Connection adjustment method and communication apparatus

Abstract

A connection adjustment method and a communication apparatus, which can be applied to a scenario in which intra-frequency networking is performed and there is no communication connection between a source network device and a target network device, wherein the source network device does not interact with the target network device, but sends, on the basis of a measurement report, a message for instructing a terminal device to establish a connection with a target cell, such that the terminal device can establish the connection with the target cell. Therefore, it is possible to implement connection adjustment on the terminal device in the scenario in which intra-frequency networking is performed and there is no communication connection between the source network device and the target network device. Moreover, the network device provides an identifier of the target cell to the terminal device, and the terminal device may not execute cell search and selection, thereby facilitating a reduction in the delay of connection adjustment. In addition, the method and apparatus can also be applied to a scenario in which inter-frequency networking is performed and / or there is a communication connection between the source network device and the target network device, and since the source network device does not interact with the target network device, a reduction in the delay of connection adjustment is facilitated.

Description

Connection adjustment method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on September 28, 2023, with application number 202311294989.7 and invention name “A connection adjustment method and communication device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a connection adjustment method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] Mobility management is a crucial aspect of wireless communications. Its primary goal is to ensure that network devices, through mobility management, ensure uninterrupted wireless service while terminal devices constantly change service nodes during mobility. Mobility management is based on the different RRC states of terminal devices. For terminal devices in an RRC connected state, mobility management includes handover and redirection, which allow for connection adjustments to be made to the terminal device. However, currently, there is no solution for adjusting the connection of terminal devices in scenarios where there is no communication connection between the source and target network devices and the same frequency network is in use.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a connection adjustment method and a communication device to support connection adjustment of terminal devices in a scenario where there is no communication connection between the source network device and the target network device in the same frequency networking.

[0006] In a first aspect, a connection adjustment method is provided, which can be executed by a network device. Unless otherwise specified, "network device" can refer to the network device itself or a device that can support the network device to implement this function.

[0007] The method includes: receiving a measurement report from a terminal device; in response to the measurement report, sending a first message to the terminal device, the first message instructing the terminal device to establish a connection with a target cell, the first message including an identifier of the target cell, and the target cell is determined based on the measurement report.

[0008] "Sending a first message to the terminal device in response to the measurement report" can be understood as: after receiving the measurement report, sending a first message carrying the identifier of the target cell to the terminal device based on the measurement report, without the need to interact with the network device where the target cell is located.

[0009] The technical solution of the present application can be applied to scenarios where there is a same-frequency network and there is no communication connection between the source network device and the target network device. In this scenario, according to the existing technology, it is not possible to achieve connection adjustment of the terminal device through the handover process or the redirection process, because the handover process requires signaling interaction between the source network device and the target network device, and the redirection process only supports inter-frequency redirection. The network device in the technical solution of the present application may not interact with the target network device, but instead sends a first message to the terminal device based on the measurement report to instruct the terminal device to establish a connection with the target cell, so that the terminal device establishes a connection with the target cell based on the first message, thereby achieving connection adjustment of the terminal device. Therefore, the technical solution of the present application can achieve connection adjustment of the terminal device in scenarios where there is a same-frequency network and there is no communication connection between the source network device and the target network device. Moreover, compared with the existing redirection process, the network device in the technical solution of the present application provides the terminal device with the identifier of the target cell instead of the target frequency information, so that the terminal device can directly establish a connection with the target cell based on the identifier of the target cell, without performing cell search and selection, which helps to reduce the delay of connection adjustment.

[0010] In addition, the technical solution of the present application can also be applied to scenarios where there is heterogeneous frequency networking and / or a communication connection between the source network device and the target network device. Compared with the existing switching process, the network device in the technical solution of the present application may not interact with the network device where the target cell is located, thus helping to reduce the delay in connection adjustment. Compared with the existing redirection process, the network device in the technical solution of the present application provides the terminal device with the identifier of the target cell instead of the target frequency information, so that the terminal device can directly establish a connection with the target cell based on the identifier of the target cell, without performing cell search and selection, thus helping to reduce the delay in connection adjustment.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the first message is a radio resource control (RRC) connection release message. Another description may be: the first message is used for RRC connection release.

[0012] Based on the above technical solution, the network device can provide the terminal device with the identifier of the target cell through the RRC connection release message. In other words, during the redirection process, the network device provides the terminal device with the identifier of the target cell instead of the target frequency information, so that the terminal device can directly establish a connection with the target cell based on the identifier of the target cell without performing cell search and selection, thereby helping to reduce the delay of connection adjustment.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the RRC connection release message includes a first field, where the first field carries an identifier of the target cell. The first field may be a newly added field in the RRC connection release message, or may reuse an existing field in the RRC connection release message, without limitation.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation manner thereof, in some other possible implementation manners, the RRC connection release message further includes a second field, and the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used for redirecting the terminal device to the target cell. In addition, the second field can also be used to indicate that the RRC connection release message is used for redirecting the terminal device to the target frequency point. The second field can be a newly added field in the RRC connection release message, or it can reuse an existing field in the RRC connection release message, without limitation.

[0015] Based on the above technical solution, when the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target cell, the terminal device can directly establish a connection with the target cell without performing a cell search and selection. When the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target frequency point, the terminal device can perform a cell search and selection on the target frequency point and then redirect to the selected cell. In this way, based on the second field, different redirection methods can be compatible.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation manner thereof, in some other possible implementation manners, the second field carries information about the target frequency of the redirection, the target frequency is the same as the frequency of the serving cell of the terminal device, and the frequency of the target cell is the target frequency. In addition, when the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target frequency, the second field carries information about the target frequency of the redirection, and the target frequency is different from the frequency of the serving cell of the terminal device.

[0017] It can be understood that the service cell of the terminal device may refer to a cell that provides services to the terminal device under a network device that executes the method of the first aspect or any implementation method thereof or is managed by the network device. During the connection adjustment process, the service cell may also be referred to as a source cell, and the network device may also be referred to as a source network device.

[0018] Based on the above technical solution, when the second field carries information about a frequency that is the same as the frequency of the serving cell, it can indicate that the RRC connection release message is used for redirecting the terminal device to the target cell, so that the terminal device can know that it is necessary to execute redirection of the terminal device to the target cell according to the second field; when the second field carries information about a frequency that is different from the frequency of the serving cell, it can indicate that the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target frequency. In this case, the terminal device knows that it is necessary to execute redirection of the terminal device to the target frequency according to the second field, and performs cell search and selection on the target frequency, and then redirects to the selected cell.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation manner thereof, in some other possible implementation manners, the first field is included in the cell reselection priority field. "The first field is included in the cell reselection priority field" may mean that the identifier of the target cell is carried in the cell reselection priority field. As an example, the cell reselection priority field only carries the identifier of the target cell. As another example, the cell reselection priority field carries the identifier of the target cell and the priority of the target cell. As yet another example, in addition to carrying the identifier of the target cell and the optional priority of the target cell, the cell reselection priority field may also carry information of one or more frequency points and the priorities corresponding to the one or more frequency points.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the method further includes: sending measurement configuration information to the terminal device, the measurement configuration information including same-frequency measurement configuration information, and the measurement report is obtained based on the measurement configuration information.

