Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to a communication method and apparatus. In the communication method, when a terminal device, in a deactivated state, receives a multicast service provided by a first cell, the signal quality of the first cell may become worse, such as if a first condition is satisfied. Consequently, the terminal device may determine a second cell providing the multicast service from at least one candidate cell, and thereby may start a first timer on the basis of a third threshold provided by the second cell, and in the deactivated state, may receive, on the basis of the first timer, the multicast service provided by the second cell. This means can ensure continuous transmission of a multicast service. In addition, the terminal device re-selecting the second cell providing the same multicast service as the first cell enables the terminal device to still be able to receive, in the deactivated state, the multicast service provided by the second cell; network congestion is thus relieved, and the network load is reduced.

Description

Communication method and 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 202311284238.7, and priority to the Chinese patent application entitled “A Communication Method and Device”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0003] In communication technology, a terminal device in an inactive state can receive multicast services.

[0004] Generally speaking, if the quality of a deactivated terminal device receiving multicast services degrades, it can request restoration of the RRC connection in the current cell through radio resource control (RRC). Alternatively, the deactivated terminal device can reselect a cell. In this scenario, ensuring the continuity of multicast service transmission becomes a pressing issue.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus that can ensure the continuous transmission of multicast services.

[0007] In the first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device, or by a module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.) applied to the terminal device, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device functions. In this communication method, the multicast service provided by the first cell can be received in a deactivated state, so that the second cell providing the multicast service can be determined from at least one candidate cell when the first condition is met; the first condition includes that the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device in the first time period is less than the first threshold and the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device in the second time period is less than the second threshold, the first threshold is greater than the second threshold, the first threshold is used to trigger cell reselection, and the second threshold is used to restore the RRC connection of the terminal device in the first cell. Furthermore, the first timer can be started based on the third threshold provided by the second cell, and the third threshold is used to restore the RRC connection of the terminal device in the second cell. In this way, the multicast service provided by the second cell can be received in the deactivated state based on the first timer.

[0008] It can be seen that in the above implementation mode, when the terminal device receives the multicast service provided by the first cell in the deactivated state, the signal quality of the first cell may deteriorate, such as when the first condition is met. In this way, the terminal device can determine the second cell that provides the multicast service from at least one candidate cell, so that the first timer can be started based on the third threshold provided by the second cell, and the multicast service provided by the second cell can be received in the deactivated state based on the first timer. Therefore, this can ensure the continuous transmission of the multicast service. In addition, the terminal device reselects to the second cell that provides the same multicast service as the first cell, so that the terminal device can still receive the multicast service provided by the second cell in the deactivated state, which alleviates network congestion and reduces network load.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, optionally, the method also includes: receiving neighboring cell list information provided by the first cell, the neighboring cell list information is used to indicate the neighboring cell providing the multicast service, the neighboring cell including the second cell; determining the second cell providing the multicast service from at least one candidate cell, including: determining the second cell from at least one candidate cell based on the neighboring cell list information.

[0010] It can be seen that in the above implementation mode, the terminal device can determine the second cell from at least one candidate cell based on the neighboring cell list information, so that the terminal device can reselect the second cell that provides the same multicast service as the first cell, and thus the terminal device can still receive the multicast service provided by the second cell in the deactivated state, thereby alleviating network congestion and reducing network load.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, optionally, starting the first timer based on a third threshold provided by the second cell includes: starting the first timer at a moment when the third threshold provided by the second cell is acquired in the deactivated state.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, optionally, receiving the multicast service provided by the second cell in the deactivated state based on the first timer includes: receiving the multicast service provided by the second cell in the deactivated state before the first timer times out.

[0013] It can be seen that in the above implementation mode, the terminal device can receive the multicast service provided by the second cell in the deactivated state before the first timer expires, thereby avoiding the terminal device from performing RRC connection recovery in the second cell before the first timer expires, that is, the terminal device still receives the multicast service provided by the second cell in the deactivated state, alleviating network congestion and reducing network load.

[0014] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device, or by a module (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the terminal device, or by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device functions. In this communication method, the multicast service provided by the first cell can be received in a deactivated state, so that at least one candidate cell can be determined when the first condition is met. The first condition includes that the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device in the first time period is less than a first threshold and the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device in the second time period is greater than a second threshold, the first threshold is greater than the second threshold, the first threshold is used to trigger cell reselection, and the second threshold is used to restore the RRC connection of the terminal device in the first cell. Furthermore, when at least one candidate cell does not provide multicast services, RRC connection recovery is performed in the first cell. When the RRC connection recovery of the first cell fails, a second cell is determined from at least one candidate cell. In this way, the second cell can be accessed to request multicast services from the second cell.

[0015] It can be seen that in the above embodiment, when the terminal device receives the multicast service provided by the first cell in the deactivated state, the signal quality of the first cell may deteriorate, such as when the first condition is met. In this way, the terminal device can determine at least one candidate cell. Since at least one candidate cell does not provide multicast services, the terminal device performs RRC connection recovery in the first cell. Because the RRC connection recovery of the first cell failed, the terminal device can determine a second cell from at least one candidate cell and access the second cell. In this way, the terminal device can request the multicast service from the second cell, so that the terminal device receives the multicast service in the connected state. Therefore, this can ensure the continuous transmission of the multicast service. In addition, the terminal device can record relevant information when reselecting a cell before, such as the relevant information involved in determining at least one candidate cell. This allows the terminal device to perform cell reselection based on at least one candidate cell when the RRC connection recovery of the first cell fails, which improves the efficiency of cell reselection, thereby allowing the terminal device to access the cell more quickly and, in turn, receive the multicast service more quickly.

