Cell handover method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications, and provides a cell handover method and a communication apparatus. In the method, a network device may configure, for a terminal, at least one cell sequence predicted by the network device and an exit triggering condition of the at least one cell sequence, the cell sequence being target cells to which the terminal may be sequentially handed over within a future time period. On the basis of the configuration of the network device, the terminal may continuously perform at least one cell handover operation, and may no longer use the cell sequence when the exit triggering condition corresponding to the cell sequence is satisfied. According to the method, in the continuous handover process, a network side does not need to perform measurement and reporting configuration for the terminal, and the terminal does not need to perform measurement reporting, thereby reducing the handover delay while reducing signaling overhead. In addition, the terminal may no longer use the cell sequence when determining that the current cell sequence is not applicable on the basis of the exit triggering condition of the cell sequence, thereby avoiding handover to an inappropriate cell.

Description

Method and communication device for cell switching

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on September 5, 2023, with application number 202311149469.7 and application name “Method and communication device for cell switching”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0003] In mobility management, cell switching is an important part. As artificial intelligence (AI) technology gradually merges with communication technology, the introduction of AI in mobility management is expected to improve the performance of cell switching. The main idea of ​​current AI-based mobility management is: by measuring the signal quality of the current surrounding cells, predicting the signal quality of the surrounding cells during the time period to be switched, such as the reference signal receive power (RSRP), or predicting the best switching cell in the surrounding cells during the time period to be switched. When the prediction is completed, the target cell for this switching can be determined based on the AI ​​prediction results, and then after entering the new cell, the above process is repeated to complete the subsequent cell switching. In the above process, each switch requires configuration of neighboring cells, switching trigger conditions, etc., and the signaling overhead is large.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a method and a communication device for cell switching, which can reduce signaling overhead during the cell switching process.

[0006] In the first aspect, a method for cell switching is provided. The method can be executed by a network device, or by a component of the network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the network device functions.

[0007] The method includes: generating first configuration information; and sending the first configuration information. The first configuration information indicates at least one cell sequence and an exit trigger condition for the at least one cell sequence, wherein the cell sequence includes at least one candidate target cell, the at least one candidate target cell being a target cell that a terminal may sequentially switch to within a first time period, and when the exit trigger condition corresponding to the cell sequence is met, the cell sequence becomes invalid.

[0008] It should be understood that the cell sequence may also include the current serving cell. The at least one cell sequence indicates possible handover paths for the terminal within the first time period, and a cell sequence indicates one possible handover path. It should be understood that the first time period is a certain period in the future. The at least one candidate target cell in a cell sequence may also be referred to as a candidate target cell for continuous handover within the first time period.

[0009] According to the method for cell switching provided in this application, a network device can configure a cell sequence for a terminal to switch continuously over a period of time in the future, and the terminal can perform continuous switching over a period of time in the future according to the configuration of the network device. During the continuous switching process, the network side no longer needs to perform measurement and reporting configuration for the terminal, and the terminal does not need to perform measurement reporting, which can reduce signaling overhead and switching latency. In addition, by configuring the exit trigger condition for the cell sequence used for continuous switching for the terminal, the terminal can no longer use the cell sequence if it determines that the current cell sequence is not applicable according to actual conditions, thereby avoiding switching to an inappropriate cell.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the at least one cell sequence is predicted based on an AI model. Based on this solution, AI-based mobility management can be implemented.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further indicates: a monitoring cell associated with the candidate target cell and a corresponding monitoring reporting condition, the monitoring cell is used to determine whether the corresponding candidate target cell is applicable, and the monitoring cell is different from the corresponding candidate target cell.

[0012] It should be understood that each hop can be associated with one or more monitoring cells, or all hops can be associated with the same one or more monitoring cells. Each hop can be associated with a monitoring reporting condition, or all hops can be associated with the same monitoring reporting condition. The monitoring cell associated with each hop does not belong to the candidate target cell of the hop. Each hop can be associated with one or more monitoring cells.

[0013] This solution allows users to configure monitoring cells that are not candidate target cells, making it easier to determine whether the cell sequence configured by the network is appropriate. If the cell sequence is inappropriate, users can exit the cell sequence in a timely manner to avoid switching to an inappropriate cell.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving first reporting information, where the first reporting information indicates that a monitoring result of the monitoring cell meets a monitoring reporting condition.

[0015] Exemplarily, the first reporting information may be reported via radio resource control (RRC), a medium access control element (MAC-CE), or uplink control information (UCI).

[0016] Exemplarily, the first reporting information may be sent in the current serving cell or after switching to a new cell. For example, after the RRC connection is established in the new cell, a corresponding RRC reconfiguration message is sent to indicate that a monitoring report needs to be sent, and then the new cell requests the terminal to report via RRC signaling such as UEInformationRequest.

[0017] Based on this solution, the terminal reports to the network device when the monitoring results of the monitored cell meet the monitoring reporting conditions, so that the network device can determine whether the terminal continues to use the previously configured cell sequence or reconfigure the cell sequence based on the terminal's report, thereby enabling the terminal to perform more appropriate cell switching.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the monitoring reporting condition is: the signal quality of the monitored cell is greater than a first threshold, and the signal quality of the candidate target cell corresponding to the monitored cell is less than a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than the second threshold.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the exit triggering condition is: the signal qualities of all candidate target cells are less than a third threshold or the average signal qualities of the candidate target cells are less than a fourth threshold.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving second reporting information, where the second reporting information indicates that the terminal meets an exit triggering condition.

[0021] Based on this solution, the terminal informs the network device that it meets the exit trigger condition, so that the network device can determine based on the terminal's report that the terminal will no longer use the previously configured cell sequence, thereby configuring traditional cell switching for the terminal to avoid the terminal switching to an inappropriate cell.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the method further includes: sending first indication information or second configuration information, the first indication information is used to deactivate the first configuration information, and the second configuration information is used to reconfigure the cell sequence.

[0023] Based on this solution, the network device can deactivate or reconfigure the cell sequence when it is determined that the terminal does not need to continue using the previously configured cell sequence, so that the terminal can perform more appropriate cell switching.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the first configuration information also indicates one or more of the following: a switching trigger condition, a usage condition associated with the at least one cell sequence, an effective time of the first configuration information, or a measurement parameter required to measure the candidate target cell, and the switching trigger condition is used to determine whether to perform cell switching.

[0025] On the second aspect, a method for cell switching is provided, which can be executed by a terminal, or by a component of the terminal (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal functions.

[0026] The method includes receiving first configuration information and performing cell handover according to the first configuration information. The first configuration information indicates at least one cell sequence and an exit trigger condition for the at least one cell sequence. The cell sequence includes at least one candidate target cell, and the at least one candidate target cell is a target cell that a terminal may sequentially switch to within a first time period. When the exit trigger condition corresponding to the cell sequence is met, the cell sequence will be invalidated.

[0027] It should be understood that the cell sequence may also include the current serving cell. The at least one cell sequence indicates possible handover paths for the terminal within the first time period, and a cell sequence indicates one possible handover path. It should be understood that the first time period is a certain period in the future. The at least one candidate target cell in a cell sequence may also be referred to as a candidate target cell for continuous handover within the first time period.

[0028] According to the method for cell switching provided in this application, a network device can configure a cell sequence for a terminal to switch continuously over a period of time in the future, and the terminal can perform continuous switching over a period of time in the future according to the configuration of the network device. During the continuous switching process, the network side no longer needs to perform measurement and reporting configuration for the terminal, and the terminal does not need to perform measurement reporting, which can reduce signaling overhead and switching latency. In addition, by configuring the exit trigger condition for the cell sequence used for continuous switching for the terminal, the terminal can no longer use the cell sequence if it determines that the current cell sequence is not applicable according to actual conditions, thereby avoiding switching to an inappropriate cell.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further indicates: a monitoring cell associated with the candidate target cell and a corresponding monitoring reporting condition, the monitoring cell being used to determine whether the corresponding candidate target cell is applicable, and the monitoring cell being different from the corresponding candidate target cell.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: when the monitoring result of the monitoring cell meets the monitoring reporting condition, sending first reporting information, where the first reporting information indicates that the monitoring result of the monitoring cell meets the monitoring reporting condition.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the monitoring reporting condition is: the signal quality of the monitored cell is greater than a first threshold, and the signal quality of the candidate target cell corresponding to the monitored cell is less than a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than the second threshold.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the exit triggering condition is: the signal quality of the candidate target cells is less than a third threshold or the average signal quality of the candidate target cells is less than a fourth threshold.

[0033] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: when the exit triggering condition is met, sending second reporting information, where the second reporting information indicates that the terminal meets the exit triggering condition.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving first indication information or second configuration information, where the first indication information is used to deactivate the first configuration information, and the second configuration information is used to reconfigure the cell sequence.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the first configuration information also indicates one or more of the following: a switching trigger condition, a usage condition associated with the at least one cell sequence, an effective time of the first configuration information, or a measurement parameter required to measure the candidate target cell, and the switching trigger condition is used to determine whether to perform cell switching.

[0036] For the beneficial effects of each implementation method in the second aspect, please refer to the description of the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0037] On the third aspect, a method for cell switching is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or by a component of the network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0038] The method includes: sending first configuration information, the first configuration information is determined based on the cell switching prediction capability information of the terminal, the first configuration information includes measurement object configuration, and the first configuration information is used by the terminal to predict target cells that may be switched to in sequence within a first time period; receiving a prediction result, the prediction result is determined based on the first configuration information, and the prediction result indicates at least one first switching first cell sequence, the first cell sequence includes at least one first candidate target cell, and the at least one first candidate target cell is a target cell predicted by the terminal to be likely to be switched to in sequence within the first time period.

[0039] It should be understood that the cell sequence may also include the current serving cell. The at least one cell sequence indicates possible handover paths for the terminal within the first time period, and a cell sequence indicates one possible handover path. It should be understood that the first time period is a certain period in the future. The at least one candidate target cell in a cell sequence may also be referred to as a candidate target cell for continuous handover within the first time period.

[0040] According to the cell handover method provided in this application, the network side can configure the terminal to predict continuous handovers based on the terminal's cell handover prediction capability information. The terminal can then predict the handover cell sequence within a future period based on the network side configuration, thereby achieving continuous handover prediction on the terminal side. Furthermore, by reporting the prediction results to the network side, the terminal can assist the network side in performing cell handovers or determining a more suitable handover cell sequence for the terminal and related configurations for performing cell handovers.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending second configuration information based on the prediction result, the second configuration information indicating at least one second cell sequence, the second cell sequence including at least one second candidate target cell, the at least one candidate target cell being a target cell to which the terminal may sequentially switch within the first time period, and the second configuration information being determined based on the prediction result. The at least one second cell sequence may be the same as or partially different from the at least one first cell sequence.

[0042] Based on this solution, the network side can configure a cell sequence for subsequent continuous switching for the terminal according to the terminal's prediction result, thereby enabling continuous switching on the terminal side.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the second configuration information may also include a switching trigger condition for conditional switching or a measurement reporting condition for traditional cell switching. For example, the second configuration information may include a switching trigger condition or a measurement reporting condition associated with each hop, or may only include a switching trigger condition or a measurement reporting condition associated with the next hop.

[0044] In a possible implementation manner, before sending the first configuration information, the method further includes: receiving cell handover prediction capability information.

[0045] Exemplarily, the cell switching prediction capability information includes one or more of the following: the number of consecutive switchings that the terminal can predict, the cell parameters that the terminal can predict, the effective time that the terminal can predict, the number of cells required for the terminal to measure, the cell parameters required for the terminal to measure, the time required for the terminal to measure, or the reference signal configuration required for the terminal to measure.

[0046] According to the cell handover prediction capability information, the network side can learn the prediction capability of the terminal and the parameters required for prediction, so that appropriate parameters can be configured for the terminal through the first configuration information to enable the terminal's prediction.

[0047] In a possible implementation, receiving the prediction result includes: receiving auxiliary information, where the auxiliary information includes the prediction result. That is, the terminal may report the prediction result through the auxiliary information.

[0048] In a possible implementation, before receiving the prediction result, the method further includes: sending indication information, where the indication information is used to trigger the terminal to report the prediction result.

[0049] Based on this solution, when the network side requires the terminal to predict the cell sequence of continuous switching, it can send indication information to the terminal. The terminal will perform cell sequence prediction or report the prediction result only after receiving the indication information.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information includes a reporting trigger condition, and when the reporting trigger condition is met, the terminal reports the prediction result.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the reporting trigger conditions include: the cell signal quality in the first cell list is higher than the first threshold, and the first cell list is the cell configured by the network device, or the cell signal quality in the second cell list is higher than the second threshold, and the second cell list is the cell that the terminal has accessed (i.e., historical switching), or the order of the cells in the third cell list is the same as the order of the cells in the fourth cell list, the third cell list is the cell that the terminal has accessed, and the fourth cell is the cell configured by the network device.

[0052] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving first indication information, where the first indication information indicates that the terminal does not have a prediction result or cannot generate a prediction result.

[0053] Based on this solution, the terminal can inform the network that it cannot obtain the prediction result, avoiding the network waiting for the terminal's prediction result. The network can promptly perform traditional cell handover configuration or conditional handover configuration for the terminal to enable the terminal to perform cell handover.

[0054] In one possible implementation, the prediction result also includes one or more of the following: cell information in the first cell sequence, the probability of correct cell prediction in the first cell sequence, the switching time point of each hop in the first cell sequence, or the predicted effective duration of the first cell sequence.

[0055] In the fourth aspect, a method for cell switching is provided, which can be executed by a terminal, or by a component of the terminal (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal functions.

[0056] The method includes: receiving first configuration information, the first configuration information is determined based on cell switching prediction capability information of a terminal, and the first configuration information includes measurement object configuration; determining at least one first cell sequence based on the first configuration information, the first cell sequence includes at least one candidate target cell, and the at least one candidate target cell is a target cell that is predicted to be likely to be switched to in sequence within a first time period; and sending a prediction result, the prediction result indicating the at least one first cell sequence.

[0057] It should be understood that the cell sequence may also include the current serving cell. The at least one cell sequence indicates possible handover paths for the terminal within the first time period, and a cell sequence indicates one possible handover path. It should be understood that the first time period is a certain period in the future. The at least one candidate target cell in a cell sequence may also be referred to as a candidate target cell for continuous handover within the first time period.

[0058] According to the cell handover method provided in this application, the network side can configure the terminal to predict continuous handovers based on the terminal's cell handover prediction capability information. The terminal can then predict the handover cell sequence within a future period based on the network side configuration, thereby achieving continuous handover prediction on the terminal side. Furthermore, by reporting the prediction results to the network side, the terminal can assist the network side in performing cell handovers or determining a more suitable handover cell sequence for the terminal and related configurations for performing cell handovers.

[0059] In one possible implementation, the at least one first cell sequence is obtained based on AI model prediction. Based on this solution, AI model prediction on the terminal side can be enabled.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving second configuration information, the second configuration information indicating at least one second cell sequence, the second cell sequence including at least one candidate target cell, the at least one candidate target cell being a target cell that the terminal may switch to in sequence within the first time period, and the second configuration information being determined based on the prediction result.

[0061] In a possible implementation, the second configuration information further includes a handover triggering condition, and the handover triggering condition is used to determine whether to perform cell handover.

[0062] In a possible implementation manner, before receiving the first configuration information, the method further includes: sending the cell handover prediction capability information.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the cell switching prediction capability information includes one or more of the following: the number of consecutive switchings that the terminal can predict, the cell parameters that the terminal can predict, the effective time that the terminal can predict, the number of cells required for terminal measurement, the cell parameters required for terminal measurement, the time required for terminal measurement, or the reference signal configuration required for terminal measurement.

[0064] In a possible implementation, the prediction result is sent in any one of the following ways: sending by reporting auxiliary information, sending according to instruction information of the network device, or sending after a reporting trigger condition configured by the network device is met.

[0065] In one possible implementation, the reporting trigger conditions include: the cell signal quality in the first cell list is higher than the first threshold, and the first cell list is the cell configured by the network device, or the cell signal quality in the second cell list is higher than the second threshold, and the second cell list is the cell that the terminal has accessed (i.e., historical switching), or the order of cells in the third cell list is the same as the order of cells in the fourth cell list, the third cell list is the cell that the terminal has accessed, and the fourth cell is the cell configured by the network device.