[0021] Based on the above technical solution, the network device can configure the same-frequency measurement configuration information for the terminal device, and the above-mentioned measurement report can be a measurement report based on the same-frequency measurement configuration information. Therefore, this solution can realize connection adjustment in the same-frequency networking scenario.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation manner thereof, in some other possible implementation manners, the same-frequency measurement configuration information includes at least one of the following information: a measurement object, a report configuration, a trigger quantity or a measurement identifier; wherein, the frequency of the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block or SSB) included in the measurement object is the same as the SSB frequency of the service cell of the terminal device, and the subcarrier spacing of the SSB included in the measurement object is the same as the subcarrier spacing of the SSB of the service cell.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation manner thereof, in other possible implementation manners, the network device and the network device where the target cell is located are on the same frequency and no communication connection exists. The network device and the network device where the target cell is located do not have a communication connection, which may mean that there is no Xn interface or Ng interface between the network device and the network device where the target cell is located.

[0024] In a second aspect, a connection adjustment method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device. Unless otherwise specified, "terminal device" can refer to the terminal device itself or a device that can support the terminal device to implement this function.

[0025] The method includes: sending a measurement report to a network device; receiving a first message from the network device, the first message instructing the terminal device to establish a connection with a target cell, the first message including an identifier of the target cell, the target cell being determined based on the measurement report, the first message being an RRC connection release message; and establishing a connection with the target cell according to the first message.

[0026] The technical solution of the present application can be applied to scenarios where there is a same-frequency network and there is no communication connection between the source network device and the target network device. In this scenario, according to the existing technology, it is impossible to implement the connection adjustment of the terminal device through the switching process, nor can it be implemented through the redirection process, because the switching process requires signaling interaction between the source network device and the target network device, and the redirection process only supports heterogeneous frequency redirection. The terminal device in the technical solution of the present application can execute the redirection process based on the RRC connection release message sent by the network device. Therefore, the technical solution of the present application can implement the connection adjustment of the terminal device in the scenario where there is a same-frequency network and there is no communication connection between the source network device and the target network device. Moreover, compared with the existing redirection process, the network device in the technical solution of the present application provides the terminal device with the identifier of the target cell instead of the target frequency information, so that the terminal device can directly establish a connection with the target cell based on the identifier of the target cell, without performing cell search and selection, which helps to reduce the delay of the connection adjustment.

[0027] In addition, the technical solution of the present application can also be applied to scenarios where there is heterogeneous frequency networking and / or a communication connection between the source network device and the target network device. Compared with the existing redirection process, it helps to reduce the delay of connection adjustment.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the RRC connection release message includes a first field, and the first field carries an identifier of the target cell.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the RRC connection release message further includes a second field, and the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target cell.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the second field carries information of the redirected target frequency, the target frequency is the same as the frequency of the service cell of the terminal device, and the frequency of the target cell is the target frequency.

[0031] In combination with the second aspect or any implementation manner thereof, in some other possible implementation manners, the first field is included in a cell reselection priority field.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the method further includes: receiving measurement configuration information from a network device, the measurement configuration information including same-frequency measurement configuration information; and determining the measurement report based on the measurement configuration information.

[0033] In combination with the second aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the same-frequency measurement configuration information includes at least one of the following information: a measurement object, a reporting configuration, a trigger quantity, or a measurement identifier; wherein, the frequency of the SSB included in the measurement object is the same as the SSB frequency of the service cell of the terminal device, and the subcarrier spacing of the SSB included in the measurement object is the same as the subcarrier spacing of the SSB of the service cell.

[0034] In combination with the second aspect or any implementation manner thereof, in some other possible implementation manners, the network device and the network device where the target cell is located are on the same frequency and there is no communication connection.

[0035] The terms or features in the second aspect or its implementation that are the same as those in the first aspect or its implementation can refer to the first aspect or its implementation, and the technical effects of the second aspect or its implementation can refer to the technical effects in the first aspect or its implementation, and will not be repeated in the second aspect.

[0036] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may be a terminal device, or may be a device, module, circuit, or chip configured and provided in the terminal device, or may be a device capable of being used in conjunction with the terminal device. In one design, the communication device may include a module corresponding to executing the method / operation / step / action described in the first aspect or its implementation. The module may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software. In one design, the communication device may include a processing module and a communication module.

[0037] Among them, the sending module is used to execute the sending action in the method described in the first aspect or its implementation method above, and the processing module is used to execute the processing-related actions in the method described in the first aspect or its implementation method above.

[0038] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may be a network device, or a device, module, circuit, or chip configured and provided in a network device, or a device capable of being used in conjunction with a network device. In one design, the communication device may include a module corresponding to executing the method / operation / step / action described in the second aspect or its implementation. The module may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software. In one design, the communication device may include a processing module and a communication module.

[0039] Among them, the receiving module is used to perform the receiving action in the method described in the second aspect or its implementation method, and the processing module is used to perform the processing-related actions in the method described in the second aspect or its implementation method.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processing circuit and a storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuit, enable the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect to be implemented, or enable the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect to be implemented.

[0041] Optionally, the communication device may be a source network device or a terminal device.

[0042] Optionally, the communication device may be a chip applied to a source network device or a terminal device.

[0043] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit is used to process data and / or information so that the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect is implemented, or the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect is implemented. Optionally, the device may further include a memory, wherein the memory is used to store programs or instructions. Optionally, the communication device may further include a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to receive data and / or information and transmit the received data and / or information to the processing circuit. Optionally, the communication interface is also used to output data and / or information processed by the processing circuit. The communication interface may also be referred to as an interface circuit or a transceiver circuit.

[0044] Optionally, the communication device may be a source network device or a terminal device.

[0045] Optionally, the communication device may be a chip applied to a source network device or a terminal device.

[0046] In a seventh aspect, a chip system is provided, comprising a processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit is used to run a program or instruction so that the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect is implemented, or the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect is implemented. Optionally, the chip system may further include an input / output interface. Optionally, the chip system may further include a memory, wherein the memory is used to store programs or instructions. The processing circuit may also be referred to as a logic circuit.

[0047] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium includes instructions, which, when executed by a processing circuit, enables the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect to be implemented, or enables the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect to be implemented.

[0048] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising computer program code or instructions, which, when executed, enables the method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect to be implemented, or enables the method according to the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect to be implemented.

[0049] In the tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a combination of one or more of the following devices: a communication device that executes the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or a communication device that executes the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0051] FIG2 is a schematic flowchart of a connection adjustment method 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0052] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0053] FIG4 is another schematic structural diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0054] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following explanations are made before introducing the embodiments of the present application.

