Communication method applied to dual-connectivity (DC) scenario and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method applied to a dual-connectivity (DC) scenario. The method is applied to a first communication apparatus, and the method comprises: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used for activating a function of a first entity in the first communication apparatus, or being used for deactivating the function of the first entity in the first communication apparatus; and on the basis of the first indication information, when the function of the first entity is activated, discarding data of the first entity on the basis of a first timer; or on the basis of the first indication information, when the function of the first entity is deactivated, discarding the data of the first entity on the basis of a second timer. According to the method, in the DC scenario, excessive data packets can be prevented from being discarded, and the service experience is improved.

Description

Communication method and communication device used in dual-connection DC scenario

[0001] 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 202311865569.X, and priority to the Chinese patent application entitled “Communication method and communication device for dual-connection DC scenario”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of wireless communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device for use in a dual-connection DC scenario. Background Art

[0003] In the future, extended reality (XR) will become the primary service carried by communication networks. Not only will XR resolution upgrade from 8K to 16K / 32K and even higher, but augmented reality (AR) scenarios for industry applications will also evolve from single-terminal communication to multi-XR collaborative interaction, with rapid growth expected around 2025. By then, due to the impact of traffic volume and service characteristics, XR services will place higher demands on SLA guarantees for network capacity, latency, bandwidth, and other aspects. At the same time, basic communication services still have considerable room for development. Multi-party video calls and virtual conferences, exemplified by teleworking, will become the norm. In terms of service delivery, the current fixed access, video, and call conferencing model will evolve into mobile access, rich media, and real-time interactive multi-party remote collaboration. For example, employees from home will be able to access the corporate office environment at any time through their virtual avatars and communicate effectively with colleagues. Therefore, the current capabilities of 5G networks are still insufficient, and a new voice network architecture and enhanced interactive communication capabilities are needed to meet the business development needs of evolving from existing communication methods based on clear voice to fully perceptive, interactive, and immersive communication methods, enabling an upgrade in personal consumer experience.

[0004] In a related technical solution, a terminal device connects to a network device that controls the terminal device to discard data based on its own congestion. In a dual-connectivity (DC) scenario, this technical solution can cause the terminal device to discard too many data packets, thus affecting the service experience.

[0005] Therefore, how to prevent terminal devices from discarding too many data packets in DC scenarios has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method for use in a dual-connection DC scenario. In the DC scenario, this method can avoid discarding excessive data packets and improve the service experience.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method for use in a dual-connectivity (DC) scenario is provided. The method can be performed by a first communication device, or can also be performed by a component (such as a chip or circuit) of the first communication device, which is not limited in this application. Specifically, the first communication device is a terminal device in a dual-connectivity (DC) scenario.

[0008] The method includes: receiving first indication information, which is used to activate the function of the first entity in the first communication device, or to deactivate the function of the first entity in the first communication device; according to the first indication information, when the function of the first entity is activated, discarding the data of the first entity according to a first timer; or according to the first indication information, when the function of the first entity is deactivated, discarding the data of the first entity according to a second timer.

[0009] The first entity is different from the second entity. The second entity is used to manage or maintain the first timer and the second timer. The first timer is different from the second timer.

[0010] The function of the first entity may refer to a data discard function of the first entity. As an example, the function may refer to data discard based on the importance of a protocol data unit set (PSI). PSI-based discard refers to a terminal device discarding data based on the importance of the data. For video services, the importance of I frames is greater than that of P frames.

[0011] In the above technical solution, in the DC scenario, when only one network device is congested, the first communication device only needs to control the data discarding to the network device, and other network devices are not affected. In this way, the first communication device can be prevented from discarding too much data and the service experience can be improved.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information also includes identification information of a first wireless bearer RB, the first RB corresponds to the first entity, the first RB corresponds to the second entity, and the first RB is any one of the following: a separated RB, a repeated RB, or a dual activation protocol stack DAPS RB.

