Communication method and apparatus, and system

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, and a system. The method comprises: after receiving first information from a first access network node, a terminal can send second information to a second access network node by means of a first resource. The first information comprises first resource information, and the first resource information is used to determine a first resource. A destination receiving device to which the second information is directed can be the first access network node. There is a first connection between the terminal and the first access network node, and there is a second connection between the terminal and the second access network node. By means of the method, the terminal can send the second information to the first access network node by means of the second access network node. In this way, when the quality of uplink communication between the terminal and the second access network node over an air interface is relatively good, but the quality of uplink communication between the terminal and the first access network node over an air interface is relatively poor, the quality of uplink communication between the terminal and the first access network node can be improved, so that uplink coverage of the terminal can be enhanced, thereby improving the user experience.

Description

Communication method, device and system

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on December 29, 2023, with application number 202311870187.6 and application name “A Communication Method, Device and System”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, device, and system. Background Art

[0004] In some scenarios, such as dual connectivity (DC), two access network nodes can simultaneously provide data transmission services to a terminal. Of these two access network nodes, the access network node that carries the control plane connection can be the primary station (also called the primary access network node or primary base station), and the other access network node can be the secondary station (also called the secondary access network node or secondary base station).

[0005] The uplink communication quality between the terminal and the primary station may differ from the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the secondary station. For example, the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the primary station may be good, while the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the secondary station may be poor or even interrupted. Alternatively, the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the secondary station may be good, while the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the primary station may be poor or even interrupted. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, device, and system for improving the uplink communication quality between a terminal and an access network node.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a first device. The first device can be a terminal or a module in the terminal (such as a circuit, a chip, a chip system or a processor), and can also be a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. The following is an illustration taking the first device as a terminal. The method may include: the terminal may receive first information from a first access network node, and the first information may include first resource information for determining a first resource. Exemplarily, the first information may be downlink control information (DCI). The terminal may send second information to the second access network node via the first resource, and the destination receiving device of the second information may be the first access network node. A first connection exists between the terminal and the first access network node, and a second connection exists between the terminal and the second access network node.

[0008] Through this method, the terminal can send the second information to the first access network node via the second access network node. In this way, when the uplink communication quality on the air interface between the terminal and the second access network node is good, and the uplink communication quality on the air interface between the terminal and the first access network node is poor, the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node can be improved, thereby achieving enhanced uplink coverage for the terminal and improving user experience.

[0009] In one possible design, the format of the first information and / or the first indication information in the first information may be used to indicate that the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node. Thus, after receiving the first information, the terminal may determine that the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node, and may communicate with the second access network node using the first resource.

[0010] In one possible design, the first resource information and the second resource information may be used to determine the first resource. The second resource information may be used to indicate a second resource, which may be a downlink resource between the second access network node and the terminal. In this way, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine the first resource based on the first resource information and the second resource information.

[0011] In one possible design, a first value and a first time unit may be used to determine the first resource. The first value may be indicated by the first resource information, and the first time unit may be a time unit in which the second resource is located. In this way, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine the first resource based on the first value and the first time unit.

[0012] In one possible design, the first value and the first time unit may be used to determine the second time unit. The second time unit may be the time unit in which the first resource is located, and the second time unit may be used to determine the first resource. In this way, the terminal may determine the second time unit based on the first value and the first time unit, and may quickly and accurately determine the first resource based on the second time unit.

[0013] In one possible design, the first value may be k, where k is a positive integer; the first time unit may be the nth time unit in the first access network node; and the second time unit may be the mth time unit in the second access network node, where m may be an integer. The mth time unit overlaps with the n+kth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. With this design, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine the mth time unit.

[0014] In one possible design, P time units in the second access network node overlap with the n+kth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, P may be an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the mth time unit belongs to the P time units. In this way, when multiple time units in the second access network node overlap with the n+kth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, the terminal can quickly determine the mth time unit.

[0015] In one possible design, the mth time unit may be one of the following:

[0016] The i-th time unit among P time units, where i can be an integer from 1 to P;

[0017] The time unit with the largest overlap in the time domain with the n+kth time unit among the P time units;

[0018] The time unit with the smallest overlap in the time domain with the n+kth time unit among the P time units;

[0019] The j-th time unit among Q time units among the P time units, where Q may be a positive integer and j may be an integer from 1 to Q, and in any time unit among the Q time units, there is an uplink resource for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node;

[0020] The time unit with the largest overlap in the time domain with the n+kth time unit among the Q time units;

[0021] The time unit with the smallest overlap in the time domain with the n+kth time unit among the Q time units.

[0022] This design provides multiple possible ways to determine the m-th time unit. Through this design, the terminal can flexibly determine the m-th time unit.

[0023] In one possible design, the first value may be k, where k is a positive integer; the first time unit may be the nth time unit in the first access network node; and the second time unit may be the mth time unit in the second access network node, where m may be an integer. The mkth time unit in the second access network node overlaps with the nth time unit in the time domain. In this way, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine the mth time unit.

[0024] In one possible design, R time units in the second access network node overlap with the nth time unit in the time domain, where R may be an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the mkth time unit belongs to the R time units. In this way, when multiple time units in the second access network node overlap with the nth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, the terminal can quickly determine the mth time unit.

[0025] In one possible design, the mkth time unit may be one of the following:

[0026] The a-th time unit among R time units, where a can be an integer from 1 to R;

[0027] The time unit with the largest overlap in the time domain with the nth time unit among the R time units;

[0028] The time unit with the smallest overlap in the time domain with the nth time unit among the R time units.

[0029] This design provides multiple possible ways to determine the mk-th time unit. Through this design, the terminal can flexibly determine the m-th time unit.

[0030] In one possible design, uplink resources may exist in the second time unit. For example, uplink resources of the second access network node may exist in the second time unit. In this way, the terminal may determine the second time unit in which the uplink resources exist based on the first value and the first time unit, thereby improving the effectiveness of determining the first resource based on the second time unit.

[0031] In one possible design, an uplink resource for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node exists in the second time unit. In this way, the terminal can send information to the first access network node through the second access network node using the uplink resource in the second time unit.

[0032] In one possible design, the format of the second information and / or the second indication information in the second information is used to indicate that the destination receiving device of the second information may be the first access network node. Thus, after receiving the second information, the second access network node may determine to forward the second information to the first access network node.

[0033] In one possible design, a terminal may determine a first resource, where the first resource may be determined based on the first resource information and resource configuration information. The resource configuration information may include an uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node. With this design, the terminal may quickly and accurately determine the first resource.

[0034] In one possible design, the terminal may receive third information from the second access network node, where the third information includes resource configuration information. Exemplarily, the third information may be a radio resource control (RRC) message. With this design, the terminal may obtain the resource configuration information in a timely manner.

[0035] On the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a second device. The second device can be a first access network node or a module in the first access network node (such as a circuit, chip, chip system or processor), and can also be a logical node, logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the first access network node. The following is an example of the second device being the first access network node. The method may include: the first access network node may send first information to the terminal, wherein the first information includes first resource information, and the first resource information is used to determine the first resource, and the first resource may be the uplink resource of the second access network node. Then, the first access network node may receive the second information from the terminal through the second access network node.

[0036] Through this method, the terminal can send the second information to the first access network node via the second access network node. In this way, when the uplink communication quality on the air interface between the terminal and the second access network node is good, and the uplink communication quality on the air interface between the terminal and the first access network node is poor, the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node can be improved, thereby achieving enhanced uplink coverage for the terminal and improving user experience.

[0037] In one possible design, a first access network node may receive third indication information from a second access network node. The third indication information may include an uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information indicating that the destination receiving device is the first access network node. The third indication information may also be used to determine the first resource. In this way, the first access network node may schedule resources of the second access network node for the terminal based on the third indication information. For example, the first access network node may determine the first resource based on the third indication information and send first information used to determine the first resource to the terminal.

[0038] In one possible design, a first access network node may receive a secondary station addition request from a second access network node. The secondary station addition request may include third indication information. With this design, the first access network node may proactively send the third indication information to the second access network node, thereby simplifying the process and reducing signaling overhead.

[0039] In one possible design, a first access network node may send a first request to a second access network node, where the first request may be used to request third indication information. With this design, the first access network node may send the third indication information to the second access network node based on the second access network node's request, thereby sharing resources of the first access network node with the second access network node as needed, thereby improving resource utilization.

[0040] In one possible design, the first request includes at least one of the following:

[0041] A time domain range of uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain;

[0042] A frequency domain range of uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain;

[0043] The size of the uplink resource that the first access network node expects to obtain; or

[0044] The carrier spacing of the uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain.

[0045] With this design, the first access network node can send information about the uplink resources that the first access network node desires to the second access network node. Based on the information about the uplink resources that the first access network node desires, the second access network node can then provide an uplink resource configuration for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node. This improves resource utilization efficiency and avoids resource waste.

[0046] In one possible design, the first access network node may receive fourth indication information from the second access network node, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that communication between the first access network node and the terminal includes only downlink communication. Thus, after receiving the fourth indication information, the first access network node does not schedule uplink resources of the first access network node for the terminal, thereby avoiding resource waste.

[0047] In one possible design, the format of the first information and / or the first indication information in the first information may be used to indicate that the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node. Thus, after receiving the first information, the terminal may determine that the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node, and may communicate with the second access network node using the first resource.

[0048] In one possible design, the first resource information and the second resource information may be used to determine the first resource, and the second resource information may be used to indicate the second resource. The second resource may be a downlink resource between the second access network node and the terminal. In this way, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine the first resource based on the first resource information and the second resource information.

[0049] In one possible design, a first value and a first time unit may be used to determine the first resource. The first value may be indicated by the first resource information, and the first time unit may be a time unit in which the second resource is located. In this way, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine the first resource based on the first value and the first time unit.

[0050] In one possible design, the first value and the first time unit may be used to determine the second time unit. The second time unit may be the time unit where the first resource is located, and the second time unit may be used to determine the first resource. In this way, the terminal can determine the second time unit based on the first value and the first time unit, and quickly and accurately determine the first resource based on the second time unit.

[0051] In one possible design, the first value may be k, where k may be a positive integer; the first time unit may be the nth time unit in the first access network node; and the second time unit may be the mth time unit in the second access network node, where m may be an integer. The mth time unit overlaps with the n+kth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. With this design, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine the mth time unit.

[0052] In one possible design, P time units in the second access network node overlap with the n+kth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, where P may be an integer greater than or equal to 2. The mth time unit belongs to the P time units. In this way, when multiple time units in the second access network node overlap with the n+kth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, the terminal can quickly determine the mth time unit.

[0053] In one possible design, the mth time unit may be one of the following:

[0054] The i-th time unit among P time units, where i can be an integer from 1 to P;

[0055] The time unit with the largest overlap in the time domain with the n+kth time unit among the P time units;

[0056] The time unit with the smallest overlap in the time domain with the n+kth time unit among the P time units;

[0057] The j-th time unit among Q time units among the P time units, where Q may be a positive integer and j is an integer between 1 and Q, and in any time unit among the Q time units, there is an uplink resource for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node;

[0058] The time unit with the largest overlap in the time domain with the n+kth time unit among the Q time units;

[0059] The time unit with the smallest overlap in the time domain with the n+kth time unit among the Q time units.

[0060] This design provides multiple possible ways to determine the m-th time unit. Through this design, the terminal can flexibly determine the m-th time unit.

[0061] In one possible design, the first value may be k, where k may be a positive integer; the first time unit may be the nth time unit in the first access network node; and the second time unit may be the mth time unit in the second access network node, where m may be an integer. The mkth time unit in the second access network node overlaps with the nth time unit in the time domain. In this way, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine the mth time unit.

[0062] In one possible design, R time units in the second access network node overlap with the nth time unit in the time domain, where R may be an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the mkth time unit belongs to the R time units. In this way, when multiple time units in the second access network node overlap with the nth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, the terminal can quickly determine the mth time unit.

[0063] In one possible design, the mkth time unit may be one of the following:

[0064] The a-th time unit among R time units, where a can be an integer from 1 to R;

[0065] The time unit with the largest overlap in the time domain with the nth time unit among the R time units;

[0066] The time unit with the smallest overlap in the time domain with the nth time unit among the R time units.

[0067] This design provides multiple possible ways to determine the mk-th time unit. Through this design, the terminal can flexibly determine the m-th time unit.

[0068] In one possible design, uplink resources exist in the second time unit. For example, uplink resources of the second access network node exist in the second time unit. In this way, the terminal can determine the second time unit in which the uplink resources exist based on the first value and the first time unit, thereby improving the effectiveness of determining the first resource based on the second time unit.

[0069] In one possible design, an uplink resource for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node exists in the second time unit. In this way, the terminal can send information to the first access network node through the second access network node using the uplink resource in the second time unit.

[0070] In one possible design, the format of the second information and / or the second indication information in the second information may be used to indicate that the destination receiving device of the second information may be the first access network node. In this way, after receiving the second information, the second access network node may determine to forward the second information to the first access network node.

[0071] In one possible design, a first access network node may receive time information from a second access network node. This time information may be used to determine a third time unit. The third time unit may be a time unit in the first access network node and corresponds to the moment when the second access network node receives the second information. With this design, the first access network node may determine, based on the third time unit, which downlink data the second information is intended for.