[0056] "Indication" includes direct indication (also known as explicit indication) and implicit indication. Direct indication of information A refers to the inclusion of information A; implicit indication of information A refers to the indication of information A through the correspondence between information A and information B, as well as the direct indication of information B. The correspondence between information A and information B can be predefined, pre-stored, pre-burned, or pre-configured. Information C is used to determine information D, including situations where information D is determined solely based on information C or based on information C and other information. Furthermore, information C can also be used to determine information D indirectly, for example, when information D is determined based on information E, and information E is determined based on information C. "Network element A sends information A to network element B" can be understood as network element B being the destination of information A or an intermediate network element in the transmission path between the destination and the network element, and can include direct or indirect transmission of information to network element B. "Network element B receives information A from network element A" can be understood as network element A being the source of information A or an intermediate network element in the transmission path between the source and the network element, and can include direct or indirect receipt of information from network element A. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination of information transmission, such as format changes, but the destination can still understand the valid information from the source. The various numerical numbers such as "first," "second," and so on are merely distinctions for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application, for example, to distinguish between different messages or different information. "Pre-definition" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device, and this application does not limit its specific implementation. The "protocol" involved may refer to a standard protocol in the communications field, such as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, the New Radio (NR) protocol, and related protocols used in future communications systems, but this application does not limit this. Words such as "exemplary," "for example," "exemplarily," and "as (another) example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. The terms "including," "comprising," "having," and their variations all mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. "At least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "At most one" means one or zero. "And / or" describes 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, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items.For example, at least one of a, b, and c can represent: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b, and c. A, b, and c can each be single or multiple. Phrases such as "when," "in the case of," "if," and "if" all imply that the device will perform a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances. They do not limit the time, do not require the device to perform a judgment action during implementation, and do not imply any other limitations.

[0057] In addition, the network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0058] A communication system to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied is described below.

[0059] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: fifth generation (5G) or NR systems, LTE systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, wireless local area networks (WLAN) systems, satellite communication systems, future communication systems, such as sixth generation (6G) mobile communication systems, or integrated systems of multiple systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device to device (D2D) communication, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems or other communication systems.

[0060] A device in a communication system can send a signal to another device or receive a signal from another device. The signal may include information, signaling, or data, etc. The device may also be replaced by an entity, a network entity, a communication device, a communication module, a node, a communication node, etc. The present disclosure uses the device as an example for description. For example, the communication system may include at least one terminal device and at least one network device. The network device may send a downlink signal to the terminal device, and / or the terminal device may send an uplink signal to the network device. It is understandable that the terminal device in the present application may be replaced by the first device, and the network device may be replaced by the second device, and the two may perform the corresponding communication method in the present application.

[0061] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device.

[0062] The terminal device may be a device that provides voice / data, such as a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with a wireless connection function. Currently, some examples of terminals include: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), customer-premises equipment (CPE), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, terminal devices in 5G networks or future evolved public land mobile communication networks (PLMNs), and so on. The terminal equipment in the network (PLMN), etc., is not limited to this in the embodiments of the present application.

[0063] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be referred to as wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for everyday wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not just hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring. In the embodiments of the present application, the device for realizing the functions of the terminal device may be the terminal device, or it may be a device that can support the terminal device to realize the functions. The device may be installed in the terminal device or used in conjunction with the terminal device.

[0064] For example, the device supporting the terminal device to implement the terminal device function may be a chip system. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0065] Exemplarily, the device supporting the terminal device to implement the terminal device function may also be a part of the network device used to implement the terminal device function. For example, the network device may be an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, and the IAB node integrates a mobile terminal (mobile termination, MT) and a distributed unit (distributed unit, DU). Alternatively, the IAB node integrates an MT and a base station (BS) part, where the BS includes a CU and a DU. When the IAB node faces its parent node, the IAB node plays the role of an MT and can be regarded as a terminal.

[0066] In the embodiments of the present application, only the apparatus for realizing the functions of the terminal device is used as an example for description, and does not constitute a limitation on the solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0067] The network device in the embodiments of the present application may be a device for communicating with a terminal device. The network device may also be referred to as an access network device or a wireless access network device. For example, the network device may be a base station. The network device may be a device with wireless transceiver functions or a chip that can be provided in the device, and may be deployed in a wireless access network to provide wireless communication services for the terminal device. The network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects the terminal device to a wireless network. The term "base station" may broadly cover the following various names, or be replaced with the following names, such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), relay station, access point, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmitting point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, primary station, secondary station, multi-standard wireless (motor slide retainer, MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RF head), etc. The base station may be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node, or the like, or a combination thereof. The IAB node integrates the MT and DU, or the IAB node integrates the MT and the base station (BS), where the BS includes the CU and the DU. When the IAB node faces its child node (the child node may be a terminal or the terminal part of another IAB node), it can be regarded as a network device. The DU part of an IAB node can provide access services for terminal devices or the MT part of other IAB nodes.

[0068] The base station may also refer to a communication module, modem or chip that is set in the aforementioned equipment or device. The base station may also be a mobile switching center and a device that performs the base station function in D2D, V2X, and M2M communications, a network side device in a 6G network, a device that performs the base station function in future communication systems, etc. The base station can support networks with the same or different access technologies. Optionally, the RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an on-board device, etc. For example, the access network device in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network equipment.

[0069] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move based on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0070] In some deployments, the network devices mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may include a CU, a DU, or both a CU and a DU, or a control plane CU node (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), a user plane CU node (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), and a DU node. For example, the network devices may include a gNB-CU-CP, a gNB-CU-UP, and a gNB-DU.

[0071] In some deployments, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing portions of the base station's functionality. For example, a RAN node can be a CU, DU, CU-CP, CU-UP, or RU. The CU and DU can be separate or included in the same network element, such as the BBU. The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio unit, such as an RRU, AAU, or RRH.

[0072] The RAN node may support one or more types of fronthaul interfaces, and different fronthaul interfaces correspond to DUs and RUs with different functions. If the fronthaul interface between the DU and the RU is a common public radio interface (CPRI), the DU is configured to implement one or more baseband functions, and the RU is configured to implement one or more radio frequency functions. If the fronthaul interface between the DU and the RU is another type of interface, relative to the CPRI, some of the downlink and / or uplink baseband functions, such as precoding, digital beamforming (BF), or one or more of inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) / cyclic prefix (CP) for downlink, are moved from the DU to the RU for implementation; and for uplink, one or more of digital beamforming (BF), or fast Fourier transform (FFT) / cyclic prefix (CP) removal, are moved from the DU to the RU for implementation. In one possible implementation, the interface may be an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI). In the eCPRI architecture, the division between the DU and RU is different, corresponding to different types (category, Cat) of eCPRI, such as eCPRI Cat A, B, C, D, E, and F.

