serving cell", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0106] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0107] In some embodiments, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device can be replaced by a terminal. For example, the various embodiments of the present disclosure can also be applied to a structure in which the communication between the access network device, the core network device, or the network device and the terminal is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, it is also possible to set the structure in which the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. In addition, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can also be replaced by terms corresponding to communication between terminals (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channels, downlink channels, etc. can be replaced by side channels, and uplinks, downlinks, etc. can be replaced by side links.

[0108] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device may have a structure that has all or part of the functions of the terminal.

[0109] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0110] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0111] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of any elements, any rows, and any columns can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0112] FIG1A is a schematic diagram showing an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0113] As shown in Figure 1A, a communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and an access network node 102. The access network node 102 may also be referred to as an access network device.

[0114] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 includes, for example, a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a car with communication function, a smart car, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, and at least one of a wireless terminal device in a smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0115] In some embodiments, the access network node 102 is, for example, a node or device that accesses a terminal to a wireless network. The access network node 102 may include an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home node B (HNB), a home evolved nodeB (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open base station (Open RAN), a cloud base station (Cloud RAN), a base station in other communication systems, and at least one of an access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0116] In some embodiments, the technical solution of the present disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between the access network nodes 102 or within the access network nodes 102 involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented through software or programs.

[0117] In some embodiments, the access network node 102 can be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), where the CU can also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can be used to split the protocol layer of the access network node 102, with the functions of some protocol layers centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU, but is not limited to this.

[0118] In some embodiments, the CU and DU may be centrally deployed on one access network device, or distributedly deployed on multiple access network devices.

[0119] In some embodiments, the access network node 102 may be implemented using one or more access network devices. An access network node 102 may include a CU and at least one DU. A CU may be connected to multiple DUs, and a DU may only be connected to one CU.

[0120] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0121] The following embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1A , or a portion thereof, but are not limited thereto. The entities shown in FIG1A are illustrative only. The communication system may include all or part of the entities shown in FIG1A , or may include other entities other than those shown in FIG1A . The number and form of the entities may be arbitrary, and the entities may be physical or virtual. The connection relationships between the entities are illustrative only. The entities may be connected or disconnected, and the connection may be in any manner, including direct or indirect, wired or wireless.

[0122] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G New Radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New Radio Access (NX), Future Generation Radio Access (FX), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (Ultra-WideBand) The following are examples of technologies that may be used in the future: Ultrawide Band (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems based on and extending these methods. Furthermore, a combination of multiple systems (e.g., a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G) may also be used.

[0123] The following describes and explains the terms involved in this disclosure.

[0124] 1. Introduction to multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC):

[0125] MR-DC is a generalized evolved-universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) intra-E-UTRA dual connectivity.

[0126] In some embodiments, based on MR-DC, a terminal can utilize radio resources provided by two different schedulers located on two different next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) nodes, connected via a non-ideal backhaul, one providing NR access and the other providing E-UTRA or NR access. One serves as a master node (MN) and the other as a secondary node (SN). The MN and SN are connected via a network interface, with at least one of the MNs connected to the core network.

[0127] (1) MR-DC based on the evolved packet core (EPC) (MR-DC with EPC):

[0128] For example, FIG1B is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of MR-DC based on EPC according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1B , the evolved-universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) supports MR-DC through E-UTRA and NR dual connectivity (E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity, ENDC). Among them, the terminal is connected to an eNB acting as an MN and an en-gNB acting as an SN. The eNB is connected to the EPC through the S1 interface and to the en-gNB through the X2 interface. The en-gNB can also be connected to the EPC through the S1-U interface, and can also be connected to other en-gNBs through the X2-U interface. In some embodiments, the EPC of the long term evolution (LTE) system may include a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (S-GW), etc.

[0129] It should be noted that the number of communication devices in the system shown in Figure 1B is only used as an example. The number of communication devices can also be more, and the connection relationship can also be changed according to actual conditions. The example of Figure 2A is not intended to limit the system architecture provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0130] (2) MR-DC based on 5G core (5G core, 5GC) (MR-DC with 5GC):

[0131] For example, Figure 1C is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of MR-DC based on 5GC according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1C, MR-DC based on 5GC can be divided into the following three cases:

[0132] A) E-UTRA and NR dual connectivity (E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity, EN-DC):

[0133] NG-RAN supports NG-RAN E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity, also referred to as NGEN-DC in some embodiments. In this case, the terminal connects to an ng-eNB as a mobile network (MN) and a gNB as a network service (SN). The ng-eNB connects to the 5GC, and the gNB connects to the ng-eNB via the Xn interface.

[0134] B) NR and E-UTRA dual connectivity (NE-DC):

[0135] NG-RAN supports NR-E-UTRA dual connectivity. In this case, the terminal is connected to a gNB acting as a mobile node and an ng-eNB acting as a network node. The gNB is connected to the 5GC, and the ng-eNB is connected to the gNB via the Xn interface.

[0136] C) NR and NR dual connectivity (NR-NR dual connectivity, NR-DC):

[0137] NG-RAN supports NR-NR dual connectivity, in which a terminal connects to a gNB acting as a mobile node (MN) and another gNB acting as a network node (SN). The primary gNB connects to the 5GC via the NG interface, and the two gNBs connect to each other via the Xn interface. The secondary gNB can also connect to the 5GC via the NG-U interface. NR-DC can also be used for a terminal to access a single gNB acting as both a mobile node and a network node, with both a master cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG) configured.

[0138] In some embodiments, the 5GC of the 5G NR system may include an access and mobility management function (AMF), a user plane function (UPF), etc.

[0139] It should be noted that the number of communication devices in the system shown in Figure 1C is only used as an example. The number of communication devices can also be more, and the connection relationship can also be changed according to actual conditions. The example of Figure 1C is not intended to limit the system architecture provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0140] In dual connectivity, a terminal can access two cell groups. For example, FIG1D is a schematic diagram of cells in dual connectivity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1D , in some embodiments, the two cell groups in dual connectivity are MCG and SCG, respectively. In an MCG, there may be many cells or cell groups, one of which is used to initiate initial access.

[0141] In some embodiments, this cell is called a primary cell (PCell). As the name implies, the PCell is the most "primary" cell in an MCG. The PCell under an MCG and the secondary cells (SCells) under the MCG are combined through carrier aggregation (CA). An MCG includes a primary cell (PCell) and a secondary cell (SCell).

[0142] In some embodiments, an SCG includes a primary secondary cell (PSCell) and a secondary cell (SCell). Because many signaling messages are sent only on the PCell and PSCell, a special cell (sPCell) is defined in relevant communication protocols for ease of description. The PCell and PSCell are collectively referred to as sPCells.

[0143] It should be noted that the number of cells in the dual connection shown in Figure 1D is only used as an example. The number of cells under the main cell group and the secondary cell group can also be more, and the connection relationship can also be changed according to actual conditions. The example of Figure 1D is not intended to limit the cells in the dual connection provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0144] 2. Introduction to Layer 1 (L1) or Layer 2 (L2)-triggered mobility (LTM):

[0145] In a communication system, the network side may provide a terminal with multiple "candidate cells (or candidate cell groups)". In some embodiments, the network side may subsequently control the terminal to change among multiple "candidate cells (or candidate cell groups)" through L1 signaling (e.g., downlink control information (DCI)) or L2 signaling (e.g., media access control (MAC) control element (CE)). For example, the working cell (or cell group) is changed from "candidate cell (or candidate cell group)-1" to "candidate cell (or candidate cell group)-2". Among them, one serving cell (or serving cell group) may correspond to one or more "candidate cells (or candidate cell groups)". In some embodiments, the LTM process can reduce the mobility delay of the terminal.

[0146] In some embodiments, LTM is a PCell (or PSCell) cell switch procedure that the network triggers via MAC CE based on L1 measurements.

[0147] In some embodiments, LTM may include subsequent LTM, where subsequent LTM is a cell switch procedure between candidate cells where the network does not need to be reconfigured for the UE.