[0016] In combination with the second aspect, optionally, the method further includes: receiving neighboring cell list information provided by the first cell, the neighboring cells indicated by the neighboring cell list information do not provide multicast services, and the neighboring cells include at least one candidate cell.

[0017] On the third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device, or by a module (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.) applied to the terminal device, or by a logical node, logical module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal device functions. In this communication method, the multicast service provided by the first cell can be received in a deactivated state, so that the RRC connection recovery can be performed in the first cell when the first condition is met. The first condition includes that the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device in a first time period is less than a first threshold. Furthermore, when the RRC connection recovery of the first cell fails, the multicast identification information corresponding to the multicast service is sent.

[0018] It can be seen that in the above implementation mode, when the terminal device receives the multicast service provided by the first cell in the deactivated state, the signal quality of the first cell may deteriorate, such as satisfying the first condition. In this way, the terminal device can perform RRC connection recovery in the first cell. Because the RRC connection recovery of the first cell fails, the terminal device can send the multicast identification information corresponding to the multicast service. In this way, the terminal device can join the multicast session corresponding to the multicast identification information, and then receive the multicast service through the multicast session. Therefore, this can ensure the continuous transmission of the multicast service.

[0019] In combination with the third aspect, optionally, the multicast identification information is used to request to join a multicast session, and the multicast session is used to transmit a multicast service.

[0020] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a unit or module for implementing the method described in any one of aspects 1 to 3. The communication device may be a terminal device, a module of a terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logical node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0021] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute any of the methods described in any of the first to third aspects. The communication device may be a terminal device, or a module of the terminal device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system), or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The at least one processor may execute a computer program or instruction in a memory so that the above method is executed. The memory may be included in the communication device or may be located outside the communication device. In addition, the communication device may further include an interface.

[0022] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed, the computer executes any one of the methods described in any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0023] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: a computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed by a computer, the computer executes any one of the methods described in any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0024] In an eighth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising at least one processor and an interface, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute instructions stored in a memory, and when the instructions are executed, the chip executes any of the methods described in any of the first to third aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG1 is a basic architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG2 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG3 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG4 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "system" and "network" can be used interchangeably. Unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in this application is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" refers to two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be one or more. In addition, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between network elements and identical or similar items with substantially the same functions. Those skilled in the art will understand that terms such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and terms such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit differences.

[0032] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in the embodiments of the present application mean that one or more embodiments of the present application include specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in some other embodiments", "in some other embodiments", etc. that appear in different places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments", unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and their variations all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0033] The following specific implementation methods further describe in detail the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present application. It should be understood that the following are only specific implementation methods of the present application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

[0034] 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.

[0035] It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to long term evolution (LTE) architecture, fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G), wireless local area networks (WLAN) systems, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication systems, LTE-vehicle (LTE-V), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), vehicle networking, machine type communications (MTC), etc. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other future communication systems, such as 6G communication systems, etc. In future communication systems, the functions may remain the same, but the names may change.

[0036] The following describes the infrastructure of the communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application. The communication system provided by the present application may include one or more network devices and one or more terminal devices.

[0037] The following is an exemplary explanation using the system architecture shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a network device 10 and one or more terminal devices (such as the terminal device 20 in Figure 1) that communicate with the network device 10.

[0038] It should be noted that the number of network devices and terminal devices in Figure 1 is only for illustration and should not be considered as a specific limitation of the present application.

[0039] 1. Terminal Equipment

[0040] A terminal device is an entity on the user side that is used to receive signals, or send signals, or both receive and send signals. The terminal device is used to provide one or more of voice services and data connectivity services to the user. The terminal device may be a device that includes wireless transceiver functions and can cooperate with network equipment to provide communication services to the user. Specifically, the terminal device may refer to user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, user device or road side unit (RSU). The terminal device may also be a drone, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a station (ST) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular phone, a smart phone, a cordless phone, a wireless data card, a tablet computer, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device (also referred to as a wearable smart device), a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a transportation security system, or a similar device. The terminal device may also be a terminal in a 5G system or a terminal in a next-generation communication system, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0041] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form factor of the terminal device. The device used to implement the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device; it can also be a device that supports the terminal device to implement the functions, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used in conjunction with the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete components.

[0042] 2. Network Equipment

[0043] A network device is an entity on the network side that is used to send signals, receive signals, or both send and receive signals. A network device can be a device deployed in a radio access network (RAN) to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices.

[0044] In one possible scenario, a network device may be a device with base station functionality, such as an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or non-terrestrial network equipment in an NTN, i.e., equipment that can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or satellite. A network device may be a transmission reception point (TRP), a base station, or various forms of control nodes, such as a network controller or a wireless controller. Specifically, network devices can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small cells) in heterogeneous network (HetNet) scenarios, relay stations, access points (APs), radio network controllers (RNCs), node Bs (NBs), base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), home base stations (e.g., home evolved node Bs, or home node Bs, HNBs), baseband units (BBUs) and remote radio units (RRUs) in distributed base station scenarios, transmission points (TRPs), transmitting points (TPs), mobile switching centers, and the like. They can also be antenna panels for base stations. A control node can connect to multiple base stations and configure resources for multiple terminals covered by these base stations. In systems using different wireless access technologies, the names of devices with base station functionality may vary. For example, it can be a gNB in ​​5G, or a network-side device in a network after 5G, or a network device in a future evolved public land mobile (communication) network (public land mobile network, PLMN) network, or a device that performs base station functions in device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, and vehicle network communication, etc. This application does not limit the specific name of the network device.The network equipment may also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a baseband pool (BBU pool) and RRU under a cloud radio access network (CRAN), etc.