[0073] Taking eCPRI Cat A as an example, for downlink transmission, based on layer mapping, the DU is configured to implement layer mapping and one or more functions preceding it (i.e., one or more of coding, rate matching, scrambling, modulation, and layer mapping). Other functions after layer mapping (e.g., resource element (RE) mapping, digital beamforming (BF), or one or more of inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) / cyclic prefix (CP) addition) are moved to the RU for implementation. For uplink transmission, based on RE demapping, the DU is configured to implement demapping and one or more functions preceding it (i.e., one or more of decoding, rate matching, descrambling, demodulation, inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT), channel equalization, and RE demapping). Other functions after demapping (e.g., one or more of digital BF or fast Fourier transform (FFT) / CP removal) are moved to the RU for implementation. It is understandable that for the functional description of DU and RU corresponding to various types of eCPRI, reference can be made to the eCPRI protocol, which will not be described in detail here.

[0074] In one possible design, the processing unit for implementing baseband functions in the BBU is called a baseband high layer (BBH) unit, and the processing unit for implementing baseband functions in the RRU / AAU / RRH is called a baseband low layer (BBL) unit.

[0075] 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 the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the functions of the network device can be a network device; it can also be a device that can support the network device to implement the functions, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit and a software module. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, only the device for implementing the functions of the network device is used as an example to illustrate, and does not constitute a limitation on the solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0077] The network device and / or terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface; it can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and satellites in the air. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which the network device and the terminal device are located. In addition, the terminal device and the network device can be hardware devices, or they can be software functions running on dedicated hardware, software functions running on general-purpose hardware, such as virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), or entities including dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. This application does not limit the specific forms of the terminal device and the network device.

[0078] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to a variety of scenarios, such as any of the following scenarios: relay, wireless mesh, IAB, or ad hoc network. In the above scenarios, the networking nodes include nodes with all or part of the functions of a base station, or nodes with wireless backhaul and wireless access functions.

[0079] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application may be applied. As shown in Figure 1 , the communication system may be composed of a base station, a relay device, and a terminal device. The terminal device may wirelessly communicate with the base station directly or through one or more relay devices.

[0080] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, several concepts or terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are briefly explained. The concepts or terms introduced below are explained based on the concepts or terms specified in the reference protocol, but this does not mean that the embodiments of the present application can only be applied to existing systems. The concepts or terms involved in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to future systems. The specific names of the concepts or terms (for example, concepts or terms involving functional descriptions) can be adjusted as future systems develop.

[0081] 1. Mobility Management

[0082] Mobility management is an important part of wireless communications. Its main goal is to enable terminal devices to continuously change service nodes during mobility, and network equipment to enable terminal devices to enjoy uninterrupted wireless services through mobility management.

[0083] In the 5G control plane protocol stack, the protocol layers up to and including the RRC layer are called the access stratum (AS), and the protocol layers above the RRC layer are called the non-access stratum (NAS). Simply put, the AS process requires the participation of both the terminal device and the network equipment, while the NAS process requires only the terminal device and the core network to process. The network equipment only forwards the data without performing any processing. Different protocol layers define different layer states (e.g., NAS layer state, RRC layer state). Mobility management is generally based on the RRC layer state of the terminal device (hereinafter referred to as the RRC state).

[0084] The RRC status of a terminal device reflects the status of its AS connection. An AS connection refers to the signaling connection between a terminal device and network equipment. AS signaling establishes a signaling path between the terminal device and the core network, enabling NAS signaling. In other words, the AS connection paves the way for NAS signaling.

[0085] The RRC state includes the RRC connected state and the RRC idle state.

[0086] RRC Connected State: When a signaling connection exists between a terminal device and a network device, meaning they are "communicating" with each other, the terminal device is in the RRC Connected State even if only RRC signaling is being transmitted without data transmission. However, in general, RRC signaling between a terminal device and a network device is only established for data transmission.

[0087] RRC idle state: This is equivalent to no information interaction between the terminal device and the network device (i.e., no data transmission and no RRC signaling transmission).

[0088] In addition, with the development of communication technology, an "intermediate" state has been added to the RRC state, namely the RRC inactive state.

[0089] RRC inactive state: In order to allow the terminal device to recover to the RRC connected state more quickly, for the terminal device in the RRC inactive state, the network device will retain some information that does not need to be retained in the RRC idle state. Simply put, the air interface state of the terminal device in the RRC inactive state is similar to that in the RRC idle state, but from the core network side, the terminal device in the RRC inactive state is still in the connection management (CM) connection state. When there is a need for data transmission and the terminal device needs to be migrated from the RRC inactive state to the RRC connected state, compared with migrating from the RRC idle state to the RRC connected state, there is no bearer establishment, authentication and other processes, and the terminal device's services can be restored more quickly.

[0090] The transition from RRC connected state to RRC idle state and from RRC connected state to RRC inactive state are both achieved through RRC connection release (RRCConnectionRelease). By checking whether the RRC connection release message carries the suspend configuration (suspendConfig), it can be determined whether the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state is entered after the RRC connection is released. If the RRC connection release message carries the suspend configuration, it indicates that the terminal device has entered the RRC inactive state. If the RRC connection release message does not carry the suspend configuration, it indicates that the terminal device has entered the RRC idle state.

[0091] Mobility management is based on the different RRC states of the terminal device. Mobility management in different RRC states is divided into:

[0092] 1) RRC connected state mobility management: handover or redirection;

[0093] 2) RRC idle state mobility management: cell reselection;

[0094] 3) RRC inactive mobility management: cell reselection or RAN-based Notification Area (RNA) update, etc.

[0095] 2. Switch

[0096] Handover, also known as cell handover, is a fundamental yet crucial function of communication systems. Simply put, it supports the handover of a terminal device from one network device to another. In the RRC connected state, a connection exists between the terminal device and the network device, enabling signaling. The network device can send measurement configuration information to the terminal device, requesting it to submit measurement reports. Based on the measurement reports, the network device determines whether the terminal device's status meets the handover conditions and, if so, executes the handover process.

[0097] The switching process may include: the source network device executes a switching decision to determine that the terminal device needs to be switched; then the source network device and the target network device prepare for the switching, such as resource application and data forwarding between the source network device and the target network device; after receiving the switching request response sent by the target network device, the source network device sends a switching command to the terminal device, and the switching command may include the identifier of the target cell; then the terminal device executes the switching according to the switching command.

[0098] From the interface perspective, handover can be divided into Xn interface-based handover and NG interface-based handover. Both Xn interface-based handover and NG interface-based handover require signaling interaction between the source and target network devices.

[0099] During the switching process, the terminal device remains in the RRC connected state.

[0100] 3. Redirection

[0101] Redirection, also known as cell redirection, is mainly used in scenarios where the current serving cell is overloaded or the terminal device has moved to the edge of the cell and needs to trigger a handover, but the terminal device does not support handover at this time. Redirection is usually a transitional measure prepared for terminal devices that do not support handover. Redirection adopts the method of RRC connection release plus redirection, that is, when it is determined that the terminal device needs to be redirected, the source network device will initiate an RRC release, and at the time of release, it will recommend a target frequency to the terminal device. The target frequency can be indicated to the terminal device through the redirected carrier information (redirectedCarrierInfo) in the RRC connection release message. After the RRC connection with the source network device is released, the terminal device can search and select a cell based on the target frequency to access the new network device.