[0066] In a possible implementation, when the network device instructs to send a prediction result and the terminal has not determined the prediction result, the method further includes: sending first indication information, where the first indication information indicates that the terminal does not have a prediction result or cannot generate a prediction result.

[0067] In one possible implementation, the prediction result also includes one or more of the following: cell information in the first cell sequence, the probability of correct cell prediction in the first cell sequence, the switching time point of each hop in the first cell sequence, or the predicted effective duration of the first cell sequence.

[0068] For the beneficial effects of each implementation method in the fourth aspect, please refer to the description of the third aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0069] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a module or unit for executing the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or comprising a module or unit for executing the method in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0070] In the sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a module or unit for executing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or comprising a module or unit for executing the method in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0071] In the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor, the processor being coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor being used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to implement the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or to implement the method in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0072] In one possible implementation, the apparatus further includes a memory coupled to the processor.

[0073] In a possible implementation, there are one or more processors and / or one or more memories.

[0074] In a possible implementation, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0075] In a possible implementation, the device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0076] In one implementation, the apparatus is a network device. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0077] In another implementation, the device is a chip in the first communication device. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0078] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor being used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to implement the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or to implement the method in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0079] In one possible implementation, the apparatus further includes a memory coupled to the processor.

[0080] In a possible implementation, there are one or more processors and / or one or more memories.

[0081] In a possible implementation, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0082] In a possible implementation, the device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0083] In one implementation, the device is a terminal. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0084] In another implementation, the device is a chip in the second communication device. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0085] In a ninth aspect, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor executes the method of any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0086] In a specific implementation, the processor may be a chip, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, or various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. The input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which functions as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0087] In the tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising at least one of the communication device provided in the third aspect and the communication device provided in the fourth aspect, or comprising at least one of the communication device provided in the fifth aspect and the communication device provided in the sixth aspect.

[0088] In the eleventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when executed, enables a computer to execute a method in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0089] In the twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes a method in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0090] In the thirteenth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising a processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip executes a method in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0091] In a fourteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes an interface and a processor, wherein the interface is used to send and / or receive signals, so that the processor executes the method in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0092] FIG1 is a schematic architecture diagram of a mobile communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an AI-based mobility prediction provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0094] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a cell handover is performed using the method for cell handover provided in this application;

[0095] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of a method for cell switching provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] FIG5A is a schematic diagram of a switching scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] FIG5B is a schematic diagram of another switching scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0098] FIG5C is a schematic diagram of another switching scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] FIG6 is a schematic flowchart of a method for cell handover provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0100] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a switching scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0101] FIG8 is a schematic flowchart of a method for cell handover provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0102] FIG9 is a schematic flowchart of a method for cell switching provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0103] FIG10 is a schematic flowchart of a method for cell handover provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0104] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a format of a prediction result provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0105] FIG12 is a schematic flowchart of a method for cell handover provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0106] FIG13 is a schematic flowchart of a method for cell handover provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0107] FIG14 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0108] FIG15 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0109] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0110] Figure 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0111] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0112] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. In addition, to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit differences. In this application, "corresponding" and "associated" can be used interchangeably, or can be replaced by descriptions with the same or similar meanings.

[0113] It should be noted that the judgment conditions in this application, such as greater than / higher than, less than / lower than, etc., can also be replaced by greater than or equal to, less than or equal to, etc. For the sake of simplicity, only greater than and less than are used as examples.

[0114] In the various method embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number does not mean the order of execution. The order of execution should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0115] It is understood that, in this application, expressions such as "under...", "if...", "when...", "if...", and similar expressions may be used interchangeably. Furthermore, these expressions all imply that corresponding actions will be taken under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the timeframe, require no judgment in implementation, or imply any other limitations.

[0116] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios as needed. Accordingly, the devices provided in the embodiments of the present application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0117] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can refer to each other. In the various embodiments in this application, and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment, if there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, implementation methods, implementation methods, or implementation methods according to their inherent logical relationships. The implementation methods of this application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0118] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication systems, new radio (NR) systems, and other mobile communication systems that may appear in the future.

[0119] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a mobile communication system provided by the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the mobile communication system includes at least one terminal (for example, the terminal 110 shown in Figure 1) and at least one network device (for example, the network device 120 and the network device 130 shown in Figure 1). The terminal 110 can communicate data with the network device 120 via a wireless connection. When the area covered by the network device 130 meets the switching condition, the terminal 110 can switch from the network device 120 to the network device 130, thereby communicating data with the network device 130 via a wireless connection. It should be understood that the system shown in Figure 1 can also include more terminals and network devices.

[0120] In the embodiments of the present application, a terminal, such as terminal 110, also referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., refers to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. For example, the terminal can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a PDA, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc.

[0121] The network devices in the embodiments of the present application, such as network devices 120 and network devices 130, refer to radio access network (RAN) nodes (or devices) that connect a terminal to a wireless network, and may also be referred to as base stations or access network devices. For example, the network device may be an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system or an access node (AP) in a WiFi system, a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, or a network device in other communication systems that evolve in the future.

[0122] In one possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node (i.e., the network device in this application) can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU) or a remote radio head (RRH). In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, CU may also be referred to as O-CU (open CU), DU may also be referred to as O-DU, CU-CP may also be referred to as O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU may also be referred to as O-RU. Any unit in the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. It should be understood that this application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0123] In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal or network device includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also called main memory). The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as a Linux operating system, a Unix operating system, an Android operating system, an iOS operating system, or a Windows operating system. The application layer includes applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software. In addition, the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, as long as it can communicate according to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0124] In addition, various aspects or features of the present application can be implemented as methods, devices or products using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "product" as used in this application covers computer programs that can be accessed from any computer-readable device, carrier or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks or magnetic tapes, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), cards, sticks or key drives, etc.). In addition, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0125] Cell handover is a crucial aspect of mobility management. Traditional NR / LTE cell handovers are based on rule-based judgment. The basic process involves the terminal measuring the reference signals of the serving cell and neighboring cells, determining whether certain mobility events configured by the network equipment are met, and reporting the corresponding time and measurement results. Based on the terminal's measurement results, the network equipment determines whether a cell handover is necessary. If so, it issues a handover command to the terminal. The terminal completes the cell handover according to the handover command and initiates random access to the new cell.

[0126] To further reduce handover latency, Release 16 (R16) introduced conditional handover (CHO). Network equipment can configure a series of conditional handover and measurement configurations for the terminal based on the terminal's measurement results. If the terminal meets the requirements for conditional handover during the measurement process, it can autonomously initiate random access to the target cell that meets the conditions. This eliminates the need to report the event notification and measurement results to the network equipment, nor does it need to wait for the handover command from the source cell.

[0127] As AI technology gradually merges with communications technology, research on its integration with air interfaces is also gaining momentum. The use of AI in air interfaces can be categorized into two scenarios: dual-end AI and single-end AI, depending on the location of the AI ​​model. Dual-end AI requires the AI ​​model to work together on both the network and the terminal side, and the models on both sides can be considered two parts of the overall AI model. Single-end AI, where the AI ​​model resides on either the network or the terminal side, can be further divided into two sub-scenarios: network-side AI and terminal-side AI.

[0128] Since mobility also involves many measurement and reporting processes, as well as decision-making and prediction of the best target cell, the introduction of AI in mobility management is expected to further improve the performance of cell switching. In current research, some mobility enhancement studies based on AI have emerged. The main idea of ​​these studies is to measure the signal quality of the current surrounding cells and predict the signal quality of the surrounding cells during the time period to be switched, such as the reference signal receive power (RSRP), or predict the best switching cell in the surrounding cells during the time period to be switched. When the prediction is completed, the target cell for this switch can be determined based on the AI ​​prediction results, and then after entering the new cell, the above process is repeated to complete the subsequent cell switch.

[0129] For example, Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of AI mobility prediction. The current serving cell of the terminal is cell 1, and the neighboring cells are cell 2, cell 3, and cell 4. Based on the current measurement results of cell 2, cell 3, and cell 4, the terminal can further combine the terminal's movement trajectory and / or speed, etc., and predict the RSRP of cell 2, cell 3, and cell 4 in the time period to be switched based on AI model 1. According to the prediction results, the target cell for this switching can be determined. For example, if cell 2 has the highest RSRP, cell 2 can be used as the target cell for this switching. Alternatively, based on the current measurement results of cell 2, cell 3, and cell 4, the terminal can further combine the terminal's movement trajectory and / or speed, etc., and predict the best switching cell in the time period to be switched based on AI model 2.

[0130] In the example shown in Figure 2, after cell 1 begins serving the terminal, the network equipment corresponding to cell 1 needs to configure information related to measurement and handover for the terminal, such as the frequency of neighboring cells and handover trigger conditions. After the terminal switches from cell 1 to another cell, such as cell 2, the network equipment corresponding to cell 2 also needs to configure information related to measurement and handover for the terminal. Similarly, subsequent handovers require the corresponding network equipment to perform relevant configuration for the terminal. This solution, which requires relevant configuration for each handover, will incur significant signaling overhead.

[0131] In view of this, the present application provides a method for cell switching, which can solve the problem of large signaling overhead during the switching process.

[0132] For example, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which the method for cell switching provided by the present application is applied to perform cell switching. Referring to Figure 3, cell 1 is a serving cell, and the network device 1 corresponding to cell 1 can predict the switching path of the terminal in the future based on the historical relevant information of the terminal. For example, there are three possible switching paths: (1) Path 1: cell 1 → cell 2 → cell 4 → cell 6; (2) Path 2: cell 1 → cell 2 → cell 6; (3) Path 3: cell 1 → cell 3 → cell 5 → cell 6. Then, the network device 1 can configure the switching path to the terminal, and at the same time perform measurement configuration and reporting configuration for the terminal (for example, including switching trigger conditions). The terminal can perform cell switching within a certain period of time in the future based on the configuration of the network device 1.

[0133] For example, when cell 1 is the serving cell, based on the measurement results of cells 2 and 3 and information such as the handover triggering conditions, the terminal determines that cell 2 is the target cell for this handover, and can then handover to cell 2. When cell 2 is the serving cell, the network device corresponding to cell 2 does not need to perform measurement and reporting configuration for the terminal. The terminal, based on the configuration of network device 1 received in cell 1, measures cells 4 and 6, and determines that cell 4 is the target cell for this handover, and can then handover to cell 4. Similarly, when cell 4 is the serving cell, the network device corresponding to cell 4 does not need to perform measurement and reporting configuration for the terminal. The terminal, based on the configuration of network device 1 received in cell 1, measures cell 6, and determines that cell 6 is the target cell for this handover, and can then handover to cell 6.

[0134] In the example shown in FIG3 , only the network device 1 needs to perform relevant configuration on the terminal. The corresponding network device does not need to perform relevant configuration on the terminal every time the terminal is switched to the target cell, thereby reducing the signaling overhead during the switching process.

[0135] The method provided by this application is described in detail below in conjunction with the relevant drawings. It will be understood that the flowcharts provided in this application mainly use terminals and network devices (e.g., network device #1, network device #2, or network device #3, etc.) as examples of the execution entities of the interaction diagram to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution entities of the interaction diagram. For example, the terminal / network device in the flowchart can also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal / network device to implement the method, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal / network device functions.

[0136] Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart of a method for cell handover provided by the present application. The method may include steps S410 to S430, each of which is described in detail below.

[0137] S410, network device #1 generates first configuration information.

[0138] Network device #1 may first predict at least one cell sequence and then generate first configuration information, which may indicate the at least one cell sequence. Any cell sequence may include at least one candidate target cell, or any cell sequence may include the current serving cell and the at least one candidate target cell. For example, in Figure 3, the current serving cell is cell 1. The at least one candidate target cell is a target cell that the terminal may sequentially switch to within a first time period. It is understood that the at least one cell sequence indicates a possible handover path for the terminal within the first time period, and one cell sequence indicates one possible handover path. It should be understood that the first time period is a certain period in the future.

[0139] For example, in the handover scenario schematic diagram shown in FIG3 , the at least one cell sequence is: (cell 2, cell 4, cell 6), (cell 2, cell 6), (cell 3, cell 5, cell 6). Alternatively, the at least one cell sequence is: (cell 1, cell 2, cell 4, cell 6), (cell 1, cell 2, cell 6), (cell 1, cell 3, cell 5, cell 6).

[0140] For example, FIG5A shows another handover scenario diagram. Referring to FIG5A , the current serving cell of the terminal is cell 1. The possible handover paths of the terminal in the future include: (1) cell 1 → cell 2 → cell 5 → cell 8, that is, the terminal may switch from cell 1 to cell 2, then from cell 2 to cell 5, and finally from cell 5 to cell 8; (2) cell 1 → cell 2 → cell 6, that is, the terminal may switch from cell 1 to cell 2, then from cell 2 to cell 6; (3) cell 1 → cell 3 → cell 6 → cell 9, that is, the terminal may switch from cell 1 to cell 3, then from cell 3 to cell 6, and finally from cell 6 to cell 9; (4) cell 1 → cell 3 → cell 7 → cell 9, that is, the terminal may switch from cell 1 to cell 3, then from cell 3 to cell 7, and finally from cell 7 to cell 9; (5) cell 1 → cell 4 → cell 9, that is, the terminal may switch from cell 1 to cell 4, and then from cell 4 to cell 9. That is, in the scenario shown in FIG5A , the at least one cell sequence is: (cell 2, cell 5, cell 8), (cell 2, cell 6), (cell 3, cell 6, cell 9), (cell 3, cell 7, cell 9), (cell 4, cell 9). Alternatively, the at least one cell sequence is: (cell 1, cell 2, cell 5, cell 8), (cell 1, cell 2, cell 6), (cell 1, cell 3, cell 6, cell 9), (cell 1, cell 3, cell 7, cell 9), (cell 1, cell 4, cell 9).

[0141] For example, Figure 5B shows another handover scenario. Referring to Figure 5B , the terminal's current serving cell is cell 1. The possible handover paths for the terminal over the next period of time are: cell 1 → (cell 2, cell 3, cell 4) → (cell 5, cell 6, cell 7) → (cell 8, cell 9). In other words, the terminal may handover from cell 1 to one of cells 2, 3, and 4; from any of cells 2, 3, and 4 to one of cells 5, 6, and 7; and from one of cells 6 and 7 to one of cells 5 and 9. Obviously, in the scenario shown in Figure 5B, the at least one cell sequence is: (cell 2, cell 5, cell 8), (cell 2, cell 5, cell 9), (cell 2, cell 6, cell 8), (cell 2, cell 6, cell 9), (cell 2, cell 7, cell 8), (cell 2, cell 7, cell 9), (cell 3, cell 5, cell 8), (cell 3, cell 5, cell 9), (cell 3, cell 6, cell 8), (cell 3, cell 6, cell 9), (cell 3, cell 7, cell 8), (cell 3, cell 7, cell 9), (cell 4, cell 5, cell 8), (cell 4, cell 5, cell 9), (cell 4, cell 6, cell 8), (cell 4, cell 6, cell 9), (cell 4, cell 7, cell 8), (cell 4, cell 7, cell 9).

[0142] In one implementation, the first configuration information indicating the at least one cell sequence may specifically include: the first configuration information includes at least one cell list, where each cell list indicates a cell sequence, and the cell list includes information about each cell in the cell sequence. For example, the cell information may include one or more of the following: cell identifier, frequency information, frequency band information, tracking area information, or subcarrier spacing information. In other words, the cell list includes information about target cells that the terminal may sequentially switch to within the first time period. Alternatively, the cell list includes information about the terminal's currently serving cell and information about target cells that the terminal may sequentially switch to within the first time period.

[0143] For example, for the scenario shown in FIG3 , the at least one cell list may be: {identifier of cell 2, identifier of cell 4, identifier of cell 6}, {identifier of cell 2, identifier of cell 6}, {identifier of cell 3, identifier of cell 5, identifier of cell 6}. Alternatively, the at least one cell list may be: {identifier of cell 1, identifier of cell 2, identifier of cell 4, identifier of cell 6}, {identifier of cell 1, identifier of cell 2, identifier of cell 6}, {identifier of cell 1, identifier of cell 3, identifier of cell 5, identifier of cell 6}. Exemplarily, the cell identifier in this application may be a physical identifier or a logical identifier. This application does not specifically limit the type of identifier used, as long as it can distinguish cells within a certain range.