[0013] The first RB is a logical channel for transmitting service data. For split RBs, different data is transmitted between the first communication device and different network devices, and this data is protected by the same key. For duplicate RBs, the same data is transmitted between the first communication device and different network devices, and this data is protected by the same key. For DAPS RBs, different data is transmitted between the first communication device and different network devices, and this data is protected by different keys.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, when the function of the first entity is activated, the function of the third entity is in a deactivated state, and the third entity is used to discard the data in the third entity according to the second timer, and the third entity and the first entity correspond to different network devices in the DC scenario.

[0015] The first RB corresponds to the third entity and the second entity, that is, the first RB corresponds to the third entity, and the first RB corresponds to the second entity.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first entity is an RLC entity corresponding to the master node MN, and the third entity is an RLC entity corresponding to the secondary node SN; or the first entity is an RLC entity corresponding to the SN, and the third entity is an RLC entity corresponding to the MN.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving configuration information, the configuration information being used to configure the function in the DC scenario, the configuration information including the duration of the first timer and the duration of the second timer.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the configuration information also includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate the function in the DC scenario.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, first indication information is received from the MN, and the first indication information is used to activate the above-mentioned function of the first entity in the first communication device; it also includes receiving third indication information from the SN, and the third indication information is used to activate the function of the third entity in the first communication device; and discarding the data of the first entity, and / or the data of the second entity, and / or the data in the third entity according to the first timer.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method also includes: sending a first report, the first report being used to indicate the serial number SN of the data discarded by the first communication device, the discarded data including at least one of the following data: data discarded by the first entity, data discarded by the second entity, or data discarded by a third entity.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information is further used to indicate the first entity.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, when the first timer times out, data of the first entity is discarded.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, when the second timer times out, the data of the first entity is discarded.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first timer and the second timer correspond to a first RB.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the duration of the first timer is less than the duration of the second timer.

[0026] On the second aspect, a communication method for use in a dual-connection DC scenario is provided. The method can be executed by a second communication device, or it can also be executed by a component of the second communication device (such as a chip or circuit). This application does not limit this.

[0027] For example, the second communication device is a network device in a dual-connectivity (DC) scenario. In one example, the second communication device is a MN in a DC scenario. In another example, the second communication device is a SN in a DC scenario.

[0028] The method includes: determining first indication information; sending the first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to activate the function of a first entity in a first communication device, or to deactivate the function of the first entity, the first communication device is a terminal device under the DC scenario, and when the function of the first entity is activated, the first entity is used to discard the data of the first entity according to a first timer, and when the function of the first entity is deactivated, the first entity is used to discard the data of the first entity according to a second timer, the first entity is different from the second entity in the first communication device, and the second entity is used to manage the first timer and the second timer.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information also includes identification information of a first wireless bearer RB, the first RB corresponds to the first entity, the first RB corresponds to the second entity, and the first RB is any one of the following: a separated RB, a repeated RB, or a dual activation protocol stack DAPS RB.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes: sending configuration information, which is used to configure the function of the first communication device in the DC scenario, and the configuration information includes the duration of the first timer and the duration of the second timer, and the first timer and the second timer correspond to the first RB.

[0031] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the configuration information also includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate the function of the first communication device in the DC scenario.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes: receiving a first report, the first report being used to indicate a serial number SN of data discarded by the first communication device, the discarded data including at least one of the following data: data discarded by the first entity, data discarded by the second entity, or data discarded by a third entity.

[0033] The third entity and the first entity correspond to different network devices in the DC scenario.

[0034] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending a second report, where the second report is used to indicate that the discarded data is successfully received.

[0035] It should be understood that the second report includes a false ACK indication. In this case, based on the second report, the third communication device skips the SN of the data discarded by the first communication device at the bottom of its receive SN window. Otherwise, without the second report, the bottom of the receive SN window on the third communication device would remain at the SN of the data discarded by the first communication device, resulting in the third communication device being unable to receive subsequent data, thereby affecting the service experience.

[0036] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the network state is a congested state, and the first indication information is used to activate the function of the first entity in the first communication device.

[0037] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the network state is a non-congested state, and the first indication information is used to deactivate the function of the first entity in the first communication device.

[0038] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the duration of the first timer is smaller than the duration of the second timer.

[0039] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information is further used to indicate the first entity.

[0040] The technical effects of the method shown in the above second aspect and its possible design can refer to the technical effects in the first aspect and its possible design.