[0148] In some embodiments, during the LTM process, a gNB receives an L1 measurement report(s)from a UE, and on their basis the gNB changes the UE's serving cell by a cell switch command signaled via a MAC CE. The cell switch command indicates an LTM candidate cell configuration that the gNB previously prepared and provided to the UE through RRC signaling. Then the UE switches to the target cell according to the cell switch command. (LTM is a procedure in which a gNB receives L1 measurement report(s)from a UE,and on their basis the gNB changes UE's serving cell by a cell switch command signaled via a MAC CE.The cell switch command indicates an LTM candidate cell configuration that the gNB previously prepared and provided to the UE through RRC signaling.Then the UE switches to the target cell according to the cell switch command.)

[0149] In some embodiments, the LTM may be used to trigger a change of a PCell or MCG and / or a change of a PSCell or SCG. The LTM may also be used to trigger a change of an SCell.

[0150] In some embodiments, LTM may also be triggered by the UE based on a condition, that is, the UE determines whether to execute LTM based on whether the condition is met.

[0151] It should be noted that the terms "change", "alter", "switch", "move" and the like can be used interchangeably.

[0152] In some embodiments, in a communication system, Layer 1 is the physical layer (PHY); Layer 2 includes MAC, radio link control (RLC), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP); and Layer 3 (L3) is the radio resource control (RRC) layer. Therefore, in LTM, the network side pre-sends configuration information of candidate cells for LTM to the terminal via Layer 3 signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). The network side receives a Layer 1 (L1) measurement report from the terminal. Based on this, the network side sends a cell handover instruction via Layer 2 signaling (e.g., MAC CE) to change the terminal's serving cell. The terminal then triggers a cell handover by selecting the configuration information of the designated LTM candidate cell as the configuration information of the target cell on the network side. The configuration information of the LTM candidate cell can only be added, modified, and released by the network side via RRC signaling.

[0153] In some embodiments, a "LTM candidate cell" may also be referred to as a "candidate cell", which is used for the LTM process of the terminal.

[0154] In some embodiments, the network side can configure multiple LTM candidate cells for the terminal according to cell groups. Multiple LTM candidate cells can belong to the same cell group or different cell groups. In some embodiments, the LTM candidate cells can also be referred to as LTM candidate cell groups.

[0155] In some embodiments, for an LTM candidate cell, the network side may configure the LTM candidate configuration, and the LTM candidate configuration may include but is not limited to at least one of the following: a configuration identifier, and a cell configuration corresponding to the configuration identifier. Exemplarily, the above-mentioned configuration identifier may be used to indicate the cell configuration of the LTM candidate cell, and the configuration identifier may be understood as an index, identity (ID), etc. of the cell configuration. The cell configuration corresponding to the above-mentioned configuration identifier may be a candidate configuration corresponding to the target cell to be accessed when triggering a mobility operation configured by the network side for the terminal. In one embodiment, the LTM candidate configuration may be configured through RRC signaling, such as RRC configuration (such as RRC configuration or RRC reconfiguration).

[0156] In some embodiments, the network may also configure reference configuration information for a terminal for an LTM candidate cell. The LTM candidate configuration and reference configuration for the same LTM candidate cell may be used to jointly determine the complete configuration of the LTM candidate cell. The terminal may determine the LTM candidate cell based on the complete configuration. In one embodiment, the reference configuration information may be configured via RRC signaling, such as RRC configuration (e.g., RRC configuration or RRC reconfiguration).

[0157] In some embodiments, the reference configuration can be understood as an incremental configuration of the LTM candidate configuration. The reference configuration can be a specific configuration generated by the network, or the current configuration of the terminal. In some embodiments, for LTM, the network configures the reference configuration of the cell for the terminal.

[0158] In some embodiments, FIG1E is a schematic diagram of an LTM process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1E , the LTM process may include the following parts: LTM preparation, early synchronization, LTM execution, and LTM completion.

[0159] Among them, LTM preparation includes the following steps 1 to 5, early synchronization includes the following steps 6a and 6b, LTM execution includes the following steps 7 to 11, and LTM completion includes the following step 12.

[0160] Step 1: The terminal enters the RRC connection state (UE in RRC_connection).

[0161] Step 2: The terminal sends a measurement report to the network. Here, the measurement report may be an L3 measurement report.

[0162] In step 3, the network performs LTM candidate preparation to determine LTM candidate cells and their candidate configurations (ie, LTM candidate configuration).

[0163] Step 4: The network sends an RRC configuration (RRC reconfiguration) to the terminal, which carries the LTM candidate configuration.

[0164] Step 5: The terminal sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the network.

[0165] In step 6a, the terminal performs downlink synchronization with the candidate cells (DL sync step 5, the terminal sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the network).

[0166] Step 6b: The terminal performs uplink synchronization with the candidate cells (UL synchronization with candidate cells).

[0167] Step 7: The terminal sends an L1 measurement report to the network.

[0168] Step 8: The network executes LTM decision to determine whether to perform cell switching.

[0169] Step 9: The network sends a cell switch command to the terminal. Here, the cell switch command is carried in the MAC CE.

[0170] In step 10, the terminal detaches from the source cell and applies the configuration of the target cell. Here, the target cell is at least one of the LTM candidate cells. The configuration of the target cell can be at least one of the LTM candidate configurations.

[0171] Step 11: The terminal initiates a random access channel (RACH) procedure to the target cell.

[0172] Step 12: The terminal completes LTM execution.

[0173] In some embodiments, according to FIG. 1E , in step 7, the terminal needs to perform L1 measurement on each candidate cell and send the L1 measurement result to the serving cell (also referred to as the source cell) to determine whether cell switching is required.

[0174] In some embodiments, LTM can support intra-node LTM (such as intra-DU LTM, intra-DU LTM, and intra-CU LTM). Furthermore, with the evolution of wireless technology, LTM will be extended to the following scenarios: inter-node LTM (such as inter-CU LTM) and conditional LTM (such as conditional LTM).

[0175] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned "between nodes" can also be described as "between access network nodes", "between access network devices", "between base stations", "between CUs", etc. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned "within a node" can also be described as "within an access network node", "within an access network device", "within a base station", "between a CU and a DU", etc.

[0176] In some embodiments, the access network node associated with the serving cell (or source cell) may be described as a serving access network node, a serving access network device, a serving base station, etc. In some embodiments, the access network node associated with the candidate cell may be described as a candidate access network node, a candidate access network device, a candidate base station, etc. In some embodiments, the access network node associated with the target cell may be described as a target access network node, a target access network device, a target base station, etc.

[0177] In some embodiments, the access network node associated with the target cell may be a target MN or a target SN corresponding to the target cell.

[0178] In some embodiments, LTM enhances L1 measurement to support both intra-frequency L1 measurement and inter-frequency L1 measurement. For example, R18 supports L1 reference signal receiving power (L1-RSRP) measurement based on the synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB).

[0179] In some embodiments, the enhancement of L1 measurement may also include the following aspects: channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) measurement, layer 1 signal to interference plus noise ratio (L1-SINR) measurement, event-triggered L1 measurement reporting, etc.

[0180] In some embodiments, L1 measurements support semi-persistent reporting and aperiodic reporting on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and also support semi-persistent reporting and periodic reporting on the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0181] In some embodiments, during LTM, the network determines LTM candidate cells based on the L3 measurement results reported by the terminal and performs the LTM preparation process. To better support the network-side preparation process for inter-node LTM and conditional LTM, the CU in the source base station (S-gNB-CU) may not be comprehensive when determining LTM candidate cells based solely on L3 measurement results. In particular, for conditional LTM, the S-gNB-CU needs to determine the execution conditions based on L1 measurement results that the terminal must meet to trigger conditional LTM. Based solely on L3 measurement results, it is insufficient and may affect system performance.

[0182] It should be noted that for a terminal in a communication system, it can be configured with various types of mobility operations. Exemplary mobility operations may include LTM, CHO, CPAC, handover, PSCell change, PSCell addition, SCG activation, SCG deactivation, etc.

[0183] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the access network node is used as a base station in a 5G system, i.e., a gNB, to illustrate the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Of course, the specific implementation of the access network node is not limited to this.

[0184] Figure 2A is a first interaction diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in (a) and (b) of Figure 2A, an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which includes steps S2110 to S2130.

[0185] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the network side may include an access network node (which may be denoted as a gNB) associated with a serving cell. The gNB may include a DU and a CU, where the DU may be denoted as a gNB-DU and the CU may be denoted as a gNB-CU.