[0045] All or part of the functions of the network device in this application may also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The network device in this application may also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions.

[0046] In another possible scenario, multiple network devices collaborate to assist the terminal device in achieving wireless access, and different network devices respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the network device may include a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU may be set separately, or may be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It is understandable that the network device may be a CU node, a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU may be divided into a network device in the access network RAN, or the CU may be divided into a network device in the core network CN, without limitation here.

[0047] 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. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. 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.

[0048] In the embodiments of the present application, the form of the network device is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the network device can be a network device; it can also be a device that can support the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device.

[0049] In order to facilitate understanding of the contents of this solution, some of the terms involved in the embodiments of this application are explained below to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. This part is only for ease of understanding and cannot be regarded as a specific limitation of this application.

[0050] 1. Idle state

[0051] The idle state can also be called the radio resource control (RRC) idle state. When the terminal device is in the idle state, the terminal device does not retain the RRC context information. The RRC context information is the parameter for establishing communication between the terminal device and the network device. The RRC context information may include security context, capability information of the terminal device, etc. At the same time, the terminal device has not established a connection with the core network device, that is, the core network device is in CN-IDLE (core network idle state). The terminal device has no data to be transmitted and will enter a sleep state, turning off the transceiver unit to reduce power consumption. The terminal device in the idle state only wakes up periodically to receive paging messages.

[0052] 2. Connected

[0053] The connected state can also be called the RRC connected state. When the terminal device is in the connected state, the terminal device has established RRC context information. The parameters required to establish communication between the terminal device and the network device have been acquired by both communicating parties. The network device allocates a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) to the connected terminal device. At the same time, the terminal device also establishes a connection with the core network device, that is, the core network device is in CN_CONNECTED (core network connected state). At this time, if the terminal device is transmitting data, it is in a continuous reception state until the data transmission is completed and enters the waiting state, switching to a connected discontinuous reception (DRX) to save power consumption. If there is subsequent data to be transmitted, the terminal device returns to the continuous reception state again. At this time, since the RRC context information has been established, the switching time required for the UE to leave the connected state DRX and prepare for continuous reception is much shorter than the time to switch from the idle state to the connected state.

[0054] 3. Inactive

[0055] The deactivated state can also be called the RRC deactivated state, the inactivated state or the RRC inactivated state. When the terminal device is in the deactivated state, the RRC context information is retained between the terminal device and the network device. At the same time, the terminal device also establishes a connection with the core network device, that is, the core network device is in the CN_CONNECTED (core network connected state). At this time, the process of switching to the connected state for data reception is relatively fast, and no additional core network signaling overhead is generated. In addition, the terminal device in the deactivated state will also enter the sleep state. Therefore, the deactivated state can meet the needs of reducing connection delay, reducing signaling overhead and power consumption.

[0056] 4. Signal quality

[0057] The signal quality involved in this application is the result of measuring the signal quality or signal energy based on the reference signal, such as one or more of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR).

[0058] Among them, the reference signal may include at least one of the following: a synchronization signal block (SSB), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), etc.

[0059] Generally, the terminal device may receive a resource configuration of a reference signal, etc. Based on the resource configuration of the reference signal, the terminal device may measure a reference signal provided by a certain cell to obtain the signal quality of the cell.

[0060] Among them, the resource configuration of the reference signal may include at least one of the following: the time domain resources of the reference signal (period, offset, occupied length, number of repetitions, repetition interval, used to determine the time domain position and occupied time domain length of the reference signal, etc.), the frequency domain resources of the reference signal (the frequency point resources where the reference signal is located, the number of frequency domain resources used by the reference signal, the subcarrier spacing), the code domain resources (the sequence of the reference signal, the cyclic shift of the reference signal), etc.

[0061] Optionally, the measurement configuration information may be carried in an RRC message, such as an RRC reconfiguration message, a downlink information transfer (DL information transfer) or an RRC setup complete message.

[0062] Optionally, the signal qualities measured by the terminal device for the same cell at different times may be the same or different.

[0063] 5. Multicast service

[0064] A multicast service is a point-to-multipoint service used to simultaneously transmit a certain type of content from a data service source to multiple users within a specific range. By using fewer network resources, services (such as multimedia services, etc.) are provided to a large number of users with the same needs at the same time, thereby reducing the occupation of network resources. Exemplarily, a multicast service can be a video service, such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), or a live broadcast (for example, live sports events, live sales, etc.); or a multicast service can be a real-time traffic status update service, road information update service, or map update service in autonomous driving technology; or a multicast service can be a public safety information release service, such as a real-time release service for early warning information such as earthquakes and tsunamis; or a multicast service can be an IoT device update service, such as a software update service for IoT devices.

[0065] The multicast service may correspond to multicast identification information, which is used to identify a multicast session. The multicast session may be used to transmit the multicast service. The multicast identification information may include, for example, the temporary mobile group identity (TMGI) of the multicast session, the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the multicast session, the session address of the multicast session, or the source specific multicast address (SSM).

[0066] Currently, terminal devices in a deactivated state can receive multicast services. Generally speaking, if the quality of the received multicast service degrades while receiving it, a terminal device in a deactivated state can perform RRC connection recovery in the current cell to request restoration of the terminal device's RRC connection. Alternatively, a terminal device in a deactivated state can perform cell reselection. In this case, ensuring the continuous transmission of multicast services has become an urgent issue to be addressed. Based on this, the present application provides a communication method to address this issue.