[0102] During the redirection process, the terminal device in the RRC connected state will first release the connection with the source network device and then re-establish the connection on the target frequency recommended by the source network device. The current redirection process only supports inter-frequency redirection and cannot be performed when the network is in the same frequency.

[0103] Currently, in the case of co-frequency networking, when there is no Xn interface or NG interface between the source network device and the target network device, the switching process cannot be implemented, and the redirection process cannot be implemented, so the connection adjustment of the terminal device cannot be achieved.

[0104] In response to the above problems, the present application proposes a connection adjustment method and a communication device to support connection adjustment of terminal devices in a scenario where the same frequency network is connected and there is no communication connection between the source network device and the target network device.

[0105] The following describes the method embodiments of the present application.

[0106] FIG2 is a schematic flowchart of a connection adjustment method 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0107] Method 500 can be performed by a terminal device, a source network device, and a target network device. Unless otherwise specified, "terminal device," "source network device," or "target network device" may refer to the terminal device, source network device, or target network device itself, or may refer to a device that can support the terminal device, source network device, or target network device to implement the function. For the sake of convenience, the following description will uniformly use terminal device, source network device, or target network device.

[0108] It should be noted that the node corresponding to the terminal device, source network device or target network device may only include the functions of the terminal device, source network device or target network device, or may include other functions on the basis of the functions of the terminal device, source network device or target network device, without limitation. For example, the node corresponding to the terminal device may include the functions of the network device in addition to the functions of the terminal device, such as the node may be an IAB node, and the IAB node may integrate the MT and DU, or the IAB node may integrate the MT and the base station, that is, the node includes both the functions of the terminal device and the functions of the network device. For another example, the node corresponding to the source network device or target network device may include the functions of the terminal device in addition to the functions of the source network device or target network device, such as the node may be an IAB node. For another example, the node corresponding to the source network device or target network device may include the functions of the core network device in addition to the functions of the source network device or target network device.

[0109] Method 500 includes at least part of the following.

[0110] Step 501: After the terminal device establishes an RRC connection with the source network device, the source network device sends measurement configuration information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the measurement configuration information from the source network device.

[0111] The measurement configuration information may include one or more of the following information:

[0112] 1) Measurement object: The object on which the terminal device performs measurement, mainly including one or more of the following information: SSB frequency, SSB subcarrier spacing, SSB-based measurement timing configuration (SMTC), whitelist cell list or blacklist cell list.

[0113] Each cell will periodically send multiple SSB beams in the time domain (i.e., SSB beam scanning), and the SSB beams of each cell are configured with the same frequency domain position in the frequency domain. In order to ensure that all SSB beams in each cell are measured accurately and completely, when the source network device sends the measurement configuration, in addition to indicating the SSB frequency to be measured, it can also indicate at least one of the time domain starting position and duration for starting the SSB measurement, i.e., SMTC. SMTC includes at least one of the SMTC period, SMTC duration, and SMTC bias. The time domain starting position may refer to the start time when the terminal device starts the SSB measurement, which may be determined based on the SMTC period and SMTC bias. It is understandable that at least one of the SMTC period, SMTC duration, and SMTC bias included in the SMTC that is not indicated may be a predefined value.

[0114] The source network device can also configure a specific list of cells to be measured, namely a blacklist and a whitelist. For cells on the blacklist, the terminal device does not measure or report on them. For cells on the whitelist, the terminal device measures them at the corresponding measurement frequency and submits a measurement report.

[0115] 2) Measurement gap: The measurement gap is the time period from when the terminal device leaves the current frequency point to measure at another frequency point. It is configured only for inter-frequency measurement and inter-system measurement.

[0116] 3) Report configuration: The report configuration indicates the standard for triggering the reporting of the measurement report and the format of the measurement report. Each report configuration has a separate identifier (reportConfigId).

[0117] 4) Trigger quantity: The trigger quantity is the strategy for triggering event reporting, which can include at least one of reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR).

[0118] 5) Measurement identity (ID): The measurement identity is used to combine the measurement object and the report configuration into a whole.

[0119] In the embodiment of the present application, the measurement configuration information may include measurement configuration information of SSB-based inter-frequency measurement and / or measurement configuration information of SSB-based intra-frequency measurement, without limitation.

[0120] Inter-frequency measurement based on SSB may mean that the frequency of the SSB used for measurement in the neighboring cell is different from the frequency of the SSB of the serving cell, and / or the subcarrier spacing of the SSB used for measurement in the neighboring cell is different from the subcarrier spacing of the SSB of the serving cell. The measurement configuration information for inter-frequency measurement based on SSB may include the content described above, and the measurement configuration information includes the measurement interval.

[0121] The same-frequency measurement based on SSB may mean that the frequency of the SSB used for measurement in the neighboring cell is the same as the frequency of the SSB of the serving cell, and the subcarrier spacing of the SSB used for measurement in the neighboring cell is the same as the subcarrier spacing of the SSB of the serving cell. The measurement configuration information of the same-frequency measurement based on SSB may include one or more of the measurement object, report configuration, trigger quantity or measurement identifier, and may not include the measurement interval, wherein the frequency of the SSB included in the measurement object is the same as the frequency of the SSB of the serving cell, and the subcarrier spacing of the SSB included in the measurement object is the same as the subcarrier spacing of the SSB of the serving cell.

[0122] In a possible implementation manner, the source network device sends measurement configuration information to the terminal device through an RRC connection reconfiguration (RRC Connection Reconfiguration) message.

[0123] In the embodiment of the present application, the serving cell may refer to the cell currently providing services to the terminal device. During the connection adjustment process, the serving cell may also be referred to as the source cell, which is the cell under the source network device providing services to the terminal device.

[0124] Step 502: The terminal device performs measurement based on the received measurement configuration information, determines a measurement report, and sends the measurement report to the source network device. Correspondingly, the source network device receives the measurement report from the terminal device.

[0125] When the source network device sends measurement configuration information based on SSB inter-frequency measurement to the terminal device, the measurement report reported by the terminal device is the measurement result based on SSB inter-frequency measurement. When the source network device sends measurement configuration information based on SSB intra-frequency measurement to the terminal device, the measurement report reported by the terminal device is the measurement result based on SSB intra-frequency measurement.

[0126] In the embodiment of the present application, the measurement report reported by the terminal device can be an event-triggered report or a period-triggered report, without limitation.

[0127] Step 503: In response to the received measurement report, the source network device sends a first message to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first message from the source network device.

[0128] The first message instructs the terminal device to establish a connection with the target cell, and the first message includes an identifier of the target cell. The identifier of the target cell is information used to uniquely identify the target cell. For example, the identifier of the target cell can be a physical cell identifier (PCI) of the target cell. For a detailed description of the first message, please refer to the content after step 504.