[0186] In this embodiment, the first network node may be a gNB-DU or a gNB-CU.

[0187] In this embodiment, the first measurement result may be measurement result A sent by the terminal to the gNB-DU, or measurement result B sent by the gNB-DU to the gNB-CU.

[0188] In some embodiments, the first measurement result may be used for mobility operations of the terminal, such as LTM, CHO, CPAC, handover, PSCell change, PSCell addition, and SCG activation / deactivation.

[0189] In some embodiments, as shown in (a) of Figure 2A , the gNB-CU may request L1 measurement results from the gNB-DU. In this case, steps S2110 to S2130 are executed.

[0190] Step S2110: The terminal sends measurement result A.

[0191] In some embodiments, the gNB-DU receives measurement result A.

[0192] In some embodiments, the measurement result A may be an L1 measurement result, such as RSRP, SINR, etc. corresponding to at least one cell or beam.

[0193] In some embodiments, the measurement result A may include at least one of the following: the measurement result of at least one cell, the measurement result of at least one beam, the frequency corresponding to the measurement result of at least one cell or beam, and the configuration information of the reference signal corresponding to the measurement result of at least one cell or beam. Exemplarily, the identifier of the network node associated with at least one cell may be the identifier (ID) of the access network node associated with at least one cell, the ID of the CU associated with at least one cell, the ID of the DU associated with at least one cell, etc. In some embodiments, the measurement result A may be carried in the measurement report. Exemplarily, the measurement result A may be carried in the CSI report. In one embodiment, the content reported in the measurement report may be determined based on the network configuration and the implementation of the terminal.

[0194] In some embodiments, the terminal sends measurement result A to the network via the Uu interface. For example, the terminal sends Uu signaling, such as CSI report, RRC message, MAC layer message, etc., to the S-gNB-DU.

[0195] In some embodiments, the measurement result A may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0196] Step S2120: The gNB-CU sends a first message.

[0197] In some embodiments, the gNB-DU receives the first message.

[0198] In some embodiments, the first message is used to request the gNB-DU to send measurement result B.

[0199] In some embodiments, the name of the first message is not limited, for example, it can be a request message, such as a UE context modification request (UE context modification request).

[0200] In some embodiments, the first message may include one or more of the following information: an identifier of the terminal, an indication of the requested L1 measurement result, an indication of whether the requested measurement result includes cell-level and / or beam measurement results, a cell ID corresponding to the requested L1 measurement result, a node ID corresponding to the requested L1 measurement result, etc.

[0201] In some embodiments, as shown in (b) of Figure 2A , the gNB-DU may send the L1 measurement results to the gNB-CU on its own. In this case, step S2120 is omitted, and steps S2110 and S2130 may be executed.

[0202] In step S2130, the gNB-DU sends measurement result B.

[0203] In some embodiments, the gNB-CU receives measurement result B.

[0204] In some embodiments, the measurement result B may include at least one of the following: a measurement result of at least one cell and a measurement result of at least one beam. In one embodiment, the at least one cell and the at least one beam may be determined based on protocol agreement, network request, network implementation, etc. In one embodiment, the measurement result B may include the L1 measurement result sent by the terminal within a preset time period (such as 5 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, etc.), and may also include the L1 measurement result most recently sent by the terminal, and may also include the L1 measurement result sent within a preset time period or most recently of at least one specific cell. Of course, the measurement result A may also include the L1 measurement result sent by the terminal in other cases, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not specifically limit this.

[0205] In some embodiments, the measurement result B may further include the time when the network side receives the corresponding L1 measurement result reported by the terminal. In one embodiment, this time may be universal time coordinated (UTC) time.

[0206] In some embodiments, the measurement result B may be at least a portion of the measurement result A, or may be a collection of measurement results A sent multiple times by the terminal.

[0207] In some embodiments, the gNB-DU sends measurement result B to the gNB-CU via the F1 interface. Exemplarily, the gNB-DU sends F1 signaling to the gNB-CU, e.g., the F1 signaling includes the measurement result B in a container. Exemplarily, the F1 signaling may be an uplink RRC message transfer or a UE context modification response.

[0208] In some embodiments, when step S2120 is executed, the gNB-DU responds to the first message and executes step S2130.

[0209] In some embodiments, the measurement result B may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0210] In some embodiments, after step S2130, the gNB-CU may determine a mobility configuration for the terminal based on the measurement result B.

[0211] In some embodiments, the gNB-CU may send the mobility configuration to the gNB-DU, which then sends it to the terminal. For example, the gNB-CU may send the mobility configuration to the gNB-DU via the F1 interface. For example, the gNB-CU may send F1 signaling to the gNB-DU, where the F1 signaling carries the mobility configuration. The F1 signaling may be a downlink RRC message transfer.

[0212] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned mobility configuration can be one or more of CHO configuration, CPAC configuration, cell switching configuration, PSCell change configuration, PSCell addition configuration, SCG activation configuration, and SCG deactivation configuration.

[0213] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure do not specifically limit the mobility configuration, and all mobility operations based on the L1 measurement results are within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0214] In some embodiments, the gNB-DU may also send the mobility configuration from the gNB-CU.

[0215] In some embodiments, the terminal receives a mobility configuration.

[0216] In some embodiments, the terminal receives a mobility configuration from the network (e.g., a gNB-DU) via a Uu interface. Exemplarily, the terminal may receive the mobility configuration from the network via an RRC message. Exemplarily, the RRC message may be an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0217] In some embodiments, the gNB-DU may transparently transmit the mobility configuration from the gNB-CU to the terminal.

[0218] In some embodiments, after receiving the mobility configuration, the terminal may send a response message to the network side via the Uu interface to indicate to the network side that the mobility configuration has been received. Exemplarily, the response message may be RRC reconfiguration complete.

[0219] The communication method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S2110 to S2130. For example, step S2110 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2130 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step S2110 and step S2130 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of step S2120 and step S2130 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0220] In some embodiments, step S2110 and step S2120 may be executed simultaneously in an exchanged order or in parallel. FIG2B is a second interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0221] In some embodiments, step S2120 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0222] As shown in FIG2B , an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which includes steps S2210 to S2250 .

[0223] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, to support the preparation process for inter-node mobility operations, such as inter-node LTM, the network side may include an access network node associated with the serving cell (which may be denoted as an S-gNB). The S-gNB may include a DU and a CU. In this case, the DU may be denoted as an S-gNB-DU and the CU may be denoted as an S-gNB-CU. The network side may also include an access network node associated with the candidate cell (which may be denoted as a C-gNB). The C-gNB may include a DU and a CU. In this case, the DU may be denoted as a C-gNB-DU and the CU may be denoted as a C-gNB-CU.

[0224] In some embodiments, the network side may include at least one C-gNB, and the communication process of the S-gNB is consistent with that of each C-gNB.

[0225] In this embodiment, the first network node may be one of S-gNB-DU, S-gNB-CU, C-gNB-DU, and C-gNB-CU.

[0226] In this embodiment, the second network node can be one of S-gNB-DU, S-gNB-CU, and C-gNB-CU.

[0227] In some embodiments, the S-gNB may be an S-MN or an S-SN.

[0228] In some embodiments, S-gNB may also refer to the UE's current serving gNB.

[0229] In some embodiments, the C-gNB may be a C-MN or a C-SN.

[0230] In this embodiment, the first measurement result may be measurement result A sent by the terminal to the S-gNB, measurement result B sent by the S-gNB-DU to the S-gNB-CU, measurement result C sent by the S-gNB-CU to the C-gNB-CU, and measurement result D sent by the C-gNB-CU to the C-gNB-DU.

[0231] In some embodiments, the first measurement result may be used for mobility operations of the terminal, such as LTM, CHO, CPAC, handover, PSCell change, PSCell addition, and SCG activation / deactivation.

[0232] Step S2210: The terminal sends measurement result A.

[0233] The optional implementation of step S2210 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2110 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0234] In some embodiments, the measurement result A may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0235] Step S2220: The S-gNB-CU sends a first message.

[0236] The optional implementation of step S2220 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2120 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0237] In step S2230, the S-gNB-DU sends measurement result B.

[0238] The optional implementation of step S2230 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2130 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0239] In some embodiments, the measurement result B may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0240] In step S2240, the S-gNB-CU sends the measurement result C.