[0072] In one possible design, the time information may be used to indicate a fourth time unit or a third time unit. The fourth time unit may be a time unit in the second access network node, corresponding to the moment when the second access network node receives the second information, and may be used to determine the third time unit. With this design, the first access network node can quickly and accurately determine the third time unit based on the time information.

[0073] In one possible design, the system frame number and frame time difference between the first cell in the first access network node and the second cell in the second access network node, as well as the fourth time unit, may be used to determine the third time unit. In this way, the first access network node may quickly and accurately determine the third time unit based on the system frame number, frame time difference, and the fourth time unit.

[0074] In one possible design, the first access network node may obtain the system frame number and the frame time difference. Exemplarily, the first access network node may receive fourth information from the terminal or the second access network node, where the fourth information indicates the system frame number and the frame time difference. In this way, the first access network node can obtain the SFTD in a timely manner.

[0075] On the third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a third device. The third device can be a second access network node or a module in the second access network node (such as a circuit, chip, chip system or processor), and can also be a logical node, logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the second access network node. The method may include: the second access network node can receive the second information sent by the terminal through the first resource, and the first resource can be determined based on the first resource information in the first information from the first access network node. Then, the second access network node can send the second information to the first access network node. The destination receiving device of the second information can be the first access network node, and there is a first connection between the terminal and the first access network node, and a second connection between the terminal and the second access network node.

[0076] In one possible design, the second access network node may send third indication information to the first access network node, and the third indication information may include an uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node.

[0077] In one possible design, the second access network node may send a secondary station adding request to the first access network node, where the secondary station adding request includes third indication information.

[0078] In one possible design, the second access network node may receive a first request from the first access network node, where the first request may be used to request obtaining third indication information.

[0079] In one possible design, the first request may include at least one of the following:

[0080] A time domain range of uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain;

[0081] A frequency domain range of uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain;

[0082] The size of the uplink resource that the first access network node expects to obtain; or

[0083] The carrier spacing of the uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain.

[0084] In one possible design, the second access network node may send fourth indication information to the first access network node, where the fourth indication information may be used to indicate that the communication between the first access network node and the terminal only includes downlink communication.

[0085] In one possible design, the format of the first information and / or the first indication information in the first information may be used to indicate that the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node.

[0086] In one possible design, the first resource information and the second resource information can be used to determine the first resource, and the second resource information can be used to indicate the second resource, which can be a downlink resource between the second access network node and the terminal.

[0087] In one possible design, a first value and a first time unit may be used to determine a first resource, wherein the first value may be indicated by the first resource information, and the first time unit may be a time unit where the second resource is located.

[0088] In one possible design, the first value and the first time unit may be used to determine a second time unit. The second time unit may be a time unit where the first resource is located, and the second time unit may be used to determine the first resource.

[0089] In one possible design, the first value may be k, where k may be a positive integer; the first time unit may be the nth time unit in the first access network node; the second time unit may be the mth time unit in the second access network node, where m may be an integer. The mth time unit overlaps with the n+kth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain.

[0090] In one possible design, P time units in the second access network node overlap with the n+kth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, P can be an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the mth time unit belongs to P time units.

[0091] In one possible design, the mth time unit may be one of the following:

[0092] The i-th time unit among P time units, where i can be an integer from 1 to P;

[0093] The time unit with the largest overlap in the time domain with the n+kth time unit among the P time units;

[0094] The time unit with the smallest overlap in the time domain with the n+kth time unit among the P time units;

[0095] The j-th time unit among Q time units among the P time units, where Q may be a positive integer and j may be an integer from 1 to Q, and in any time unit among the Q time units, there is an uplink resource for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node;

[0096] The time unit with the largest overlap in the time domain with the n+kth time unit among the Q time units;

[0097] The time unit with the smallest overlap in the time domain with the n+kth time unit among the Q time units.

[0098] In one possible design, the first value may be k, where k may be a positive integer; the first time unit may be the nth time unit in the first access network node; the second time unit may be the mth time unit in the second access network node, where m may be an integer. The mkth time unit in the second access network node overlaps with the nth time unit in the time domain.

[0099] In one possible design, R time units in the second access network node overlap with the nth time unit in the time domain, R may be an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the mkth time unit belongs to the R time units.

[0100] In one possible design, the mkth time unit may be one of the following:

[0101] The a-th time unit among R time units, where a is an integer from 1 to R;

[0102] The time unit with the largest overlap in the time domain with the nth time unit among the R time units;

[0103] The time unit with the smallest overlap in the time domain with the nth time unit among the R time units.

[0104] In one possible design, uplink resources may exist in the second time unit.

[0105] In one possible design, in the second time unit, there may be uplink resources for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node.

[0106] In one possible design, the format of the second information and / or the second indication information in the second information may be used to indicate that the destination receiving device of the second information may be the first access network node.

[0107] In one possible design, the second access network node may send time information to the first access network node, where the time information may be used to determine a third time unit, where the third time unit may be a time unit in the first access network node and corresponds to a moment when the second access network node receives the second information.

[0108] In one possible design, the time information is used to indicate a fourth time unit or a third time unit. The fourth time unit may be a time unit in the second access network node, corresponding to a moment when the second access network node receives the second information, and the fourth time unit may be used to determine the third time unit.

[0109] In one possible design, the system frame number and frame time difference between the first cell in the first access network node and the second cell in the second access network node, as well as the fourth time unit, may be used to determine the third time unit.

[0110] In one possible design, the second access network node may send fourth information to the first access network node, where the fourth information may be used to indicate the system frame number and the frame time difference.

[0111] In one possible design, the second access network node may send third information to the terminal, and the third information may include resource configuration information. The resource configuration information may include an uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node. The resource configuration information can be used to determine the first resource.

[0112] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal or a module in a terminal (such as a circuit, chip, chip system or processor), or a logical node, logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. The communication device has the function of implementing the first aspect above. For example, the communication device includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the operation involved in the first aspect above, and the module or unit or means may be implemented by software, or by hardware, or the corresponding software may be implemented by hardware.

[0113] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit. Optionally, the communication device also includes an interface unit. The interface unit can be used to transmit and receive signals to enable communication between the communication device and other devices; the processing unit can be used to perform certain internal operations of the communication device. The functions performed by the processing unit and the interface unit can correspond to the operations described in the first aspect above.

[0114] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor, which can be coupled to a memory. The memory can store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of the first aspect. The processor can execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method of any possible design of the first aspect.

[0115] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and a memory, where the memory may store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of the first aspect. The processor may execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method of any possible design of the first aspect.

[0116] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit and execute the method in any possible design of the first aspect above.

[0117] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be an access network node or a module in an access network node (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, or processor), or a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of an access network node. The communication device has the function of implementing the second aspect above. For example, the communication device includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the operation involved in the second aspect above, and the module or unit or means may be implemented by software, or by hardware, or the corresponding software may be implemented by hardware.

[0118] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit. Optionally, the communication device also includes an interface unit. The interface unit can be used to transmit and receive signals to enable communication between the communication device and other devices; the processing unit can be used to perform certain internal operations of the communication device. The functions performed by the processing unit and the interface unit can correspond to the operations described in the second aspect above.

[0119] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor, which can be coupled to a memory. The memory can store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of the second aspect. The processor can execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method of any possible design of the second aspect.

[0120] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and a memory, and the memory may store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the second aspect. The processor may execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method in any possible design of the second aspect.

[0121] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit and execute the method in any possible design of the second aspect above.

[0122] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be an access network node or a module in an access network node (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, or processor), or a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of an access network node. The communication device has the function of implementing the third aspect above. For example, the communication device includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the operation involved in the third aspect above, and the module or unit or means may be implemented by software, or by hardware, or the corresponding software may be implemented by hardware.

[0123] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit. Optionally, the communication device also includes an interface unit. The interface unit can be used to transmit and receive signals to enable communication between the communication device and other devices; the processing unit can be used to perform certain internal operations of the communication device. The functions performed by the processing unit and the interface unit can correspond to the operations described in the third aspect above.

[0124] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor, which can be coupled to a memory. The memory can store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of the third aspect. The processor can execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method of any possible design of the third aspect.

[0125] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and a memory, where the memory may store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of the third aspect. The processor may execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method of any possible design of the third aspect.

[0126] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit and execute the method in any possible design of the third aspect above.

[0127] It can be understood that in the fourth aspect, fifth aspect or sixth aspect above, the processor can be implemented by hardware or by software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which is implemented by reading the software code stored in the memory. In addition, the above processors can be one or more, and the memories can be one or more. The memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory and the processor can be set separately. In the specific implementation process, the memory can be integrated with the processor on the same chip, or can be set on different chips respectively. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of memory and the setting method of the memory and the processor.

[0128] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which may include at least two of the following: the communication device described in the fourth aspect, the communication device described in the fifth aspect, or the communication device described in the sixth aspect. For example, the communication system includes a terminal and an access network node; wherein the terminal is used to execute the communication method provided in the first aspect, and the access network node is used to execute the communication method provided in the second aspect; or, the terminal is used to execute the communication method provided in the first aspect, and the access network node is used to execute the communication method provided in the third aspect. For another example, the communication system includes a terminal, a first access network node, and a second access network node, wherein the terminal is used to execute the communication method provided in the first aspect, the first access network node is used to execute the communication method provided in the second aspect, and the second access network node is used to execute the communication method provided in the third aspect.

[0129] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the method in any possible design of any aspect from the first to the third aspects mentioned above is implemented.

[0130] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program code. When the computer program code is executed, the method in any possible design of any aspect from the first to the third aspects is implemented.

[0131] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a chip, the chip being configured to read a computer program stored in a memory to execute a method in any possible design of any one of the first to third aspects. For example, the chip may include a processor, the processor being configured to read the computer program stored in the memory to cause the chip to implement the method in any possible design of any one of the first to third aspects.

[0132] Optionally, the chip may include a memory, and the memory may be used to store a computer program. When the computer program is executed, the method in any possible design of any aspect of the first to third aspects above may be implemented.

[0133] The technical effects that can be achieved in any of the third to tenth aspects mentioned above can refer to the description of the technical effects that can be achieved in any possible design in any of the first to second aspects mentioned above, and the repetitions will not be discussed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0134] FIG1 is an architecture diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0135] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a dual connection provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0136] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the coverage of an access network node provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0137] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0138] 5A to 5N are schematic diagrams of several application scenarios provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0139] FIG6 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0140] FIG7 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0141] FIG8 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0142] FIG9 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0143] FIG10 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0144] 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. The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, fourth generation (4G) mobile communication system (such as long term evolution (LTE) system), fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system (such as new radio (NR) system), and future evolved communication systems (such as sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system).

[0145] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features in the context of systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the figures. Furthermore, combinations of these aspects may also be used.

[0146] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, Figure 1 shows a possible, non-limiting system diagram. As shown in Figure 1, a communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system 10 may also include the Internet 300.

[0147] The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 , collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120j in FIG. 1 , collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in FIG. 1 ). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110. The RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network equipment in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 may be separate physical devices, or they may be a single physical device that integrates core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0148] The RAN 100 may be a cellular system related to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolutionary system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). The RAN 100 may also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a WiFi system. The RAN 100 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0149] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as a RAN entity or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and facilitates wireless access for terminals. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 can be relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal 120j accessing the RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functionality, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functionality.

[0150] The RAN node may also be expressed in different ways, such as access network node or access network device. Unless otherwise specified in this application, the access network node is used to express it.

[0151] In one possible scenario, the access network node may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. The access network node may be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1), a relay node or a donor node, or may be a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the access network node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an on-board device, etc. For example, the access network node in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the access network node in this application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The access network node in this application may also be a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the access network node functions.

[0152] In another possible scenario, multiple access network nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different access network nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the access network node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can 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).

[0153] 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 open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU may also be called open DU (open DU, O-DU), CU-CP may also be called open CU-CP (open CU-CP, O-CU-CP), CU-UP may also be called open CU-UP (open CU-UP, O-CU-UP), and RU may also be called open RU (open RU, O-RU). For 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.

[0154] A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. A terminal may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0155] The communication system 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. A person skilled in the art will appreciate 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.

[0156] The following first explains the relevant terms involved in the embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that these explanations are intended to make the embodiments of the present application easier to understand and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed by this application.

[0157] (1) Dual connection:

[0158] In a dual-connection scenario, there is a connection between two access network nodes and the terminal, so that the two access network nodes can provide data transmission services to one terminal at the same time. The two access network nodes can be of the same standard, for example, the two access network nodes can both be LTE base stations, NR base stations or 6G base stations; or, the two access network nodes can be of different standards, for example, the two access network nodes can include LTE base stations and NR base stations, and for another example, the two access network nodes can include NR base stations and 6G base stations. In addition, the two access network nodes can be co-located or not. Of the two access network nodes, the access network node that carries the control plane connection can be the primary station, and the other access network node can be the secondary station.

[0159] Figure 2 illustrates a possible dual-connectivity architecture. The dashed line in Figure 2 represents the control plane connection between the terminal and the network node, while the solid line represents the data link between the terminal and the network node. Therefore, in the scenario shown in Figure 2, access network node 1 is the primary node, and access network node 2 is the secondary node. The data link can be a split bearer, allowing both the primary and secondary nodes' air interfaces to be used for data transmission, thereby increasing data transmission rates.

[0160] (2) Time unit:

[0161] A time unit may be a unit of time domain resources. Exemplarily, a time unit may include at least one of the following: a system frame, a subframe, a time slot, or a symbol. The symbol may be a time domain symbol (e.g., an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol).