[0144] In the present application, at least one candidate target cell in a cell sequence may also be referred to as a candidate target cell for continuous handover within the first time period.

[0145] Continuous switching means performing at least one / hop cell switching continuously. If the switching that has been switched to the current serving cell is defined as the first hop, then the switching from the current serving cell to the candidate target cell corresponding to the current serving cell is the second hop, and the candidate target cell corresponding to the current serving cell is the candidate target cell of the second hop. For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 5A, if the first hop is defined as the cell switching that has been switched to cell 1, the maximum value of N is 4, that is, the continuous switching in Figure 5A includes at most four hops, where the second hop is cell 1 → cell (2, 3, 4), the third hop is cell (2, 3, 4) → cell (5, 6, 7, 9), and the fourth hop is cell (5, 6, 7) → cell (8, 9). Of course, the switching from the current serving cell to the candidate target cell of the current serving cell can also be defined as the first hop, then the number of cells included in a cell sequence indicates how many hops of switching can be performed continuously. Taking the scenario shown in Figure 5A as an example, if cell 1 → cell (2, 3, 4) is defined as the first hop, then the maximum value of N is 3. That is, the continuous handover in Figure 5A includes at most three hops, where the second hop is cell (2, 3, 4) → cell (5, 6, 7, 9), and the third hop is cell (5, 6, 7) → cell (8, 9). This article mainly uses the definition of handover from the current serving cell to the candidate target cell of the current serving cell as the first hop to illustrate some content.

[0146] Based on the above understanding, in another implementation, the first configuration information indicates that the at least one cell list may specifically be the following (A) or (B).

[0147] (A) The first configuration information includes at least one cell list, where one cell list includes information of a candidate target cell of one hop in a continuous handover within a first time period.

[0148] In one example, the i-th cell list in the at least one cell list includes information of the i-th hop candidate target cell in the first time period, where i is a positive integer.

[0149] This method does not limit the conditions for using the cell list. For example, the at least one cell list can be used regardless of whether the terminal is in a high-speed or low-speed motion state. In addition, this method is applicable to the scenario where any candidate target cell of the Xth hop can be switched to any candidate target cell of the X+1th hop, where X is a positive integer. Taking the scenario shown in Figure 5B as an example, any cell among cells 2, 3 and 4 can be switched to any cell among cells 5, 6 and 7, and any cell among cells 5, 6 and 7 can be switched to any cell among cells 8 and 9.

[0150] Take the scenario shown in Figure 5B as an example for explanation. Assuming that the cell handover that has been switched to the current serving cell is the first hop handover, then the at least one cell list can be four cell lists. Among them, the first cell list may include: the identifier or frequency information of cell 1; the second cell list may include: the identifier or frequency information of cell 2, cell 3 and cell 4; the third cell list may include: the identifier or frequency information of cell 5, cell 6 and cell 7; the fourth cell list may include: the identifier or frequency information of cell 8 and cell 9. Assuming that the cell handover from the current serving cell to the candidate target cell of the current serving cell is the first hop, then the at least one cell list can be three cell lists. These three cell lists are the second to fourth cell lists mentioned above.

[0151] It should be noted that if the cell switching from the current serving cell to the candidate target cell of the current serving cell is defined as the first hop, in one possible manner, the first configuration information includes at least one cell list, the first cell list includes the identifier or frequency information of the current serving cell, and the i+1th cell list includes the information of the candidate target cell of the i-th hop in the continuous switching within the first time period, where i is a positive integer.

[0152] Similarly, if a cell that has already been switched to the current serving cell is defined as the first hop, in one possible approach, the first configuration information includes at least one cell list, where the i-th cell list includes information about a candidate target cell for the i+1-th hop in consecutive handovers within the first time period, where i is a positive integer. In this approach, the first list in the at least one cell list may include an identifier or frequency information of a candidate target cell for the current serving cell.

[0153] In another example, the at least one cell list is a plurality of groups of cell lists, the i-th cell list in each group of cell lists includes information of the i-th hop candidate target cell in the first time period, i is a positive integer, and each group of cell lists includes at least one cell list.

[0154] In this approach, different cell lists can be used under different conditions. For example, one cell list can be used for high-speed terminal motion, while another can be used for low-speed terminal motion. For a cell list, any candidate target cell at the Xth hop can be switched to any candidate target cell at the X+1th hop, where X is a positive integer.

[0155] For example, FIG5C shows a schematic diagram of a cell handover scenario, where the handover path shown in FIG5C is: high-speed movement: cell 1 → (cell 2, cell 3) → (cell 6); low-speed movement: cell 1 → (cell 4, cell 5) → (cell 7). Then, the first configuration information may include a group of cell lists applicable to high-speed movement (cell list group #1) and a group of cell lists applicable to low-speed movement (cell list group #2). Assuming that the cell handover from the current serving cell to the candidate target cell of the current serving cell is the first hop, the first cell list in cell list group #1 may include information on cell 2 and cell 3, and the second cell list may include information on cell 6; the first cell list in cell list group #2 may include information on cell 4 and cell 5, and the second cell list may include information on cell 7.

[0156] It should be noted that if the cell switching from the current serving cell to the candidate target cell of the current serving cell is defined as the first hop, in one possible manner, the first configuration information includes multiple groups of cell lists. For one group of cell lists, the first cell list includes the identifier or frequency information of the current serving cell, and the i+1th cell list includes the information of the candidate target cell of the i-th hop in the continuous switching within the first time period, where i is a positive integer.

[0157] Similarly, if a cell that has already been switched to the current serving cell is defined as the first hop, in one possible approach, the first configuration information includes multiple groups of cell lists. For one group of cell lists, the i-th cell list includes information about a candidate target cell for the i+1th hop in consecutive handovers within a first time period, where i is a positive integer. In this approach, the first list in the at least one cell list may include an identifier or frequency information of a candidate target cell for the current serving cell.

[0158] (B) The first configuration information includes at least one cell list, wherein the cell list includes information of a candidate target cell of one hop in a continuous handover within a first time period, and the first configuration information indicates an association relationship between cells in the cell lists of two adjacent hops.

[0159] This method further indicates the association relationship between cells in the cell list of two adjacent hops based on (A).

[0160] In one example, in (B), the i-th cell list in the at least one cell list includes information on the candidate target cell of the i-th hop within the first time period, where i is a positive integer. Then, the association relationship between the cells in the cell lists of two adjacent hops refers to the association relationship between the cells in the i-th cell list and the cells in the j-th cell list, where i is a positive integer. Assuming that the number of the at least one cell list is M, then j=i+1, and j≠N. That is to say, for any cell in the i-th cell list, which cell or cells in the j-th cell list can be switched from the cell. This implementation method can be applicable to scenarios where any candidate target cell of the X-th hop can be switched to certain candidate target cells of the X+1-th hop, or where certain candidate target cells of the X-th hop can be switched to any candidate target cell of the X+1-th hop.

[0161] Taking the scenario shown in FIG5A as an example, in some understanding, the continuous handover scenario shown in FIG5A can perform a maximum of three handover hops, where each handover is a hop, or each hop is a handover. The first hop is when the terminal switches from cell 1 to another cell. The candidate target cells for the first hop include cells 2, 3, and 4. Therefore, the first cell list in the at least one cell list may include the identifiers or frequency information of cells 2, 3, and 4. The second hop is when the terminal switches from one of cells 2, 3, and 4 to another cell. The candidate target cells for the second hop include cells 5, 6, 7, and 10. Therefore, the second cell list in the at least one cell list may include the identifiers or frequency information of cells 5, 6, 7, and 10. The third hop is when the terminal switches from one of cells 5, 6, 7, and 10 to another cell. The candidate target cells for the third hop include cells 9 and 10. Therefore, the third cell list in the at least one cell list may include the identifiers or frequency information of cells 9 and 10. Since, in the second-hop handover, the terminal cannot switch from any of cells 2, 3, and 4 to any of cells 5, 6, 7, and 9, and in the third-hop handover, the terminal cannot switch from any of cells 5, 6, 7, and 9 to any of cells 8 and 9, the association relationship between the candidate target cells of each hop needs to be indicated in the first configuration information. For example, cell 2 is associated with cell 5 and cell 6, that is, when cell 2 is used as the source cell, the candidate target cells can only be cell 5 and cell 6.

[0162] In one example, in (B), the at least one cell list is a plurality of cell lists, the i-th cell list in each cell list group includes information about the candidate target cell of the i-th hop within the first time period, i is a positive integer, and each cell list group includes at least one cell list. Therefore, the association relationship between cells in the cell lists of two adjacent hops refers to the association relationship between cells in the cell lists of two adjacent hops in the same cell list group. For information on this association relationship, please refer to the first example in (B). This will not be repeated here.

[0163] It should be understood that the present application does not limit a possible implementation manner of the first configuration information to (A) or (B), and the first configuration information can also be implemented in an equivalent manner to (A) or (B).

[0164] In addition to indicating at least one cell sequence, the first configuration information may also indicate an exit trigger condition for the at least one cell sequence. If the exit trigger condition corresponding to a cell sequence is met, the cell sequence becomes invalid. In other words, the cell handover relationship included in the continuous handover no longer applies, and the terminal may no longer use the cell sequence for continuous handover.

[0165] All cell sequences may correspond to the same exit trigger condition. Alternatively, each of the at least one cell sequence may correspond to an exit trigger condition. Alternatively, each candidate target cell or each handover may correspond to the same exit trigger condition. Alternatively, each candidate target cell or each handover may correspond to an exit trigger condition.

[0166] For example, the five cell sequences in the scenario shown in FIG5A may correspond to the same exit trigger condition. When the exit trigger condition is met, the five cell sequences will become invalid, that is, the terminal will no longer use the five cell sequences for cell switching. For another example, the five cell sequences in the scenario shown in FIG5A may each correspond to an exit trigger condition. When the exit trigger condition corresponding to a cell sequence is met, for example, when the cell sequence (cell 3, cell 7, cell 9) meets its corresponding exit trigger condition, the terminal will no longer use the cell sequence for cell switching.

[0167] Exemplarily, the exit triggering condition may be any of the following:

[0168] (1a) The signal quality of any candidate target cell in the hop is less than a first threshold;

[0169] (2a) The signal quality of the cell with the highest signal quality among the candidate target cells of the hop is less than a second threshold;

[0170] (3a) the average signal quality of the candidate target cell of the hop is less than a third threshold;

[0171] (4a) The signal quality of each candidate cell in the candidate target cell of the hop is less than its corresponding preset threshold.

[0172] The meaning of the above (1a) is that as long as the signal quality of at least one candidate target cell in the hop is less than the first threshold, it is considered that the exit triggering condition is met.

[0173] It should be noted that each candidate cell in the at least one cell sequence can correspond to a first threshold or a preset threshold, or the first threshold or preset threshold corresponding to all candidate cells in the at least one cell sequence is the same, or each hop candidate target cell can correspond to a first threshold or a preset threshold.

[0174] The signal quality mentioned in this application may include one or more of the following: reference signal receive power (RSRP), signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR), or reference signal receive quality (RSRQ).

[0175] The present application does not exclude that the signal quality is represented by other reasonable parameters. In addition, the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the preset threshold may be equal or different, and the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0176] It should be noted that the "candidate target cell for this hop" in the exit trigger condition is the candidate target cell for this hop for a specific cell, that is, the candidate target cell when the cell is used as the source cell. Alternatively, the "candidate target cell for this hop" can also be expressed as the candidate target cell of the serving cell. For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 5A, the terminal switches from cell 1 to cell 2. Then, for cell 2, the candidate target cells for the second hop are cell 5 and cell 6, excluding cell 7. In the scenario shown in Figure 5B, the first-hop terminal switches from cell 1 to cell 2. Then, for cell 2, the candidate target cells for the second hop are cell 5, cell 6, and cell 7.

[0177] Taking the scenario shown in Figure 5A as an example, it is assumed that the exit trigger events corresponding to each hop are all the above (1a). The candidate target cells for the first hop include cell 2, cell 3 and cell 4. If the signal quality of cell 2, cell 3 and cell 4 are all less than the first threshold, the terminal considers that the at least one cell sequence configured by network device #1 is not suitable, and thus the at least one cell sequence is no longer used. If the signal quality of cell 2, cell 3 and cell 4 are all greater than or equal to the first threshold, the terminal considers that the at least one cell sequence configured by network device #1 is suitable, so that the at least one cell sequence can continue to be used, and can be switched to a cell among cell 2, cell 3 and cell 4. If the terminal switches from cell 1 to cell 2, it can continue to judge whether the signal quality of cell 5 and cell 6 are both the first threshold, and determine whether to continue to use the at least one cell sequence based on the judgment result.

[0178] Exemplarily, the exit trigger condition may also be any of the following:

[0179] (1b) Among the cells associated with the continuous handover from hop X to hop Y, the number of cells with signal quality lower than the corresponding threshold is greater than the number threshold or the proportion of cells with signal quality lower than the corresponding threshold is greater than the proportion threshold;

[0180] (2b) the proportion of cells whose signal quality is lower than the corresponding threshold among the candidate target cells of the serving cell is higher than the proportion threshold;

[0181] (3b) The signal quality of the serving cell is lower than the corresponding threshold;

[0182] (4b) Among the cells that have been continuously resided in during the handover from the Xth hop to the Yth hop, the proportion of cells whose signal quality is lower than the corresponding threshold is higher than the proportion threshold.

[0183] It should be understood that the signal quality threshold can be: a single threshold for all cells, a separate threshold for each cell, or a separate threshold for each hop. Similarly, the ratio threshold can be: a separate ratio threshold for each hop, or a single ratio threshold for each hop. The ratio thresholds in each of the above items can be the same or different.

[0184] In (1b), X can be equal to 1 or an integer greater than 1, and Y ≥ X, where Y can be the number of hops experienced + 1. The signal quality threshold, quantity threshold, and ratio threshold can be configured by the network device.

[0185] The cells associated with a continuous handover starting from hop X and ending at hop Y may include: the source cell for hop X and the candidate target cells for each hop, starting from hop X to hop Y. For example, referring to Figure 5A , the source cell for the first hop is cell 1, and the candidate target cells for the first hop are cells 2, cell 3, and cell 4. Assuming the terminal hands over from cell 1 to cell 2, the candidate target cells for the second hop are cells 5 and cell 6. Assuming the terminal hands over again from cell 2 to cell 5, the candidate target cell for the third hop is cell 8.

[0186] Assume that the trigger condition is (1b) above, and X=1. For example, referring to FIG5A , when cell 1 is the serving cell, the signal quality of cell 1 and the signal quality of cells 2, 3, and 4 measured by the terminal in cell 1 can be counted. If the proportion of cells with signal quality lower than the corresponding threshold among cells 1, 2, 3, and 4 is greater than the proportion threshold, the exit trigger condition is considered to be met. For example, if the proportion threshold is 1 / 3, then if the signal quality of at least two cells among cells 1, 2, 3, and 4 is lower than the corresponding threshold, the exit trigger condition is considered to be met. If the signal quality of only one cell is lower than the corresponding threshold or the signal quality of all four cells is not lower than the corresponding threshold, the exit trigger condition is not met. If the exit trigger condition is not met, the terminal can switch from cell 1 to one of cells 2, 3, and 4. Assume that the terminal switches from cell 1 to cell 2, then cell 2 is the serving cell. When the terminal is in serving cell 2, it can count the signal quality of cell 1, the signal quality of cells 2, 3, and 4 measured by the terminal in cell 1, and the signal quality of cells 5 and 6 measured by the terminal in cell 2. If the proportion of cells with signal quality below the corresponding threshold among these six cells is greater than the proportion threshold, the exit trigger condition is considered to be met. For example, assuming the proportion threshold is 1 / 3, then if the signal quality of one or two cells among cells 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 is below the corresponding threshold, the exit trigger condition is considered not met; otherwise, the exit trigger condition is met.