[0241] In some embodiments, the C-gNB-CU receives the measurement result C.

[0242] In some embodiments, the measurement result C may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0243] In some embodiments, the measurement result C may include at least one of the following: the measurement result of at least one cell and the measurement result of at least one beam. In one embodiment, the at least one cell and the at least one beam may be determined based on protocol agreement, network request, network implementation, etc. In one embodiment, the measurement result C may include the L1 measurement result sent by the terminal within a preset time period (such as 5 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, etc.), and may also include the L1 measurement result sent by the terminal most recently, and may also include the L1 measurement result sent within a preset time period or most recently of at least one specific cell. Of course, the measurement result A may also include the L1 measurement report sent by the terminal in other cases, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not specifically limit this.

[0244] In some embodiments, the measurement result C may further include the time when the network side receives the corresponding L1 measurement result reported by the terminal. In one embodiment, this time may be UTC time.

[0245] In some embodiments, measurement result C may be at least a portion of measurement result B. For example, the L1 measurement results (i.e., measurement result C) sent by the S-gNB to the C-gNB may be grouped according to cells under the jurisdiction of different nodes.

[0246] In some embodiments, the S-gNB-CU sends measurement results C to the C-gNB-CU via the Xn interface. For example, the S-gNB-CU sends Xn signaling, inter-node RRC messages, etc. to the C-gNB-CU. For example, the Xn signaling may be a handover request, and the inter-node RRC message may be handover preparation information.

[0247] In some embodiments, the first network node is an MN, the second network node is an SN, and the measurement result C is used for the LTM of the SCG / PSCell. In some embodiments, the MN and the SN send the measurement result C through Xn signaling, inter-node RRC messages, etc. Exemplarily, the Xn signaling can be at least one of a node addition request, an S-node modification request, and an S-node change required; and the inter-node RRC message can be at least one of a cell group candidate list (CG-CandidateList), a cell group configuration (CG-Config), and cell group configuration information (CG-ConfigInfo).

[0248] In some embodiments, CG-Config is used to transmit the SCG configuration generated by the gNB or eNB (i.e., SgNB or SeNB) acting as a secondary node. CG-Config is also used by the CU to request the DU to perform certain actions, such as requesting the DU to execute a new low-layer configuration. The CG-Config transmission direction can be at least one of the following: from the gNB or S-eNB acting as a secondary node to the gNB or eNB acting as a primary node, or from the CU to the DU.

[0249] In some embodiments, CG-ConfigInfo is used by the eNB or gNB acting as the primary node to request the gNB or eNB acting as the secondary node (i.e., SgNB or SeNB) to perform certain actions, such as establishing, modifying, or releasing an SCG. This message may include additional information, such as to help the SgNB or SeNB set the SCG configuration. CG-ConfigInfo is also used by the CU to request the DU to perform certain actions, such as establishing or modifying an MCG or SCG. The transmission direction of CG-ConfigInfo can be at least one of the following: the eNB or gNB acting as the primary node to the gNB or eNB acting as the secondary node, or the CU to the DU.

[0250] In step S2250, the C-gNB-CU sends measurement result D.

[0251] In some embodiments, the C-gNB-DU receives the measurement result D.

[0252] In some embodiments, the measurement result D may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0253] In some embodiments, measurement result D may include at least one of the following: a measurement result of at least one cell and a measurement result of at least one beam. In one embodiment, the at least one cell and the at least one beam may be determined based on protocol agreement, network request, network implementation, etc. In one embodiment, measurement result D may include L1 measurement results sent by the terminal within a preset time period (e.g., 5 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, etc.), may also include the L1 measurement result most recently sent by the terminal, and may also include the L1 measurement result most recently sent by at least one specific cell within a preset time period or most recently sent. Of course, measurement result D may also include L1 measurement results sent by the C-gNB-CU in other situations, which is not specifically limited in the present embodiment.

[0254] In some embodiments, the measurement result D may further include the time when the network side receives the corresponding L1 measurement result reported by the terminal. In one embodiment, this time may be UTC time.

[0255] In some embodiments, measurement result D may be at least a portion of measurement result C. For example, the L1 measurement results (i.e., measurement result D) sent by the C-gNB-CU to the C-gNB-DU may be grouped according to the cells of the DUs under different nodes.

[0256] In some embodiments, the C-gNB-CU sends measurement result D to the C-gNB-DU via the F1 interface. Exemplarily, the C-gNB-CU sends F1 signaling to the C-gNB-DU, e.g., including the measurement result B in a container in the F1 signaling. Exemplarily, the F1 signaling can be an uplink RRC message transfer or a UE context modification response.

[0257] In some embodiments, after step S2250, the C-gNB-DU may determine a mobility configuration for the terminal based on the measurement result D.

[0258] In some embodiments, the C-gNB-DU may send the mobility configuration to the C-gNB-CU, which then sends the mobility configuration to the terminal via the S-gNB-CU and the S-gNB-DU. For example, the C-gNB-DU may send the mobility configuration to the C-gNB-CU via the F1 interface, the C-gNB-CU may send the mobility configuration to the S-gNB-CU via the Xn interface, the S-gNB-CU may send the mobility configuration to the S-gNB-DU via the F1 interface, and the S-gNB-DU may send the mobility configuration to the terminal via the Uu interface.

[0259] In some embodiments, the mobility configuration may be an LTM configuration (eg, an LTM candidate configuration). Exemplarily, the LTM configuration may include configuration of at least one candidate cell (or cell group), an LTM execution condition, and the like.

[0260] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned mobility configuration can be one or more of CHO configuration, CPAC configuration, cell switching configuration, PSCell change configuration, PSCell addition configuration, SCG activation configuration, and SCG deactivation configuration.

[0261] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure do not specifically limit the mobility configuration, and all mobility operations based on the L1 measurement results are within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0262] In some embodiments, the terminal receives a mobility configuration.

[0263] In some embodiments, the terminal receives a mobility configuration from the network (e.g., an S-gNB-DU) via a Uu interface. For example, the terminal may receive the mobility configuration from the network via an RRC message. For example, the RRC message may be an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0264] In some embodiments, the S-gNB-DU may transparently transmit the mobility configuration from the gNB-CU to the terminal.

[0265] In some embodiments, after receiving the mobility configuration, the terminal may send a response message to the network side via the Uu interface to indicate to the network side that the mobility configuration has been received. Exemplarily, the response message may be RRC reconfiguration complete.

[0266] The communication method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S2210 to S2250. For example, step S2210 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2230 to S2250 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, the combination of step S2110 and steps S2130 to S2250 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of step S2220 and steps S2230 to S2250 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0267] In some embodiments, step S2210 and step S2220 may be executed in an interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0268] In some embodiments, step S2220 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0269] Figure 2C is a third interaction diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2C, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, and the method includes steps S2310 to S2320.

[0270] In the disclosed embodiments, when a terminal executes LTM and applies the corresponding target cell configuration, the terminal sends L1 measurement results to the node associated with the target cell (which may be denoted as a T-gNB). The T-gNB may include a DU and a CU. In this case, the DU may be denoted as a T-gNB-DU and the CU may be denoted as a T-gNB-CU.

[0271] In this embodiment, the first network node may be one of T-gNB-CU and T-gNB-DU.

[0272] In some embodiments, the T-gNB may be a T-MN or a T-SN.

[0273] In some embodiments, T-gNB may also refer to the gNB that the UE is about to access or is preparing to access.

[0274] In this embodiment, the first measurement result may be measurement result A sent by the terminal to the T-gNB, or measurement result B sent by the T-gNB-DU to the T-gNB-CU.

[0275] In some embodiments, the first measurement result may be used for mobility operations of the terminal, such as LTM, CHO, CPAC, handover, PSCell change, PSCell addition, and SCG activation / deactivation.

[0276] Step S2310: The terminal sends measurement result A.

[0277] In some embodiments, the T-gNB-DU receives measurement result A.

[0278] The optional implementation of step S2310 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2110 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0279] In some embodiments, the measurement result A may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0280] In step S2320, the T-gNB-DU sends measurement result B.

[0281] In some embodiments, the T-gNB-CU receives measurement result B.