[0067] The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present application. Specifically, the terminal device and network device described below may be the terminal device and network device described in Figure 1, respectively. It should be noted that the names of messages between network elements or the names of parameters in messages in the following embodiments are merely examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations, and are not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0068] As shown in FIG2 , a communication method is provided in an embodiment of the present application, which includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0069] 201. The terminal device receives the multicast service provided by the first cell in a deactivated state.

[0070] It should be noted that the cell (such as the first cell, etc.) mentioned in this application can be a cell managed by a network device, a cell under the coverage of a network device, or a cell under the jurisdiction of a network device. In other words, the cell belongs to the network device. The following text uses the example of a cell belonging to a network device for explanation.

[0071] In addition, in this application, "a terminal device receives certain information provided by a certain cell" can be understood as: the terminal device receives information from the network device to which the cell belongs. For example, "a terminal device receives a multicast service provided by a first cell in a deactivated state" can be understood as: the terminal device receives a multicast service from the network device to which the first cell belongs in a deactivated state.

[0072] 202. The terminal device determines, from at least one candidate cell, a second cell providing a multicast service if a first condition is met. The first condition includes that a signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device during a first time period is less than or equal to a first threshold, and that a signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device during a second time period is less than or equal to a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than the second threshold. The first threshold is used to trigger cell reselection, and the second threshold is used to restore the RRC connection of the terminal device in the first cell.

[0073] Optionally, the first cell may be different from the second cell. Optionally, the network device to which the first cell belongs may be the same as or different from the network device to which the second cell belongs.

[0074] Optionally, the method may further include: the terminal device receiving neighbor list information provided by the first cell, where the neighbor list information is used to indicate neighboring cells providing multicast services, which may include a second cell. Step 202 may include: the terminal device determining the second cell from at least one candidate cell based on the neighbor list information. This allows the terminal device to reselect to a second cell providing the same multicast service as the first cell, thereby allowing the terminal device to continue receiving the multicast service provided by the second cell while in a deactivated state, thereby alleviating network congestion and reducing network load.

[0075] The neighboring cells mentioned in this application are neighboring cells of the terminal device, including one or more of the same-frequency cells and different-frequency cells. The same-frequency cell means that the SSB used for measurement has the same center frequency (central frequency) and subcarrier spacing (SCS) as the cell-defining SSB of the serving cell. The different-frequency cell means that the SSB used for measurement has at least one different center frequency and SCS from the cell-defining SSB of the serving cell. The serving cell refers to the cell that provides services for the terminal device. The serving cell here may refer to the first cell.

[0076] It should be noted that the neighbor list information mentioned in this application can be, for example, a bitmap. For example, assuming that the first bit in the bitmap is 0, it indicates that cell 1 does not provide multicast services; the second bit in the bitmap is 1, indicating that cell 2 provides multicast services; the third bit in the bitmap is 0, indicating that cell 3 does not provide multicast services; and the fourth bit in the bitmap is 1, indicating that cell 4 provides multicast services.

[0077] Optionally, the terminal device determines the second cell from at least one candidate cell based on the neighboring cell list information, which may include: the terminal device determines the signal quality of at least one candidate cell; the terminal device determines the second cell based on the signal quality of at least one candidate cell and the neighboring cell list information. For example, the second cell is a cell in at least one candidate cell that provides multicast services and whose signal quality meets the needs of the terminal device. Generally speaking, during the process of cell reselection, the terminal device can sort the signal quality of at least one candidate cell in descending order. The terminal device can first determine whether the candidate cell with the highest signal quality provides multicast services. If the candidate cell provides multicast services, the terminal device can use the candidate cell as the second cell. If the candidate cell does not provide multicast services, it determines whether the next candidate cell provides multicast services, and so on.

[0078] It should be noted that during cell reselection based on the signal quality of at least one candidate cell, the terminal device can determine whether a cell providing multicast services exists based on the neighbor cell list information. If so, the terminal device can determine a second cell providing multicast services based on the signal quality of the at least one candidate cell and the neighbor cell list information. If not, the terminal device can perform RRC connection recovery in the first cell.

[0079] In the present application, the terminal device performs RRC connection recovery in a certain cell (such as the first cell, etc.), which can be understood as: the terminal device sends an RRC connection recovery request to the network device to which the cell belongs, and the RRC connection recovery request is used to request the recovery of the RRC connection of the terminal device in the cell.

[0080] The first time period, the second time period, the first threshold, and the second threshold may be provided by the first cell. For example, one or more of the first time period, the second time period, the first threshold, and the second threshold may be carried in the same message or in different messages, where the message may be an RRC reconfiguration message, a downlink information transmission, an RRC establishment complete message, an RRC release message, or a system message.

[0081] Optionally, the first time period and the second time period may be the same or different. Optionally, the first time period and / or the second time period may also be described as a timer. For example, the first time period may be described as a second timer, and the second time period may be described as a third timer.

[0082] Optionally, the duration of the second timer and the duration of the third timer can be provided by the first cell. For example, one or more of the duration of the second timer, the duration of the third timer, the first threshold value and the second threshold value can be carried in the same message or different messages, where the message can be an RRC reconfiguration message, a downlink information transmission, an RRC establishment completion message, an RRC release message or a system message, etc. Generally speaking, the start time of the second timer and the start time of the third timer can be the time when the terminal device starts to measure the first cell, such as the reception time of the reference signal of the first cell. The reception time of the reference signal of the first cell can be determined based on the time domain resources of the reference signal.