[0162] (3) In the present application, two time units overlap in the time domain, which may be that the two time units completely overlap or partially overlap in the time domain.

[0163] (4) In the present application, a time unit in the first access network node may be replaced by the time unit in the first cell corresponding to the first access network node. For example, the nth time unit in the first access network node may be replaced by the nth time unit in the first cell corresponding to the first access network node, where n may be a positive integer. The first cell may be a cell in the first access network node that provides services to the terminal.

[0164] A time unit in the second access network node may be replaced by the time unit in the second cell corresponding to the second access network node. For example, the mth time unit in the second access network node may be replaced by the mth time unit in the second cell corresponding to the second access network node, where m may be a positive integer. The second cell may be a cell in the second access network node that provides services to the terminal.

[0165] (5) In the present application, if the time domain difference between the time slot boundaries of the first cell and the second cell does not exceed the time difference threshold, the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell is synchronized; if the time domain difference between the time slot boundaries of the first cell and the second cell exceeds the time difference threshold, the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell is not synchronized. The time domain difference between the time slot boundaries can be: the time domain difference between the boundaries of the time slots that overlap in the first cell and the second cell. For example, slot 1 in the first cell overlaps with slot 2 in the second cell, and the time domain difference between the time slot boundaries can be the time domain difference between the boundaries of slot 1 in the first cell and the boundaries of slot 2 in the second cell. The time difference threshold is, for example, 33 microseconds.

[0166] (6) In the following text of this application, “sending information to a device (such as a terminal)” can be understood as the destination of the information being the device, and can include sending information to the device directly or indirectly. “Receiving information from a device (such as a terminal)” or “receiving information from a device (such as a terminal)” can be understood as the source of the information being the device, and can include receiving information from the device directly or indirectly. The information may be processed as necessary between the source and destination of the information, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0167] Currently, in some scenarios, such as dual-connectivity scenarios, the uplink communication quality between a terminal and the primary station may differ from the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the secondary station. For example, the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the primary station may be good, while the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the secondary station may be poor or even interrupted. It should be understood that the primary station and the secondary station in this example can be interchangeable.

[0168] The following example illustrates a high-low frequency deployment scenario. In this scenario, terminals communicate with the primary station via low-frequency signals, increasing the coverage of uplink information sent by the terminal to the primary station and improving the quality of uplink communication between the terminal and the primary station. Terminals communicate with secondary stations via high-frequency signals, increasing the transmission rate between the terminal and the secondary station. However, because high-frequency signals have more severe path loss, this reduces the coverage of uplink information sent by the terminal to the secondary station. For example, as shown in Figure 3, terminals in area 1 can receive downlink information sent by the secondary station; the secondary station can receive uplink information sent by single-connected terminals in area 2; and the secondary station can receive uplink information sent by dual-connected terminals in area 3. Area 1 is larger than area 2, and area 2 is larger than area 3. Therefore, when a dual-connected terminal in area 1 but not in area 3 sends uplink information, the secondary station cannot receive it, affecting uplink communication between the terminal and the secondary station.

[0169] How to improve the uplink communication quality between terminals and access network nodes requires further research.

[0170] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. Figure 4 is a flow chart corresponding to the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The present application does not limit the application scenario of the method. For example, the method can be applied to a dual-connection scenario, and can also be applied to other scenarios where the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the access network node needs to be improved. In the method, there is a first connection between the terminal and the first access network node, and a second connection between the terminal and the second access network node. Optionally, one of the first access network node and the second access network node can be a main station, a module in the main station (such as a circuit, a chip, a chip system or a processor), or a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the main station functions, and the other can be an auxiliary station, a module in the auxiliary station (such as a circuit, a chip, a chip system or a processor), or a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the auxiliary station functions. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes:

[0171] S401: A first access network node sends first information to a terminal; correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information from the first access network node.

[0172] In some possible embodiments, the first access network node may be a base station, and the first access network node serving as a base station may send the first information to the terminal.

[0173] In other possible approaches, the first access network node can implement communication functions with the terminal through the first node, or in other words, the first node can implement signal transmission and reception functions; the first access network node can also implement processing functions through the second node. For example, the first node can send first information to the terminal. Optionally, the first information can be jointly determined by the first node and the second node, or received by the first node from the second node. Exemplarily, the first node is an O-DU or DU, and the second node is an O-CU or CU.

[0174] In the embodiments of the present application, the first node and / or the second node may be located in the first access network node or outside the first access network node, without limitation. In addition, the first node and the second node may be the same device or separate independent devices, without limitation.

[0175] The first information may include first resource information, and the first resource information may be used to determine the first resource, which may be the uplink resource of the second access network node. In this way, the first access network node may schedule the uplink resource of the second access network node for the terminal; accordingly, after receiving the first information, the terminal may determine the first resource based on the first resource information, that is, determine the resource of the second access network node that the first access network node may schedule for the terminal. Among them, the first information is, for example, DCI, and the first information may be carried on the downlink physical channel resource of the first access network node (for example, the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) resource). The first resource information is used to determine the specific content of the first resource, which will be described in the following method b1 and method b2 and will not be expanded here.

[0176] In some possible approaches, the first information may be used to indicate that the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node (or, in other words, the first resource may be an uplink resource of the second access network node). Thus, after receiving the first information, the terminal may determine that the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node, and may communicate with the second access network node through the first resource.

[0177] In some examples, the format of the first information can be used to indicate that the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node. For example, when the first information is DCI, and the format of the DCI is format 1, the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node.

[0178] In some other examples, the first indication information in the first information may be used to indicate that the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node. The first indication information may explicitly indicate that the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node. For example, when the value of the first indication information is 1 (e.g., 0 or 1), the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node. Alternatively, the first indication information may implicitly indicate that the first resource is used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node. For example, the first indication information is information that corresponds to the first resource being used for communication between the terminal and the second access network node.

[0179] S402: The terminal sends second information to the second access network node via (or using, according to, or based on) the first resource. In other words, the terminal sends the second information to the second access network node on the first resource. In response, the second access network node receives the second information from the terminal. The destination receiving device of the second information may be the first access network node.

[0180] In some possible embodiments, the second access network node may be a base station, and the terminal may send the second information to the second access network node serving as the base station by using (or using, according to, or based on) the first resource.

[0181] In other possible implementations, the second access network node can communicate with the terminal through a third node, or in other words, the third node can perform signal transceiver functions. The second access network node can also perform processing functions through a fourth node. For example, the third node can receive the second information from the terminal. Optionally, the third node can send the second information to a fourth node, which can then process the second information. For example, the fourth node can determine that the intended recipient of the second information is the first access network node. Exemplarily, the third node is an O-DU or DU, and the fourth node is an O-CU or CU.

[0182] In the embodiment of the present application, the third node and / or the fourth node may be located in the second access network node or outside the second access network node, without limitation. In addition, the third node and the fourth node may be the same device or separate independent devices, without limitation.

[0183] The second information may include data and / or control information. The control information may be physical layer control information. For example, the control information includes hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback information. The HARQ feedback information may be used to indicate whether the terminal successfully received (or decoded) data from the first access network node. For another example, the control information may include channel state information (CSI) measured by the terminal, which may be used to determine the channel state between the terminal and the first access network node.

[0184] After receiving the second information, the second access network node may determine that the destination receiving device of the second information is the first access network node in various ways, or in other words, the second access network node may determine to forward the second information to the first access network node in various ways, such as way a1 or way a2.

[0185] Method a1: The second information may indicate that the intended recipient of the second information is the first access network node; in other words, the second information may instruct the second access network node to forward the second information to the first access network node. Thus, after receiving the second information, the second access network node may determine to forward the second information to the first access network node.

[0186] In some examples, the format of the second information can be used to indicate that the intended recipient of the second information is the first access network node. For example, the second information can be uplink control information (UCI). When the format of the UCI is format 2, the intended recipient of the UCI is the first access network node.

[0187] In other examples, the second indication information in the second information can be used to indicate that the destination receiving device of the second information is the first access network node. The second indication information can explicitly indicate that the destination receiving device of the second information is the first access network node. For example, when the value of the second indication information is 2 (e.g., 0 or 1), the destination receiving device of the second information is the first access network node. Alternatively, the second indication information can implicitly indicate that the destination receiving device of the second information is the first access network node. For example, the second indication information is information that corresponds to the destination receiving device of the second information being the first access network node.

[0188] Through the method a1, the second access network node can quickly and accurately determine that the destination receiving device of the second information is the first access network node based on the second information.

[0189] Mode a2: The first resource is dedicated to transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node. In this way, when the terminal sends second information to the second access network node via the first resource, the second access network node can determine that the destination receiving device of the second information is the first access network node based on the first resource.

[0190] Illustratively, each resource in the first resource set may be a resource of the second access network node, specifically used to transmit information that the intended recipient is the first access network node. The terminal sends the second information to the second access network node via the first resource. If the second access network node determines that the first resource belongs to the first resource set, the second access network node may determine that the intended recipient of the second information is the first access network node.

[0191] Through this method a2, the second access network node can quickly and accurately determine that the destination receiving device of the second information is the first access network node based on the first resource. In this way, the terminal does not need to indicate that the destination receiving device of the second information is the first access network node through additional information, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0192] S403: The second access network node sends second information to the first access network node; correspondingly, the first access network node receives the second information from the first access network node.

[0193] Exemplarily, the second access network node may send the second information to the first access network node via an interface between the second access network node and the first access network node. The transmission delay on the interface between the first access network node and the second access network node may be less than a delay threshold, thereby reducing the transmission delay of the second information. The delay threshold may be pre-set, for example, specified by a protocol, or may be determined by the first access network node, the second access network node, or the core network.

[0194] In some possible embodiments, the first access network node and the second access network node may be base stations, and the second access network node may send the second information to the first access network node through an inter-base station interface.

[0195] In other possible embodiments, the first access network node may implement a communication function with the terminal through a first node (e.g., DU or O-DU) and implement a processing function through a second node (e.g., CU or O-CU). The second access network node may implement a communication function with the terminal through a third node (e.g., DU or O-DU) and implement a processing function through a fourth node (e.g., CU or O-CU). For example, the fourth node may send the second information to the second node.

[0196] Optionally, S402 and S403 may also be replaced by: the terminal sends the second information to the first access network node through the second access network node through (or using or according to or based on) the first resource, or the terminal sends the second information to the first access network node through the second access network node, wherein the resource used to carry the second information between the terminal and the second access network node may be the first resource; accordingly, the first access network node receives the second information from the terminal through the second access network node, or the first access network node receives the second information from the terminal forwarded by the second access network node.

[0197] Through the method shown in Figure 4, the terminal can send the second information to the first access network node through the second access network node. In this way, when the uplink communication quality on the air interface between the terminal and the second access network node is good, and the uplink communication quality on the air interface between the terminal and the first access network node is poor, the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node can be improved, thereby achieving enhanced uplink coverage for the terminal and improving user experience.

[0198] As mentioned above, the first resource information can be used to determine the first resource. There are multiple ways to determine the first resource, for example, way b1 and / or way b2.

[0199] Mode b1: The first resource information and the second resource information may be used to determine the first resource. In this way, the terminal may determine the first resource based on the first resource information and the second resource information.

[0200] The first resource information and the second resource information may be carried in the same message, for example, both the first resource information and the second resource information are included in the first information; or, the first resource information and the second resource information may be carried in different messages.

[0201] The second resource information can be used to indicate (or schedule or determine) a second resource, which can be a downlink resource between the second access network node and the terminal (or, the second resource can be a downlink resource of the second access network node). In this way, the terminal can determine the first resource based on the first resource information and the second resource; or, the first resource information and the second resource can be used to determine the first resource. This application does not limit the manner in which the second resource information indicates the second resource. Optionally, the downlink resource can be used by the second access network node to send downlink data to the terminal.

[0202] In some possible ways, the first resource information may indicate a first value, the time unit where the second resource is located may be the first time unit, and the first value and the first time unit may be used to determine the first resource. In this way, the terminal may determine the first resource based on the first value and the first time unit. The way in which the first resource information indicates the first value may be explicit, for example, the first resource information includes the first value; or the way in which the first resource information indicates the first value may also be implicit, for example, the first resource information includes information that corresponds to the first value. The time unit where the second resource is located may include one or more time units, and the first time unit may be one of the one or more time units, for example, the first time unit is the last one of the one or more time units.

[0203] Exemplarily, the first value and the first time unit may be used to determine the second time unit, and the second time unit may be the time unit in which the first resource is located. Therefore, the second time unit may be used to determine the first resource. In this way, the terminal may determine the second time unit based on the first value and the first time unit, and determine the first resource based on the second time unit.

[0204] In some implementations, uplink resources exist in the second time unit. For example, uplink resources of the second access network node exist in the second time unit. In this way, the terminal can determine the second time unit in which uplink resources exist based on the first value and the first time unit, thereby improving the effectiveness of determining the first resource based on the second time unit. Optionally, uplink resources for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node may exist in the second time unit. In this way, the terminal can send information to the first access network node via the second access network node using the uplink resources in the second time unit.

[0205] There are multiple ways to use the first value and the first time unit to determine the second time unit, for example, method c1 or method c2:

[0206] Method c1: The first value can be k, where k can be a positive integer; the first time unit can be the nth time unit in the first access network node; the second time unit can be the mth time unit in the second access network node, where m can be an integer. The mth time unit overlaps with the n+kth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. In other words, the terminal can first determine the n+kth time unit in the first access network node, and then map the n+kth time unit to the second access network node to obtain the mth time unit in the second access network node. Using this method c1, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine the second time unit.