[0282] In some embodiments, the measurement result B may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0283] In some embodiments, measurement result B can be used by the T-gNB-CU to provide a more appropriate mobility configuration for the terminal in subsequent mobility management.

[0284] The optional implementation of step S2320 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2130 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0285] Figure 2D is a fourth interaction diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2D, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which includes steps S2410 to S2430.

[0286] In this embodiment, the L1 measurement results of the interactive terminal between different nodes may include at least one of the following situations: the L1 measurement results of the interaction between the source node (which can be denoted as S-gNB) and the candidate node (which can be denoted as C-gNB), and the L1 measurement results of the interaction between the master node (which can be denoted as MN) and the secondary node (which can be denoted as SN).

[0287] In this embodiment, the first network node may be one of an S-gNB, a C-gNB, a MN, and a SN. The second network node may be one of an S-gNB, a C-gNB, a MN, and a SN.

[0288] In some embodiments, C-gNB may be referred to as T-gNB.

[0289] In some embodiments, the SN may include a serving SN (S-SN) and a candidate SN (denoted as C-SN), and the C-SN may be referred to as a T-SN.

[0290] In some embodiments, the S-gNB may be an S-MN or an S-SN.

[0291] In some embodiments, S-gNB may also refer to the UE's current serving gNB.

[0292] In some embodiments, the C-gNB may be a C-MN or a C-SN.

[0293] In some embodiments, the T-gNB can be either a T-MN or a T-SN.

[0294] In some embodiments, T-gNB may also refer to the gNB that the UE is about to access or is preparing to access.

[0295] In this embodiment, the first measurement result may be measurement result A sent by the terminal to the S-gNB, or may be measurement result C sent by the S-gNB to the C-gNB.

[0296] In some embodiments, the first measurement result may be used for mobility operations of the terminal, such as LTM, CHO, CPAC, handover, PSCell change, PSCell addition, and SCG activation / deactivation.

[0297] In some embodiments, in the scenario where the L1 measurement results of the terminal are exchanged between the S-gNB and the C-gNB, as shown in (a) in Figure 2D, steps S2410 and S2420 are performed.

[0298] Step S2410: The terminal sends measurement result A.

[0299] In some embodiments, the S-gNB receives measurement result A.

[0300] The optional implementation of step S2410 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2110 in Figure 2A, the optional implementation of step S2310 in Figure 2C and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2A and 2C, which will not be repeated here.

[0301] In some embodiments, the measurement result A may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0302] Step S2420: The S-gNB sends measurement result C.

[0303] In some embodiments, the C-gNB or T-gNB receives the measurement result C.

[0304] In some embodiments, the measurement result C may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0305] In some embodiments, the measurement result C may include at least one of the following: a measurement result of at least one cell and a measurement result of at least one beam. In one embodiment, the at least one cell and the at least one beam may be determined based on protocol agreement, network request, network implementation, etc. In one embodiment, the measurement result C may include the L1 measurement result sent by the terminal within a preset time period (such as 5 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, etc.), and may also include the L1 measurement result sent by the terminal most recently, and may also include the L1 measurement result sent within a preset time period or most recently of at least one specific cell. Of course, the measurement result C may also include an L1 measurement report sent by the terminal in other cases, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not specifically limit this.

[0306] In some embodiments, measurement result C may be at least a portion of measurement result A. For example, the L1 measurement results (i.e., measurement result C) sent by the S-gNB to the C-gNB may be grouped according to cells under the jurisdiction of different nodes.

[0307] In some embodiments, the S-gNB sends the measurement result C to the C-gNB or T-gNB via the Xn interface. Exemplarily, the S-gNB sends Xn signaling, an inter-node RRC message, etc. to the C-gNB or T-gNB. Exemplarily, the Xn signaling may be a handover request, and the inter-node RRC message may be handover preparation information.

[0308] The optional implementation of step S2420 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2240 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0309] In some embodiments, in a scenario where L1 measurement results are exchanged between the MN and the SN, as shown in (b) and (c) of FIG2D , step S2410 and step S2430 are performed.

[0310] Step S2410: The terminal sends measurement result A.

[0311] In some embodiments, the MN receives the measurement result A, as shown in (b) of FIG2D .

[0312] In some embodiments, the SN receives the measurement result A, as shown in (c) in FIG2D .

[0313] The optional implementation of step S2410 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2110 in Figure 2A, the optional implementation of step S2310 in Figure 2C and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2A and 2C, which will not be repeated here.

[0314] In some embodiments, the measurement result A may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0315] Step S2430: MN sends measurement result C.

[0316] In some embodiments, the measurement result C is used to assist the C-SN in generating the LTM for the PSCell.

[0317] In some embodiments, the MN sends the measurement result C to the S-SN. At this time, the measurement result C is used by the S-SN to start mobility management, as shown in (b) in FIG2D .

[0318] In some embodiments, the S-SN sends the measurement result C to the MN, which then forwards it to the C-SN, as shown in (c) in FIG2D .

[0319] In some embodiments, the MN and the SN send the measurement result C through Xn signaling, inter-node RRC messages, etc. Exemplarily, the Xn signaling may be at least one of node addition request, S-node modification request, S-node change required, etc.; the inter-node RRC message may be at least one of CG-CandidateList, CG-Config, CG-ConfigInfo, etc.

[0320] The optional implementation of step S2430 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2240 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0321] Figure 2E is a fifth interaction diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2E, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, and the method includes steps S2510 to S2540.

[0322] In this embodiment, the L1 measurement result of the terminal exchanged between the CU and the DU in the same node may include at least one of the following situations: the DU sends the L1 measurement result to the CU, and the CU sends the L1 measurement result to the DU.

[0323] In this embodiment, the first network node may be one of a CU and a DU, and the second network node may be one of a DU and a CU.

[0324] In some embodiments, the CU can be one of S-gNB-CU, C-gNB-CU, and T-gNB-CU, and the DU can be one of S-gNB-DU, C-gNB-DU, and T-gNB-CU.

[0325] In some embodiments, the S-gNB may be an S-MN or an S-SN.

[0326] In some embodiments, S-gNB may also refer to the UE's current serving gNB.

[0327] In some embodiments, the C-gNB may be a C-MN or a C-SN.

[0328] In some embodiments, the T-gNB can be either a T-MN or a T-SN.

[0329] In some embodiments, T-gNB may also refer to the gNB that the UE is about to access or is preparing to access.

[0330] In this embodiment, the first measurement result may be measurement result A sent by the terminal to the CU or DU, may be measurement result B sent by the DU to the CU, or may be measurement result D sent by the CU to the DU.

[0331] In some embodiments, the first measurement result may be used for mobility operations of the terminal, such as LTM, CHO, CPAC, handover, PSCell change, PSCell addition, and SCG activation / deactivation.

[0332] In some embodiments, when the DU sends the L1 measurement result to the CU, as shown in (a) of FIG. 2E , steps S2510 to S2530 are performed as shown in (a) of FIG. 2E .

[0333] Step S2510: The terminal sends measurement result A.

[0334] In some embodiments, the DU receives measurement result A.

[0335] The optional implementation of step S2510 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2110 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0336] In some embodiments, the measurement result A may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0337] Step S2520: CU sends a first message.

[0338] The optional implementation of step S2520 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2120 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0339] Step S2530: DU sends measurement result B.

[0340] In some embodiments, the CU receives measurement result B.

[0341] In some embodiments, the measurement result B may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0342] In some embodiments, the measurement result B may include at least one of the following: a measurement result of at least one cell and a measurement result of at least one beam. In one embodiment, the at least one cell and the at least one beam may be determined based on protocol agreement, network request, network implementation, etc. In one embodiment, the measurement result B may include the L1 measurement result sent by the terminal within a preset time period (such as 5 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 hour, etc.), and may also include the L1 measurement result sent by the terminal most recently, and may also include the L1 measurement result sent within a preset time period or most recently of at least one specific cell. Of course, the measurement result B may also include an L1 measurement report sent by the terminal in other cases, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not specifically limit this.

[0343] In some embodiments, the DU sends the measurement result B to the CU via the F1 interface. The DU sends the measurement result B to the CU via the F1 interface. Exemplarily, the DU sends F1 signaling to the CU, such as including the measurement result B in a container in the F1 signaling. Exemplarily, the F1 signaling may be a UL RRC message transfer, a UE context modification response, or the like.