[0129] In one possible implementation, in response to a received measurement report, the source network device sends a first message to the terminal device, including: the source network device determines the connection adjustment for the terminal device and the corresponding target cell based on the received measurement report, and sends a first message to the terminal device, wherein the first message includes an identifier of the target cell. Exemplarily, the source network device determines whether there is a suitable new cell based on the received measurement report, and if there is a suitable new cell, the new cell is used as the target cell to adjust the connection of the terminal device; if there is no suitable new cell, the next measurement report is waited for. A suitable new cell may refer to a cell having one or more of signal quality, channel status, load status or coverage that is better than the serving cell. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific operation of the connection adjustment performed on the terminal device. Exemplarily, the connection adjustment may be a cell handover. Exemplarily, the connection adjustment may be a redirection.

[0130] Step 504: The terminal device establishes a connection with the target cell according to the first message.

[0131] In an embodiment of the present application, "in response to the received measurement report, the source network device sends a first message to the terminal device" can be understood as: after receiving the measurement report, the source network device sends a first message carrying the identifier of the target cell to the terminal device based on the measurement report. Compared with the existing switching process, the source network device of the embodiment of the present application does not perform interaction with the target network device, and sends a first message carrying the identifier of the target cell to the terminal device based on the measurement report, rather than sending the first message based on the handover request confirmation (HandoverRequestAck) message from the target network device or the handover command (HandoverCommand) of the core network device, which can save signaling overhead and reduce the delay of connection adjustment. Compared with the existing redirection process, the source network device directly provides the identifier of the target cell to the terminal device instead of the information of the target frequency, so that the terminal device can directly establish a connection with the target cell based on the identifier of the target cell, without performing cell search and selection, which helps to reduce the delay of connection adjustment.

[0132] In addition, in the scenario of same-frequency networking and no Xn interface or no NG interface between the source network device and the target network device, neither the switching process nor the redirection process can be executed, resulting in the inability to adjust the connection of the terminal device. Since the source network device of the embodiment of the present application does not interact with the target network device, and the source network device can provide the terminal device with same-frequency measurement configuration information, the method of the embodiment of the present application can realize connection adjustment in the scenario of same-frequency networking and no communication connection between the source network device and the target network device.

[0133] The first message of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below.

[0134] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific type of the first message.

[0135] In one possible implementation, the first message may be a newly added type of RRC message, which includes at least an identifier of the target cell and is used for the terminal device to directly establish a connection with the target cell, such as initiating random access to the target cell.

[0136] In another possible implementation, when the source network device determines to perform cell switching on the terminal device, the first message may be an RRC connection reconfiguration message, which may carry a switching command including an identifier of the target cell.

[0137] Another possible implementation method is that when the source network device determines to perform redirection on the terminal device, the first message can be an RRC connection release message. Unlike the existing RRC connection release message, the RRC connection release message of the embodiment of the present application carries the identifier of the target cell instead of the target frequency information. In this case, "the first message is used to instruct the terminal device to access the target cell" can also be described as: the first message is used to instruct the terminal device to redirect to the target cell.

[0138] The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the manner in which the function of the first message is implemented through the RRC connection release message.

[0139] In one possible implementation, the RRC connection release message includes a first field, and the first field carries the identifier of the target cell. The first field may be a newly added field, so that after receiving the RRC connection release message, the terminal device can determine whether the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target cell based on whether the RRC connection release message carries the first field, and when the RRC connection release message carries the first field, after releasing the current RRC connection, directly establish a connection with the target cell based on the identifier of the target cell in the first field, such as initiating random access to the target cell, without performing cell search and selection.

[0140] An example of the structure of the RRC connection release message in this manner is given below:

[0141] For example, the information elements or fields in the RRC release message structure adapted to the above implementation include a redirected carrier information field such as redirectedCarrierInfo, a cell reselection priority field such as cellReselectionPriorities, a suspend configuration field such as suspendConfig, a deprioritization type field such as deprioritisationReqType, a deprioritization timer field such as deprioritisationTimer, and a first field such as TargetCellInfo. Optional indicates that the corresponding field is optional. When the function of the RRC release message is different, the information elements it carries are different or the information element indications or contents it carries are different. For example, when the RRC release message is used for cell reselection, the RRC release message may carry a cell reselection priority field such as cellReselectionPriorities. For another example, when the RRC release message is used to redirect a terminal device to a target frequency point, the RRC release message may carry a redirected carrier information field such as redirectedCarrierInfo. For another example, when the RRC release message is used to redirect a terminal device to a target cell, the RRC release message may carry a first field such as TargetCellInfo.

[0142] In another possible implementation, the RRC connection release message includes a first field and a second field, wherein the first field carries the identifier of the target cell, and the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target cell.

[0143] Exemplarily, both the first field and the second field are newly added fields. When the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target cell, the RRC connection release message includes the first field. In this case, the terminal device learns from the second field that the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target cell, and then directly establishes a connection with the target cell according to the first field, without performing cell search and selection; when the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target frequency point, the RRC connection release message may include the first field or may not include the first field. The redirected carrier information (redirectedCarrierInfo) field in the RRC connection release message carries information of the target frequency point for redirection. In this case, the terminal device learns from the second field that the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target frequency point, and then performs cell search and selection on the target frequency point according to the information of the target frequency point carried by the redirected carrier information field, and then redirects to the selected cell.

[0144] An example of the structure of the RRC connection release message in this manner is given below:

[0145] For example, the information elements or fields in the RRC release message structure adapted to the above-mentioned implementation method include a redirected carrier information field such as redirectedCarrierInfo, a cell reselection priority field such as cellReselectionPriorities, a suspend configuration field such as suspendConfig, a deprioritization type field such as deprioritisationReqType, a deprioritization timer field such as deprioritisationTimer, a first field such as TargetCellInfo, and a second field such as redirectedCell. Among them, Optional indicates that the corresponding field is optional. When the function of the RRC release message is different, the information elements it carries are different or the information element indications or contents it carries are different. For example, when the RRC release message is used for cell reselection, the RRC release message may carry a cell reselection priority field. For another example, when the RRC release message is used for redirecting the terminal device to the target frequency point, the RRC release message may carry a second field and a redirected carrier information field, wherein the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used for redirecting the terminal device to the target frequency point. For another example, when the RRC release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target cell, the RRC release message may carry a first field and a second field, wherein the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target cell. Cond redirectedCell True indicates that the corresponding field is valid or required when redirectedCell is True, and Cond redirectedCell False indicates that the corresponding field is valid or required when redirectedCell is False.

[0146] Exemplarily, the first field carries the identifier of the target cell and the first field is also used to carry information about the target frequency point for redirection, and the second field is a newly added field. Specifically, when the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target cell, the first field carries the identifier of the target cell. In this case, the terminal device learns from the second field that the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target cell, and then directly establishes a connection with the target cell according to the first field, without performing cell search and selection; when the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target frequency point, the first field carries information about the target frequency point for redirection. In this case, the terminal device learns from the second field that the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target frequency point, and then performs cell search and selection on the target frequency point according to the information about the target frequency point carried by the first field, and then redirects to the selected cell.