[0207] In some implementations (hereinafter referred to as implementation a1), in the second access network node, the time unit that overlaps in the time domain with the n+kth time unit in the first access network node is one (hereinafter referred to as time unit a). The mth time unit may be time unit a. Implementation a1 is described below with k being 3, in conjunction with scenarios 1 to 3.

[0208] Scenario 1: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell and the second cell are the same, and the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell are synchronized. The first cell corresponds to the first access network node and can be a cell in the first access network node that provides services to the terminal; the second cell corresponds to the second access network node and can be a cell in the second access network node that provides services to the terminal.

[0209] As shown in Figure 5A, in scenario 1, the nth time unit in the first access network node may be the 3rd time unit in the first access network node, and the n+kth time unit in the first access network node may be the 6th time unit in the first access network node. The 6th time unit in the second access network node overlaps with the 6th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, so the mth time unit may be the 6th time unit in the second access network node.

[0210] Scenario 2: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell is greater than the subcarrier spacing of the second cell (or, the length of the time unit in the first cell is less than the length of the time unit in the second cell), and the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell are synchronized. The specific details of the first cell and the second cell can be referred to the description of the first cell and the second cell in Scenario 1, respectively, and will not be repeated here.

[0211] As shown in Figure 5B, in scenario 2, the nth time unit in the first access network node may be the 5th time unit in the first access network node, and the n+kth time unit in the first access network node may be the 8th time unit in the first access network node. The 4th time unit in the second access network node overlaps with the 8th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, so the mth time unit may be the 4th time unit in the second access network node.

[0212] Scenario 3: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell is greater than the subcarrier spacing of the second cell (or, the length of the time unit in the first cell is less than the length of the time unit in the second cell), and the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell are not synchronized. The specific details of the first cell and the second cell can be referred to the description of the first cell and the second cell in Scenario 1, respectively, and will not be repeated here.

[0213] As shown in Figure 5C, in scenario 3, the nth time unit in the first access network node may be the 4th time unit in the first access network node, and the n+kth time unit in the first access network node may be the 7th time unit in the first access network node. The 4th time unit in the second access network node overlaps with the 7th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, so the mth time unit may be the 4th time unit in the second access network node.

[0214] In some other implementations (hereinafter referred to as implementation a2), P time units in the second access network node overlap with the n+kth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, where P may be an integer greater than or equal to 2. The mth time unit belongs to the P time units. In this way, when multiple time units in the second access network node overlap with the n+kth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, the terminal can quickly determine the mth time unit.

[0215] Exemplarily, the mth time unit may be at least one of the following (1) to (6):

[0216] (1) The i-th time unit among P time units, where i can be an integer from 1 to P. In some examples, the value of i can be pre-set, for example, specified by the protocol, or configured by the network side node (for example, the first access network node or the second access network node) for the terminal. Exemplarily, i can be 1 or P. In other examples, the i-th time unit can be a time unit among the P time units that meets the first set condition. For example, the i-th time unit can be a time unit among the P time units that completely overlaps with the n+k-th time unit. For example, the P time units include time unit 1 to time unit 3, time unit 1 and time unit 3 partially overlap with the n+k-th time unit, and time unit 2 completely overlaps with the n+k-th time unit. The i-th time unit can be time unit 2.

[0217] (2) The time unit with the largest time domain overlap with the n+kth time unit among the P time units. For example, the P time units include time units 1 to 3, and the order of their time domain overlap with the n+kth time unit is, from smallest to largest, time unit 1, time unit 2, and time unit 3. The mth time unit is time unit 3.

[0218] (3) The time unit among the P time units that has the smallest overlap with the n+kth time unit in the time domain. For example, the P time units include time units 1 to 3, and the order of their overlap with the n+kth time unit in the time domain from smallest to largest is: time unit 1, time unit 2, and time unit 3. The mth time unit is time unit 1.

[0219] (4) The jth time unit among the Q time units among the P time units. Q can be a positive integer, j can be an integer from 1 to Q, and there is an uplink resource for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node in any time unit among the Q time units. In some examples, the value of j can be pre-set, for example, specified by the protocol, or configured by the network side node (for example, the first access network node or the second access network node) for the terminal. Exemplarily, j can be 1 or Q. In other examples, the jth time unit can be a time unit among the Q time units that meets the second setting condition. For example, the jth time unit can be a time unit among the Q time units that completely overlaps with the n+kth time unit. For example, the Q time units include time unit 1 to time unit 2, time unit 1 partially overlaps with the n+kth time unit, and time unit 2 completely overlaps with the n+kth time unit. The jth time unit is time unit 2.

[0220] (5) The time unit with the largest time domain overlap with the n+kth time unit among the Q time units. For example, the Q time units include time unit 1 to time unit 2, and the order of their time domain overlap with the n+kth time unit from smallest to largest is: time unit 1 and time unit 2. The mth time unit is time unit 2.

[0221] (6) The time unit with the smallest time domain overlap with the n+kth time unit among the Q time units. For example, the Q time units include time unit 1 to time unit 2, and the order of their time domain overlap with the n+kth time unit from smallest to largest is: time unit 1 and time unit 2. The mth time unit is time unit 1.

[0222] Optionally, if the time unit in (2), (3), (5) or (6) is a plurality of time units, the mth time unit may be one of the plurality of time units. The following is explained using (2) as an example. It should be understood that (3), (5) and (6) may also adopt a typed approach. If the time unit with the largest overlap range in the time domain with the n+kth time unit among the P time units is S time units, and S is an integer greater than or equal to 2, then the mth time unit may be the bth time unit among the S time units, and b may be an integer between 1 and S. In some examples, the value of b may be pre-set, for example, specified by the protocol, or may be configured by the network side node (for example, the first access network node or the second access network node) for the terminal. Exemplarily, b may be 1 or S. In other examples, the bth time unit is the time unit among the S time units that meets the third setting condition. For example, the bth time unit is the time unit among the S time units that completely overlaps with the n+kth time unit. For example, the S time units include time unit 1 to time unit 2, time unit 1 partially overlaps with the n+kth time unit, and time unit 2 completely overlaps with the n+kth time unit. The bth time unit is time unit 2.

[0223] The following describes implementation a2 by taking k as 3 in combination with scenarios 3 to 6.

[0224] Scenario 3: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell is greater than that of the second cell, and the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell are not synchronized. For details, please refer to the description of Scenario 3 above and will not be repeated here.

[0225] As shown in Figure 5D , in scenario 3, the nth time unit in the first access network node can be the 5th time unit in the first access network node, and the n+kth time unit in the first access network node can be the 8th time unit in the first access network node. The 4th to 5th time units in the second access network node overlap with the 8th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. Therefore, the mth time unit can be one of the 4th to 5th time units in the second access network node. For example, the mth time unit is the first time unit among the 4th to 5th time units in the second access network node, i.e., the 4th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, as shown in Figure 5D , the mth time unit is the last time unit among the 4th to 5th time units in the second access network node, i.e., the 5th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, the mth time unit is the time unit among the 4th to 5th time units in the second access network node that has the greatest or least overlap with the 8th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. For another example, the mth time unit is a time unit between the 4th and 5th time units in the second access network node, in which uplink resources (e.g., physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources) exist. For another example, the mth time unit is a time unit between the 4th and 5th time units in the second access network node, in which uplink resources (e.g., PUCCH resources) used to transmit information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node exist.

[0226] Scenario 4: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell and the second cell is the same, but the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell is not synchronized. The specific contents of the first cell and the second cell can be referred to the description of the first cell and the second cell in Scenario 1, respectively, and will not be repeated here.

[0227] As shown in Figure 5E , in scenario 4, the nth time unit in the first access network node may be the 3rd time unit in the first access network node, and the n+kth time unit in the first access network node may be the 6th time unit in the first access network node. The 5th to 6th time units in the second access network node overlap with the 6th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. Therefore, the mth time unit may be one of the 5th to 6th time units in the second access network node. For example, the mth time unit is the first time unit among the 5th to 6th time units in the second access network node, i.e., the 5th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, as shown in Figure 5E , the mth time unit is the last time unit among the 5th to 6th time units in the second access network node, i.e., the 6th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, the mth time unit is the time unit among the 5th to 6th time units in the second access network node that has the greatest or least overlap with the 6th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. For another example, the mth time unit is a time unit in which uplink resources (e.g., PUCCH resources) exist among the 5th to 6th time units in the second access network node. For another example, the mth time unit is a time unit in which uplink resources (e.g., PUCCH resources) exist for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node among the 5th to 6th time units in the second access network node.

[0228] Scenario 5: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell is smaller than the subcarrier spacing of the second cell (or, the length of the time unit in the first cell is longer than the length of the time unit in the second cell), and the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell are synchronized. The specific details of the first cell and the second cell can be referred to the description of the first cell and the second cell in Scenario 1, respectively, and will not be repeated here.

[0229] As shown in Figure 5F, in scenario 5, the nth time unit in the first access network node can be the 3rd time unit in the first access network node, and the n+kth time unit in the first access network node can be the 6th time unit in the first access network node. The 11th to 12th time units in the second access network node overlap with the 6th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. Therefore, the mth time unit can be one of the 11th to 12th time units in the second access network node. For example, the mth time unit is the first time unit between the 11th and 12th time units in the second access network node, that is, the 11th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, as shown in Figure 5F, the mth time unit is the last time unit between the 11th and 12th time units in the second access network node, that is, the 12th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, the mth time unit is the time unit with the largest or smallest overlap in the time domain with the sixth time unit in the first access network node among the 11th to 12th time units in the second access network node. For another example, the mth time unit is the time unit with uplink resources (e.g., PUCCH resources) among the 11th to 12th time units in the second access network node. For another example, the mth time unit is the time unit with uplink resources (e.g., PUCCH resources) for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node among the 11th to 12th time units in the second access network node.

[0230] Scenario 6: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell is smaller than the subcarrier spacing of the second cell (or, the length of the time unit in the first cell is longer than the length of the time unit in the second cell), and the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell are not synchronized. The specific details of the first cell and the second cell can be referred to the description of the first cell and the second cell in Scenario 1, respectively, and will not be repeated here.

[0231] As shown in Figure 5G, in scenario 6, the nth time unit in the first access network node can be the 3rd time unit in the first access network node, and the n+kth time unit in the first access network node can be the 6th time unit in the first access network node. The 10th to 12th time units in the second access network node overlap with the 6th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. Therefore, the mth time unit can be one of the 10th to 12th time units in the second access network node. For example, the mth time unit is the first time unit among the 10th to 12th time units in the second access network node, that is, the 10th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, the mth time unit is the last time unit among the 10th to 12th time units in the second access network node, that is, the 12th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, the mth time unit is the time unit with the largest, smallest, or complete overlap in the time domain with the 6th time unit in the first access network node among the 10th to 12th time units in the second access network node. For example, as shown in FIG5G , the mth time unit is the 11th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, the mth time unit is the time unit with uplink resources (e.g., PUCCH resources) among the 10th to 12th time units in the second access network node. For another example, the mth time unit is the time unit with uplink resources (e.g., PUCCH resources) for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node among the 10th to 12th time units in the second access network node.

[0232] Method c2: The first value can be k, where k can be a positive integer; the first time unit can be the nth time unit in the first access network node; the second time unit can be the mth time unit in the second access network node, where m can be an integer. The mkth time unit in the second access network node overlaps with the nth time unit in the time domain. That is, the terminal can first map the nth time unit in the first access network node to the second access network node, obtain the mkth time unit in the second access network node, and then determine the mth time unit in the second access network node. Using this method c2, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine the second time unit.

[0233] In some implementations (hereinafter referred to as implementation b1), in the second access network node, there is one time unit (hereinafter referred to as time unit b) that overlaps with the nth time unit in the time domain. The mkth time unit may be this time unit b. The following describes implementation b1 by taking k as 3, in conjunction with scenarios 1 to 3.

[0234] Scenario 1: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell and the second cell is the same, and the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell is synchronized. The specific content of Scenario 1 can be referred to the description of Scenario 1 in the above method c1, and will not be repeated here.

[0235] As shown in Figure 5H, in scenario 1, the nth time unit in the first access network node may be the third time unit in the first access network node. The third time unit in the second access network node overlaps with the third time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. Therefore, the mkth time unit in the second access network node may be the third time unit in the second access network node. The mth time unit may be the sixth time unit in the second access network node.

[0236] Scenario 2: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell is greater than that of the second cell, and the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell are synchronized. The details of Scenario 2 can be found in the description of Scenario 2 in Method C1 above and will not be repeated here.

[0237] As shown in FIG5I , in scenario 2, the nth time unit in the first access network node may be the 5th time unit in the first access network node. The 3rd time unit in the second access network node overlaps with the 5th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. Therefore, the mkth time unit in the second access network node may be the 3rd time unit in the second access network node. The mth time unit may be the 6th time unit in the second access network node.

[0238] Scenario 3: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell is greater than that of the second cell, and the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell are not synchronized. The details of Scenario 3 can be found in the description of Scenario 3 in Method C1 above and will not be repeated here.