[0344] The optional implementation of step S2530 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2130 in Figure 2A, the optional implementation of step S2230 in Figure 2B, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2A and 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0345] In some embodiments, in a scenario where a CU in the same node sends L1 measurement results to a DU, as shown in (b) of FIG2E , steps S2510 and S2540 are performed.

[0346] Step S2510: The terminal sends measurement result A.

[0347] In some embodiments, the CU receives measurement result A.

[0348] The optional implementation of step S2510 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2110 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0349] In some embodiments, the measurement result A may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0350] Step S2540: CU sends the measurement result D.

[0351] In some embodiments, the DU receives the measurement result D.

[0352] The optional implementation of step S2540 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2250 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0353] In some embodiments, the measurement result D may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0354] Figure 2F is a sixth interaction diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2F, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, and the method includes step S2610.

[0355] In this embodiment, the terminal sending the L1 measurement result of the terminal to the network side (such as a base station) may include at least one of the following situations: the terminal sends the L1 measurement result to the network side (such as S-gNB) through signaling of the Uu interface (for example, through CSI, RRC message, MAC layer message, etc.), and the terminal carries the L1 measurement result in the RRC reconfiguration completion message and sends it to the T-gNB.

[0356] In this embodiment, the first network node may be one of an S-gNB and a T-gNB.

[0357] In some embodiments, the S-gNB may be an S-MN or an S-SN.

[0358] In some embodiments, S-gNB may also refer to the terminal's current serving gNB.

[0359] In some embodiments, the T-gNB can be either a T-MN or a T-SN.

[0360] In some embodiments, T-gNB may also refer to the gNB that the terminal is about to access or is preparing to access.

[0361] In some embodiments, the T-gNB may be the gNB accessed by the terminal.

[0362] In this embodiment, the first measurement result may be measurement result A sent by the terminal to the S-gNB, or may be measurement result A sent by the terminal to the T-gNB.

[0363] In some embodiments, the first measurement result may be used for mobility operations of the terminal, such as LTM, CHO, CPAC, handover, PSCell change, PSCell addition, and SCG activation / deactivation.

[0364] In some embodiments, in a scenario where the terminal sends the L1 measurement result to the network side through signaling of the Uu interface, as shown in (a) of FIG2F , step S2610 is performed.

[0365] Step S2610: The terminal sends measurement result A.

[0366] In some embodiments, the S-gNB receives measurement result A.

[0367] The optional implementation of step S2610 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2110 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0368] In some embodiments, the measurement result A may be used for mobility operations of the terminal.

[0369] In some embodiments, in a scenario where the terminal carries the L1 measurement result in an RRC reconfiguration complete message and sends it to the T-gNB, as shown in (b) of Figure 2F, step S2610 is performed.

[0370] Step S2610: The terminal sends measurement result A.

[0371] In some embodiments, when the terminal performs a mobility operation and applies the corresponding target cell configuration, the terminal sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message (carrying the L1 measurement result) to the T-gNB corresponding to the target cell.

[0372] In some embodiments, the terminal directly sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to a target MN or a target SN corresponding to the access target cell.

[0373] In some embodiments, the terminal sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the MN. In some embodiments, the MN forwards the RRC reconfiguration complete message to the target SN.

[0374] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc. are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codeword", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0375] In some embodiments, terms such as "uplink", "uplink", "physical uplink" can be interchangeable with each other, and terms such as "downlink", "downlink", "physical downlink" can be interchangeable with each other, and terms such as "side", "sidelink", "side communication", "sidelink communication", "direct connection", "direct link", "direct communication", "direct link communication" can be interchangeable with each other.

[0376] In some embodiments, the terms "downlink control information (DCI)", "downlink (DL) assignment", "DCI", "uplink (UL) grant" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0377] In some embodiments, terms such as "physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)" and "DL data" can be used interchangeably, and terms such as "physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)" and "UL data" can be used interchangeably.

[0378] In some embodiments, terms such as "resource block (RB)", "physical resource block (PRB)", "sub-carrier group (SCG)", "resource element group (REG)", "PRB pair", "RB pair", "resource element (RE)", and "sub-carrier" can be used interchangeably.

[0379] In some embodiments, "obtain", "get", "get", "receive", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be interchangeable, and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from higher layers, obtaining by self-processing, autonomous implementation, etc.

[0380] In some embodiments, terms such as "send", "transmit", "report", "download", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably.

[0381] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain", "preset", "preset", "setting", "indicated", "a certain", "any", and "first" can be interchangeable. "Specific A", "preset A", "preset A", "setting A", "indicated A", "a certain A", "any A", and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-specified in a protocol, etc., or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or indication, etc., or as specific A, a certain A, any A, or first A, etc., but not limited to this.

[0382] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be performed by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or by a true or false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, or by comparison of numerical values ​​(for example, comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0383] Figure 3A is a flow chart illustrating a communication method executed by a first network node according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3A , the present disclosure embodiment relates to a communication method, which is applied to the first network node, and includes steps S3110 to S3130.

[0384] Step S310: Receive a first measurement result.

[0385] For optional implementations of step S310, please refer to the optional implementations of steps S2110, S2130, S2210, S2240, S2250, S2310, S2320, S2410, S2420, S2430, S2510, S2510, S2540, and S2610 in Figures 2A to 2F, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2A to 2F, which will not be repeated here.

[0386] In some embodiments, the first network node receives the first measurement result from the terminal and the second network node, but is not limited thereto and may also receive the first measurement result sent by other entities.

[0387] Figure 3B is a flow chart showing a communication method executed by a second network node according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3A , the present disclosure embodiment relates to a communication method applied to the first network node, and the method includes steps S3110 to S3130.

[0388] Step S320: Send the first measurement result.

[0389] For optional implementations of step S320, please refer to the optional implementations of steps S2110, S2130, S2210, S2240, S2250, S2310, S2320, S2410, S2420, S2430, S2510, S2510, S2540, and S2610 in Figures 2A to 2F, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 2A to 2F, which will not be repeated here.

[0390] In some embodiments, the second network node sends the first measurement result to the first network node, but is not limited thereto. The first measurement result may also be sent to other entities.

[0391] In some embodiments, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, as shown in FIG2A . After the network configures the L1 measurement reporting configuration for a terminal, the DU receives the L1 measurement results sent by the UE and forwards them to the CU. Furthermore, the DU receives the L1 measurement report from the UE and forwards the L1 measurement results to the CU. Here, the L1 measurement results are used by the source CU to perform mobility management or mobility operations for the terminal, select candidate target cells for the terminal, configure corresponding execution conditions, and so on.

[0392] In some embodiments, in response to the CU requesting the DU to send the L1 measurement report from the terminal, the DU sends the L1 measurement result from the terminal to the CU.

[0393] In some embodiments, the present disclosure also relates to a communication method, as shown in Figure 2B . In inter-node LTM, the S-gNB sends L1 measurement results from the terminal to the C-gNB when requesting the C-gNB to reserve resources for the terminal and generate LTM candidate configurations. The L1 measurement results are used by the C-gNB to perform mobility management or mobility operations for the terminal and to determine candidate target cells for the terminal and generate LTM candidate configurations.

[0394] In some embodiments, during the above process, the S-gNB-CU may send the L1 measurement results to the C-gNB-CU, and the C-gNB-CU may request the C-gNB-DU to generate a candidate configuration and, at the same time, may send the L1 measurement results to the C-gNB-DU.

[0395] In some embodiments, the present disclosure also relates to a communication method. As shown in Figure 2C , when a terminal triggers LTM, after applying the LTM candidate configuration, the terminal includes the corresponding L1 measurement results in the corresponding RRCReconfigurationComplete message and sends the RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the T-gNB. The L1 measurement results are used by the T-gNB to subsequently configure a more appropriate mobility configuration for the terminal.

[0396] In one embodiment, the terminal sends an RRCReconfigurationComplete message carrying the corresponding L1 measurement result to the DU in the T-gNB (also referred to as T-DU), and the T-DU forwards the RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the CU in the T-gNB (also referred to as T-CU).