[0147] An example of the structure of the RRC connection release message in this manner is given below:

[0148] "The first field carries the identifier of the target cell and the first field is also used to carry information about the target frequency point for redirection." Another way of describing it is that the first field is the redirection carrier information field, except that when the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target cell, the redirection carrier information field carries the identifier of the target cell, and when the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target frequency point, the redirection carrier information field carries information about the frequency point used for redirection.

[0149] For example, the information elements or fields in the RRC release message structure adapted to the above implementation method include a redirected carrier information field such as redirectedCarrierInfo, a cell reselection priority field such as cellReselectionPriorities, a suspend configuration field such as suspendConfig, a deprioritization type field such as deprioritisationReqType, a deprioritization timer field such as deprioritisationTimer, and a second field such as redirectedCell. Among them, Optional indicates that the corresponding field is optional. When the function of the RRC release message is different, the information elements it carries are different or the information element indications or contents it carries are different. For example, when the RRC release message is used for cell reselection, the RRC release message may carry a cell reselection priority field. For another example, when the RRC release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target frequency point, the RRC release message may carry a second field and a redirected carrier information field, wherein the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target frequency point, for example, if redirectedCell is False, the redirected carrier information field carries information of the target frequency point. For another example, when the RRC release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target cell, such as redirectedCell is True, the RRC release message may carry a second field and a redirection carrier information field, wherein the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target cell, and the redirection carrier information field carries the identifier of the target cell. Among them, Cond redirectedCell Ture indicates that the corresponding field is valid or required when redirectedCell is True, and Cond redirectedCell False indicates that the corresponding field is valid or required when redirectedCell is False.

[0150] Exemplarily, the first field carries the identifier of the target cell and is a newly added field, the second field carries information about the frequency that is the same as the frequency of the serving cell, and the second field is also used to carry information about a frequency that is different from the frequency of the serving cell. Specifically, when the second field carries information about the frequency that is the same as the frequency of the serving cell (that is, the target frequency is the same as the frequency of the serving cell), it can indicate that the RRC connection release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target cell. In this case, the terminal device learns from the second field that the target frequency is the same as the frequency of the serving cell, and then learns that it is necessary to perform redirection of the terminal device to the target cell, and then directly establishes a connection with the target cell according to the first field, without performing cell search and selection; when the second field carries information about a frequency that is different from the frequency of the serving cell (that is, the target frequency is different from the frequency of the serving cell), it can indicate that the RRC connection release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target frequency. The RRC connection release message may include the first field or may not include the first field. In this case, the terminal device performs cell search and selection on the target frequency according to the second field, and then redirects to the selected cell.

[0151] An example of the structure of the RRC connection release message in this manner is given below:

[0152] "The second field carries information about the same frequency as the serving cell and the second field is also used to carry information about a frequency different from the serving cell." Another way of describing it can be: the second field is the redirected carrier information field, except that when the source network device redirects the terminal device to the target cell, the redirected carrier information field carries information about the frequency of the serving cell; when the source network device redirects the terminal device to the target frequency cell, the redirected carrier information field carries information about a frequency different from the serving cell.

[0153] For example, the information elements or fields in the RRC release message structure adapted to the above-mentioned implementation method include a redirected carrier information field such as redirectedCarrierInfo, a cell reselection priority field such as cellReselectionPriorities, a suspend configuration field such as suspendConfig, a deprioritization type field such as deprioritisationReqType, a deprioritization timer field such as deprioritisationTimer, and a first field such as TargetCellInfo. Among them, Optional indicates that the corresponding field is optional. When the function of the RRC release message is different, the information elements it carries are different or the information element indications or contents it carries are different. For example, when the RRC release message is used for cell reselection, the RRC release message may carry a cell reselection priority field. For another example, when the RRC release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target frequency, the RRC release message may carry a redirected carrier information field, wherein the redirected carrier information field carries information of the target frequency, and the target frequency is different from the frequency of the serving cell. For example, when the RRC release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target cell, the RRC release message can carry a first field and a redirection carrier information field, wherein the second field carries information of the frequency that is the same as the frequency of the service cell, and the first field carries the identifier of the target cell.

[0154] Exemplarily, the first field is included in the cell reselection priority field, and the second field carries information about the target frequency for redirection. Specifically, when the target frequency is the same as the frequency of the serving cell, it can be indicated that the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target cell. In this case, the RRC connection release message includes the cell reselection priority field, and the cell reselection priority field includes the first field. In this way, the terminal device can know that the target frequency is the same as the frequency of the serving cell according to the second field, and then know that it is necessary to perform redirection of the terminal device to the target cell, and then obtain the identifier of the target cell from the first field in the cell reselection priority field, and establish a connection with the target cell without performing cell search and selection; when the target frequency is different from the frequency of the serving cell, it can be indicated that the RRC connection release message is used for redirection of the terminal device to the target frequency, and the RRC connection release message may include the cell reselection priority field, or may not include the cell reselection priority field. In this case, the terminal device performs cell search and selection on the target frequency according to the second field, and then redirects to the selected cell.

[0155] An example of the structure of the RRC connection release message in this manner is given below:

[0156] "The first field is included in the cell reselection priority field" may mean that the target cell identifier is carried in the cell reselection priority field. As an example, the cell reselection priority field carries only the target cell identifier. As another example, the cell reselection priority field carries both the target cell identifier and the target cell priority. As yet another example, in addition to carrying the target cell identifier and optional target cell priority, the cell reselection priority field may also carry information about one or more frequency points and the priorities corresponding to the one or more frequency points.

[0157] For example, the information elements or fields in the RRC release message structure adapted to the above-mentioned implementation method include a redirected carrier information field such as redirectedCarrierInfo, a cell reselection priority field such as cellReselectionPriorities, a suspend configuration field such as suspendConfig, a deprioritization type field such as deprioritisationReqType, and a deprioritization timer field such as deprioritisationTimer. Among them, Optional indicates that the corresponding field is optional. When the function of the RRC release message is different, the information elements it carries are different or the information element indications or contents it carries are different. For example, when the RRC release message is used for cell reselection, the RRC release message may carry a cell reselection priority field. For another example, when the RRC release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target frequency, the RRC release message may carry a redirected carrier information field, that is, the aforementioned second field, such as redirectedCarrierInfo, wherein the redirected carrier information field carries information of the target frequency, and the target frequency is different from the frequency of the serving cell. For another example, when the RRC release message is used to redirect the terminal device to the target cell, the RRC release message may carry a cell reselection priority field and a redirected carrier information field, that is, the aforementioned second field, such as redirectedCarrierInfo, wherein the redirected carrier information field carries information of the same frequency as the serving cell, and the cell reselection priority field includes a first field such as TargetCellInfo, and the first field carries an identifier of the target cell such as TargetCellID. That is, in this example, the existing redirected carrier information field is modified so that it can carry information of the same frequency as the serving cell, or carry information of a frequency different from the serving cell, based on the applied scenario.