[0239] As shown in Figure 5J, in scenario 3, the nth time unit in the first access network node may be the 5th time unit in the first access network node. The 3rd time unit in the second access network node overlaps with the 5th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. Therefore, the mkth time unit in the second access network node may be the 3rd time unit in the second access network node. The mth time unit may be the 6th time unit in the second access network node.

[0240] In some other implementations (hereinafter referred to as implementation b2), R time units in the second access network node overlap with the nth time unit in the time domain, where R may be an integer greater than or equal to 2. The mkth time unit belongs to the R time units. In this way, when multiple time units in the second access network node overlap with the nth time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, the terminal can quickly determine the mth time unit.

[0241] Exemplarily, the mkth time unit may be at least one of the following 1) to 3):

[0242] 1) The ath time unit among R time units, where a can be an integer from 1 to R. In some examples, the value of a can be pre-set, for example, specified by the protocol, or configured by the network side node (for example, the first access network node or the second access network node) for the terminal. Exemplarily, a can be 1 or R. In other examples, the ath time unit can be a time unit among the R time units that meets the fourth setting condition. For example, the ath time unit can be a time unit among the R time units that completely overlaps with the nth time unit. For example, the R time units include time unit 4 to time unit 6, time unit 4 and time unit 6 partially overlap with the nth time unit, and time unit 5 completely overlaps with the nth time unit. The ath time unit is time unit 5.

[0243] 2) The time unit among the R time units that has the largest time domain overlap with the nth time unit. For example, the R time units include time units 4 to 6, and the order of their time domain overlap with the nth time unit, from smallest to largest, is: time unit 4, time unit 5, and time unit 6. The mth time unit is time unit 6.

[0244] 3) The time unit among the R time units that has the smallest time domain overlap with the nth time unit. For example, the R time units include time units 4 to 6, and the order of their time domain overlap with the nth time unit, from smallest to largest, is: time unit 4, time unit 5, and time unit 6. The mth time unit is time unit 4.

[0245] Optionally, if the time unit in 2) or 3) is a plurality of time units, the mkth time unit may be one of the plurality of time units. 2) is used as an example below for illustration, and it should be understood that 3) may also be implemented in a typed manner. If the time unit with the largest overlap in the time domain with the nth time unit among the R time units is T time units, and T may be an integer greater than or equal to 2, then the mkth time unit may be the cth time unit among the T time units, and c may be an integer between 1 and T. In some examples, the value of c may be pre-set, for example, as specified by the protocol, or may be configured by the network side node (for example, the first access network node or the second access network node) for the terminal. Exemplarily, c may be 1 or T. In other examples, the cth time unit is the time unit among the T time units that meets the fifth setting condition. For example, the cth time unit is the time unit among the T time units that completely overlaps with the nth time unit. For example, the T time units include time unit 4 to time unit 5, time unit 4 partially overlaps with the nth time unit, and time unit 5 completely overlaps with the nth time unit. The cth time unit is time unit 5.

[0246] The following describes implementation b2 by combining scenarios 3 to 6 and taking k as 3 as an example.

[0247] Scenario 3: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell is greater than that of the second cell, and the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell are not synchronized. The details of Scenario 3 can be found in the description of Scenario 3 in Method C1 above and will not be repeated here.

[0248] As shown in Figure 5K, in scenario 3, the nth time unit in the first access network node can be the 4th time unit in the first access network node. The 2nd to 3rd time units in the second access network node overlap with the 4th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. Therefore, the mkth time unit can be one of the 2nd to 3rd time units in the second access network node. For example, the mkth time unit is the first time unit among the 2nd to 3rd time units in the second access network node, that is, the 2nd time unit in the second access network node. The mth time unit is the 5th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, as shown in Figure 5K, the mkth time unit is the last time unit among the 2nd to 3rd time units in the second access network node, that is, the 3rd time unit in the second access network node. The mth time unit is the 6th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, the mkth time unit is the time unit among the 2nd to 3rd time units in the second access network node, which has the largest or smallest overlap range with the 4th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain.

[0249] Scenario 4: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell and the second cell is the same, and the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell is not synchronized. The details of Scenario 4 can be found in the description of Scenario 4 in Method C1 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0250] As shown in Figure 5L, in scenario 4, the nth time unit in the first access network node can be the third time unit in the first access network node. The second to third time units in the second access network node overlap with the third time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. Therefore, the mkth time unit can be one of the second to third time units in the second access network node. For example, the mkth time unit is the first time unit among the second to third time units in the second access network node, that is, the second time unit in the second access network node. The mth time unit is the fifth time unit in the second access network node. For another example, as shown in Figure 5L, the mkth time unit is the last time unit among the second to third time units in the second access network node, that is, the third time unit in the second access network node. The mth time unit is the sixth time unit in the second access network node. For another example, the mkth time unit is the time unit among the 2nd to 3rd time units in the second access network node, which has the largest or smallest overlap range with the 3rd time unit in the first access network node in the time domain.

[0251] Scenario 5: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell is smaller than that of the second cell, and the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell are synchronized. The details of Scenario 5 can be found in the description of Scenario 5 in Method C1 above and will not be repeated here.

[0252] As shown in Figure 5M, in scenario 5, the nth time unit in the first access network node can be the 3rd time unit in the first access network node. The 5th to 6th time units in the second access network node overlap with the 3rd time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. Therefore, the mkth time unit can be one of the 5th to 6th time units in the second access network node. For example, the mkth time unit is the first time unit among the 5th to 6th time units in the second access network node, that is, the 5th time unit in the second access network node. The mth time unit is the 8th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, as shown in Figure 5M, the mkth time unit is the last time unit among the 5th to 6th time units in the second access network node, that is, the 6th time unit in the second access network node. The mth time unit is the 9th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, the mkth time unit is the time unit among the 5th to 6th time units in the second access network node, which has the largest or smallest overlap range with the 3rd time unit in the first access network node in the time domain.

[0253] Scenario 6: The subcarrier spacing of the first cell is smaller than that of the second cell, and the air interface time of the first cell and the second cell are not synchronized. The details of Scenario 6 can be found in the description of Scenario 6 in Method C1 above and will not be repeated here.

[0254] As shown in Figure 5N, in scenario 6, the nth time unit in the first access network node can be the 3rd time unit in the first access network node. The 5th to 7th time units in the second access network node overlap with the 3rd time unit in the first access network node in the time domain. Therefore, the mkth time unit can be one of the 5th to 7th time units in the second access network node. For example, the mkth time unit is the first time unit among the 5th to 7th time units in the second access network node, that is, the 5th time unit in the second access network node. The mth time unit is the 8th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, the mkth time unit is the last time unit among the 5th to 7th time units in the second access network node, that is, the 7th time unit in the second access network node. The mth time unit is the 10th time unit in the second access network node. For another example, the mkth time unit is the time unit among the 5th to 7th time units in the second access network node that has the largest, smallest, or complete overlap in the time domain with the 3rd time unit in the first access network node. For example, as shown in FIG5N , the mkth time unit is the 5th time unit in the second access network node, and the mth time unit is the 8th time unit in the second access network node.

[0255] Through the method b1, the terminal can quickly and accurately determine the first resource according to the first resource information and the second resource information.

[0256] Method b2: The first resource information and resource configuration information may be used to determine the first resource. In other words, the terminal may determine the first resource, which may be determined based on the first resource information and resource configuration information. The resource configuration information may include an uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information indicating that the destination receiving device is the first access network node.

[0257] Among them, the uplink resource configuration can be used to configure the resources in the second resource set, and each resource in the second resource set can be a resource of the second access network node, which can be used to transmit information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node. Optionally, the uplink resource configuration may include at least one of the following: the time domain position and / or frequency domain position of one or more resources in the second resource set, the period of the resources in the second resource set. The first resource information can be used to schedule the first resource in the second resource set. In this way, the terminal can determine the first resource based on the first resource information and the resource configuration information. For example, the second resource set configured by the uplink resource configuration includes: uplink resources on time unit 1, time unit 5, time unit 9 and time unit 13. If the first resource information indicates time unit 5, the terminal can determine that the first resource can be a resource on time unit 5 in the second resource set.

[0258] Optionally, each resource in the second resource set can be dedicated to transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node. In this case, the second resource set can be the first resource set in method a1 above; or, each resource in the second resource set can be used to transmit information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node, and can also be used to transmit information that the destination receiving device is the second access network node. For example, the second resource set includes all uplink resources of the second access network node.

[0259] Optionally, in mode b2, the terminal may obtain resource configuration information through S404.

[0260] S404: The second access network node sends third information to the terminal; correspondingly, the terminal receives the third information from the second access network node.

[0261] In some possible embodiments, the second access network node may be a base station, and the second access network node serving as a base station may send the third information to the terminal.

[0262] In other possible approaches, the second access network node may implement communication functions with the terminal through a third node (e.g., DU or O-DU) and implement processing functions through a fourth node (e.g., CU or O-CU). For example, the third node may send third information to the terminal. Optionally, the third information may be jointly determined by the third node and the fourth node, or may be received by the third node from the fourth node.

[0263] The third information may include resource configuration information. For example, the master cell group (MCG) configuration and / or the secondary cell group (SCG) configuration in the third information includes resource configuration information.

[0264] Exemplarily, the third information may be an RRC message, for example, an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0265] Optionally, S404 may precede S401.

[0266] Through this step, the terminal can obtain resource configuration information in a timely manner.

[0267] It should be understood that the method b1 and the method b2 can be combined.

[0268] In some examples, method b1 can be used to determine the second time unit in which the first resource is located, that is, the time domain location of the first resource. The second time unit and the uplink resource configuration in method b2 can be used to determine the frequency domain location of the first resource, thereby determining the first resource. For example, through method b1, the terminal can determine that the second time unit is time unit 5. If the first resource set configured in the uplink resource configuration includes: uplink resources on time unit 1, time unit 5, time unit 9, and time unit 13, and the frequency domain location of the uplink resource on time unit 5 is resource element (RE) 2, then the time domain location and frequency domain location of the first resource can be time unit 5 and RE2, respectively.

[0269] In other examples, the uplink resource configuration in mode b2 and mode b1 can be used to determine the second time unit in which the first resource is located, that is, the time domain location of the first resource. The second time unit and the uplink resource configuration in mode b2 can be used to determine the frequency domain location of the first resource, thereby determining the first resource. Optionally, the uplink resource configuration in mode b2 can be used to determine Q time units in mode c1 in mode b1. These Q time units can be used to determine the second time unit in mode b1. The second time unit and the uplink resource configuration in mode b2 can be used to determine the frequency domain location of the first resource, thereby determining the first resource. For example, the second resource set configured in the uplink resource configuration includes uplink resources on time unit 1, time unit 5, time unit 9, and time unit 13. If, in mode c1, the P time units include time units 1 to time unit 3, the Q time units can be time unit 1. Therefore, the second time unit can be time unit 1. If the frequency domain location of the uplink resource on time unit 1 is RE2, the time domain location and frequency domain location of the first resource can be time unit 1 and RE2, respectively.

[0270] In some possible embodiments, the method shown in FIG4 further includes:

[0271] S405: The second access network node sends third indication information to the first access network node; correspondingly, the first access network node receives the third indication information from the second access network node.

[0272] In some possible embodiments, the first access network node and the second access network node may be base stations, and the second access network node may send the third indication information to the first access network node through an inter-base station interface.

[0273] In other possible embodiments, the first access network node may implement a communication function with the terminal through a first node (e.g., DU or O-DU) and implement a processing function through a second node (e.g., CU or O-CU). The second access network node may implement a communication function with the terminal through a third node (e.g., DU or O-DU) and implement a processing function through a fourth node (e.g., CU or O-CU). For example, the fourth node may send third indication information to the second node.

[0274] Among them, the third indication information may include the uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node. The specific content of the uplink resource configuration can refer to the description of the uplink resource configuration in method b2, and will not be repeated here. The third indication information can be used to determine the first resource; in other words, the first access network node can determine the first resource based on the third indication information, so that the first information for determining the first resource can be sent to the terminal. For example, the first resource set configured by the uplink resource configuration includes: uplink resources on time unit 1, time unit 5, time unit 9 and time unit 13. If the first access network node sends downlink data to the terminal on a time unit that overlaps with time unit 2 of the second access network node, the first access network node can determine that the first resource can be a resource on time unit 5 in the first resource set.

[0275] Optionally, the system frame number (SFN) and frame timing difference (SFTD) between the first cell and the second cell, as well as the third indication information, may be used to determine the first resource. Alternatively, the first access network node may determine the first resource based on the SFTD and the third indication information. The specific details of the first cell and the second cell can be found in the description of the first cell and the second cell in method c1, and are not further described here.

[0276] The following first describes SFTD. The SFTD may be used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0277] 1. The difference between the system frame numbers of the first cell and the second cell: For example, if the system frame with the frame number 2 in the first cell overlaps with the system frame with the frame number 1 in the second cell in the time domain, the difference between the system frame numbers of the first cell and the second cell may be 1.

[0278] 2. The difference between the frame boundaries of the first cell and the second cell: The frame boundary can be the starting position of the frame or the ending position of the frame. The following explanation takes the case where the frame boundary is the starting position of the frame as an example. For example, if the system frame with frame number 2 in the first cell overlaps with the system frame with frame number 1 in the second cell in the time domain, and the starting position of the system frame with frame number 2 in the first cell is 1 time slot earlier than the starting position of the system frame with frame number 1 in the second cell, then the difference between the frame boundaries of the first cell and the second cell can be -1 time slot.