[0041] On the third aspect, a communication method for use in a dual-connection DC scenario is provided. The method can be executed by a first communication device, or it can also be executed by a component of the first communication device (such as a chip or circuit). This application does not limit this.

[0042] For example, the first communication device is a network device in a DC scenario. In one example, the first communication device is a central unit (CU) of a MN in a DC scenario. In another example, the first communication device is a CU of a SN in a DC scenario.

[0043] The method includes: determining first indication information; sending the first indication information to the second communication device according to the network status information, the first indication information is used to activate the function of the first entity in the third communication device, or to deactivate the function of the first entity in the third communication device, the second communication device is a network device in the DC scenario, and the third communication device is a terminal device in the DC scenario.

[0044] In the above technical solution, by exchanging network status information between different network devices in the DC scenario, the entity in the third communication device is centrally controlled to discard data, thereby avoiding the third communication device in the DC scenario from discarding too much data and improving the service experience.

[0045] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, network status information is received from the second communication device and / or the fourth communication device, and the first indication information is determined based on the network status information of the second communication device and / or the fourth communication device.

[0046] The fourth communication device is a network device in the DC scenario, for example, a DU of the network device.

[0047] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the method also includes: sending first control information to the second communication device, the first control information being used to control the second communication device to report the network status information of the second communication device; and / or sending second control information to the fourth communication device, the second control information being used to control the fourth communication device to report the network status information of the fourth communication device.

[0048] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the network status information is congestion status information, and the first indication information is used to activate the function of the first entity.

[0049] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the network status information is non-congestion status information, and the first indication information is used to deactivate the function of the first entity.

[0050] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first indication information also includes identification information of a first wireless bearer RB, the first RB corresponds to the first entity, and the first RB is any one of the following: a separated RB, a repeated RB, or a dual activation protocol stack DAPS RB.

[0051] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: receiving a first report, where the first report is used to indicate a sequence number SN of data discarded by the third communication device.

[0052] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, a second report is sent, where the second report is used to indicate that the discarded data is successfully received.

[0053] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is used to execute the method provided in the first aspect. Specifically, the communication device may include units and / or modules, such as a processing unit and an acquisition unit, for executing the method provided in any one of the above implementations of the first aspect.

[0054] In one implementation, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface; the processing unit may be at least one processor. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0055] In another implementation, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin or related circuit on the chip, chip system or circuit; the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0056] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is used to execute the method provided in the second aspect. Specifically, the communication device may include units and / or modules, such as a processing unit and an acquisition unit, for executing the method provided in the second aspect.

[0057] In one implementation, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface; the processing unit may be at least one processor. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0058] In another implementation, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin or related circuit on the chip, chip system or circuit; the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0059] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is used to execute the method provided in the third aspect. Specifically, the communication device may include units and / or modules, such as a processing unit and an acquisition unit, for executing the method provided in the third aspect.

[0060] In one implementation, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface; the processing unit may be at least one processor. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0061] In another implementation, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin or related circuit on the chip, chip system or circuit; the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0062] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a processor for executing the method provided by any one of the implementations of the first, second and third aspects above.

[0063] For the operations such as sending and acquiring / receiving involved in the processor, unless otherwise specified, or if they do not conflict with their actual functions or internal logic in the relevant descriptions, they can be understood as processor output, reception, input and other operations, and can also be understood as sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and antenna. This application does not limit this.

[0064] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a program code for execution by a device, and the program code includes a method provided by any one of the implementation methods of the above-mentioned first aspect, second aspect and third aspect.

[0065] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method provided by any one of the implementations of the first, second and third aspects above.

[0066] In the tenth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions stored in the memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided by any one of the implementation methods of the first, second and third aspects above.

[0067] Optionally, as an implementation method, the chip also includes a memory, in which a computer program or instruction is stored, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instruction stored in the memory. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided in any one of the implementation methods of the first, second and third aspects above.

[0068] In the eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising the communication device described in the fourth aspect and / or the communication device described in the fifth aspect, or comprising the communication device described in the fourth aspect and / or the communication device described in the sixth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0069] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0070] FIG2 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device (eg, UE) supporting EN-DC.