[0158] The above describes in detail the method embodiment provided by the present application in conjunction with FIG2 , and the following describes the device embodiment of the present application in conjunction with FIG3 to FIG5 .

[0159] It is understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the apparatuses in Figures 3 to 5 include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the respective functions. It should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that, in conjunction with the various exemplary units and method steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software.

[0160] Figures 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams of possible devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These devices can be used to implement the functions of the source network device or terminal device in the above method embodiments, thereby also achieving the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0161] As shown in FIG3 , the device 10 includes a transceiver unit 11 and a processing unit 12 .

[0162] When apparatus 10 is used to implement the functions of a source network device in each of the above method embodiments, transceiver unit 11 is used to execute the transceiver steps of the production entity, such as steps 501 to 503, and processing unit 12 is used to execute the processing steps of the source network device. When apparatus 10 is used to implement the functions of a terminal device in each of the above method embodiments, transceiver unit 11 is used to execute the transceiver steps of the terminal device, such as steps 501 to 504, and processing unit 12 is used to execute the processing steps of the terminal device.

[0163] For a more detailed description of the transceiver unit 11 and the processing unit 12 , please refer to the relevant description in the above method embodiment, which will not be described again here.

[0164] As shown in FIG4 , apparatus 20 includes a processing circuit 21. Processing circuit 21 is coupled to a memory 23, which is used to store instructions. When apparatus 20 is used to implement the method described above, processing circuit 21 is used to execute the instructions in memory 23 to implement the functions of processing unit 12 described above.

[0165] Optionally, the device 20 further includes a memory 23 .

[0166] Optionally, the apparatus 20 further includes a transceiver circuit 22. The transceiver circuit can be referred to as a communication interface. The processing circuit 21 and the transceiver circuit 22 are coupled to each other. It will be appreciated that the transceiver circuit 22 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. When the apparatus 20 is used to implement the method described above, the processing circuit 21 is used to execute instructions to implement the functions of the processing unit 12, and the transceiver circuit 22 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 11.

[0167] Optionally, the apparatus 20 may be a source network device or a terminal device, and accordingly, the transceiver circuit may be a transceiver.

[0168] Optionally, the apparatus 20 may be a chip applied to a source network device or a terminal device, and accordingly, the transceiver circuit may be an input / output interface.

[0169] Exemplarily, when the device 20 is a chip applied to a source network device or a terminal device, the chip implements the functions of the source network device or the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the source network device or the terminal device, and the information is sent to the source network device or the terminal device by other devices; or the chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the source network device or the terminal device, and the information is sent to other devices by the source network device or the terminal device.

[0170] 5 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 30 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 30 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 31 and an input / output interface 32.

[0171] The logic circuit 31 may be a processing circuit in the chip system 30. The logic circuit 31 may be coupled to a storage unit and call instructions in the storage unit so that the chip system 30 can implement the methods and functions of the various embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 32 may be an input / output circuit in the chip system 30, outputting information processed by the chip system 30 or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 30 for processing.

[0172] As a solution, the chip system 30 is used to implement the operations performed by the source network device or the terminal device in the above various method embodiments.

[0173] For example, the logic circuit 31 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the source network device or the terminal device in the above method embodiment; the input / output interface 32 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the source network device or the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0174] The present application also provides a communication device, comprising a processing circuit coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data, and the processing circuit being used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, or to read data stored in the memory, to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, there are one or more processing circuits. Optionally, the communication device includes a memory. Optionally, there are one or more memories. Optionally, the memory is integrated with the processing circuit or provided separately.

[0175] The present application also provides a chip including a processing circuit coupled to a memory, the memory being configured to store computer programs or instructions, and the processing circuit being configured to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to implement the methods performed by the source network device or the terminal device in each of the above method embodiments. The memory may be located within the chip or independently of the chip, external to the chip, without limitation herein.

[0176] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by the source network device or the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0177] The present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by the source network device or the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0178] The present application also provides a communication system, which includes at least one of the source network device or terminal device in the above embodiments.

[0179] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0180] It is understood that the processing circuit in the embodiments of the present application can be a processor or a circuit in a processor for performing processing operations. The processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0181] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, mobile hard disks, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a source network device or a terminal device. Of course, the processor and storage medium can also be present in a source network device or a terminal device as discrete components.

[0182] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive.

[0183] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0184] Unless otherwise indicated, all technical and scientific terms used in the embodiments of the present application have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art of the technical field of the application. The terms used in this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the application. It should be understood that the above are for illustration, and the examples above are only for helping those skilled in the art to understand the embodiments of the present application, rather than limiting the application embodiments to the specific numerical values ​​or specific scenarios illustrated. Those skilled in the art can obviously carry out various equivalent modifications or changes based on the examples given above, and such modifications and changes also fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A connection adjustment method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a network device or a module in the network device, and the method comprises: receiving measurement reports from terminal equipment; In response to the measurement report, a first message is sent to the terminal device, the first message instructing the terminal device to establish a connection with a target cell, the first message including an identifier of the target cell, and the target cell is determined based on the measurement report.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first message is a radio resource control RRC connection release message.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Measurement configuration information is sent to the terminal device, where the measurement configuration information includes same-frequency measurement configuration information, and the measurement report is obtained based on the measurement configuration information.

4. A connection adjustment method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal device or a module in the terminal device, and the method includes: Send measurement reports to network devices; receiving a first message from the network device, the first message instructing the terminal device to establish a connection with a target cell, the first message including an identifier of the target cell, the target cell being determined based on the measurement report, and the first message being a radio resource control RRC connection release message; Establish a connection with the target cell according to the first message.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receiving measurement configuration information from a network device, the measurement configuration information including intra-frequency measurement configuration information; The measurement report is determined according to the measurement configuration information.

6. The method according to claim 2, 4 or 5, characterized in that: The RRC connection release message includes a first field, and the first field carries an identifier of the target cell.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The RRC connection release message also includes a second field, and the second field indicates that the RRC connection release message is used for redirecting the terminal device to the target cell.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The second field carries information about the redirected target frequency, where the target frequency is the same as the frequency of the serving cell of the terminal device, and the frequency of the target cell is the target frequency.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first field includes a cell reselection priority field.

10. The method according to claim 3 or 5, characterized in that: The intra-frequency measurement configuration information includes at least one of the following information: Measurement object, report configuration, trigger quantity or measurement identification; Among them, the frequency of the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block SSB included in the measurement object is the same as the frequency of the SSB of the service cell of the terminal device, and the subcarrier spacing of the SSB included in the measurement object is the same as the subcarrier spacing of the SSB of the service cell.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The network device and the network device where the target cell is located have the same frequency and no communication connection exists.

12. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module or a unit for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A communication system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 6 to 11 and a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 4 to 11.

14. A communication device, characterized in that: It includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other devices outside the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11 through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

15. The communication device according to claim 14, characterized in that: The communication device is a chip or a chip system.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or an instruction, and when the computer program or the instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is implemented.

17. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises a computer program or instructions, which implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 when the computer program or the instructions are executed in a computer.

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