[0279] 3. Difference between the time slot boundaries of the first cell and the second cell: The time slot boundary can be the start position of the time slot or the end position of the time slot. The following description uses the time slot boundary at the start position of the time slot as an example. For example, if time slot 1 in the first cell overlaps with time slot 2 in the second cell in the time domain, and the start position of time slot 1 in the first cell is one symbol noisier than the start position of time slot 2 in the second cell, the difference between the time slot boundaries of the first cell and the second cell can be -1 symbol.

[0280] The method for obtaining SFTD will be described in method d1 below and will not be expanded here.

[0281] The following example illustrates how SFTD and third indication information are used to determine the first resource. For example, the first resource set configured in the uplink resource configuration includes uplink resources in the 1st, 5th, 9th, and 13th time slots of the second access network node. SFTD is -1 time slot. The first access network node sends downlink data in the 1st time slot of the first access network node. The 1st time slot of the first access network node overlaps with the 2nd time slot of the second access network node in the time domain. Therefore, the first access network node can determine that the first resource can be the resource in the 5th time slot of the second access network node.

[0282] Through this method, the first access network node and the second access network node can both obtain the uplink resource configuration for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node. The first access network node can schedule the resources configured by the uplink resource configuration for the terminal, and the second access network node can schedule resources other than the resources configured by the uplink resource configuration for the terminal, thereby avoiding scheduling conflicts and improving the success rate of the terminal's feedback of uplink information.

[0283] In some implementations (hereinafter referred to as Implementation 1), the second access network node may proactively send third indication information to the first access network node. For example, the second access network node sends a secondary station addition request to the first access network node; in response, the first access network node receives the secondary station addition request from the second access network node. The secondary station addition request includes the third indication information.

[0284] Optionally, after determining that the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node is less than or equal to a first quality threshold, the second access network node may send third indication information to the first access network node. The first quality threshold may be pre-set, for example, as specified by a protocol; may be determined by the second access network node; or may be notified to the second access network node by another node (for example, the first access network node or the core network).

[0285] The following describes how the second access network node determines that the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node is less than or equal to the first quality threshold. Exemplarily, the second access network node may determine whether the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node is less than or equal to the first quality threshold based on the distance between the terminal and the first access network node, and the power used in the terminal to communicate with the first access network node. The distance between the terminal and the first access network node may be obtained by the second access network node based on a measurement result of the terminal on the first access network node, and the measurement result may be obtained by the second access network node from the terminal. The power used in the terminal to communicate with the first access network node may be obtained by the second access network node from the terminal.

[0286] In some other implementations (hereinafter referred to as implementation 2), the second access network node may send third indication information to the first access network node based on the request of the first access network node. That is, the method shown in FIG4 further includes:

[0287] S406: The first access network node sends a first request to the second access network node; correspondingly, the second access network node receives the first request from the first access network node, wherein the first request is used to request to obtain third indication information.

[0288] In some possible embodiments, the first access network node and the second access network node may be base stations, and the first access network node may send the first request to the second access network node through an inter-base station interface.

[0289] In other possible approaches, the first access network node may implement communication functions with the terminal through a first node (e.g., DU or O-DU) and implement processing functions through a second node (e.g., CU or O-CU). The second access network node may implement communication functions with the terminal through a third node (e.g., DU or O-DU) and implement processing functions through a fourth node (e.g., CU or O-CU). For example, the second node may send a first request to the fourth node.

[0290] In some implementations, after determining that the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node is less than or equal to the first quality threshold, the first access network node may send a first request to the second access network node. The first quality threshold may be pre-set, for example, specified by a protocol; it may also be determined by the first access network node, or it may be notified to the first access network node by other nodes (for example, the second access network node or the core network). The manner in which the first access network node determines that the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node is less than or equal to the first quality threshold can be referred to the description of "the second access network node determines that the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node is less than or equal to the first quality threshold" in S405, and the repeated parts will not be repeated. The measurement results of the terminal on the first access network node, and the power used in the terminal for communicating with the first access network node, may be obtained by the second access network node from the first access network node.

[0291] Optionally, the first request may include information about the uplink resources that the first access network node desires to obtain. Thus, the second access network node may provide an uplink resource configuration for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node based on the information about the uplink resources that the first access network node desires to obtain, thereby improving resource utilization efficiency and avoiding resource waste. Exemplarily, the first request includes at least one of the following 1 to 4:

[0292] 1. Time domain range of uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain: For example, the time domain range of uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain is time unit 1 to time unit 4. The uplink resource configuration included in the third indication information can be used to configure uplink resources in time unit 1 to time unit 4.

[0293] 2. Frequency domain range of uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain: For example, the time domain range of uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain is RE1 to RE8. The uplink resource configuration included in the third indication information can be used to configure uplink resources in RE1 to RE8.

[0294] 3. Size of uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain: For example, the size of uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain includes 1 time unit. The uplink resource configuration included in the third indication information can be used to configure uplink resources of 1 time unit.

[0295] 4. Carrier spacing of uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain: For example, the carrier spacing of uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain is carrier spacing 1. The uplink resource configuration included in the third indication information can be used to configure uplink resources of carrier spacing 1.

[0296] The first request may be a traditional message (eg, a secondary station addition response) or a newly added message.

[0297] Optionally, the method shown in FIG4 further includes:

[0298] S407: The second access network node sends fourth indication information to the first access network node; correspondingly, the first access network node receives the fourth indication information from the second access network node.

[0299] In some possible embodiments, the first access network node and the second access network node may be base stations, and the second access network node may send the fourth indication information to the first access network node through an interface between base stations.

[0300] In other possible embodiments, the first access network node may implement a communication function with the terminal through a first node (e.g., DU or O-DU) and implement a processing function through a second node (e.g., CU or O-CU). The second access network node may implement a communication function with the terminal through a third node (e.g., DU or O-DU) and implement a processing function through a fourth node (e.g., CU or O-CU). For example, the fourth node may send fourth indication information to the second node.

[0301] Among them, the fourth indication information can be used to indicate that the communication between the first access network node and the terminal only includes downlink communication. In other words, the fourth indication information can be used to indicate that the first access network node only provides the downlink SCG for the terminal, and there is no need to provide the uplink SCG for the terminal. In this way, after receiving the fourth indication information, the first access network node will not schedule the uplink resources of the first access network node for the terminal, thereby avoiding resource waste. Among them, the fourth indication information can explicitly indicate that the communication between the first access network node and the terminal only includes downlink communication. For example, when the value of the fourth indication information is 3 (for example, 0 or 1), the communication between the first access network node and the terminal only includes downlink communication; or, the fourth indication information can implicitly indicate that the communication between the first access network node and the terminal only includes downlink communication. For example, the fourth indication information can be information that corresponds to the communication between the first access network node and the terminal only including downlink communication.

[0302] This application does not limit the execution order of S405 and S407. The third indication information and the fourth indication information can be carried in the same message (for example, a secondary station addition request) or in different messages. When the third indication information and the fourth indication information are carried in the same message, S405 and S407 can be combined into one step. Optionally, S405 and / or S407 can precede S401 and / or S404.

[0303] In traditional communication systems, after a terminal sends HARQ feedback information to an access network node, the access network node can determine, based on the resource carrying the HARQ feedback information, which downlink data the HARQ feedback information refers to, and thus decide whether to retransmit the downlink data. Using the method shown in Figure 4, the terminal sends second information to the first access network node via the second access network node. How the first access network node determines which downlink data the second information refers to requires further discussion.

[0304] In some possible embodiments, the method shown in FIG4 further includes:

[0305] S408: The second access network node sends time information to the first access network node; correspondingly, the first access network node receives the time information from the second access network node.

[0306] In some possible embodiments, the first access network node and the second access network node may be base stations, and the second access network node may send time information to the first access network node through an interface between base stations.

[0307] In other possible embodiments, the first access network node may implement a communication function with the terminal through a first node (e.g., DU or O-DU) and implement a processing function through a second node (e.g., CU or O-CU). The second access network node may implement a communication function with the terminal through a third node (e.g., DU or O-DU) and implement a processing function through a fourth node (e.g., CU or O-CU). For example, the fourth node may send time information to the second node. Optionally, the second node may determine a third time unit based on the time information.

[0308] The time information can be used to determine a third time unit. The third time unit can be a time unit in the first access network node and corresponds to the moment (hereinafter referred to as the first moment) at which the second access network node receives the second information (or, in other words, corresponds to the time unit in which the first resource is located). In some examples, the third time unit corresponds to the first moment, which may mean that the third time unit overlaps with the first moment in the time domain. For example, if the first moment overlaps with time unit 7 in the first access network node in the time domain, the third time unit may be time unit 7 in the first access network node. In other examples, the third time unit corresponds to the first moment, which may mean that the third time unit is the sum of the first moment and a first offset value. The first offset value can be a positive number, 0, or a negative number. The first offset value can be pre-set, for example, specified by a protocol, or determined by the first access network node or the second access network node. Through this method, the first access network node can determine, based on the third time unit, which downlink data the second information is for feedback.

[0309] There are many ways to use the time information to determine the third time unit, for example, way d1 or way d2.

[0310] Mode d1: The time information may be used to indicate a fourth time unit. The fourth time unit may be a time unit in the second access network node and corresponds to the first moment (or, in other words, corresponds to the time unit in which the first resource is located). The fourth time unit may be used to determine the third time unit; in other words, the first access network node may determine the third time unit based on the fourth time unit.

[0311] Exemplarily, the time information may be first air interface time information in the second access network node, and the first air interface time information is used to indicate the fourth time unit. For example, the first air interface time information may include at least one of the following: a system frame number, a subframe number, a time slot number, or a symbol position of the fourth time unit.

[0312] There are many ways in which the fourth time unit corresponds to the first moment. In some examples, the fourth time unit corresponds to the first moment, which may mean that the fourth time unit is the time unit where the first resource is located. For example, if the time unit where the first resource is located is time unit 1 in the second access network node, the fourth time unit may be time unit 1 in the second access network node. In other examples, the fourth time unit corresponds to the first moment, which may mean that the fourth time unit is the sum of the time unit where the first resource is located and the second offset value. The second offset value may be a positive number, 0, or a negative number. The second offset value may be pre-set, for example, specified by a protocol; or it may be determined by the first access network node or the second access network node.

[0313] The following describes how the fourth time unit is used to determine the third time unit.

[0314] In some possible approaches, the SFTD between the first cell and the second cell and the fourth time unit can be used to determine the third time unit; in other words, the first access network node can determine the third time unit based on the SFTD and the fourth time unit. For details about the first cell and the second cell, refer to the description of the first cell and the second cell in approach c1, respectively. For details about the SFTD, refer to the description of the SFTD in S405, and are not further described here. For example, if the fourth time unit is the third time slot in the second access network node and the SFTD is 1 time slot, then the third time unit is the fourth time slot in the first access network node.

[0315] Optionally, the fourth time unit, SFTD, and third offset value are used to determine the third time unit. For example, if the fourth time unit is the third time slot in the second access network node, the SFTD is 1 time slot, and the third offset value is 1 time slot, then the third time unit is the fifth time slot in the first access network node. The third offset value can be a positive number, 0, or a negative number. The third offset value can be pre-set, for example, specified by a protocol, or can be determined by the first access network node or the second access network node.

[0316] Through this example, the first access network node can quickly and accurately determine the third time unit according to the SFTD and the fourth time unit.

[0317] Optionally, the first access network node may obtain the SFTD. Exemplarily, the first access network node may receive fourth information from the terminal or the second access network node, where the fourth information indicates the SFTD. The fourth information may explicitly indicate the SFTD, for example, by including the SFTD; or the fourth information may implicitly indicate the SFTD, for example, by corresponding to the SFTD. The fourth information may be carried in a traditional message or a new message. Using this method, the first access network node can promptly obtain the SFTD.

[0318] In addition, when the first access network node receives the fourth information from the second access network node, the fourth information and the second information can be carried in the same message or in different messages. This application does not limit the order in which the fourth information and the second information are sent.

[0319] Optionally, the SFTD may be obtained by terminal measurement. The SFTD measured by the terminal may be indicated by the first access network node or the second access network node. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0320] Through manner d1, the second access network node can send time information indicating the fourth time unit to the first access network node, and the first access network node can quickly and accurately determine the third time unit based on the fourth time unit.

[0321] Mode d2: the time information is used to indicate the third time unit.

[0322] Exemplarily, the time information may be second air interface time information in the first access network node, and the second air interface time information is used to indicate the third time unit. For example, the second air interface time information may include at least one of the following: a system frame number, a subframe number, a time slot number, or a symbol position of the third time unit.

[0323] In some implementations, before sending the time information, the second access network node may determine the third time information based on the fourth time information. Exemplarily, the second access network node may determine the third time unit based on the SFTD between the first cell and the second cell and the fourth time unit. For details, refer to the description of the first access network node determining the third time unit based on the SFTD and the fourth time unit in approach d1. Any repetitions are omitted.

[0324] Optionally, the second access network node may obtain the SFTD. Exemplarily, the second access network node may receive fourth information from the terminal, where the fourth information indicates the SFTD. For the specific content of the fourth information, refer to the description of the fourth information in method d1 and will not be repeated here.

[0325] Using approach d2, the second access network node can send time information indicating the third time unit to the first access network node. This eliminates the need for the first access network node to determine the third time unit through calculation, reducing computational overhead for the first access network node. Furthermore, in this approach, the first access network node does not need to obtain the SFTD, thereby reducing the overhead required to transmit the SFTD.