[0083] It should be pointed out that, in the present application, the signal quality of a certain cell measured by a terminal device within a certain time period may be associated with a certain threshold, that is, the signal quality of the cell measured by the terminal device within the time period may be greater than, less than, or equal to a certain threshold. Exemplarily, the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device within a first time period satisfies a first association relationship with the first threshold, that is, the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device within the first time period is less than or equal to the first threshold. Also exemplarily, the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device within a second time period satisfies a second association relationship with the second threshold, that is, the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device within the second time period is less than or equal to the second threshold.

[0084] The correlation between the signal quality of the cell measured by the terminal device within the time period and the threshold value can be understood as one of the following, specifically:

[0085] 1. The signal quality of the cell measured multiple times by the terminal device within the time period is associated with the threshold. Exemplarily, the signal quality of the first cell measured multiple times by the terminal device within the first time period is less than or equal to the first threshold. Furthermore, exemplarily, the signal quality of the first cell measured multiple times by the terminal device within the second time period is less than or equal to the second threshold.

[0086] Optionally, the number of times the terminal device measures the first cell in the first time period and the number of times the terminal device measures the first cell in the second time period may be the same as or different.

[0087] Optionally, the number of times the terminal device measures the first cell in the first time period may be one or more times, and the number of times the terminal device measures the first cell in the second time period may also be one or more times.

[0088] 2. The average value, minimum value, maximum value, or median value of the signal quality of the cell measured multiple times by the terminal device during the time period is associated with the threshold value. Exemplarily, the average value, minimum value, maximum value, or median value of the signal quality of the first cell measured multiple times by the terminal device during the first time period is less than or equal to the first threshold value. Furthermore, exemplarily, the average value, minimum value, maximum value, or median value of the signal quality of the first cell measured multiple times by the terminal device during the second time period is less than or equal to the second threshold value.

[0089] 3. The signal quality of the cell measured for the first or last time by the terminal device within the time period is associated with the threshold. Exemplarily, the signal quality of the first cell measured for the first or last time by the terminal device within the first time period is less than or equal to the first threshold. Furthermore, exemplarily, the signal quality of the first cell measured for the first or last time by the terminal device within the second time period is less than or equal to the second threshold.

[0090] 203. The terminal device starts the first timer based on a third threshold provided by the second cell, where the third threshold is used to restore the RRC connection of the terminal device in the second cell.

[0091] For example, when the terminal device obtains the third threshold value provided by the second cell in the deactivated state, the terminal device starts the first timer. Or, after obtaining the third threshold value provided by the second cell in the deactivated state, the terminal device starts the first timer.

[0092] Optionally, the duration of the first timer may be provided by the second cell, such as being carried in a broadcast multicast control channel (MCCH) message.

[0093] The third threshold and the duration of the first timer may be carried in the same message or in different messages, where the message may refer to an MCCH message.

[0094] 204. The terminal device receives the multicast service provided by the second cell in a deactivated state based on the first timer.

[0095] For example, before the first timer times out, the terminal device receives the multicast service provided by the second cell in the deactivated state. That is to say, even if the signal quality of the second cell measured by the terminal device during the operation of the first timer is less than or equal to the third threshold, the terminal device does not perform RRC connection recovery in the second cell. This is because after the terminal device reselects the second cell, the signal quality of the second cell measured by the terminal device may be low, but it may improve after a period of time. By setting the first timer, it can be ensured that the terminal device continues to receive multicast services in the deactivated state without frequently initiating RRC connection recovery.

[0096] Optionally, after the first timer times out, if the signal quality of the second cell measured by the terminal device within the third time period is less than or equal to the third threshold, the terminal device can perform RRC connection recovery in the second cell. The third time period can also be described as a fourth timer. Optionally, the duration of the fourth timer is provided by the second cell. For example, the duration of the fourth timer and one or more of the third threshold, the duration of the first timer, etc. can be carried in the same message or different messages, and the message here can refer to an MCCH message.

[0097] As can be seen, the above implementation ensures the continuous transmission of multicast services. In addition, the terminal device reselects to a second cell that provides the same multicast service as the first cell, allowing the terminal device to continue receiving the multicast service provided by the second cell in the deactivated state, thereby alleviating network congestion and reducing network load.

[0098] As shown in FIG3 , another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0099] 301. The terminal device receives the multicast service provided by the first cell in a deactivated state.

[0100] For step 301 , please refer to step 201 in FIG. 2 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0101] 302. The terminal device determines at least one candidate cell when a first condition is met. The first condition includes that a signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device during a first time period is less than or equal to a first threshold, and that a signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device during a second time period is greater than or equal to a second threshold, the first threshold being greater than the second threshold, the first threshold being used to trigger cell reselection, and the second threshold being used to restore an RRC connection of the terminal device in the first cell.

[0102] Optionally, the terminal device determining at least one candidate cell may include: the terminal device determining signal qualities of multiple cells; and the terminal device determining the at least one candidate cell based on the signal qualities of the multiple cells. For example, the terminal device may sort the multiple cells in descending order of signal quality and select the top m cells as the at least one candidate cell. The terminal device may further store the signal quality of the at least one candidate cell and the frequency of the at least one candidate cell. m may be an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0103] The description of the first condition in step 302 is similar to the description of the first condition in step 202 in FIG. 2 , and is not repeated here.

[0104] 303. When at least one candidate cell does not provide multicast services, the terminal device performs RRC connection recovery in the first cell.