[0187] Assume that the trigger condition is (2b) above. For example, referring to FIG5A , when cell 1 is a serving cell, if the proportion of cells in cells 2, 3, and 4 whose signal quality is lower than the corresponding threshold is higher than the proportion threshold, it is considered that the exit trigger condition is met. For example, the proportion threshold is 1 / 2, then if the signal quality of at least two cells in cells 2, 3, and 4 is lower than the corresponding threshold, it is considered that the exit trigger condition is met. If the signal quality of cells 2, 3, and 4 is not lower than the corresponding threshold, it is considered that the exit trigger condition is not met. If the exit trigger condition is not met, and the terminal switches from cell 1 to cell 2, assuming that the proportion threshold is still 1 / 2, then when cell 2 is a serving cell, if the signal quality of one cell in cells 5 and 6 is lower than the corresponding threshold, it is considered that the exit trigger condition is met, otherwise the exit trigger condition is not met.

[0188] Assume that the trigger condition is (3b) above. For example, referring to FIG5A , when cell 1 is the serving cell, if the signal quality of serving cell 1 is lower than the corresponding threshold, the exit trigger condition is considered to be met. If the exit trigger condition is not met, and the terminal switches from cell 1 to cell 2, then if the signal quality of cell 2 is lower than the corresponding threshold, the exit trigger condition is considered to be met.

[0189] Assume that the trigger condition is (4b) above, X=1, and the ratio threshold is 1 / 3. For example, referring to FIG5A , when cell 1 is the serving cell, if the signal quality of the cell is lower than the corresponding threshold, it is considered that the exit trigger condition is met, otherwise the exit trigger condition is not met. If the exit trigger condition is not met, and the terminal switches from cell 1 to cell 2, then if the signal quality of at least one of cell 1 and cell 2 is lower than the corresponding threshold, it is considered that the exit trigger condition is met, otherwise the exit trigger condition is not met. If the exit trigger condition is not met, and the terminal switches from cell 2 to cell 5, then if the signal quality of at least two of cell 1, cell 2 and cell 5 is lower than the corresponding threshold, it is considered that the exit trigger condition is met, otherwise the exit trigger condition is not met.

[0190] In a possible implementation, when a cell sequence meets its corresponding exit trigger condition, the terminal sends second reporting information to the network device, where the second reporting information indicates that the terminal meets the exit trigger condition.

[0191] Accordingly, after receiving the second report information, the network device can perform traditional handover configuration or conditional handover configuration for the terminal. The terminal no longer uses the cell sequence for cell handover, but instead uses the traditional handover or conditional handover configured by the network device for cell handover. This solution can avoid the problem of still using the cell sequence configured by network device #1 when it is inappropriate, resulting in handover to an inappropriate cell.

[0192] It should be understood that the network device here may be network device #1 or may not be network device #1. For example, the network device may be network device #3 in method 600 described below.

[0193] In addition to the foregoing at least one cell sequence and its corresponding exit triggering condition, the first configuration information may also indicate: measurement parameters required for measuring the candidate target cell and a handover triggering condition.

[0194] The measurement parameters required to measure the candidate target cell may include: relevant information of the reference signal of the candidate target cell. For example, the relevant information of the reference signal may include: the synchronization signal block (SSB) period of the candidate target cell, the SSB offset value, the bandwidth part BWP (BWP) position of the SSB, the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) period, the CSI-RS time-frequency domain position, etc. It should be understood that the specific measurement parameters required to measure a cell can be referred to the existing technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0195] The handover triggering condition may also be referred to as a reporting configuration or included in the reporting configuration. When the handover triggering condition is satisfied, the terminal may perform cell handover. In this application, the handover triggering condition corresponding to each hop (ie, each hop handover) may be the same or different.

[0196] Exemplarily, the handover triggering condition may be a triggering event for conditional handover in the prior art. The triggering event for conditional handover may be an A3 event (condEventA3), an A4 event (condEventA4), or an A5 event (condEventA5). An A3 event refers to a target cell signal quality being higher than a certain value of a serving cell. An A4 event refers to a target cell signal quality being higher than an absolute value. An A5 event refers to a serving cell signal quality being lower than an absolute value and a target cell signal quality being higher than an absolute value.

[0197] It should be understood that the switching trigger condition may not be the triggering event of the conditional switching in the prior art, and this application does not specifically limit the switching trigger condition.

[0198] Optionally, the first configuration information may further indicate: a target cell selection rule, wherein the rule defines how to select a target cell when multiple candidate target cells simultaneously meet the handover triggering condition.

[0199] For example, the target cell selection rule may be: selecting the cell with the highest signal quality among the candidate target cells that meet the handover triggering conditions as the target cell; or, the first configuration information may include priority information of each candidate target cell, and the terminal may select the cell with the highest priority among the candidate target cells that meet the handover triggering conditions as the target cell; or, based on the cell identification information, selecting the cell with the smallest or largest identification among the candidate target cells that meet the handover triggering conditions as the target cell. It should be understood that this application does not exclude other reasonable rules for selecting target cells.

[0200] Optionally, the first configuration information may further indicate: the effective time of the first configuration information.

[0201] The first configuration information may explicitly or implicitly indicate the effective time of the first configuration information. In the present application, the effective time of the first configuration information is the first time period. Exemplarily, the starting time of the first time period may be the time when the terminal receives the first configuration information. Alternatively, the starting time of the first time period may be determined by an offset in the first configuration information. For example, the starting time of the first time period may be the time obtained by adding the offset to the time when the terminal receives the first configuration information. Exemplarily, the first configuration information may also include the end time or effective duration of the first time period. The units of the above-mentioned starting time, end time, offset, and effective duration may be time units such as time slots / frames / subframes, or absolute time units such as minutes / seconds / milliseconds. In addition, the above-mentioned offset and / or effective duration may also be predefined or configured in advance.

[0202] S420: Network device #1 sends first configuration information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first configuration information from network device #1.

[0203] S430: The terminal performs mobility measurement and cell switching according to the first configuration information.

[0204] Based on the first configuration information, the terminal can determine a sequence of cells for continuous handover within a future period of time, and can measure the corresponding cells in sequence based on the measurement parameters required to measure the candidate target cells. When the handover trigger condition is met and the exit trigger condition is not met, the terminal can switch to the corresponding cell according to the corresponding configuration. After switching to the target cell in sequence according to each hop in the cell sequence, the terminal can perform measurements on the next hop candidate target cell and determine whether the handover trigger condition corresponding to the next hop is met, and at the same time determine whether the exit trigger condition is met.

[0205] According to the method for cell switching provided in this application, a network device can configure a cell sequence for a terminal to switch continuously over a period of time in the future, and the terminal can perform continuous switching over a period of time in the future according to the configuration of the network device. During the continuous switching process, the network side no longer needs to perform measurement and reporting configuration for the terminal, and the terminal does not need to perform measurement reporting, which can reduce signaling overhead and switching latency. In addition, by configuring the exit trigger condition for the cell sequence used for continuous switching for the terminal, the terminal can no longer use the cell sequence if it determines that the current cell sequence is not applicable according to actual conditions, thereby avoiding switching to an inappropriate cell.

[0206] In one possible implementation, after a terminal switches to a target cell, the network equipment corresponding to the target cell can determine whether to reconfigure continuous handover based on the match between the target cell and candidate target cells. For example, if the match is high, after switching to the target cell, the target cell may no longer re-predict the handover path for continuous handover and configure the terminal based on the re-predicted handover path. Simultaneously, the target cell prepares resources for the next-hop candidate target cell via interfaces such as X2 / N2. For example, if the match is low, the handover trigger condition configuration can be deactivated, and traditional handover methods can be used, or the handover trigger condition configuration can be resent. The match refers to the degree of match or similarity between the order or path of cells actually switched by the terminal and the transmitted cell sequence. For example, if handover sequence 1 is cell 1 → cell 2 → cell 3 → cell 4, handover sequence 2 is cell 1 → cell 2 → cell 3 → cell 5, and handover sequence 3 is cell 1 → cell 3 → cell 6, then the match between handover sequence 1 and handover sequence 2 is 0.75, and the match between handover sequence 1 and handover sequence 3 is 0.5.

[0207] This scenario can be applied to a scenario where the terminal first switches to a cell that is not a candidate target cell and then switches to a candidate target cell. For example, taking Figure 5A as an example, after the terminal switches from cell 1 to cell 2, cells 5 and 6 do not meet the corresponding switching trigger conditions or meet the exit trigger event. The terminal switches to cell 10 according to the instructions of the network side, and then switches from cell 10 to cell 5. In this scenario, the actual switching path of the terminal is cell 1→cell 2→cell 10→cell 5, and the switching path predicted by the network side is: cell 1→cell 2→cell 5, and the matching degree of these two paths is 0.75. If it is greater than 0.5, it is considered that the matching degree is high, and the terminal can continue to use the cell sequence configured by the network side for continuous switching.

[0208] The above solution can determine whether it is necessary to reconfigure the cell sequence for continuous switching by comparing the matching degree between the target cell and the candidate target cell or the actual switching path and the expected switching path, thereby ensuring that the terminal can switch to the appropriate cell while avoiding the signaling overhead caused by unnecessary reconfiguration.

[0209] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of a method for cell handover provided by the present application. Method 600 is a specific implementation of method 400. Method 600 may include one or more steps from S610 to S670, each of which is described in detail below.

[0210] S610: Network device #1 obtains historical measurement results and historical switching records of the terminal.

[0211] The terminal can perform radio resource management (RRM) measurement reporting according to the existing RRM measurement configuration, and execute traditional handover instructions on the network side or perform traditional conditional handover, thereby forming a series of historical measurement results and historical handover records on the network side.

[0212] For example, if the current serving cell is cell M, the historical measurement results may include: (1) RRM measurement results in cells M, M-1, M-2, and other cells that have been historically resided. The RRM measurement results may include measurement results such as signal quality of the current cell and neighboring cells in the cells that have been resided. Accordingly, the historical handover record may be, for example: cell M-2 → cell M-1 → cell M.

[0213] For example, the specific number of cells or handover hops involved in the historical measurement can be determined by the network itself. In other words, network device #1 can determine how many cell measurement results and / or cell handovers the terminal needs to collect. For example, network device #1 can collect historical measurement results over a period of time, such as 20 days, and predict the at least one cell sequence based on the measurement results over the 20 days.

[0214] Exemplarily, the interaction of historical measurement results can be carried out within the network side. For example, the source cell can interact with the target cell through the X2 / N2 interface during cell switching, or the current serving cell can request the historically switched cell to send relevant data when the terminal resided / switched at that time through the X2 / N2 interface. This application does not limit this.

[0215] In addition to measurement results and handover records, network device #1 can also obtain the terminal's current or historical motion state (such as speed, acceleration, angular velocity, gyroscope data, etc.) and / or motion trajectory, etc. For example, the terminal can report the terminal's current or historical motion state and / or motion trajectory, etc. during cell handover or measurement reporting.

[0216] The above describes how the network side obtains historical measurement results and historical switching records based on the RRM measurement reporting of the terminal. In addition, network device #1 can also instruct the terminal to report historical measurement results and historical switching records by sending radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The terminal can report historical measurement results and historical switching records to network device #1 according to the instructions of the RRC signaling. For example, network device #1 can instruct the terminal to report historical measurement results and historical switching records in a UE Information Request message. Accordingly, the terminal can carry historical measurement results and historical switching records in a UE Information Request Response message. This method only requires the terminal to report to network device #1, and does not require the corresponding measurement results and switching records to be exchanged between the cells where the terminal has historically resided.

[0217] S620: Network device #1 predicts at least one cell sequence based on historical measurement results and historical handover records of the terminal.

[0218] It should be noted that this application mainly uses the example of a network device (ie, access network side) predicting at least one cell sequence. In practice, at least one cell sequence may also be predicted by the core network.

[0219] Exemplarily, network device #1 may first determine whether it is possible to predict the sequence of cells that will be switched within a certain period of time in the future. For example, network device #1 may determine whether it is possible to predict the sequence of cells that will be switched continuously within a certain period of time in the future based on the statistical characteristics of historical measurement data, such as whether the fluctuation of the change in signal quality meets the predefined trend, threshold conditions, or whether the cell path of the switch meets the predefined switching trajectory path, or whether the speed reported by the terminal meets certain conditions, or whether the trajectory reported by the terminal meets the predefined switching trajectory path, etc. Alternatively, network device #1 has a dedicated AI model whose model input is the corresponding historical measurement result, and outputs a mark indicating whether it can be predicted or the probability that the corresponding prediction is accurate. If network device #1 determines that it can predict the sequence of cells that will be switched continuously within a certain period of time in the future, it predicts the sequence of cells that will be switched continuously within a certain period of time in the future.

[0220] For example, network device #1 can use an AI model to predict a sequence of cells to be continuously switched within a future period of time. For example, the AI ​​model input may include historical measurement results and, optionally, the terminal's current or historical motion state and / or motion trajectory. It should be understood that the cell sequence predicted by network device #1 is at least one cell sequence in method 400.

[0221] In one possible scenario, since the subsequent terminal's motion state is uncertain, network device #1 can predict the at least one cell sequence based on the possible terminal's motion state. In other words, the at least one cell sequence may be applicable under different conditions. For example, some cell sequences are applicable when the terminal is moving at high speed, while others are applicable when the terminal is moving at low speed.

[0222] Taking the scenario shown in FIG5A as an example, (cell 2, cell 5, cell 8), (cell 2, cell 6), (cell 3, cell 6, cell 9), and (cell 3, cell 7, cell 9) are applicable to situations where the terminal moves at a low speed, and (cell 4, cell 9) is applicable to situations where the terminal moves at a high speed. For another example, referring to FIG5C described above, cell 1 → (cell 2, cell 3) → (cell 6) is applicable to situations where the terminal moves at a high speed, and cell 1 → (cell 4, cell 5) → (cell 7) is applicable to situations where the terminal moves at a low speed.

[0223] S630: Network device #1 sends first configuration information to the terminal.

[0224] Network device #1 may generate first configuration information and then send the first configuration information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the configuration information from network device #1.

[0225] As described in method 400, the first configuration information may indicate the at least one cell sequence and the exit trigger condition of the at least one cell sequence, and may further indicate one or more of the switching trigger condition, the measurement parameters required to measure the candidate target cell, the target cell selection rule, and the effective time of the first configuration information.

[0226] In addition, the first configuration information may further indicate a usage condition associated with the at least one cell sequence. For example, the first configuration information may further indicate a speed level associated with the at least one cell sequence, which speed level may be high speed or low speed.

[0227] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information includes:

[0228] Among them, MeasIdToAddMod is a one-hop related configuration. measId is the identifier of the measurement configuration. measObjectGroup represents multiple groups of measurement objects, each group of measurement objects can correspond to the measurement objects corresponding to each hop in the cell sequence, that is, it can be a cell list described in the implementation method (2) of the first configuration information above, and each group of measurement objects can correspond to one or more cells belonging to the same hop. The number of groups of measurement objects contained in measObjectGroup can be understood as the length of the cell sequence. reportConfigGroup is the reporting configuration corresponding to the measurement object of each hop in the cell sequence. When conditional switching is adopted between each hop, it can represent the triggering condition of the conditional switching of each hop, that is, the switching triggering condition. MaxMeasObjectId and MaxReportConfigId are the maximum identification numbers of the measurement object configuration and the reporting configuration. SpeedClass represents the speed class. ValidTimer indicates how long the first configuration information can be used after the first configuration information takes effect.

[0229] In a possible implementation, the exit triggering condition of the at least one cell sequence may be the following SequentialEventA3 or SequentialEventA4. The exit triggering condition configuration of the at least one cell sequence is, for example:

[0230] In the above, SequentialEventA3 is a configuration for judging whether the exit trigger condition is met based on the signal quality of the candidate target cell. Exemplarily, a corresponding judgment threshold is configured for each candidate target cell of the current hop. For example, Cell1Threshold and Cell2Threshold represent the thresholds configured for candidate target cell 1 and candidate target cell 2 of the hop, respectively. MeasTriggerQuantity is the type of signal quality and the corresponding threshold. The signal quality type can be RSRP, SINR, RSRQ, etc. It should be understood that SequentialEventA3 can correspond to (2b) described above. At this time, the proportional threshold in (2b) can be infinitely close to 0.