[0326] In the method shown in FIG4 , S404 to S408 are optional steps.

[0327] An embodiment of the present application provides another communication method. FIG6 is a flow chart corresponding to the communication method. The method is a possible example of the method shown in FIG4. The method is described by taking the first access network node as the auxiliary station and the second access network node as the main station as an example. In this method, the second access network node may actively send a third indication message to the first access network node, and the third indication message may include an uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node. As shown in FIG6, the method includes:

[0328] S601: The second access network node sends a secondary station adding request to the first access network node; correspondingly, the first access network node receives the secondary station adding request from the second access network node. The secondary station adding request is used to request the first access network node to allocate resources to the terminal.

[0329] The secondary station adding request may include third indication information. For the specific content of the third indication information, refer to the description of the third indication information in S405, and for the specific content of S601, refer to implementation 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0330] Optionally, the secondary station addition request further includes fourth indication information, which can be used to indicate that the communication between the first access network node and the terminal only includes downlink communication. The specific content of the fourth indication information can be referred to the description of the fourth indication information in S407 and will not be repeated here.

[0331] S602: The first access network node sends a secondary station adding response to the second access network node; correspondingly, the second access network node receives the secondary station adding response from the first access network node.

[0332] The secondary station addition response may include a resource configuration provided by the first access network node for the terminal, and the resource configuration may include an SCG configuration. In some embodiments, the SCG configuration includes the uplink resource configuration in the third indication information. In other embodiments, the SCG configuration may not include the uplink resource configuration of the first access network node. In still other embodiments, the SCG configuration includes the uplink resource configuration in the third indication information, but does not include the uplink resource configuration of the first access network node.

[0333] S603: The second access network node sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal; correspondingly, the terminal receives the RRC reconfiguration message from the second access network node.

[0334] Optionally, the RRC reconfiguration message includes resource configuration information, which may include uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information indicating that the destination receiving device is the first access network node. For the specific content of the resource configuration information, refer to the description of resource configuration information in approach b2. For the specific content of the resource configuration information included in the RRC reconfiguration message, refer to the description of the third information including resource configuration information in S404, which is not further described here.

[0335] S604: The terminal sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the second access network node; correspondingly, the second access network node receives the RRC reconfiguration complete message from the terminal.

[0336] S601 to S604 are optional steps.

[0337] S605: The first access network node sends DCI to the terminal; accordingly, the terminal receives the DCI from the first access network node. The DCI may include first resource information, which may be used to determine a first resource, which may be an uplink resource of the second access network node.

[0338] The specific content of S605 can be referred to S401, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0339] Optionally, the DCI also includes second resource information, which can be used to indicate a second resource, which can be a downlink resource between the second access network node and the terminal. The specific content of the second resource information can refer to the description of the second resource information in method b1, and will not be repeated here.

[0340] S606: The terminal sends second information to the second access network node through (or using or according to or based on) the first resource, or in other words, the terminal sends second information to the second access network node on the first resource; accordingly, the second access network node receives the second information from the terminal.

[0341] S607: The second access network node sends second information to the first access network node; correspondingly, the first access network node receives the second information from the first access network node.

[0342] The specific contents of S606 to S607 can be referred to S402 to S403 and will not be repeated here.

[0343] Optionally, the second access network node sends time information to the first access network node; correspondingly, the first access network node receives the time information from the second access network node. The details of the second access network node sending time information to the first access network node can be found in S408 and will not be repeated here.

[0344] Through the method shown in Figure 6, the terminal can send the second information to the first access network node through the second access network node. In this way, when the uplink communication quality on the air interface between the terminal and the second access network node is good, and the uplink communication quality on the air interface between the terminal and the first access network node is poor, the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node can be improved, thereby achieving enhanced uplink coverage for the terminal and improving user experience.

[0345] An embodiment of the present application provides another communication method. FIG7 is a flow chart corresponding to the communication method. This method is another possible example of the method shown in FIG4 . The method is described by taking the first access network node as the auxiliary station and the second access network node as the main station as an example. In this method, after receiving the auxiliary station addition request, the first access network node may request the second access network node for third indication information, and the third indication information may include the uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node. As shown in FIG7 , the method includes:

[0346] S701: The second access network node sends a secondary station adding request to the first access network node; correspondingly, the first access network node receives the secondary station adding request from the second access network node. The secondary station adding request is used to request the first access network node to allocate resources to the terminal.

[0347] In this embodiment, the second access network node does not limit the type of resources allocated by the first access network node to the terminal, that is, it does not limit whether the resources allocated by the first access network node to the terminal are uplink resources of the first access network node or downlink resources of the first access network node.

[0348] Optionally, the auxiliary station addition request may include at least one of the following: the measurement result of the terminal on the first access network node, or the terminal capability available to the first access network node. The first access network node may determine the cell in the first access network node serving the terminal based on the measurement result and / or the terminal capability, and determine whether it is necessary to receive information from the terminal through the uplink resources of the second access network (i.e., determine whether it is necessary to request the third indication information). This application does not limit the manner in which the first access network node determines the cell in the first access network node serving the terminal. When it is determined that the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node is less than or equal to the first quality threshold, the first access network node may request the third indication information. For the specific content of determining that the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node is less than or equal to the first quality threshold, please refer to the description of determining that the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node is less than or equal to the first quality threshold in S406, which will not be repeated here.

[0349] S702: The first access network node sends a first request to the second access network node. In response, the second access network node receives the first request from the first access network node. The first request is used to request third indication information. The first request may also be referred to by other names, such as a resource request message.

[0350] The specific content of S702 can be referred to S406 and will not be repeated here.

[0351] S703: The second access network node sends third indication information to the first access network node; correspondingly, the first access network node receives the third indication information from the second access network node.

[0352] For the specific content of the third indication information, reference may be made to the description of the third indication information in S405.

[0353] S704: The first access network node sends a secondary station adding response to the second access network node; correspondingly, the second access network node receives the secondary station adding response from the first access network node.

[0354] S705: The second access network node sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal; correspondingly, the terminal receives the RRC reconfiguration message from the second access network node.

[0355] S706: The terminal sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the second access network node; correspondingly, the second access network node receives the RRC reconfiguration complete message from the terminal.

[0356] S701 to S706 are optional steps.

[0357] S707: The first access network node sends DCI to the terminal; accordingly, the terminal receives the DCI from the first access network node. The DCI may include first resource information, which may be used to determine a first resource, which may be an uplink resource of the second access network node.

[0358] S708: The terminal sends second information to the second access network node through (or using or according to or based on) the first resource, or in other words, the terminal sends second information to the second access network node on the first resource; accordingly, the second access network node receives the second information from the terminal.

[0359] S709: The second access network node sends second information to the first access network node; correspondingly, the first access network node receives the second information from the first access network node.

[0360] The specific contents of S704 to S709 can be referred to S602 to S607 and will not be repeated here.

[0361] Through the method shown in Figure 7, the terminal can send the second information to the first access network node through the second access network node. In this way, when the uplink communication quality on the air interface between the terminal and the second access network node is good, and the uplink communication quality on the air interface between the terminal and the first access network node is poor, the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node can be improved, thereby achieving enhanced uplink coverage of the terminal and improving user experience. In addition, in this method, the second access network node initiates a request for obtaining third indication information based on the terminal's measurement results of the first access network node and / or the terminal capabilities available to the first access network node. The third indication information may include the uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node, so that the second access network node can be used in a timely and effective manner to improve the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node.

[0362] An embodiment of the present application provides another communication method. FIG8 is a flow chart corresponding to the communication method. This method is another possible example of the method shown in FIG4. The method is described by taking the first access network node as the auxiliary station and the second access network node as the main station as an example. In this method, the first access network node can request the second access network node to add a third indication information through the auxiliary station. The third indication information may include the uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node. As shown in FIG8, the method includes:

[0363] S801: The second access network node sends a secondary station adding request to the first access network node; correspondingly, the first access network node receives the secondary station adding request from the second access network node. The secondary station adding request is used to request the first access network node to allocate resources to the terminal.

[0364] The specific content of S801 can be found in S701 and will not be repeated here.

[0365] S802: The first access network node sends a secondary station adding response to the second access network node; correspondingly, the second access network node receives the secondary station adding response from the first access network node, wherein the secondary station adding response is used to request obtaining third indication information.

[0366] The specific content of S802 can be referred to S406, except that the first request is replaced by the auxiliary station adding response, which will not be repeated here.

[0367] S803: The second access network node sends third indication information to the first access network node; correspondingly, the first access network node receives the third indication information from the second access network node.

[0368] For the specific content of the third indication information, reference may be made to the description of the third indication information in S405.

[0369] S804: The second access network node sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal; correspondingly, the terminal receives the RRC reconfiguration message from the second access network node.

[0370] S805: The terminal sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the second access network node; correspondingly, the second access network node receives the RRC reconfiguration complete message from the terminal.

[0371] S801 to S805 are optional steps.

[0372] S806: The first access network node sends DCI to the terminal; accordingly, the terminal receives the DCI from the first access network node. The DCI may include first resource information, which may be used to determine a first resource, which may be an uplink resource of the second access network node.

[0373] S807: The terminal sends the second information to the second access network node through (or using or according to or based on) the first resource, or in other words, the terminal sends the second information to the second access network node on the first resource; accordingly, the second access network node receives the second information from the terminal.

[0374] S808: The second access network node sends second information to the first access network node; correspondingly, the first access network node receives the second information from the first access network node.

[0375] The specific contents of S804 to S808 can be referred to S603 to S607, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0376] In addition, in S804, the MCG configuration in the RRC reconfiguration message may include resource configuration information.

[0377] Optionally, in the method shown in Figure 8, after S802, the second access network node may refuse to send the third indication information to the first access network node, that is, refuse to send information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node through (or using or according to or based on) the uplink resources of the second access network node. In some implementations, the second access network node may send a rejection message to the first access network node, and the rejection message is used to indicate: the second access network node may refuse to send the third indication information to the first access network node, or in other words, the rejection message is used to indicate: refuse to send information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node through (or using or according to or based on) the uplink resources of the second access network node. Then, the first access network node and the second access network node may continue to provide dual connection services for the terminal. In other implementations, the second access network node may initiate a secondary station release process to release the connection between the first access network node and the terminal.

[0378] Through the method shown in Figure 8, the terminal can send the second information to the first access network node through the second access network node. In this way, when the uplink communication quality on the air interface between the terminal and the second access network node is good, and the uplink communication quality on the air interface between the terminal and the first access network node is poor, the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node can be improved, thereby achieving enhanced uplink coverage of the terminal and improving user experience. In addition, in this method, the second access network node initiates a request for obtaining third indication information based on the terminal's measurement results of the first access network node and / or the terminal capabilities available to the first access network node. The third indication information may include the uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node, so that the second access network node can be used in a timely and effective manner to improve the uplink communication quality between the terminal and the first access network node.

[0379] In the method shown in any of Figures 4, 6 to 8, the steps included in the method can be executed in full or in part, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0380] Based on the same technical concept as the above-mentioned method embodiment, the embodiment of the present application provides a corresponding communication device, which can be used to perform the functions of the relevant steps in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The function can be implemented by hardware, can be implemented by software, or can be implemented by hardware executing the corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions. The communication device can be a terminal, or can be a module in a terminal (such as a circuit or a chip), or can be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of a terminal or an access network node; or the communication device can be an access network node or a module in an access network node (such as a circuit or a chip), or can be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of an access network node.

[0381] In one possible implementation, the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG9 , which includes a processing unit 902. Optionally, the communication device further includes an interface unit 901. The functions of each unit in the communication device 900 are described below.

[0382] The interface unit 901 is used to input and / or output information. Input information can be replaced by receiving information, and output information can be replaced by sending information. When outputting information, the interface unit 901 can output information to other devices outside the communication device 900, or it can output information to other units in the communication device 900. In some embodiments, the interface unit 901 can be implemented by at least one of a physical interface, a communication module, a communication interface, and an input / output interface. In other embodiments, the interface unit 901 can be implemented by an interface circuit, for example, a mobile communication module. The mobile communication module may include one or more of at least one antenna, at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LNA), etc.

[0383] The processing unit 902 can be used to support the communication device 900 in performing the processing actions in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The processing unit 902 can be implemented by one or more processors. For example, 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.

[0384] In one embodiment, the communication device 900 is applied to the terminal in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 4. The specific functions of the processing unit 902 in this embodiment are introduced below.

[0385] Processing unit 902 is used to: receive first information from a first access network node through interface unit 901, where the first information includes first resource information, and the first resource information is used to determine a first resource; send second information to a second access network node through the first resource through interface unit 901, where the destination receiving device of the second information can be the first access network node, wherein a first connection exists between the terminal and the first access network node, and a second connection exists between the terminal and the second access network node.

[0386] In some possible embodiments, the processing unit 902 is also used to: determine a first resource, the first resource can be determined based on the first resource information and resource configuration information, the resource configuration information includes the uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node.

[0387] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is further configured to: receive third information from the second access network node through the interface unit 901, where the third information includes resource configuration information.

[0388] In another embodiment, the communication device 900 is applied to the first access network node in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 4. The specific functions of the processing unit 902 in this embodiment are introduced below.

[0389] Processing unit 902 is used to: send first information to the terminal through interface unit 901, the first information includes first resource information, the first resource information is used to determine the first resource, and the first resource can be an uplink resource of the second access network node; receive second information from the terminal through the second access network node through interface unit 901.