[0105] Optionally, the terminal device may receive neighboring cell list information provided by the first cell, where the neighboring cell list information indicates that the neighboring cell does not provide multicast services and includes at least one candidate cell; or the neighboring cell list information indicates that the neighboring cell provides multicast services and does not include at least one candidate cell. Therefore, the terminal device may learn that at least one candidate cell does not provide multicast services.

[0106] 304. When the RRC connection recovery of the first cell fails, the terminal device determines a second cell from at least one candidate cell.

[0107] Optionally, the terminal device may start a timer when the RRC connection recovery is performed in the first cell. If the terminal device does not receive an RRC recovery message provided by the first cell before the timer expires, the terminal device may consider that the RRC connection recovery of the first cell has failed. It should be noted that when the RRC connection recovery of the terminal device in the first cell fails, the terminal device may enter an idle state.

[0108] In addition, in step 302, the terminal device saves the signal quality of at least one candidate cell and the frequency of at least one candidate cell. Therefore, in step 304, the terminal device determines the second cell, i.e., the cell with the highest signal quality, based on the signal quality of the at least one candidate cell and the frequency of the at least one candidate cell. If the terminal device does not save the signal quality of the at least one candidate cell and the frequency of the at least one candidate cell in step 302, this means that the terminal device can re-search the frequency band to determine the cell with the highest signal quality and access that cell to request multicast services from it.

[0109] It should be noted that, in the present application, when a terminal device accesses a certain cell, it can be understood that: the terminal device initiates random access to the cell. The specific random access process is not limited here. In addition, in the present application, when a terminal device requests a multicast service from a certain cell, it can be understood that: the terminal device can send an RRC message to the network device to which the cell belongs, and the RRC message is used to request the multicast service. The RRC message can be, for example, an RRC establishment request message or an uplink information transmission (UL information transfer), etc., which is not limited here. In this way, the terminal device can receive the multicast service provided by the cell.

[0110] Optionally, the first cell may be the same as or different from the second cell. Optionally, the network device to which the first cell belongs may be the same as or different from the network device to which the second cell belongs.

[0111] 305. The terminal device accesses the second cell to request a multicast service from the second cell.

[0112] It can be seen that in the above implementation mode, the terminal device can request a multicast service from the second cell, so that the terminal device receives the multicast service in a connected state. Therefore, this can ensure the continuous transmission of the multicast service. In addition, the terminal device can record the relevant information of the previous cell, such as the relevant information involved in determining at least one candidate cell. This allows the terminal device to reselect a cell based on at least one candidate cell when the RRC connection recovery of the first cell fails, which improves the efficiency of cell reselection, so that the terminal device can access the cell faster and thus receive the multicast service faster.

[0113] As shown in FIG4 , another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0114] 401. The terminal device receives the multicast service provided by the first cell in the deactivated state.

[0115] For step 401 , please refer to step 201 in FIG. 2 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0116] 402. The terminal device performs RRC connection recovery in the first cell when a first condition is met. The first condition includes that the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device within a first time period is less than or equal to a first threshold.

[0117] The description of the first condition in step 402 is similar to the description of the first condition in step 202 in FIG. 2 , and is not repeated here.

[0118] 403. When the RRC connection recovery in the first cell fails, the terminal device sends multicast identification information corresponding to the multicast service.

[0119] Among them, the way in which the terminal device learns that the RRC connection recovery of the first cell has failed can be referred to the relevant description of step 304 in Figure 3, and will not be repeated here.

[0120] Optionally, the terminal device sends multicast identification information corresponding to the multicast service, which can be understood as: the access stratum (AS) layer of the terminal device sends the multicast identification information corresponding to the multicast service to the non-access stratum (NAS) of the terminal device. The access stratum of the terminal device refers to the functional layer for communication between the terminal device and the network device. Exemplarily, the access stratum may include at least one of the RRC layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer.

[0121] It is understandable that the multicast identification information can be used to identify a multicast session. Specifically, the terminal device can request to join the multicast session.

[0122] 1. Multicast identification information is used to request to join a multicast session. A multicast session can be used to transmit multicast services. Specifically, in this case, the terminal device's access layer sends the multicast identification information to the terminal device's non-access layer, which in turn notifies the core network to page the terminal device. The specific process is not limited here.

[0123] 2. The terminal device sends indication information, requesting to join the multicast session indicated by the multicast identification information. Optionally, the terminal device sending indication information can be understood as the terminal device's access layer sending indication information to the terminal device's non-access layer. Specifically, in this case, the terminal device's access layer sends the multicast identification information and indication information to the terminal device's non-access layer, causing the terminal device's non-access layer to notify the core network to page the terminal device. The specific process is not limited here.

[0124] It should be pointed out that the above-mentioned method 1 or method 2 is the process of multicast paging by the core network, that is, the core network pages the terminal device group that is interested in the multicast service based on the multicast identification information, and the terminal device group may include the terminal device in step 403. It should be understood that the core network pages the terminal devices in the terminal device group based on the multicast identification information, which causes the network device to think that the paged terminal device is a new terminal device. Therefore, the network device will establish new context information for the paged terminal device, which indicates that the network device has established a connection with the paged terminal device. At the same time, for the terminal device in step 403, the network device can delete the previously established context information, that is, the network device deletes the context information established for the terminal device before the terminal device enters the deactivated state.

[0125] Optionally, the core network can also perform unicast paging. That is to say, based on method 1 or method 2, the access layer of the terminal device can also send the identification information of the terminal device to the non-access layer of the terminal device. In this way, the core network can page the terminal device based on the identification information of the terminal device, and the specific process is not repeated here. Among them, the identification information of the terminal device includes one or more of the following: system architecture evolution, SAE, temporary mobile station identifier, S-TMSI, globally unique temporary identity (GUTI), user permanent identifier (SUPI) or access network temporary identifier (RNTI), etc., which are not limited here.