[0071] FIG3 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device (eg, UE) supporting MR-DC.

[0072] FIG4 is a schematic block diagram of a MN and a SN in an MR-DC scenario.

[0073] FIG5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method for use in a dual-connection DC scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0074] FIG6 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method for a dual-connection DC scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0075] FIG7 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method for a dual-connection DC scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0076] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of an enhanced format for PSI-based activation or deactivation provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0077] FIG9 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method for a dual-connection DC scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0078] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a PSI-based activation or deactivation format provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0079] FIG11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0080] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0081] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0082] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0083] First, in this application, "used to indicate" can include being used for direct indication and being used for indirect indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but it does not mean that the indication information must carry A.

[0084] The information indicated by the indication information is called the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, it is also possible to use the arrangement order of each piece of information agreed in advance (such as specified in the protocol) to achieve the indication of specific information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. At the same time, it is also possible to identify the common parts of each piece of information and indicate them uniformly to reduce the indication overhead caused by indicating the same information separately.

[0085] Second, "at least one" shown in the present application refers to one or more, and "a plurality of" refers to two or more. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second" and various digital numbers (for example, "#1", "#2", etc.) are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the sequence number of each process below does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the objects described in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so as to be able to describe solutions other than the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "S210" are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the order of execution of steps.

[0086] Third, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0087] Fourth, the term "storage" used in the embodiments of this application may refer to storage in one or more memories. The one or more memories may be provided separately or integrated into an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories may also be partially provided separately and partially integrated into a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The type of memory may be any form of storage medium, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0088] Fifth, in the implementation of this application, "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, for example, it may include the NR protocol and related protocols used in future communication systems, and this application does not limit this.

[0089] Sixth, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms “of”, “corresponding, relevant”, “corresponding” and “associate” can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings they intend to express are consistent.

[0090] Seventh, in the embodiments of the present application, "under the circumstances", "when", and "if" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be pointed out that when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings they intend to express are consistent.

[0091] Eighth, the term "and / or" in this document simply describes a relationship between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0092] For ease of description, the system architecture of the embodiment of the present application is introduced in detail below.

[0093] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, code division multiple access (CDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, general packet radio service (GPRS), long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system or new radio (NR). Among them, the 5G mobile communication system can be a non-standalone (NSA) or a standalone (SA) network.

[0094] The technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to machine type communication (MTC), long term evolution-machine (LTE-M), device-to-device (D2D) network, machine-to-machine (M2M) network, Internet of Things (IoT) network or other networks. Among them, the IoT network can include, for example, the Internet of Vehicles. Among them, the communication mode in the Internet of Vehicles system is collectively referred to as vehicle to other devices (vehicle to X, V2X, X can represent anything), for example, the V2X can include: vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle to pedestrian (V2P) communication or vehicle to network (V2N) communication, etc.

[0095] The technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as the sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0096] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device.

[0097] The terminal devices in the embodiments of the present application include various devices with wireless communication functions, which can be used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as: cellular communication, D2D, V2X, peer to peer (P2P), M2M, MTC, IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, etc. The terminal device can be a terminal in any of the above scenarios, such as an MTC terminal, an IoT terminal, etc. The terminal device may be a user equipment (UE) of the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standard, a terminal, a fixed device, a mobile station device or a mobile device, a subscriber unit, a handheld device, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a session initialization protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a computer, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a wireless modem, a handheld device (handset), a laptop computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a smart book, a vehicle, a satellite, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a target tracking device, an aircraft (such as a drone, a helicopter, a multi-copter, a quadcopter, or an airplane), a ship, a remote control device, a smart home device, an industrial device, or a device built into the above-mentioned device (such as a communication module, a modem or a chip in the above-mentioned device), or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. For the sake of convenience of description, the terminal device will be described below by taking the terminal or UE as an example.

[0098] Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for wearable devices that use wearable technology to intelligently design and develop wearable devices for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not just hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. In a broad sense, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve full or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0099] Furthermore, terminal devices can also be end devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is a crucial component of future information technology development. Its primary technical feature is connecting objects to the Internet through communications technology, thereby enabling intelligent networks that interconnect humans and machines, and objects and things. IoT technology, for example, utilizes narrowband (NB) technology to achieve massive connectivity, deep coverage, and power-saving terminals.