[0390] In some possible embodiments, the processing unit 902 is also used to: receive third indication information from the second access network node through the interface unit 901, the third indication information including the uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node, and the third indication information is used to determine the first resource.

[0391] In some examples, the processing unit 902 is specifically configured to: receive a secondary station adding request from the second access network node through the interface unit 901 , where the secondary station adding request includes the third indication information.

[0392] In some other examples, the processing unit 902 is further used to: send a first request to the second access network node through the interface unit 901, where the first request is used to request to obtain third indication information.

[0393] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is further used to: receive fourth indication information from the second access network node through the interface unit 901, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the communication between the first access network node and the terminal only includes downlink communication.

[0394] In some possible embodiments, the processing unit 902 is also used to: receive time information from the second access network node through the interface unit 901, the time information is used to determine a third time unit, the third time unit can be a time unit in the first access network node, and corresponds to the moment when the second access network node receives the second information.

[0395] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is further configured to obtain a system frame number and a frame time difference.

[0396] Exemplarily, the processing unit 902 is specifically configured to: receive fourth information from the terminal or the second access network node through the interface unit 901, where the fourth information is used to indicate a system frame number and a frame time difference.

[0397] In yet another embodiment, the communication device 900 is applied to the second access network node in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 4. The specific functions of the processing unit 902 in this embodiment are introduced below.

[0398] Processing unit 902 is configured to: receive, via interface unit 901, second information sent by a terminal via a first resource, where the first resource may be determined based on first resource information in first information from a first access network node; and send the second information to the first access network node via interface unit 901. The destination receiving device of the second information may be the first access network node, a first connection exists between the terminal and the first access network node, and a second connection exists between the terminal and the second access network node.

[0399] In some possible embodiments, the processing unit 902 is further used to: send third indication information to the first access network node through the interface unit 901, the third indication information including the uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node.

[0400] In some examples, the processing unit 902 is specifically configured to: send a secondary station adding request to the first access network node through the interface unit 901, where the secondary station adding request includes the third indication information.

[0401] In some other examples, the processing unit 902 is further used to: receive a first request from the first access network node through the interface unit 901, where the first request is used to request to obtain third indication information.

[0402] In some possible embodiments, the processing unit 902 is further configured to: send fourth indication information to the first access network node through the interface unit 901, where the fourth indication information is configured to indicate that the communication between the first access network node and the terminal includes only downlink communication.

[0403] In some possible embodiments, the processing unit 902 is also used to: send time information to the first access network node through the interface unit 901, the time information is used to determine a third time unit, the third time unit can be a time unit in the first access network node, and corresponds to the moment when the second access network node receives the second information.

[0404] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is further used to: send fourth information to the first access network node through the interface unit 901, where the fourth information is used to indicate the system frame number and the frame time difference.

[0405] In some implementations, the processing unit 902 is also used to: send third information to the terminal through the interface unit 901, the third information includes resource configuration information, the resource configuration information includes the uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information that the destination receiving device is the first access network node, and the resource configuration information is used to determine the first resource.

[0406] A more detailed description of the processing unit 902 and the interface unit 901 can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in FIG4 , and is not repeated here.

[0407] It should be noted that the division of modules in the above embodiments of the present application is illustrative and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a processing unit, or may exist separately physically, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The above-mentioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0408] If the above-mentioned integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or 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, server, or network device, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0409] In one possible implementation, the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG10 . The communication device 1000 includes a processor 1002. Optionally, the communication device 1000 also includes an interface circuit 1001 and a memory 1003. The interface circuit 1001, the processor 1002, and the memory 1003 are coupled to each other.

[0410] Optionally, the interface circuit 1001, the processor 1002, and the memory 1003 are coupled to each other via a bus 1004. Bus 1004 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. Buses can be classified as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of illustration, FIG10 shows only one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0411] Interface circuit 1001 is used to input and / or output information. Inputting information can be replaced by receiving information, and outputting information can be replaced by sending information. When outputting information, interface circuit 1001 can output information to other devices outside of communication device 1000, or to other units within communication device 1000. Exemplarily, interface circuit 1001 can be implemented via at least one of a physical interface, a communication module, a communication interface, an input / output interface, and a mobile communication module. The mobile communication module may include one or more of at least one antenna, at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, an LNA, and the like.

[0412] Processor 1002 can be used to support communication device 1000 in executing the processing actions in the above-described method embodiments. When communication device 1000 is used to implement the above-described method embodiments, processor 1002 can also be used to implement the functions of processing unit 902. Processor 1002 can be a CPU, other general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0413] In one embodiment, the communication device 1000 is applied to the terminal in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 4. The specific functions of the processor 1002 in this embodiment are introduced below.

[0414] Processor 1002 is used to: receive first information from a first access network node through interface circuit 1001, where the first information includes first resource information, and the first resource information is used to determine a first resource; send second information to a second access network node through the first resource through interface circuit 1001, where the destination receiving device of the second information can be the first access network node, wherein a first connection exists between the terminal and the first access network node, and a second connection exists between the terminal and the second access network node.

[0415] In another embodiment, the communication device 1000 is applied to the first access network node in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 4. The specific functions of the processor 1002 in this embodiment are introduced below.

[0416] Processor 1002 is used to: send first information to the terminal through interface circuit 1001, where the first information includes first resource information, and the first resource information is used to determine a first resource, which may be an uplink resource of a second access network node; and receive second information from the terminal through the second access network node through interface circuit 1001.

[0417] In yet another embodiment, the communication device 1000 is applied to the second access network node in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 4. The specific functions of the processor 1002 in this embodiment are described below.

[0418] Processor 1002 is configured to: receive, via interface circuit 1001, second information sent by a terminal via a first resource, where the first resource may be determined based on first resource information in first information from a first access network node; and send the second information to the first access network node via interface circuit 1001. The destination receiving device for the second information may be the first access network node, a first connection exists between the terminal and the first access network node, and a second connection exists between the terminal and the second access network node.

[0419] The specific functions of the processor 1002 can refer to the description of the communication method provided in the above embodiments and examples of the present application, as well as the specific functional description of the communication device 900 in the embodiment of the present application shown in Figure 9, and will not be repeated here.

[0420] Memory 1003 is used to store program instructions and / or data, etc. Specifically, the program instructions may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. Memory 1003 may include RAM, and may also include non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as at least one disk storage. Processor 1002 executes the program instructions stored in memory 1003, and uses the data stored in memory 1003 to implement the above functions, thereby realizing the communication method provided in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present application. Memory 1003 can be integrated with processor 1002, or it can be a memory outside the communication device.

[0421] It is understood that the memory 1003 in FIG. 10 of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a ROM, a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a RAM, which is used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to comprise, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0422] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product including computer-executable instructions. When the computer program product is run, the method provided in the above embodiments is executed.

[0423] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer executes the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0424] The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0425] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which is used to read a computer program stored in a memory to implement the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0426] Based on the above embodiments, embodiments of the present application provide a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a computer device to implement the functions involved in each device in the above embodiments. In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing the necessary programs and data for the computer device. The chip system can be composed of a chip or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0427] 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.

[0428] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0429] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0430] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0431] In this application, "at least one" can mean one or more, and "more than one" can mean two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0432] It is understood that the various numbers used in the embodiments of this application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily imply a specific order of execution; the order of execution of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

[0433] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a terminal or a chip in the terminal, characterized in that Comprising: Receiving first information from a first access network node, the first information including first resource information for determining a first resource; Sending second information to a second access network node via the first resource, the destination receiving device of the second information being the first access network node, there being a first connection between the terminal and the first access network node and a second connection between the terminal and the second access network node.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The format of the first information and / or the first indication information in the first information is used to indicate that the first resource is for communication between the terminal and the second access network node.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first resource information for determining the first resource includes: The first resource information and second resource information are used to determine the first resource, the second resource information being used to indicate a second resource, the second resource being a downlink resource between the second access network node and the terminal.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The first resource information and second resource information being used to determine the first resource includes: A first value and a first time unit are used to determine the first resource, the first value being indicated by the first resource information and the first time unit being the time unit in which the second resource is located.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first value and the first time unit being used to determine the first resource includes: The first value and the first time unit are used to determine a second time unit, the second time unit being the time unit in which the first resource is located, and the second time unit is used to determine the first resource.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first value and the first time unit being used to determine the second time unit includes: The first value is k, where k is a positive integer; the first time unit is the nth time unit in the first access network node; the second time unit is the mth time unit in the second access network node, where m is an integer, and The mth time unit overlaps with the (n + k)th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The mth time unit overlapping with the (n + k)th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain includes: P time units in the second access network node overlap with the (n + k)th time unit in the first access network node in the time domain, P being an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the mth time unit belongs to the P time units.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The mth time unit belonging to the P time units includes: The mth time unit is one of the following: The ith time unit among the P time units, where i is an integer from 1 to P; The time unit among the P time units that has the largest overlapping range with the (n + k)th time unit in the time domain; The time unit among the P time units that has the smallest overlapping range with the (n + k)th time unit in the time domain; The jth time unit among Q time units among the P time units, where Q is a positive integer and j is an integer from 1 to Q, and on any time unit among the Q time units, there is an uplink resource for transmitting information whose destination receiving device is the first access network node; Among the Q time units, the time unit with the largest overlapping range in the time domain with the (n + k)-th time unit; Among the Q time units, the time unit with the smallest overlapping range in the time domain with the (n + k)-th time unit.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein The first value and the first time unit are used to determine a second time unit, including: The first value is k, where k is a positive integer; the first time unit is the n-th time unit in the first access network node; the second time unit is the m-th time unit in the second access network node, where m is an integer, and The (m - k)-th time unit in the second access network node overlaps with the n-th time unit in the time domain.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The (m - k)-th time unit in the second access network node overlaps with the n-th time unit in the time domain, including: R time units in the second access network node overlap with the n-th time unit in the time domain, where R is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the (m - k)-th time unit belongs to the R time units.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The (m - k)-th time unit belongs to the R time units, including: The (m - k)-th time unit is one of the following: The a-th time unit among the R time units, where a is an integer from 1 to R; The time unit with the largest overlapping range in the time domain among the R time units with the n-th time unit; The time unit with the smallest overlapping range in the time domain among the R time units with the n-th time unit.

12. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 11, characterized in that, On the second time unit, there is uplink resources.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein On the second time unit, there is uplink resources, including: On the second time unit, there is uplink resources for transmitting information whose destination receiving device is the first access network node.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, The format of the second information and / or the second indication information in the second information is used to indicate that the destination receiving device of the second information is the first access network node.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that, Further includes: Determine the first resource, where the first resource is determined according to the first resource information and resource configuration information, and the resource configuration information includes the uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information whose destination receiving device is the first access network node.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein Further includes: Receive third information from the second access network node, where the third information includes the resource configuration information.

17. A communication method, applied to a first access network node or a chip in the first access network node, characterized in that Includes: Send first information to the terminal, where the first information includes first resource information, and the first resource information is used to determine a first resource, and the first resource is the uplink resource of the second access network node; Receive second information from the terminal through the second access network node.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein Further includes: Receive third indication information from the second access network node, where the third indication information includes the uplink resource configuration in the second access network node for transmitting information whose destination receiving device is the first access network node, and the third indication information is used to determine the first resource.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, Receive third indication information from the second access network node, including: Receive a secondary station addition request from the second access network node, where the secondary station addition request includes the third indication information.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein Further includes: Send a first request to the second access network node, where the first request is used to request to obtain the third indication information.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first request includes at least one of the following: The time domain range of the uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain; The frequency domain range of the uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain; The size of the uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain; or The carrier spacing of the uplink resources that the first access network node expects to obtain.

22. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that It further includes: Receive fourth indication information from the second access network node, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the communication between the first access network node and the terminal only includes downlink communication.

23. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 22, characterized in that, The format of the first information and / or the first indication information in the first information are used to indicate that the first resource is used for the communication between the terminal and the second access network node.

24. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 23, characterized in that, The first resource information is used to determine a first resource, including: The first resource information and the second resource information are used to determine the first resource, and the second resource information is used to indicate a second resource, where the second resource is a downlink resource between the second access network node and the terminal.

25. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 24, characterized in that, It further includes: Receive time information from the second access network node, where the time information is used to determine a third time unit, and the third time unit is a time unit in the first access network node and corresponds to the moment when the second access network node receives the second information.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein The time information is used to determine the third time unit, including: The time information is used to indicate a fourth time unit, where the fourth time unit is a time unit in the second access network node and corresponds to the moment when the second access network node receives the second information, and the fourth time unit is used to determine the third time unit; or The time information is used to indicate the third time unit.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein The fourth time unit is used to determine the third time unit, and it further includes: The system frame number and frame time difference between the first cell in the first access network node and the second cell in the second access network node, and the fourth time unit are used to determine the third time unit.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1-16, or includes a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 17-27.

29. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor, and the processor executes instructions to cause the device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-16, or to cause the device to execute the method according to any one of claims 17-27.

30. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program or instruction is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program or instruction is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1-27 is implemented.

31. A chip, characterized in that, The chip is used to read the computer program stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-27.

32. A communication system, characterized in that, It includes one or more of the following: the communication device according to claim 28, or the communication device according to claim 29.

33. A computer program product, characterized in that, It contains computer program code, and when the computer program code is run, the method according to any one of claims 1-27 is implemented.

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