[0231] SequentialEventA4 is a configuration that determines whether the exit trigger condition is met based on the proportion of signal quality thresholds that are met in the switching sequence. For example, RatioThreshold represents the threshold value of the ratio. MeasThreshold represents the type of signal quality and the corresponding threshold value, and StartCell and EndCell represent the starting jump and the ending jump of the judgment. For example, in the case of the judgment from the Xth jump to the Yth jump as described above, StartCell corresponds to X and EndCell corresponds to Y. RatioThresholdGroup is the ratio threshold set for each jump when the signal quality of each jump meets the signal quality threshold. MeasThresholdGroup is the signal quality type and threshold used for each jump judgment when the signal quality of each jump meets the signal quality threshold. It should be understood that SequentialEventA4 can correspond to (1b) or (4b) described above.

[0232] For example, the SequentialMonitorConfig configuration can be carried within the reportConfig element (similar to the trigger event of a conditional switch), or as a separate element within the MeasConfig element. Alternatively, the possible events in the configuration can be treated as events under other existing elements (for example, added to the trigger event list of a conditional switch as a new trigger event). This embodiment uses the example of placing the SequentialMonitorConfig within the reportConfig element, thereby binding it one-to-one with the measObject and enabling judgment at each hop.

[0233] It should be understood that the terminal keeps storing the first configuration information until the cell series is reconfigured or the terminal no longer uses the at least one cell series or the first configuration information becomes invalid.

[0234] S640: The terminal switches to network device #2 according to the first configuration information.

[0235] The terminal measures the candidate target cell of the first hop based on the first configuration information. For example, if the at least one cell sequence indicated by the first configuration information is associated with different speed levels, the terminal can determine the corresponding candidate target cell of the first hop based on the terminal speed and perform the cell measurement. The terminal can also determine whether an exit trigger condition is met.

[0236] For example, taking the cell switching situation shown in Figure 5A as an example, the terminal measures the candidate target cells of the first hop, namely cell 2, cell 3 and cell 4. If it is determined that cell 2 meets the switching trigger condition and does not meet the exit trigger condition, it switches to cell 2. The network device corresponding to cell 2 is network device #2.

[0237] S650: The terminal switches to network device #3 according to the first configuration information.

[0238] This step is similar to S640, and for details, please refer to S640. In this step, the terminal switches from cell 2 to cell 5, and the network device corresponding to cell 5 is network device #3.

[0239] S660: If the terminal determines that the exit triggering condition is met, it sends second reporting information to the network device #3.

[0240] The second reporting information indicates that the terminal meets the exit trigger condition.

[0241] Exemplarily, the second reporting information may be sent via RRC signaling, a medium access control element (MAC-CE) or uplink control information (UCI).

[0242] The second reporting information may include the exit triggering condition that is satisfied (eg, SequentialEventA3 or SequentialEventA4). Optionally, the second reporting information may further include a specific measurement value when the exit triggering condition is satisfied.

[0243] Exemplarily, the satisfied exit trigger condition may be indicated in the MAC-CE header. Exemplarily, network device #1 may configure the time-frequency domain resources for carrying UCI and the corresponding UCI bit meaning in the first configuration information, for example, allocating a 10-bit bearer, with the first bit indicating whether the exit trigger condition is satisfied, and subsequent bits may further indicate specific measurement values.

[0244] S670 , network device # 3 configures traditional handover measurement-related configurations for the terminal according to the second reporting information, and the terminal performs cell handover using the traditional handover mechanism.

[0245] According to the method for cell switching provided in this application, a network device can configure a cell sequence for a terminal to switch continuously over a period of time in the future, and the terminal can perform continuous switching over a period of time in the future according to the configuration of the network device. During the continuous switching process, the network side no longer needs to perform measurement and reporting configuration for the terminal, and the terminal does not need to perform measurement reporting, which can reduce signaling overhead and switching latency. In addition, by configuring the exit trigger condition for the cell sequence used for continuous switching for the terminal, the terminal can no longer use the cell sequence if it determines that the current cell sequence is not applicable according to actual conditions, thereby avoiding switching to an inappropriate cell.

[0246] It can be understood that one or more steps from S640 to S670 are only executed when certain conditions are met, and are not required to be executed. For example, if it is determined in S640 that the exit trigger condition is met, the terminal will no longer execute S650 to S670, but can report to network device #1 that the terminal meets the exit trigger event, and network device #1 can configure traditional switching measurement-related configurations for the terminal. For example, in S650, network device #2 can also determine whether it is necessary to resend the cell sequence for continuous switching configuration based on the matching degree between the target cell and the candidate target cell. For details, please refer to the description of this content above.

[0247] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information may further indicate a monitoring cell associated with the candidate target cell and a corresponding monitoring reporting condition, wherein the monitoring cell is used to determine whether the corresponding candidate target cell is applicable, and the monitoring cell is different from the corresponding candidate target cell.

[0248] Each hop can be associated with one or more monitoring cells, or all hops can be associated with the same one or more monitoring cells. Each hop can be associated with a monitoring reporting condition, or all hops can be associated with the same monitoring reporting condition. The monitoring cell associated with each hop is not a candidate target cell for that hop. Each hop can be associated with one or more monitoring cells.

[0249] For example, referring to the schematic diagram shown in FIG7 , for the handover scenario shown in FIG5A , the first-hop monitoring cell may be cell 10 , the second-hop monitoring cell may be cell 11 , and the third-hop monitoring cell may be cell 12 .

[0250] This solution allows users to configure monitoring cells that are not candidate target cells, making it easier to determine whether the cell sequence configured by the network is appropriate. If the cell sequence is inappropriate, users can exit the cell sequence in a timely manner to avoid switching to an inappropriate cell.

[0251] For example, the network can predict the cell sequence for handover based on AI models. Because AI models are typically data-driven, they have limited generalization capabilities. The same AI model may perform differently depending on the scenario or timeframe used. Therefore, to ensure system performance after using AI, the corresponding AI functions or models can be monitored. If performance degradation is detected, the corresponding AI model can be promptly replaced or discontinued.

[0252] For single-end AI in AI mobility, the AI ​​model can be monitored by the side using the AI ​​model. In the embodiment of the present application, the AI ​​model can be monitored by the network side, but the network side needs to input some necessary information to determine whether the current model output is correct.

[0253] In methods 400 and 600, the output of the network-side AI model is a sequence of continuous switching cells for a subsequent period of time. Therefore, if you want to detect whether the output continuous switching cell sequence is appropriate, one way is to determine whether the exit trigger condition is met when the terminal uses the corresponding continuous switching sequence. However, this method only performs relevant detection on the cell sequences configured in methods 400 and 600, and cannot distinguish whether the output of the model itself is incorrect or the channel environment at the time is indeed poor (for example, encountering sudden obstruction, etc.). Therefore, in order to control variables, the concept of monitoring cells can be further introduced, that is, some cells that are not in the continuous switching cell sequence are configured, and the terminal can also perform relevant measurements on these cells. If it is found that the signal quality of the monitoring cell is good, and the cell quality in the switching cell sequence is poor, it can be determined that there is a problem with the output of the model itself.

[0254] Optionally, when the monitoring result of the monitored cell meets the monitoring reporting condition, the terminal may further send reporting information (e.g., first reporting information) to the network device, where the reporting information indicates that the monitoring result of the monitored cell meets the monitoring reporting condition. In this manner, the terminal reports only when the monitoring result of the monitored cell meets the monitoring reporting condition.

[0255] Alternatively, the terminal may send reporting information to the network device, where the reporting information may indicate whether the monitoring result of the monitored cell meets the monitoring reporting condition. In this manner, the terminal reports regardless of whether the monitoring result of the monitored cell meets the monitoring reporting condition.

[0256] Exemplarily, the reporting information may be reported via RRC, MAC-CE, or UCI.

[0257] Exemplarily, the reporting of the reporting information may be sent in the current serving cell or after switching to a new cell. For example, after the RRC connection of the new cell is established, a corresponding RRC reconfiguration message is sent to indicate that a monitoring report needs to be sent, and then the new cell requests the terminal to report through RRC signaling such as UEInformationRequest.

[0258] Exemplarily, the monitoring reporting condition is: the signal quality of the monitored cell is greater than a first threshold, and the signal quality of the candidate target cell corresponding to the monitored cell is less than a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than the second threshold. The signal quality of the candidate target cell corresponding to the monitored cell is less than the second threshold, which may mean that the signal quality of the candidate target cells corresponding to the monitored cell is less than the second threshold or the average signal quality of the candidate target cells corresponding to the monitored cell is less than the second threshold. It should be understood that the first threshold and the second threshold here may be different from the first threshold and the second threshold described above.

[0259] Taking the scenario shown in Figure 5A as an example, the terminal detects in cell 1 that the signal quality of cells 2, 3 and 4 are all less than the first threshold, and the signal quality of cell 10 is greater than the first threshold, then the event that the monitoring result of cell 10 meets the monitoring reporting conditions is reported to network device #1.

[0260] In a scenario where multiple monitoring cells are associated with one hop, the monitoring reporting conditions exemplarily include: the signal quality of each monitoring cell is greater than the corresponding threshold, or the signal quality of any monitoring cell is greater than the corresponding threshold. Optionally, the monitoring reporting conditions also include: the signal quality of each candidate target cell corresponding to the monitoring cell is less than the corresponding threshold, or the signal quality of any candidate target cell is less than the corresponding threshold.

[0261] In the scenario where multiple monitoring cells are associated with one hop, illustratively, at least one of the candidate target cells of the hop is associated with one monitoring cell. If the signal quality of the candidate target cell is less than threshold #1, and the signal quality of its associated monitoring cell is greater than the corresponding threshold #2, then event #1 is considered to be satisfied. If the proportion of monitoring cells that satisfy event #1 in the monitoring cell is higher than a certain threshold, then the monitoring reporting condition is considered to be satisfied. For example, the certain threshold may be 1 / 2. For example, if 2 of the 3 monitoring cells satisfy event #1, then the monitoring reporting condition is considered to be satisfied. The certain threshold may be predefined or configured for network equipment. Optionally, there may be no such threshold. For example, as long as there is one occurrence of event #1, the monitoring reporting condition is considered to be satisfied.

[0262] For example, if the number of cells with the best signal quality among the cells associated with the continuous switching from the Uth hop to the Vth hop is less than the threshold value #3, then it is considered that the monitoring and reporting event is satisfied. Alternatively, if the number of cells with the best signal quality among the cells associated with the continuous switching from the Uth hop to the Vth hop is greater than the threshold value #4, then it is considered that the monitoring and reporting event is satisfied. The cell with the best signal quality mentioned above can also be replaced by a cell that meets the signal quality threshold. The signal quality threshold can be a common value, or a threshold can be configured for each hop.

[0263] Illustratively, the cells associated with a continuous handover starting from the Uth hop and ending at the Vth hop include: candidate target cells for each hop from the Uth hop to the Vth hop, and monitored cells for each hop. U can be equal to 1 or an integer greater than 1, V ≥ U, and V can be the number of hops experienced + 1.

[0264] Assume U = 1 and threshold #3 = 0.8, and use Figure 7 as an example for illustration. The first-hop candidate target cell is cell {2, 3, 4}, and the corresponding monitoring cell is cell 10. If the cell with the best signal quality among cells {2, 3, 4, 10} is one of cells {2, 3, 4}, then the number of cells with the best signal quality that are candidate target cells / (V - U + 1) = 1, which is less than threshold #3, and therefore the monitoring reporting condition is not met. If the terminal switches from cell 1 to cell 2, the second-hop candidate target cell is cell {5, 6}, and the corresponding monitoring cell is cell 11. If the cell with the best signal quality among cells {5, 6, 11} is cell 11, then the number of cells with the best signal quality that are candidate target cells / (V - U + 1) = 1 / 2, which is greater than threshold #3, and therefore the monitoring reporting condition is met.

[0265] Exemplarily, the monitoring cell configuration may be included in the information element of the measurement configuration, or the monitoring cell configuration may be an independent information element configuration, and is not necessarily required to be associated with the measurement configuration of each hop in the sequence.

[0266] In one possible implementation, when the monitoring results of the monitored cell reported by the terminal meet the monitoring reporting event, the network device can re-predict the cell sequence and send second configuration information similar to the first configuration information to the terminal; the terminal can perform cell switching according to the second configuration information.

[0267] Based on this solution, if the cell sequence for continuous switching previously configured on the network side is inappropriate, the cell sequence for continuous switching can be reconfigured for the terminal, which is conducive to the terminal performing appropriate cell switching. For example, in method 600, after the terminal switches to network device #2, it detects that the monitoring result of cell 10 meets the monitoring reporting condition, and then reports to network device #2 that the monitoring result of cell 10 meets the monitoring reporting condition. After network device #2 receives the reporting information from the terminal, it can reconfigure the relevant information of continuous switching for the terminal. It should be understood that in this scenario, since the reconfigured cell sequence or switching trigger event may be different from the first configuration information, the terminal may no longer execute S650 to S670.

[0268] In an example, the configuration related to the monitoring cell is as follows:

[0269] Among them, measId, measObjectGroup, and reportConfigGroup are the same as those described above. measMonitorObjectGroup is a group of measurement objects corresponding to monitoring cells, in which one MonitorObject corresponds to a monitoring cell associated with one of the candidate target cells in the switching sequence. reportMonitorGroup is a reporting configuration corresponding to a group of monitoring cells, in which a reporting trigger event (i.e., monitoring reporting conditions) for the monitoring results of the monitoring cells is configured. Each reporting configuration can correspond to a reporting trigger configuration for each monitoring measurement object, or can correspond to a reporting trigger configuration for multiple monitoring measurement objects. Exemplarily, a reporting event MonitorEventA3 can be configured in the reporting configuration, which is a trigger event based on whether the signal quality of the candidate target cell and the monitoring cell of the current hop meets the threshold condition. Threshold1 and Threshold2 are the configured signal quality types and corresponding thresholds, and targetCell and monitorCell are the identifiers of the candidate target cell and the monitoring cell included in the judgment. For example, a monitoring reporting event, MonitorEventA4, can be configured. This event is triggered based on whether the ratio of candidate target cells and the best cell among monitored cells, or cells that meet a signal threshold, in a handover sequence during a continuous handover period meets a threshold. RatioThreshold is the ratio threshold, MeasThreshold is the signal quality type and corresponding threshold. StartCell and EndCell are the identifiers of the starting and ending hops of the continuous handover statistics.

[0270] Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart of a method for cell handover provided by the present application. The method 800 is a specific implementation of the method 400. The method 800 may include one or more steps from S810 to S870, each of which is described in detail below.

[0271] S810, network device #1 obtains historical measurement results and historical switching records of the terminal. This step is the same as S610, and reference may be made to S610.

[0272] S820: Network device #1 predicts at least one cell sequence based on the terminal's historical measurement results and historical handover records. This step is the same as S620, and reference may be made to S610.

[0273] S830, network device #1 sends first configuration information to the terminal.

[0274] This step can refer to S630. Different from S630, the first configuration information can also include the monitoring cell associated with the candidate cell and the corresponding monitoring reporting conditions. For the monitoring cell and monitoring reporting conditions, please refer to the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0275] S840: The terminal switches to network device #2 according to the first configuration information.

[0276] The terminal measures the candidate target cell of the first hop based on the first configuration information. For example, if the at least one cell sequence indicated by the first configuration information is associated with different speed levels, the terminal can determine the corresponding candidate target cell of the first hop based on the terminal speed and perform the cell measurement. The terminal can also determine whether the exit trigger conditions and monitoring reporting conditions are met.

[0277] For example, taking Figure 7 as an example, the terminal measures the candidate target cells of the first hop, namely cell 2, cell 3 and cell 4. If it is determined that cell 2 meets the switching trigger conditions and does not meet the exit trigger conditions and monitoring reporting conditions, it switches to cell 2. The network device corresponding to cell 2 is network device #2.

[0278] S850: If the monitoring reporting condition is met, first reporting information is sent to network device #2, where the first reporting information indicates that the monitoring result of the monitoring cell meets the monitoring reporting condition.

[0279] S860: Network device #2 sends second configuration information to the terminal. The second configuration information is similar to the first configuration information and is used to configure continuous handover for the terminal. For example, the second configuration information may include a reconfigured cell sequence.

[0280] S870: The terminal performs cell switching according to the second configuration information.

[0281] For example, the terminal switches from network device #2 to network device #3 according to the second configuration information.

[0282] It should be understood that how the terminal performs cell switching according to the second configuration information can refer to the above description related to the terminal performing cell switching according to the first configuration information, which will not be repeated here.