[0397] In the disclosed embodiments, the terminal's mobility management may include LTM (or conditional LTM) for PCell and / or PSCell, wherein the candidate target cell may be PCell and / or PSCell, and the candidate target cell may also be a candidate target cell group (such as MCG and / or SCG).

[0398] In some embodiments, the L1 measurement results may include measurement results of cells and / or measurement results of beams. In one embodiment, the selection of cells and / or beams included in the L1 measurement results sent by the terminal may be determined based on the configuration of the network, or may depend on the implementation of the terminal. In one embodiment, the selection of cells and / or beams included in the L1 measurement results exchanged between the CU and the DU and / or the L1 measurement results exchanged between nodes may be determined based on protocol agreement, network request, etc., or may depend on the implementation of the network. In one embodiment, the L1 measurement results exchanged between the CU and the DU and / or the L1 measurement results exchanged between nodes may be a set of L1 measurement results reported by the terminal within a period of time, or may be the latest L1 measurement result reported by the terminal, or may be a set of L1 measurement results of a specific cell within a recent period of time, or may be the latest L1 measurement result of a specific cell.

[0399] In some embodiments, the specific content of the L1 measurement result, the reporting time corresponding to the L1 measurement result, the corresponding cell and beam are not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0400] In some embodiments, the L1 measurement result may include not only the measurement result at the cell and / or beam level, but also the configuration of the frequency corresponding to the L1 measurement result or the corresponding measurement reference signal.

[0401] In some embodiments, the L1 measurement result further includes at least one of the following: a node ID corresponding to the cell corresponding to the L1 measurement result, a CU ID corresponding to the cell corresponding to the L1 measurement result, and a DU ID corresponding to the cell corresponding to the L1 measurement result.

[0402] For example, the L1 measurement results sent by the S-gNB to the C-gNB can be grouped according to the cells of different nodes.

[0403] Exemplarily, the L1 measurement results sent by the CU to the DU may be grouped according to different DU cells of different nodes.

[0404] In some embodiments, the L1 measurement results exchanged between the CU and the DU and / or the L1 measurement results exchanged between nodes may also include the time when the network side receives the corresponding L1 measurement results reported by the terminal. In one embodiment, this time may be UTC time.

[0405] In some embodiments, the transmission paths of the L1 measurement results may be, but are not limited to, the following:

[0406] The first type: Terminal->DU->CU. (“A->B” means A sends to B)

[0407] In some embodiments, the terminal may send the L1 measurement result to the DU via Uu port signaling (e.g., CSI, RRC message, MAC layer message, etc.). After receiving the L1 measurement result, the DU generates information in the F1 signaling based on the measurement result and sends it to the CU via F1 signaling.

[0408] In some embodiments, the terminal may send the L1 measurement result to the DU via an RRC message. After receiving the L1 measurement result, the DU includes the RRC message in the form of a container in the F1 signaling sent to the CU and sends the RRC message to the CU.

[0409] The second method: terminal->S-gNB->C-gNB.

[0410] In some embodiments, after obtaining the L1 measurement result carried in the F1 signaling (or the RRC message included in the F1 signaling), the S-gNB-CU sends the L1 measurement to the C-gNB-CU through the information in the Xn signaling.

[0411] In some embodiments, after the S-gNB-CU obtains the L1 measurement result through the RRC message included in the F1 signaling, it sends the L1 measurement to the C-gNB-CU through an inter-node RRC message, where the inter-node RRC message is included as an RRC Context in the Xn signaling and sent to the C-gNB-CU through the Xn signaling.

[0412] The third type: CU->DU.

[0413] In some embodiments, the CU sends the L1 measurement result of the terminal to the DU by including information in the F1 signaling for carrying the L1 measurement result of the terminal.

[0414] As can be seen from the above, the transmission directions of L1 measurement results can be, but are not limited to, the following:

[0415] Direction 1: L1 measurement results of interaction terminals between different nodes.

[0416] In some embodiments, the L1 measurement results of the interaction terminals between different nodes include at least one of the following directions: 1. The L1 measurement results of the interaction terminals between the source node and the candidate node (or target node); 2. The L1 measurement results of the interaction terminals between the MN and the SN.

[0417] In some embodiments, in a scenario where the L1 measurement results of the terminal are exchanged between the source node and the candidate node (or target node), the S-gNB sends the received L1 measurement results reported by the terminal to the C-gNB (or T-gNB).

[0418] In one embodiment, the L1 measurement result of the terminal interacting between the source node and the candidate (target) node may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following messages: Xn message (such as HANDOVER REQUEST), Inter-node RRC message (such as HandoverPreparationInformation).

[0419] In some embodiments, in the scenario where the L1 measurement results of the terminal are exchanged between the MN and the SN, the MN (or serving MN) sends the received L1 measurement results of the terminal to the C-SN (or T-SN) to assist the C-SN in generating the LTM for the PSCell.

[0420] In one embodiment, the S-SN sends the received L1 measurement result of the terminal to the MN, and the MN forwards it to the C-SN.

[0421] In one embodiment, the MN sends the received L1 measurement result of the terminal to the S-SN, and the L1 measurement result is used by the S-SN to initiate mobility management.

[0422] In one embodiment, the L1 measurement results of the terminal previously interacted between the MN and the SN (used for LTM for SCG / PSCell) may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following messages: Xn messages (such as S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST, S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST, S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED, etc.), Inter-node RRC messages (such as CG-CandidateList, CG-Config, CG-ConfigInfo, etc.).

[0423] Direction 2: L1 measurement results of the interactive terminals between CU and DU.

[0424] In some embodiments, the L1 measurement result of the terminal is exchanged between the CU and the DU, including at least one of the following directions: 1. The DU sends the L1 measurement result of the terminal to the CU; 2. The CU sends the L1 measurement result of the terminal to the DU.

[0425] In some embodiments, when the DU sends the L1 measurement result of the terminal to the CU, the L1 measurement result may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following messages: UL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER, UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE, etc.

[0426] In some embodiments, in a scenario where the CU sends the L1 measurement result to the DU, the L1 measurement result may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following messages: UE CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST, DL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER.

[0427] In one embodiment, in response to the CU requesting the DU for the L1 measurement result of the terminal, the DU sends the L1 measurement result to the CU.

[0428] In one embodiment, the request information (ie, the first message) may be carried in the following message: UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST.

[0429] In one embodiment, the request information may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following information: an identifier of the terminal, an indication of the requested L1 measurement result, an indication of whether the requested measurement result includes cell-level and / or beam measurement results, and the cell and / or node corresponding to the L1 measurement result requested to be reported.

[0430] Direction 3: The terminal sends its L1 measurement result to the base station.

[0431] In some embodiments, the terminal sending the L1 measurement result of the terminal to the base station includes: the terminal sending the L1 measurement result to the network side through signaling of the Uu port (for example, through CSI, RRC message, MAC layer message, etc.); or, the terminal includes the L1 measurement result in an RRC reconfiguration completion message and sends it to the T-gNB.

[0432] In some embodiments, when the terminal performs mobility and applies the corresponding target cell configuration, the terminal sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message (carrying L1 measurement results) to the target gNB corresponding to the target cell.

[0433] In one embodiment, the terminal directly sends a completion message to the target MN or target SN corresponding to the access target cell.

[0434] In one embodiment, the terminal sends a completion message to the MN or the MN forwards the completion message to the target SN.

[0435] It should be noted that, in the above embodiment, the receiver of the L1 measurement result can be understood as the first network node, and the sender of the L1 measurement result can be understood as the terminal or the second network node.

[0436] The present disclosure also provides a network node for implementing any of the above methods. For example, a network node is provided that includes units or modules for implementing each step performed by the first network node in any of the above methods. For another example, another network node is provided that includes units or modules for implementing each step performed by the second network node in any of the above methods.

[0437] It should be understood that the above division of the various units or modules in the network node is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they may be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the network node may be implemented in the form of a processor invoking software: for example, the network node includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor invokes the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or the functions of the various units or modules in the network node. The processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the network node or a memory external to the network node. Alternatively, the units or modules in the network node can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the functions of some or all of the above units or modules are realized by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be implemented by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by a configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above network nodes can be implemented in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0438] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit. The logical relationship of the above-mentioned hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and implementing the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0439] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network node proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4, network node 4100 may include a transceiver module 4101. In some embodiments, transceiver module 4101 is configured to receive the first measurement result. In this case, transceiver module 4100 can be understood as the first transceiver module. Optionally, transceiver module 4100 is configured to perform at least one of the communication receiving steps performed by the first network node in any of the above methods, which will not be further described here.