[0126] As can be seen, in the above embodiment, if the RRC connection recovery of the first cell fails, the terminal device can send the multicast identification information corresponding to the multicast service. This allows the terminal device to join the multicast session corresponding to the multicast identification information and then receive the multicast service through the multicast session. Therefore, this ensures the continuous transmission of the multicast service.

[0127] It is understandable that, in order to realize the above functions, the above-mentioned devices include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0128] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device or network device can be divided into functional modules according to the above-mentioned method examples. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above-mentioned integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used.

[0129] Refer to Figure 5, which is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 500 can be applied to the method shown in any of the embodiments in Figures 2 to 3 above. As shown in Figure 5, the communication device 500 includes: a processing module 501 and a transceiver module 502. The processing module 501 can be one or more processors, and the transceiver module 502 can be a transceiver or a communication interface. The communication device can be used to implement the terminal device or network device involved in any of the above method embodiments, or to implement the functions of the network element involved in any of the above method embodiments. The network element or network function can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualization function instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform). Optionally, the communication device 500 can also include a storage module 503 for storing the program code and data of the communication device 500.

[0130] In one embodiment, when the communication device serves as a terminal device or a chip used in a terminal device, and executes the steps performed by the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments, the transceiver module 502 is used to specifically execute the sending and / or receiving actions performed by the terminal device in any of the embodiments of Figures 2 to 3, such as supporting the terminal device to execute other processes of the technology described herein. The processing module 501 can be used to support the communication device 500 in executing the processing actions in the above-mentioned method embodiments, such as supporting the terminal device to execute other processes of the technology described herein.

[0131] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 502 is used to receive the multicast service provided by the first cell in a deactivated state; the processing module 501 is used to determine the second cell providing the multicast service from at least one candidate cell when a first condition is met; the first condition includes that the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device in a first time period is less than a first threshold and the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device in a second time period is less than a second threshold, the first threshold is greater than the second threshold, the first threshold is used to trigger cell reselection, and the second threshold is used to restore the RRC connection of the terminal device in the first cell; the processing module 501 is used to start a first timer based on a third threshold provided by the second cell, and the third threshold is used to restore the RRC connection of the terminal device in the second cell; the transceiver module 502 is also used to receive the multicast service provided by the second cell in a deactivated state based on the first timer.

[0132] Optionally, the transceiver module 502 is also used to receive neighboring cell list information provided by the first cell, where the neighboring cell list information is used to indicate neighboring cells that provide multicast services, and the neighboring cells include the second cell; when determining the second cell that provides multicast services from at least one candidate cell, the processing module 501 is used to determine the second cell from at least one candidate cell based on the neighboring cell list information.

[0133] Optionally, when the first timer is started based on the third threshold provided by the second cell, the processing module 501 is configured to start the first timer when the third threshold provided by the second cell is acquired in the deactivated state.

[0134] Optionally, when receiving the multicast service provided by the second cell in the deactivated state based on the first timer, the processing module 501 is configured to receive the multicast service provided by the second cell in the deactivated state before the first timer times out.

[0135] As another example, the transceiver module 502 is used to receive the multicast service provided by the first cell in the deactivated state; the processing module 501 is used to determine at least one candidate cell when a first condition is met; the first condition includes that the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device in a first time period is less than a first threshold and the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device in a second time period is greater than a second threshold, the first threshold is greater than the second threshold, the first threshold is used to trigger cell reselection, and the second threshold is used to restore the RRC connection of the terminal device in the first cell; the processing module 501 is also used to perform RRC connection recovery in the first cell when at least one candidate cell does not provide multicast service; the processing module 501 is also used to determine a second cell from at least one candidate cell when the RRC connection recovery of the first cell fails; the transceiver module 502 is also used to access the second cell to request multicast service from the second cell.

[0136] Optionally, the transceiver module 502 is further configured to receive neighboring cell list information provided by the first cell, where the neighboring cells indicated by the neighboring cell list information do not provide multicast services, and the neighboring cells include at least one candidate cell.

[0137] As another example, the transceiver module 502 is used to receive the multicast service provided by the first cell in a deactivated state; the processing module 501 is used to perform RRC connection recovery in the first cell when a first condition is met, and the first condition includes that the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device within a first time period is less than a first threshold; the transceiver module 502 is also used to send multicast identification information corresponding to the multicast service when the RRC connection recovery of the first cell fails.

[0138] In one possible embodiment, when the terminal device or network device is a chip, the transceiver module 502 can be a communication interface, a pin, or a circuit. The communication interface can be used to input data to be processed into the processor and can output the processing results of the processor. In a specific implementation, the communication interface can be a general purpose input and output (GPIO) interface that can be connected to multiple peripheral devices (such as a display (LCD), a camera, a radio frequency (RF) module, an antenna, etc.). The communication interface is connected to the processor via a bus.

[0139] The processing module 501 can be a processor that can execute computer-executable instructions stored in the storage module to cause the chip to perform the method involved in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 2 and 3. Furthermore, the processor can include a controller, an arithmetic unit, and registers. For example, the controller is primarily responsible for decoding instructions and issuing control signals for operations corresponding to the instructions. The arithmetic unit is primarily responsible for performing fixed-point or floating-point arithmetic operations, shift operations, and logical operations, and can also perform address operations and conversions. The registers are primarily responsible for storing register operands and intermediate operation results temporarily stored during instruction execution. In a specific implementation, the processor hardware architecture can be an ASIC architecture, a microprocessor without interlocked piped stages architecture (MIPS) architecture, an advanced RISC machine (ARM) architecture, or a second processor (NP) architecture, etc. The processor can be single-core or multi-core. The storage module can be a storage module within the chip, such as a register or cache. The storage module may also be a storage module located outside the chip, such as a ROM or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, RAM, etc.