[0283] It should also be understood that when determining whether the monitoring and reporting conditions are met, the terminal may also determine whether the exit triggering conditions are met. There is no order between the two, and they are independent of each other.

[0284] According to the method for cell switching provided in this application, a network device can configure a sequence of cells to be continuously switched for a terminal within a period of time in the future, and the terminal can perform continuous switching within a period of time in the future according to the configuration of the network device. During the continuous switching process, the network side no longer needs to perform measurement and reporting configuration for the terminal, and the terminal does not need to perform measurement reporting, which can reduce signaling overhead and handover latency. In addition, by configuring a monitoring cell that is not a candidate cell for the terminal, the terminal can determine whether the currently sent sequence of cells for continuous switching is appropriate, thereby facilitating appropriate cell switching.

[0285] The solutions described above all rely on network equipment to predict the target cell and do not involve prediction on the terminal side. To address this issue, this application also provides a method for cell handover that enables prediction on the terminal side. For example, the cell handover path predicted by the terminal is the handover path shown in Figure 5A. This method is described in detail below with reference to the relevant figures.

[0286] Figure 9 is a schematic flow chart of a method for cell handover provided by the present application. The method 900 may include steps S920 to S940, and may optionally further include S910 and / or S950. Each step is described below.

[0287] S910: The terminal sends its cell handover prediction capability information to network device #1. Correspondingly, network device #1 receives the cell handover prediction capability information.

[0288] The cell handover prediction capability information indicates whether the terminal supports continuous handover prediction capability for a period of time, and the cell handover prediction capability information includes prediction capability parameters, which may include prediction capability parameters supported by the terminal and parameters required for terminal prediction. Exemplarily, the handover prediction capability information may be included in UE capability information (UECapabilityInformation) or included in a separate information element and sent without limitation.

[0289] For example, the predictive capability parameter may include one or more items in Table 1.

[0290] Table 1

[0291] S910 is an optional step. For example, some parameters in S910 may be defaulted or defaulted. For example, it may be defaulted that all terminals or terminals of certain types / specifications / models have the ability to predict continuous handovers for a period of time. For another example, one or more of the following parameters, such as the number of predictable continuous handovers, the predictable number of cells, the predictable cell parameters, the predictable validity duration, the required number of cells, and the required measurement duration, for all terminals or terminals of certain types / specifications / models, may be defaulted or defaulted (e.g., as specified by a protocol).

[0292] S920: Network device #1 sends first configuration information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first configuration information from network device #1.

[0293] The first configuration information is determined by the network device #1 according to the cell handover prediction capability information of the terminal, and the first configuration information may include measurement object configuration.

[0294] For example, the measurement object configuration may include one or more of the following:

[0295] The effective measurement duration or effective time period, i.e., the duration or time period of continuous measurement, may further include parameters such as the time point of start measurement and the time point of end measurement, which are used to determine the specific measurement time period;

[0296] Frequency to be measured;

[0297] The number of historical cells to be measured, or the number of handover hops to be measured, or a specific list of cells to be measured;

[0298] The interval / period of RS measurement, etc.

[0299] In one understanding, when network device #1 sends the first configuration information to the terminal, network device #1 configures the terminal with an AI function or AI function entity for handover cell sequence prediction. It should be understood that the configuration information for the AI ​​function for handover cell sequence prediction may not be limited to the first configuration information, or may include other configuration information in addition to the first configuration information.

[0300] S930. The terminal determines at least one first cell sequence according to the first configuration information.

[0301] The terminal can predict at least one first cell sequence based on the measurement object configuration and related measurement results in the first configuration information. For example, the terminal can input the current measurement results and historical measurement results into the AI ​​model based on the measurement object configuration in the first configuration information to obtain a switching cell sequence for a period of time in the future, that is, at least one first cell sequence. The first cell sequence includes at least one candidate target cell, which is a target cell that network device #1 predicts the terminal may switch to in sequence within the first time period.

[0302] Exemplarily, while predicting the cell sequence, the terminal may also predict one or more of the following: cell information of the candidate target cell, the correct probability of the prediction of the candidate target cell, the switching time point of each hop in the cell sequence, and the predicted effective duration of the cell sequence.

[0303] The cell information may include one or more of the following: cell ID, cell physical ID (PCI), cell frequency, cell frequency band, cell subcarrier spacing, tracking area code (TAC) to which the cell belongs, etc. The predicted effective duration of the cell sequence refers to the predicted effective duration of the cell sequence.

[0304] S940: The terminal sends the prediction result to network device #2. Correspondingly, network device #2 receives the prediction result.

[0305] The prediction result indicates the at least one first cell sequence.

[0306] Exemplarily, the prediction result may include one or more of the following: cell information in the first cell sequence, correct probability of cell prediction in the first cell sequence, switching time point of each hop in the first cell sequence, and predicted effective duration of the first cell sequence.

[0307] It should be noted that network device #2 is the network device currently connected to the terminal, which may or may not be network device #1. For example, if the terminal requires a two-hop handover to predict continuous handover, then: if the terminal obtains a prediction result based on the historical two-hop handover when accessing network device #1, the prediction result can be sent to network device #1. If the terminal switches from network device #1 to another network device, and then switches from the other network device to network device #2, and obtains a prediction result based on the two-hop handover, the prediction result can be sent to network device #2.

[0308] S950: Network device #2 sends second configuration information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second configuration information from network device #2.

[0309] In one implementation, after receiving the prediction result, network device #2 decides to use traditional cell handover or conditional handover for continuous handover. Network device #2 can then determine second configuration information based on the prediction result and send the second configuration information to the terminal. For example, network device #2 can optimize the prediction result of the terminal based on certain information to generate and send the second configuration information.

[0310] In one example, the second configuration information may be similar to the first configuration information in method 400, method 600, or method 800, and may implement continuous handover including at least one handover through a single configuration. For example, the second configuration information may indicate at least one second cell sequence. The second cell sequence includes at least one candidate target cell, which is a target cell that the terminal may sequentially handover to within the first time period. The at least one second cell sequence may be the same as or partially different from the at least one first cell sequence.

[0311] In another example, the second configuration information may be similar to the RRM measurement configuration in the current technology, that is, only the relevant information for one handover is configured. Unlike the current technology, the cell in the second configuration information here is determined based on the prediction result reported by the terminal. For example, the second configuration information may include the cell information that needs to be measured for this handover, as well as the handover triggering conditions for conditional handover or the measurement reporting conditions for traditional cell handover. For example, the second configuration information may include the handover triggering conditions or measurement reporting conditions associated with each hop, or only include the handover triggering conditions or measurement reporting conditions associated with the next hop.

[0312] It should be understood that the traditional cell handover is a cell handover in which the terminal sends handover-related measurement results and the network sends a handover command.

[0313] In another implementation, after receiving the prediction result, network device #2 may decide to perform a blind handover to switch cells. In this case, network device #1 does not need to execute S950. It should be understood that blind handover refers to a network device directly issuing a handover command to notify the terminal to perform a cell handover, without requiring the terminal to perform cell measurements or initiate a handover request.

[0314] It should be understood that the second configuration information may be a mobility-related measurement / reporting configuration in an existing LTE / NR system, that is, only involving one handover. In this case, the terminal reports the continuous handover prediction result, and the network side uses the second configuration information to perform the measurement or reporting configuration required for the corresponding handover based on each hop handover in the prediction result. The measurement / reporting configuration involved in the second configuration information can be used for only one handover, and does not need to be used for multiple continuous handovers.

[0315] According to the cell handover method provided in this application, the network side can configure the terminal to predict continuous handovers based on the terminal's cell handover prediction capability information. The terminal can then predict the handover cell sequence within a future period based on the network side configuration, thereby achieving continuous handover prediction on the terminal side. Furthermore, by reporting the prediction results to the network side, the terminal can assist the network side in performing cell handovers or determining a more suitable handover cell sequence for the terminal and related configurations for performing cell handovers.

[0316] Figure 10 is a flow chart showing a method for predicting a switching cell sequence and performing cell switching using the method shown in Figure 9. For terms or concepts in method 1000 that are the same as those in Figure 9 , reference can be made to the description of the corresponding terms or concepts in method 900 .

[0317] S1010: The terminal sends its cell handover prediction capability information to network device #1. Correspondingly, network device #1 receives the cell handover prediction capability information.

[0318] This step is the same as S910, and reference may be made to S910.

[0319] S1020, network device #1 sends first configuration information to the terminal according to the cell handover prediction capability information reported by the terminal.

[0320] This step is the same as S920, and reference may be made to S920.

[0321] In an example, the first configuration information may include the following:

[0322] Among them, measId represents the measurement ID; measObject is the measurement object configuration; reportConfig is the reporting configuration; AIFlag indicates that the current measurement object configuration can be used for AI switching prediction on the terminal side, that is, the terminal can perform AI switching prediction based on the measurement results of the measurement objects in the configuration, or report the reporting method configured for the AI ​​prediction results to the network device, so that the network device knows that the report is based on AI prediction.

[0323] For example, the reporting configuration may be that network device #1 enables the terminal to report the prediction result through auxiliary information reporting, and the terminal decides whether to report the prediction result. For example, network device #1 may add an auxiliary information enable reporting in the OtherConfig information element through RRC configuration, allowing the terminal to report the prediction result through UE auxiliary information.

[0324] Typically, the reporting of terminal assistance information is triggered by the terminal itself. In one approach, network device #1 can configure the reporting of the assistance information based on the measurement object configuration. That is, whether the assistance information is triggered is associated with the measurement object configuration. In this case, the measurement object configuration is associated with the assistance information reporting, or the assistance information configuration is associated with the measurement object configuration.

[0325] Optionally, the first configuration information may also indicate a failure time / condition of the prediction function.

[0326] Expiration time: For example, after receiving the first configuration information, the terminal starts an expiration timer. After the expiration timer times out, it is considered that the terminal can no longer provide relevant prediction capabilities, and the terminal may no longer perform relevant predictions for a period of time.

[0327] Failure conditions: For example, if the signal quality measured by the terminal is lower than a certain threshold, or the speed of the terminal is higher than a certain threshold, it is considered that the terminal is currently unable to provide relevant prediction capabilities, and the terminal may no longer perform relevant predictions for a period of time.

[0328] S1030: The terminal obtains a prediction result according to the first configuration information.

[0329] For this step, please refer to S930.

[0330] S1040: The terminal sends the prediction result to network device #2. Correspondingly, network device #2 receives the prediction result.

[0331] For example, if the cell sequence for a period of time meets the terminal's own judgment threshold, the terminal may be triggered to report the prediction result through auxiliary information.

[0332] For example, the format of the cell sequence reported by the terminal is shown in Figure 11. The prediction result may include the information in Figure 11. Referring to Figure 11, the first configuration information may include: the switching hop ID, the predicted candidate target cell ID corresponding to the switching hop, the predicted probability of the terminal switching to the aforementioned candidate target cell (i.e., the switching probability), and the predicted switching time point. The predicted switching time point can be an absolute time or an offset time relative to the reporting time, and this application does not limit this. It should be understood that the candidate target cell ID corresponding to the switching hop in the figure is not limited to one cell ID. The content after the switching hop ID is not required to appear, for example, there may not be a predicted probability of the terminal switching to the aforementioned candidate target cell, etc.

[0333] The auxiliary information can be carried through RRC and is not limited to being carried through MAC-CE, UCI, etc.

[0334] For the prediction results, please refer to the description in S940, which will not be repeated here.

[0335] S1050: Network device #2 sends second configuration information to the terminal according to the prediction result of the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second configuration information from network device #2.

[0336] For the description of the second configuration information, please refer to S950. Here, the subsequent steps are described by taking the case where the at least one second cell sequence indicated by the second configuration information is the same as the at least one first cell sequence and the second configuration information includes the handover triggering condition of the next hop as an example.

[0337] S1060: The terminal switches from network device #2 to network device #3 according to the second configuration information.

[0338] For example, when the cell sequence predicted by the terminal is as shown in Figure 5A, network device #1 is the source network device. The terminal can measure the candidate target cells (cell 2, cell 3, and cell 4) of the first hop and determine that cell 2 meets the handover triggering condition, thereby handing over to cell 2. The network device corresponding to cell 2 is network device #3.

[0339] S1070: Network device #2 sends the prediction result reported by the terminal in S1040 to network device #3. Correspondingly, network device #3 receives the prediction result.

[0340] This step can be performed after the terminal decides to switch from network device #2 to network device #3, or before. For example, after receiving the prediction result, network device #2 can send the prediction result to the network devices corresponding to all candidate target cells, or it can send the prediction result to the network device corresponding to the candidate target cell corresponding to the next hop.

[0341] S1080: Network device #3 sends third configuration information to the terminal according to the prediction result of the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the third configuration information from network device #2.

[0342] The third configuration information may include a handover triggering condition of the next hop, or may be a traditional handover configuration, such as configuring neighboring cells to be measured and reporting events.

[0343] S1090: The terminal switches from network device #3 to network device #4 according to the third configuration information.

[0344] Refer to the example in S1060. After the terminal switches to cell 2, it can measure cells 5 and 6. If it is determined that cell 5 meets the switching trigger condition, it switches to cell 5. The network device corresponding to cell 5 is network device #4.

[0345] It should be understood that subsequent cell switching can be performed with reference to S1070 to S1090, which will not be described in detail herein. It should also be understood that one or more steps in S1060 to S1090 are only performed when certain conditions are met, and in practice, one or more steps may not be performed depending on the actual network conditions.

[0346] The cell handover method provided in this application enables the terminal to predict continuous handovers. This allows continuous handover prediction over a period of time even if the network does not have this capability. Furthermore, by reporting prediction results through auxiliary information, the network can be assisted in determining a cell handover sequence more suitable for the terminal and performing related cell handover configurations.

[0347] Figure 12 is a flow chart showing a method for predicting a switching cell sequence and performing cell switching using the method shown in Figure 9. For terms or concepts in method 1200 that are the same as those in Figure 9 , reference can be made to the description of the corresponding terms or concepts in method 900 .

[0348] S1201: The terminal sends its cell handover prediction capability information to network device #1. Correspondingly, network device #1 receives the cell handover prediction capability information.

[0349] This step is the same as S910, and reference may be made to S910.

[0350] S1202: Network device #1 sends first configuration information to the terminal according to the cell handover prediction capability information reported by the terminal.

[0351] For this step, please refer to S920.

[0352] In an example, the first configuration information may include the following:

[0353] Among them, measId represents the measurement ID; measObject is the measurement object configuration; reportConfig is the reporting configuration; AIFlag indicates that the current measurement object configuration can be used for AI switching prediction on the terminal side, that is, the terminal can perform AI switching prediction based on the measurement results of the measurement objects in the configuration, or report the reporting method configured for the AI ​​prediction results to the network device, so that the network device knows that the report is based on AI prediction.

[0354] In one example, the first configuration information may further include a reporting configuration. Different from S1020, the reporting configuration here is an aperiodic reporting configuration, and the terminal may carry the prediction result in the aperiodic report.

[0355] For example, the reporting configuration may include a bearer message for reporting, such as the prediction result may be reported via RRC signaling, MAC-CE signaling, or UCI bearer.

[0356] Furthermore, if it is a UCI bearer, it can be similar to aperiodic reporting at the physical layer, such as aperiodic CSI reporting. Network device #1 can further configure the UCI payload size, the time-frequency domain location of resource mapping, etc. If it is an RRC signaling bearer, the prediction result can be carried in the UEInformationRequest message for reporting.

[0357] The reporting configuration may further include fields and formats corresponding to the reported information, such as the field example in FIG11 .

[0358] Optionally, network device #1 can also configure the terminal's response trigger reporting duration based on the X value reported by the terminal, for example, reporting after Y time units after receiving the trigger signaling. In addition to configuration, Y can also be predefined by the protocol. See Table 1 for the meanings of X and Y.

[0359] Optionally, the first configuration information may also indicate a failure time / condition of the prediction function.

[0360] Expiration time: For example, after receiving the first configuration information, the terminal starts an expiration timer. After the expiration timer times out, it is considered that the terminal can no longer provide relevant prediction capabilities, and the terminal may no longer perform relevant predictions for a period of time.

[0361] Failure conditions: For example, if the signal quality measured by the terminal is lower than a certain threshold, or the speed of the terminal is higher than a certain threshold, it is considered that the terminal is currently unable to provide relevant prediction capabilities, and the terminal may no longer perform relevant predictions for a period of time.