[0440] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 4101 may also be used to transmit the first measurement result. In this case, the transceiver module 4101 may be understood as a second transceiver module. Optionally, the transceiver module 4101 may also be used to perform at least one of the communication steps, such as transmitting, performed by the second network node in any of the above methods, which will not be further described here.

[0441] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 4101 may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, and the transmitting module and the receiving module may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module 4101 may be interchangeable with a transceiver.

[0442] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the structure of an access network node proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Access network node 5100 can be a network device (e.g., a base station), or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the access network node to implement any of the above methods. It can also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports a terminal to implement any of the above methods. Access network node 5100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments.

[0443] As shown in Figure 5A, the access network node 5100 includes one or more processors 5101. The processor 5101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control network nodes (such as base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the access network node 5100 is used to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 5101 are used to call instructions to enable the access network node 5100 to execute any of the above methods.

[0444] In some embodiments, the access network node 5100 further includes one or more transceivers 5102. When the access network node 5100 includes one or more transceivers 5102, the transceiver 5102 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (e.g., step S210, step S220, step S230, step S270, but not limited thereto), and the processor 5101 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., step S240, step S250, step S260, but not limited thereto). In an optional embodiment, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, and the receiver and transmitter may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, and interface may be interchangeable, the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit may be interchangeable, and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit may be interchangeable.

[0445] In some embodiments, the access network node 5100 further includes one or more memories 5103 for storing data. Optionally, all or part of the memories 5103 may be located outside the access network node 5100. In an alternative embodiment, the access network node 5100 may include one or more interface circuits 5104. Optionally, the interface circuits 5104 are connected to the memory 5102 and may be configured to receive data from the memory 5102 or other devices, or to send data to the memory 5102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 5104 may read data stored in the memory 5102 and send the data to the processor 5101.

[0446] The access network node 5100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the access network node 5100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the access network node 5100 may not be limited by FIG. 5A . The access network device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the access network device may be: 1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data or programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0447] FIG5B is a schematic diagram of a chip structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the access network node 5100 can be a chip or a chip system, reference can be made to the schematic diagram of the chip structure 5200 shown in FIG5B , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0448] The chip 5200 includes one or more processors 5201. The chip 5200 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0449] In some embodiments, chip 5200 further includes one or more interface circuits 5202. Terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pins may be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 5200 further includes one or more memories 5203 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of memory 5203 may be located external to chip 5200. Optionally, interface circuit 5202 is connected to memory 5203 and may be used to receive data from memory 5203 or other devices, or may be used to send data to memory 5203 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 5202 may read data stored in memory 5203 and send the data to processor 5201.

[0450] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 5202 performs at least one of the communication steps of sending and / or receiving in the above method. For example, the interface circuit 5202 performing the communication steps of sending and / or receiving in the above method means that the interface circuit 5202 performs data exchange between the processor 5201, the chip 5200, the memory 5203, or the transceiver device.

[0451] The modules and / or devices described in various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be arbitrarily combined or separated according to circumstances. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0452] The present disclosure also provides a storage medium having instructions stored thereon. When the instructions are executed on the access network node 5100, the access network node 5100 is caused to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a transient storage medium.

[0453] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a program product, which, when executed by the access network node 5100, enables the access network node 5100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0454] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute any one of the above methods.

Claims

1. A communication method, performed by a first network node, the method comprising: A first measurement result is received, where the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first measurement result is used for layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility LTM management of the terminal.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first measurement result is also used to determine at least one candidate cell for LTM.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The first measurement result includes at least one of the following: a measurement result of at least one cell; measurement results of at least one beam; The frequency corresponding to the measurement result; Configuration information of a reference signal corresponding to the measurement result; An identifier of a network node associated with the at least one cell.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The first network node is a first access network node, and the receiving a first measurement result includes one of the following: receiving the first measurement result sent by the terminal; Receive the first measurement result sent by the second access network node.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The first network node is a first centralized unit, and the receiving a first measurement result includes one of the following: receiving the first measurement result sent by a first distribution unit, wherein the first distribution unit and the first centralized unit belong to the same access network node; The first measurement result sent by a second centralized unit is received, wherein the second centralized unit and the first centralized unit belong to different access network nodes.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: In response to receiving the first measurement result sent by the first distribution unit, the method further includes: A first message is sent to the first distribution unit, where the first message is used to request the first measurement result.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The first network node is a first distribution unit, and the receiving a first measurement result includes one of the following: receiving the first measurement result sent by the terminal; The first measurement result sent by a first centralized unit is received, wherein the first distributed unit and the first centralized unit belong to the same access network node.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The first network node is a first centralized node for LTM target cell association, and the target cell is one of the at least one candidate cell; wherein the receiving a first measurement result includes: The first measurement result sent by the receiving terminal.

10. A communication method, performed by a second network node, the method comprising: A first measurement result is sent, where the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The first measurement result is used for layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility LTM management of the terminal.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein: The first measurement result is also used to determine at least one candidate cell for LTM.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The first measurement result includes at least one of the following: a measurement result of at least one cell; measurement results of at least one beam; The frequency corresponding to the measurement result; Configuration information of a reference signal corresponding to the measurement result; An identifier of a network node associated with the at least one cell.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein: The second network node is a second access network node, and the sending the first measurement result includes: Send the first measurement result to the first access network node.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein: The second network node is a first centralized unit, and the sending of the first measurement result includes one of the following: Sending the first measurement result to a second centralized unit, where the second centralized unit and the first centralized unit belong to different access network nodes; The first measurement result is sent to a first distribution unit, where the first distribution unit and the first centralized unit belong to the same access network node.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein: The second network node is a first distribution unit, and the sending of the first measurement result includes: The first measurement result is sent to a first centralized unit, where the first centralized unit and the first distributed unit belong to the same access network node.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein: The second network node is a first centralized node for LTM target cell association; wherein sending the first measurement result includes: The first measurement result is sent to a first distribution unit associated with the target cell.

18. A communication method, performed by an access network, the access network comprising a first network node and a second network node, the method comprising: The first network node receives a first measurement result sent by the second network node, where the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The first measurement result is used for layer 1 or layer 2 triggered mobility LTM management of the terminal.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, wherein: The first measurement result is also used to determine at least one candidate cell for LTM.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein: The first measurement result includes at least one of the following: a measurement result of at least one cell; measurement results of at least one beam; The frequency corresponding to the measurement result; Configuration information of a reference signal corresponding to the measurement result; An identifier of a network node associated with the at least one cell.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein: The first network node is a first access network node, and the second network node is a second access network node; wherein the first network node receives a first measurement result sent by the second network node, including: The first access network node receives the first measurement result sent by a second access network node in the access network.

23. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein: The first network node is a first centralized unit, the second network node is a first distributed unit, and the first centralized unit and the first distributed unit belong to the same access network node; wherein, The first network node receiving a first measurement result sent by a second network node includes: The first centralized unit receives the first measurement result sent by the first distributed unit.

24. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein: The first network node is a first distribution unit, the second network node is a first centralized unit, and the first centralized unit and the first distribution unit belong to the same access network node; wherein, The first network node receiving a first measurement result sent by a second network node includes: The first distribution unit receives the first measurement result sent by the first centralized unit.

25. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein: The first network node is a first centralized unit, the second network node is a second centralized unit, and the first centralized unit and the second centralized unit belong to different access network nodes; wherein the first network node receives a first measurement result sent by the second network node, including: The second centralized unit receives the first measurement result sent by the first centralized unit.

26. A network node, comprising: The first transceiver module is configured to receive a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

27. A network node, comprising: The second transceiver module is configured to send a first measurement result, where the first measurement result is a layer 1 measurement result.

28. An access network node, comprising: one or more processors; Wherein, the access network node is used to execute the communication method described in any one of claims 1 to 17.

29. A communication system comprising a first network node and a second network node, wherein: The first network node is configured to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 9; the second network node is configured to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 10 to 17.

30. A storage medium storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed on an access network node, the access network node executes the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

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