[0140] It should be noted that the functions corresponding to the processor and the interface can be implemented through hardware design, software design, or a combination of hardware and software, and there is no limitation here.

[0141] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. It is understandable that the communication device 610 includes necessary means such as modules, units, elements, circuits, or interfaces, which are appropriately configured together to implement this solution. The communication device 610 can be the above-mentioned terminal device or network device, or it can be a component (such as a chip) in these devices to implement the method described in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The communication device 610 includes one or more processors 611. The processor 611 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it can be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a terminal device, network device, or chip, etc.), execute software programs, and process data of software programs.

[0142] Optionally, in one design, the processor 611 may include a program 613 (sometimes also referred to as code or instruction), which may be executed on the processor 611 so that the communication device 610 performs the method described in the above embodiment. In another possible design, the communication device 610 includes a circuit (not shown in FIG6 ), which is used to implement the functions of the terminal device, network device, etc. in the above embodiment. Optionally, the communication device 610 may include one or more memories 612 on which a program 614 (sometimes also referred to as code or instruction) is stored, which may be executed on the processor 611 so that the communication device 610 performs the method described in the above method embodiment.

[0143] Optionally, data may be stored in the processor 611 and / or the memory 612. The processor and the memory may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0144] Optionally, the communication device 610 may further include a transceiver 615 and / or an antenna 616. The processor 611 may also be referred to as a processing unit, and controls the communication device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device). The transceiver 615 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, and is configured to implement the transceiver function of the communication device via the antenna 616.

[0145] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, which includes at least one processor and a memory; wherein the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions; and at least one processor is used to execute the computer programs or instructions in the memory, so that the method described in any one of the embodiments in Figures 2 to 3 is executed.

[0146] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed, the computer executes any method as described in any one of the embodiments in Figures 2 to 3.

[0147] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute any of the methods described in any of the embodiments in Figures 2 to 3.

[0148] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, which includes at least one processor and an interface. The processor is used to read and execute instructions stored in a memory. When the instructions are executed, the chip executes any method as described in any of the embodiments in Figures 2 to 3.

[0149] The units described above as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the objectives of the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the network element units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software network element units.

[0150] If the above-mentioned integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software network element unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the part that essentially contributes to the technical solution of the present application, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, terminal device, cloud server, or network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the above-mentioned methods in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk. The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal device, and the method comprises: receiving a multicast service provided by the first cell in a deactivated state; In the case where a first condition is met, determining a second cell providing the multicast service from at least one candidate cell; the first condition includes that a signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device in a first time period is less than a first threshold and a signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device in a second time period is less than a second threshold, the first threshold is greater than the second threshold, the first threshold is used to trigger cell reselection, and the second threshold is used to restore the radio resource control RRC connection of the terminal device in the first cell; Based on a third threshold provided by the second cell, starting a first timer, the third threshold being used to restore the RRC connection of the terminal device in the second cell; Based on the first timer, the multicast service provided by the second cell is received in a deactivated state.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving neighboring cell list information provided by the first cell, where the neighboring cell list information is used to indicate neighboring cells providing the multicast service, where the neighboring cells include the second cell; The step of determining, from at least one candidate cell, a second cell providing the multicast service comprises: Based on the neighbor cell list information, determine the second cell from at least one candidate cell.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The starting a first timer based on a third threshold provided by the second cell includes: When the third threshold provided by the second cell is obtained in the deactivated state, the first timer is started.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The receiving the multicast service provided by the second cell in a deactivated state based on the first timer includes: Before the first timer times out, the multicast service provided by the second cell is received in a deactivated state.

5. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal device, and the method comprises: receiving a multicast service provided by the first cell in a deactivated state; Determine at least one candidate cell when a first condition is met; the first condition includes that a signal quality of a first cell measured by the terminal device in a first time period is less than a first threshold value and a signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device in a second time period is greater than a second threshold value, the first threshold value is greater than the second threshold value, the first threshold value is used to trigger cell reselection, and the second threshold value is used to restore a radio resource control RRC connection of the terminal device in the first cell; When none of the at least one candidate cell provides the multicast service, performing RRC connection recovery in the first cell; In case that the RRC connection recovery of the first cell fails, determining a second cell from the at least one candidate cell; Access the second cell to request the multicast service from the second cell.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The method further includes: receiving neighboring cell list information provided by the first cell, the neighboring cells indicated by the neighboring cell list information do not provide the multicast service, and the neighboring cells include the at least one candidate cell.

7. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal device, and the method comprises: receiving a multicast service provided by the first cell in a deactivated state; When a first condition is met, performing radio resource control RRC connection recovery in the first cell; the first condition includes that the signal quality of the first cell measured by the terminal device in a first time period is less than a first threshold; In case that the RRC connection recovery of the first cell fails, multicast identification information corresponding to the multicast service is sent.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The multicast identification information is used to request to join a multicast session, and the multicast session is used to transmit the multicast service.

9. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or a module for implementing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, which, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

12. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises: a computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed by a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

13. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes at least one processor and an interface, wherein the processor is used to read and execute instructions stored in a memory, and when the instructions are executed, the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images