[0362] S1203: The terminal obtains a prediction result according to the first configuration information.

[0363] For this step, please refer to S930.

[0364] S1204: Network device #2 sends instruction information to the terminal, instructing the terminal to report the prediction result.

[0365] This application does not limit the execution order of S1203 and S1204. In one example, after receiving the first configuration information, the terminal can predict the cell handover sequence. After obtaining the prediction result, it does not actively report it until it receives the instruction information in S1204. In another example, after receiving the instruction information, the terminal performs the cell handover sequence prediction based on the first configuration information and reports the prediction result to network device #2.

[0366] In one example, if the terminal does not obtain a prediction result when receiving the indication information or within a period of time after receiving the indication information, it can also indicate to network device #2 that the terminal does not have a prediction result or cannot generate a prediction result.

[0367] Exemplarily, the indication information may be RRC, MAC-CE, or downlink control information (DCI) DCI, etc. Furthermore, the indication information may be carried in a UEInformationResponse message.

[0368] Exemplarily, the terminal may report the prediction result after X or Y time units.

[0369] S1205: The terminal sends the prediction result to network device #2. Correspondingly, network device #2 receives the prediction result.

[0370] For the prediction results, please refer to the description in S940, which will not be repeated here.

[0371] S1206 to S1210, cell handover and handover triggering condition configuration on the network device side, can be specifically referred to S1050 to S1090 and will not be repeated here. It should also be understood that one or more steps in S1207 to S1210 are only executed when certain conditions are met. In practice, depending on the actual network situation, one or more steps may not be executed.

[0372] According to the method for cell switching provided in the present application, the terminal side can be enabled to predict continuous switching, so that even if the network side does not have the ability to predict continuous switching, the continuous switching prediction function can be implemented within a period of time. In addition, by dynamically reporting the prediction results through network-side triggering, the network side can obtain the prediction results of the terminal side as needed. Furthermore, the solution also allows the terminal to inform the network side when it does not have a prediction result or cannot generate a prediction result, so that the network side can enable cell switching in a timely manner through other means.

[0373] Figure 13 is a flow chart illustrating a method for predicting a switching cell sequence and performing cell switching using the method shown in Figure 9. For terms or concepts in method 1300 that are the same as those in Figure 9 , reference can be made to the description of the corresponding terms or concepts in method 900 .

[0374] S1301: The terminal sends its cell handover prediction capability information to network device #1. Correspondingly, network device #1 receives the cell handover prediction capability information.

[0375] This step is the same as S910, and reference may be made to S910.

[0376] S1302: Network device #1 sends first configuration information to the terminal according to the cell handover prediction capability information reported by the terminal.

[0377] For this step, please refer to S920.

[0378] In an example, the first configuration information may include a reporting trigger condition, and when the reporting trigger condition is met, the terminal reports the prediction result.

[0379] In an example, the first configuration information may further include fields and formats of the reported information, such as the field example in FIG11 .

[0380] In an example, the first configuration information may include the following:

[0381] Among them, measId represents the measurement ID; measObject is the measurement object configuration; reportConfig is the reporting configuration; AIFlag indicates that the current measurement object configuration can be used for AI handover prediction on the terminal side, that is, the terminal can perform AI handover prediction based on the measurement results of the measurement object in the configuration, or report the reporting method of the AI ​​prediction result configuration to the network device, so that the network device knows that the report is based on AI prediction. Among them, the reporting configuration corresponds to the event that triggers the terminal to report the prediction result. Exemplarily, SequentialEventA3 is the terminal's judgment on whether to trigger reporting based on the signal threshold of the historical measurement cell or the switching cell. For example, when the signal quality of the historically measured cell is higher than A3-Threshold1, it can be reported, where MeasTriggerQuantity is the type and threshold of the signal quality. For another example, when the signal quality of the historically switched serving cell is higher than A3-Threshold1, it can be reported to trigger reporting; optionally, a statistical threshold RequiredNumber can be added, that is, how many handovers or how many measurement results are higher than the threshold to trigger reporting. Exemplarily, SequentialEventA4 is a terminal that determines whether the switching order of the historical measured cells meets the conditions to trigger the report. For example, HOSequence is the configured switching order requirement. For example, for the cells in the measurement object, the configured switching order requirement is {cell 1, cell 2, cell 3}. When the historical switching order meets this condition, the report can be triggered; optionally, each hop in the handover can have more than one cell, for example, satisfying {[cell 1, cell 4], cell 2, cell 3}. At this time, either cell 1 or cell 4 may be called the serving cell to be switched to, and satisfying one of them is sufficient.

[0382] Optionally, the first configuration information may also indicate a failure time / condition of the prediction function.

[0383] Expiration time: For example, after receiving the first configuration information, the terminal starts an expiration timer. After the expiration timer times out, it is considered that the terminal can no longer provide relevant prediction capabilities, and the terminal may no longer perform relevant predictions for a period of time.

[0384] Failure conditions: For example, if the signal quality measured by the terminal is lower than a certain threshold, or the speed of the terminal is higher than a certain threshold, it is considered that the terminal is currently unable to provide relevant prediction capabilities, and the terminal may no longer perform relevant predictions for a period of time.

[0385] S1303: The terminal obtains a prediction result according to the first configuration information.

[0386] For this step, please refer to S930.

[0387] S1304: The terminal sends the prediction result to network device #2. Correspondingly, network device #2 receives the prediction result.

[0388] When the reporting trigger condition is met, the terminal may send the prediction result to network device #2. For example, the prediction result may be an RRM measurement report, which carries the content of the satisfied event, handover sequence, etc. (e.g., as shown in FIG11 ). For example, the prediction result is not limited to an RRC RRM measurement report, but may also be a MAC-CE, UCI, etc.

[0389] For the prediction results, please refer to the description in S940, which will not be repeated here.

[0390] S1305 to S1309, cell switching and switching triggering condition configuration on the network device side, can be specifically referred to S1050 to S1090, which will not be repeated here.

[0391] It should be understood that subsequent cell switching can be performed with reference to S1070 to S1090, which will not be described in detail herein. It should also be understood that one or more steps in S1305 to S1309 are only performed when certain conditions are met, and in practice, one or more steps may not be performed depending on the actual network conditions.

[0392] The method for cell handover provided in this application enables the prediction of continuous handovers on the terminal side. This allows continuous handover prediction over a period of time even if the network side lacks the ability to predict continuous handovers. Furthermore, by using event-triggered reporting of prediction results, measurement results can be dynamically reported when the terminal meets the corresponding conditions, ensuring that the reported results obtained by the network side are more consistent with expectations and requirements.

[0393] It should be noted that the monitoring cells in methods 400, 600, and 800 can also be applied to methods 900, 1000, 1200, and 1300. For details related to the monitoring cells, please refer to methods 400, 600, and 800, which will not be repeated here. In methods 900, 1000, 1200, and 1300, the monitoring cells can be configured on the network side or determined by the terminal side.

[0394] The above describes the method embodiments provided by this application, and the following describes the device embodiments provided by this application. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, for matters not described in detail, reference can be made to the method embodiments above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0395] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 14, the communication device 2000 may include a communication unit 2100 and a processing unit 2200. The communication unit 2100 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the communication can be internal communication of the communication device 2000 or communication between the communication device 2000 and other devices; the processing unit 2200 can implement corresponding processing functions. The communication unit 2100 can also be called a communication interface or a transceiver unit. Optionally, the communication device 2000 may also include a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing unit 2200 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the device implements the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0396] In one possible design, the communication device 2000 may be the network device in the above method 400 or method 600, or may be a module or chip applied to the network device. The communication device 2000 may be used to execute the steps or processes executed by the network device in the above method 400 or method 600.

[0397] Specifically, the processing unit 2200 is configured to generate first configuration information, and the communication unit 2100 is configured to send the first configuration information. The first configuration information indicates at least one cell sequence and an exit trigger condition for the at least one cell sequence. The cell sequence includes at least one candidate target cell, and the at least one candidate target cell is a target cell that the terminal may sequentially switch to within a first time period. When the exit trigger condition corresponding to the cell sequence is met, the cell sequence will be invalidated.

[0398] Optionally, the first configuration information further indicates: a monitoring cell associated with the candidate target cell and a corresponding monitoring reporting condition, the monitoring cell is used to determine whether the corresponding candidate target cell is applicable, and the monitoring cell is different from the corresponding candidate target cell.

[0399] Optionally, the communication unit 2100 is configured to further receive first reporting information, where the first reporting information indicates that the monitoring result of the monitored cell meets the monitoring reporting condition.

[0400] Optionally, the monitoring reporting condition is: the signal quality of the monitored cell is greater than a first threshold, and the signal quality of the candidate target cell corresponding to the monitored cell is less than a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than the second threshold.

[0401] Optionally, the exit triggering condition is: the signal qualities of the candidate target cells are all less than a third threshold or the average signal qualities of the candidate target cells are less than a fourth threshold.

[0402] Optionally, the communication unit 2100 is further configured to receive second reporting information, where the second reporting information indicates that the terminal meets the exit triggering condition.

[0403] Optionally, the first configuration information also indicates one or more of the following: a switching trigger condition, a usage condition associated with the at least one cell sequence, an effective time of the first configuration information, or a measurement parameter required to measure the candidate target cell, and the switching trigger condition is used to determine whether to perform cell switching.

[0404] In one possible design, the communication device 2000 may be the terminal in the above method 400 or method 600, or may be a module or chip applied to the terminal. The communication device 2000 may be used to execute the steps or processes executed by the terminal in the above method 400 or method 600.

[0405] Specifically, the communication unit 2100 is configured to receive first configuration information, and the processing unit 2200 is configured to perform cell switching according to the first configuration information. The first configuration information indicates at least one cell sequence and an exit trigger condition for the at least one cell sequence, the cell sequence including at least one candidate target cell, the at least one candidate target cell being a target cell that the communication device 2000 may sequentially switch to within a first time period, and when the exit trigger condition corresponding to the cell sequence is met, the cell sequence will become invalid;

[0406] Optionally, the first configuration information further indicates: a monitoring cell associated with the candidate target cell and a corresponding monitoring reporting condition, the monitoring cell is used to determine whether the corresponding candidate target cell is applicable, and the monitoring cell is different from the corresponding candidate target cell.

[0407] Optionally, the communication unit 2100 is further configured to send first reporting information when the monitoring result of the monitoring cell meets the monitoring reporting condition, where the first reporting information indicates that the monitoring result of the monitoring cell meets the monitoring reporting condition.

[0408] Optionally, the monitoring reporting condition is: the signal quality of the monitored cell is greater than a first threshold, and the signal quality of the candidate target cell corresponding to the monitored cell is less than a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than the second threshold.

[0409] Optionally, the exit triggering condition is: the signal qualities of the candidate target cells are all less than a third threshold or the average signal qualities of the candidate target cells are less than a fourth threshold.

[0410] Optionally, the communication unit 2100 is further configured to send second reporting information when the exit triggering condition is met, where the second reporting information indicates that the communication device 2000 meets the exit triggering condition.

[0411] Optionally, the first configuration information also indicates one or more of the following: a switching trigger condition, a usage condition associated with the at least one cell sequence, an effective time of the first configuration information, or a measurement parameter required to measure the candidate target cell, and the switching trigger condition is used to determine whether to perform cell switching.

[0412] In one possible design, the communication device 2000 may be the network device described in method 600, method 800, method 900, or method 1100, or may be a module or chip applied to the network device. The communication device 2000 may be used to execute the steps or processes performed by the network device in method 600, method 800, method 900, or method 1100.

[0413] Specifically, the communication unit 2100 is configured to send first configuration information and receive a prediction result. The first configuration information is determined based on the cell handover prediction capability information of the terminal, the first configuration information includes a measurement object configuration, and the first configuration information is used by the terminal to predict target cells that may be switched to sequentially within a first time period. The prediction result is determined based on the first configuration information, and the prediction result indicates at least one first handover first cell sequence, the first cell sequence including at least one first candidate target cell, and the at least one first candidate target cell is a target cell that the terminal predicts may be switched to sequentially within the first time period.

[0414] Optionally, the communication unit 2100 is also used to send second configuration information, wherein the second configuration information indicates at least one second cell sequence, the second cell sequence includes at least one second candidate target cell, and the at least one candidate target cell is a target cell to which the terminal may switch in sequence within the first time period, and the second configuration information is determined based on the prediction result.

[0415] Optionally, the communication unit 2100 is further configured to receive the cell handover prediction capability information.

[0416] Optionally, the cell switching prediction capability information includes one or more of the following: the number of continuous switchings that the terminal can predict, the cell parameters that the terminal can predict, the effective time that the terminal can predict, the number of cells required for the terminal to measure, the cell parameters required for the terminal to measure, the time required for the terminal to measure, or the reference signal configuration required for the terminal to measure.

[0417] Optionally, the communication unit 2100 is specifically configured to: receive auxiliary information, where the auxiliary information includes the prediction result.

[0418] Optionally, the communication unit 2100 is further configured to send indication information, where the indication information is used to trigger the terminal to report the prediction result.

[0419] Optionally, the first configuration information includes a reporting trigger condition, and when the reporting trigger condition is met, the terminal reports the prediction result.

[0420] Optionally, the prediction result also includes one or more of the following: cell information in the first cell sequence, the probability of correct cell prediction in the first cell sequence, the switching time point of each hop in the first cell sequence, or the predicted effective duration of the first cell sequence.

[0421] In one possible design, the communication device 2000 may be the terminal in the above method 600, method 800, method 900, or method 1100, or may be a module or chip applied to the terminal. The communication device 2000 may be used to execute the steps or processes executed by the terminal in the above method 600, method 800, method 900, or method 1100.

[0422] Specifically, the communication unit 2100 is used to receive first configuration information, which is determined based on the cell switching prediction capability information of the terminal, and the first configuration information includes a measurement object configuration; the processing unit 2200 is used to determine at least one first cell sequence based on the first configuration information, and the first cell sequence includes at least one candidate target cell, and the at least one candidate target cell is a target cell that is predicted to be likely to be switched to in sequence within a first time period; the communication unit 2100 is also used to send a prediction result, and the prediction result indicates the at least one first cell sequence.

[0423] Optionally, the communication unit 2100 is further configured to send the cell handover prediction capability information.

[0424] Optionally, the cell switching prediction capability information includes one or more of the following: the number of consecutive switchings that the communication device 2000 can predict, the cell parameters that the communication device 2000 can predict, the effective time that the communication device 2000 can predict, the number of cells required for the communication device 2000 to measure, the cell parameters required for the communication device 2000 to measure, the time required for the communication device 2000 to measure, or the reference signal configuration required for the communication device 2000 to measure.

[0425] Optionally, the prediction result is sent in any one of the following ways: sending by reporting auxiliary information, sending according to instruction information of the network device, or sending after a reporting trigger condition configured by the network device is met.

[0426] Optionally, the prediction result also includes one or more of the following: cell information in the first cell sequence, the probability of correct cell prediction in the first cell sequence, the switching time point of each hop in the first cell sequence, or the predicted effective duration of the first cell sequence.

[0427] Regarding the steps or processes executed by each unit in the communication device 2000, please refer to the description in the corresponding method, which will not be described in detail here.

[0428] It should be understood that the "unit" in the communication device 2000 can be implemented by hardware, can be implemented by software, and can also be implemented by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation. For example, the "unit" can refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated processor or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combined logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. For another example, the communication unit 2100 can be replaced by a transceiver transceiver circuit (for example, a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit 2200 can be replaced by a processor or a processing circuit.

[0429] Figure 15 shows a schematic block diagram of another communication device 3000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 3000 can be a network device or terminal, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device or terminal to implement the above method. The device can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiment.

[0430] The device 3000 may include one or more processors 3100, which may also be referred to as processing units, and may implement certain control functions. The processor 3100 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control a communication device (e.g., a base station, a baseband chip, a user chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0431] In an optional design, the processor 3100 may also store instructions and / or data, which can be executed by the processor 3100 so that the device 3000 performs the method described in the above method embodiment.

[0432] In another optional design, the device 3000 may include a communication interface 3200 for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the communication interface 3200 may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, an interface circuit, or a transceiver. The transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for reading and writing code / data, or the transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver may be used for transmitting or delivering signals.

[0433] Optionally, the device 3000 may include one or more memories 3300, which may store instructions. The instructions may be executed on the processor 3100, causing the device 3000 to perform the method described in the above method embodiment. Optionally, the memory 3300 may also store data. Optionally, the processor 3100 may also store instructions and / or data. The processor 3100 and memory 3300 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0434] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal 4000 provided in this application. The aforementioned communication device 2000 or communication device 3000 can be configured in the terminal 4000. Alternatively, the communication device 2000 or communication device 3000 itself can be the terminal 4000. In other words, the terminal 4000 can perform the actions performed by the terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiments. Optionally, for ease of illustration, Figure 16 only shows the main components of the terminal.

[0435] In one implementation, the terminal 4000 is configured to: receive first configuration information and perform cell switching based on the first configuration information. The first configuration information indicates at least one cell sequence and an exit trigger condition for the at least one cell sequence, the cell sequence including at least one candidate target cell, the at least one candidate target cell being a target cell that the terminal may sequentially switch to within a first time period, and the cell sequence being invalidated if the exit trigger condition corresponding to the cell sequence is met.

[0436] In another implementation, the terminal 4000 is used to: receive first configuration information, where the first configuration information is determined based on the cell switching prediction capability information of the terminal, and the first configuration information includes a measurement object configuration; determine at least one first cell sequence based on the first configuration information, where the first cell sequence includes at least one candidate target cell, and the at least one candidate target cell is a target cell predicted to be likely to be switched to in sequence within a first time period; and send a prediction result, where the prediction result indicates the at least one first cell sequence.

[0437] As shown in FIG16 , terminal 4000 includes a processor, a memory, a control circuit, an antenna, and input and output devices.

[0438] The processor is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire terminal, execute software programs, and process software program data, for example, to support the terminal in performing the actions described in the above method embodiments. The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. The control circuit is primarily used to convert baseband signals into radio frequency signals and process radio frequency signals. The control circuit and antenna together are also called a transceiver, which is primarily used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input and output devices, such as touch screens, displays, and keyboards, are primarily used to receive user input and output data to the user.

[0439] When the terminal is powered on, the processor reads the software program stored in the storage unit, interprets and executes the program's instructions, and processes the program's data. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the RF circuit. The RF circuit then performs RF processing on the baseband signal and transmits it via the antenna as electromagnetic waves. When data is sent to the terminal, the RF circuit receives the RF signal via the antenna, converts it into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor, which converts the baseband signal into data and processes it.

[0440] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, for ease of explanation, FIG16 shows only one memory and processor. In an actual terminal, multiple processors and memories may exist. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or storage device, etc., which is not limited in the present embodiment.

[0441] For example, a processor may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is primarily responsible for processing communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is primarily responsible for controlling the entire terminal, executing software programs, and processing data from software programs. The processor in Figure 16 integrates the functions of both the baseband processor and the CPU. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the baseband processor and the CPU may also be independent processors interconnected via a bus or other technology. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a terminal may include multiple baseband processors to accommodate different network standards, multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities, and that the various components of the terminal may be connected via various buses. The baseband processor may also be referred to as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU may also be referred to as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The functionality for processing communication protocols and communication data may be built into the processor or stored as a software program in a storage unit, with the processor executing the software program to implement the baseband processing functionality.

[0442] For example, in the embodiment of the present application, the antenna and control circuit with transceiver functions can be regarded as the transceiver unit 4100 of the terminal 4000, and the processor with processing function can be regarded as the processing unit 4200 of the terminal 4000. As shown in Figure 16, the terminal 4000 includes a transceiver unit 4100 and a processing unit 4200. The transceiver unit can also be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the device used to implement the receiving function in the transceiver unit 4100 can be regarded as a receiving unit, and the device used to implement the transmitting function in the transceiver unit 4100 can be regarded as a transmitting unit, that is, the transceiver unit 4100 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. For example, the receiving unit can also be referred to as a receiver, a receiver, a receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit can be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0443] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device 5000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned communication device 2000 or communication device 3000 can be configured in the network device 5000. Alternatively, the communication device 2000 or communication device 3000 itself can be the network device 5000. Alternatively, the network device 5000 can perform the actions performed by the network device in the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0444] In one implementation, the network device 5000 is configured to generate first configuration information and send the first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information indicates at least one cell sequence and an exit trigger condition for the at least one cell sequence, the cell sequence including at least one candidate target cell, the at least one candidate target cell being a target cell that a terminal may sequentially switch to within a first time period, and the cell sequence being invalidated when the exit trigger condition corresponding to the cell sequence is met.

[0445] In another implementation, the network device 5000 is configured to: send first configuration information and receive a prediction result. The first configuration information is determined based on the terminal's cell handover prediction capability information, includes a measurement object configuration, and is used by the terminal to predict target cells that may be handed over to sequentially within a first time period. The prediction result is determined based on the first configuration information, and indicates at least one first handover first cell sequence, the first cell sequence including at least one first candidate target cell, and the at least one first candidate target cell is a target cell that the terminal predicts may be handed over to sequentially within the first time period.

[0446] As shown in Figure 17, the network device 5000 may include one or more DUs 5010 and one or more CUs 5020. The CU 5020 can communicate with the NG core (Next Generation Core Network, NC). The DU 5010 may include at least one antenna 5011, at least one radio frequency unit 5012, at least one processor 5013, and at least one memory 5014. The DU 5010 is primarily used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals, converting radio frequency signals into baseband signals, and performing some baseband processing. The CU 5020 may include at least one processor 5022 and at least one memory 5021. The CU 5020 and the DU 5010 can communicate via interfaces, wherein the control plane (CP) interface may be an Fs-C, such as F1-C, and the user plane (UP) interface may be an Fs-U, such as F1-U.

[0447] The CU 5020 is primarily used for baseband processing and controlling the network device 5000. The DU 5010 and CU 5020 can be physically located together or separately, i.e., as a distributed base station. The CU 5020 is the control center of the network device 5000, also known as a processing unit, and is primarily used to perform baseband processing functions. For example, the CU 5020 can be used to control the network device 5000 to execute the operating procedures for the first device or the second device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0448] Specifically, baseband processing on the CU and DU can be divided according to the protocol layers of the wireless network. For example, the functions of the PDCP layer and above are located in the CU, while the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP, such as the RLC layer and the MAC layer, are located in the DU. For another example, the CU implements the functions of the RRC layer and the PDCP layer, while the DU implements the functions of the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer.

[0449] In addition, the network device 5000 may optionally include one or more radio frequency units (RUs), one or more DUs, and one or more CUs. The DU may include at least one processor 5013 and at least one memory 5014, the RU may include at least one antenna 5011 and at least one radio frequency unit 5012, and the CU may include at least one processor 5022 and at least one memory 5021.

[0450] In one example, the CU 5020 can be composed of one or more single boards, and multiple single boards can jointly support a wireless access network with a single access indication (such as a 5G network), or can respectively support wireless access networks with different access standards (such as an LTE network, a 5G network, or other networks). The memory 5021 and the processor 5022 can serve one or more single boards. That is, a memory and a processor can be set separately on each single board. It is also possible that multiple single boards share the same memory and processor. In addition, necessary circuits can be set on each single board. The DU 5010 can be composed of one or more single boards, and multiple single boards can jointly support a wireless access network with a single access indication (such as a 5G network), or can respectively support wireless access networks with different access standards (such as an LTE network, a 5G network, or other networks). The memory 5014 and the processor 5013 can serve one or more single boards. That is, a memory and a processor can be set separately on each single board. It is also possible that multiple single boards share the same memory and processor. In addition, necessary circuits can be set on each single board.

[0451] It should be understood that the network device 5000 shown in FIG17 is capable of implementing each process related to the actions performed by the second communication device in the aforementioned method embodiments. The operations and / or functions of the various modules in the network device 5000 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the aforementioned method embodiments; to avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0452] It should be understood that the network device 5000 shown in FIG17 is only one possible architecture of a network device and does not constitute any limitation to this application. The method provided in this application is applicable to network devices of other architectures. For example, network devices including CU, DU, and AAU, etc. This application does not limit the specific architecture of the network device.

[0453] It should be understood that, in one possible design, each step in the method embodiment provided in the present application can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0454] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor or by instructions in the form of software. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0455] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0456] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, which, when running on a computer, enables the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the network device or terminal in any of the above method embodiments.

[0457] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores program code. When the program code runs on a computer, the computer executes the various steps or processes executed by the network device or terminal in any of the above method embodiments.

[0458] The present application also provides a communication device, including a processor and an interface, wherein the interface is used to send and / or receive signals, so that the processor executes the various steps or processes executed by the network device or terminal in any of the above method embodiments.

[0459] The present application also provides a communication system, which includes at least one of a network device and a terminal.

[0460] The above-mentioned device embodiments and method embodiments are completely corresponding, and the corresponding steps are performed by the corresponding modules or units. For example, the communication unit or communication interface performs the receiving or sending steps in the method embodiment. Other steps except sending and receiving can be performed by the processing unit or processor.

[0461] In the embodiments of this application, each term and English abbreviation is provided for convenience of description and shall not constitute any limitation to this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future agreements.

[0462] As used in this specification, the terms "component," "module," "system," and the like are used to represent computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program, and / or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a computing device and a computing device can be a component. One or more components can reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and a component can be located on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these components can be executed from various computer-readable storage media having various data structures stored thereon. Components can communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes based on signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component between a local system, a distributed system, and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems via signals).

[0463] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented using electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0464] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can be based on the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0465] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0466] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0467] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0468] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0469] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0470] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for cell switching, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, the method comprises: generating first configuration information; Sending the first configuration information; Among them, the first configuration information indicates at least one cell sequence and an exit trigger condition of the at least one cell sequence, the cell sequence includes at least one candidate target cell, and the at least one candidate target cell is a target cell that the terminal may switch to in sequence within a first time period. When the exit trigger condition corresponding to the cell sequence is met, the cell sequence will become invalid.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first configuration information further indicates: a monitoring cell associated with the candidate target cell and a corresponding monitoring reporting condition, the monitoring cell being used to determine whether the corresponding candidate target cell is applicable, and the monitoring cell being different from the corresponding candidate target cell.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: First reporting information is received, where the first reporting information indicates that the monitoring result of the monitored cell meets the monitoring reporting condition.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The monitoring reporting condition is: the signal quality of the monitoring cell is greater than a first threshold, and the signal quality of the candidate target cell corresponding to the monitoring cell is less than a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than the second threshold.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The exit triggering condition is: the signal qualities of the candidate target cells are all less than a third threshold or the average of the signal qualities of the candidate target cells is less than a fourth threshold.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: Second reporting information is received, where the second reporting information indicates that the terminal meets the exit triggering condition.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first configuration information also indicates one or more of the following: a switching trigger condition, a usage condition associated with the at least one cell sequence, an effective time of the first configuration information, or a measurement parameter required to measure the candidate target cell, and the switching trigger condition is used to determine whether to perform a cell switch.

8. A method for cell switching, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal, the method comprises: receiving first configuration information, where the first configuration information indicates at least one cell sequence and an exit trigger condition of the at least one cell sequence, where the cell sequence includes at least one candidate target cell, where the at least one candidate target cell is a target cell that a terminal may sequentially switch to within a first time period, and when the exit trigger condition corresponding to the cell sequence is met, the cell sequence will become invalid; Perform cell switching according to the first configuration information.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first configuration information further indicates: a monitoring cell associated with the candidate target cell and a corresponding monitoring reporting condition, the monitoring cell being used to determine whether the corresponding candidate target cell is applicable, and the monitoring cell being different from the corresponding candidate target cell.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: In the case where the monitoring result of the monitoring cell meets the monitoring reporting condition, first reporting information is sent, where the first reporting information indicates that the monitoring result of the monitoring cell meets the monitoring reporting condition.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The monitoring reporting condition is: the signal quality of the monitoring cell is greater than a first threshold, and the signal quality of the candidate target cell corresponding to the monitoring cell is less than a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than the second threshold.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that The exit triggering condition is: the signal qualities of the candidate target cells are all less than a third threshold or the average of the signal qualities of the candidate target cells is less than a fourth threshold.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the exit trigger condition is met, second reporting information is sent, where the second reporting information indicates that the terminal meets the exit trigger condition.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that The first configuration information also indicates one or more of the following: a switching trigger condition, a usage condition associated with the at least one cell sequence, an effective time of the first configuration information, or a measurement parameter required to measure the candidate target cell, and the switching trigger condition is used to determine whether to perform a cell switch.

15. A method for cell switching, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, the method comprises: Sending first configuration information, where the first configuration information is determined according to the cell switching prediction capability information of the terminal, the first configuration information includes measurement object configuration, and the first configuration information is used by the terminal to predict target cells that may be switched to in sequence within a first time period; Receive a prediction result, where the prediction result is determined based on the first configuration information, and the prediction result indicates at least one first switching first cell sequence, where the first cell sequence includes at least one first candidate target cell, and the at least one first candidate target cell is a target cell predicted by the terminal to be switched to in sequence within the first time period.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send second configuration information, where the second configuration information indicates at least one second cell sequence, where the second cell sequence includes at least one second candidate target cell, where the at least one candidate target cell is a target cell that the terminal may switch to in sequence within the first time period, and where the second configuration information is determined based on the prediction result.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that Before sending the first configuration information, the method further includes: The cell switching prediction capability information is received.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that The cell switching prediction capability information includes one or more of the following: the number of consecutive switchings that the terminal can predict, the cell parameters that the terminal can predict, the effective time that the terminal can predict, the number of cells required for the terminal to measure, the cell parameters required for the terminal to measure, the time required for the terminal to measure, or the reference signal configuration required for the terminal to measure.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that The receiving prediction result comprises: Auxiliary information is received, where the auxiliary information includes the prediction result.

20. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that Before receiving the prediction result, the method further includes: Sending indication information, where the indication information is used to trigger the terminal to report the prediction result.

21. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that The first configuration information includes a reporting trigger condition, and when the reporting trigger condition is met, the terminal reports the prediction result.

22. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 21, characterized in that The prediction result also includes one or more of the following: cell information in the first cell sequence, the probability of correct prediction of cells in the first cell sequence, the switching time point of each hop in the first cell sequence, or the predicted effective duration of the first cell sequence.

23. A method for cell switching, characterized in that: The method comprises: receiving first configuration information, where the first configuration information is determined according to cell switching prediction capability information of the terminal, and the first configuration information includes measurement object configuration; Determine at least one first cell sequence according to the first configuration information, where the first cell sequence includes at least one candidate target cell, and the at least one candidate target cell is a target cell that is predicted to be likely to be switched to in sequence within a first time period; A prediction result is sent, where the prediction result indicates the at least one first cell sequence.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein: Before receiving the first configuration information, the method further includes: The cell switching prediction capability information is sent.

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that The cell switching prediction capability information includes one or more of the following: the number of consecutive switchings that the terminal can predict, the cell parameters that the terminal can predict, the effective time that the terminal can predict, the number of cells required for the terminal to measure, the cell parameters required for the terminal to measure, the time required for the terminal to measure, or the reference signal configuration required for the terminal to measure.

26. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 25, characterized in that The prediction result may be sent in any of the following ways: It is sent by reporting auxiliary information, according to the instruction information of the network device, or after the reporting trigger condition configured by the network device is met.

27. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 26, characterized in that The prediction result also includes one or more of the following: cell information in the first cell sequence, the probability of correct prediction of cells in the first cell sequence, the switching time point of each hop in the first cell sequence, or the predicted effective duration of the first cell sequence.

28. A communication device, characterized in that: A unit comprising the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, or a unit comprising the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 14, or a unit comprising the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 22, or a unit comprising the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 27.

29. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor coupled to a memory, wherein the memory is used to store programs or instructions. When the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the device executes a method as described in any one of claims 1-7, any one of 8-14, any one of 15-22, or any one of 23-27.

30. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and an interface, wherein the interface is used to send and / or receive signals, so that the processor executes the method as described in any one of claims 1-7, any one of 8-14, any one of 15-22, or any one of 23-27.

31. A readable storage medium having a computer program or instruction stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-7, any one of 8-14, any one of 15-22, or any one of 23-27.

32. A computer program product, characterized in that Comprising computer program instructions, the computer program instructions causing the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-7, any one of 8-14, any one of 15-22, or any one of 23-27.

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