[0100] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can also be a vehicle or a whole vehicle, which can achieve communication through the Internet of Vehicles, or it can be a component located in the vehicle (for example, placed in the vehicle or installed in the vehicle), that is, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, a vehicle-mounted module or an on-board unit (OBU).

[0101] In addition, terminal devices can also include sensors such as smart printers, train detectors, and gas stations. Their main functions include collecting data (part of the terminal devices), receiving control information and downlink data from network devices, and sending electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to network devices.

[0102] In this application, the device for implementing the function of a terminal device may be a terminal device; it may also be a device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing the function, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit and a software module. The device may be installed in the terminal device or may be used in conjunction with the terminal device. In the technical solutions provided in this disclosure, the technical solutions provided in this disclosure are described by taking the device for implementing the function of a terminal device as a terminal device, and the terminal device as a UE as an example.

[0103] The network device in the embodiment of the present application is an entity on the network side for transmitting or receiving signals, which can be used to convert received air frames into Internet Protocol (IP) packets, and serve as a router between the terminal device and the rest of the access network, where the rest of the access network may include an IP network, etc.

[0104] The network device in the embodiments of the present application may be a device for communicating with a terminal device, and may also be referred to as an access network device or a radio access network device. For example, the network device may be a base station. The network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. Base station can broadly cover various names as follows, or replace the following names, such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmission point (TRP), transmission point (TP), master station, auxiliary station, multi-standard wireless (motor slide retainer, MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station can also refer to a communication module, a modem or a chip used to be set in the aforementioned device or apparatus. The base station can also be a mobile switching center and a device that performs base station functions in D2D, V2X, and M2M communications, a network-side device in a 6G network, or a device that performs base station functions in future communication systems. The base station can support networks with the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the network equipment.

[0105] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move based on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0106] In some deployments, a gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some gNB functions, while the DU implements some gNB functions. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, implementing the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers. The DU is responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing the functions of the radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers. The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, RF processing, and active antenna-related functions. Because RRC layer information ultimately becomes PHY layer information, or is converted from PHY layer information, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or by both the DU and the CU. It is understood that a network device can be a device that includes one or more of a CU node, a DU node, or an AAU node. In addition, the CU may be classified as a network device in an access network (radio access network, RAN), or may be classified as a network device in a core network (core network, CN), which is not limited in this application.

[0107] The above-mentioned network equipment provides services for the cell, and the terminal device communicates with the cell through the transmission resources (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources) allocated by the network equipment. The cell can belong to a macro base station (for example, macro eNB or macro gNB, etc.), or it can belong to a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cells here may include: metro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femto cells, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0108] In this application, the device for implementing the functions of an access network device may be the access network device; it may also be a device capable of supporting the access network device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit and a software module. The device may be installed in the access network device or may be used in conjunction with the access network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application, the technical solutions provided in this application are described by taking the device for implementing the functions of the access network device as the access network device, and the access network device as a base station as an example.

[0109] In the embodiment of the present application, a network device may include one or more cells, and each cell may include one or more transmission reception points (TRPs) or transmission points (TPs).

[0110] The function mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a data discard function. For example, the above function may refer to data discard based on the importance of the protocol data unit set (PSI). PSI-based discard means that the terminal device discards data based on the importance of the data. For video services, the importance of I frames and P frames is greater than that of P frames.

[0111] In an embodiment of the present application, managing a timer includes starting or restarting a timer, and determining whether the timer has timed out.

[0112] In the embodiment of the present application, data is discarded according to a timer. It should be understood that the data is discarded when the timer times out.

[0113] Network devices and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on the water surface; they can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and satellites in the air. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which network devices and terminal devices are located. In addition, terminal devices and network devices can be hardware devices, or they can be software functions running on dedicated hardware, software functions running on general-purpose hardware, such as virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), or entities including dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. This application does not limit the specific forms of terminal devices and network devices.

[0114] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1 , the communication system 100 may include at least one terminal device, such as the terminal device 110 shown in Figure 1 . The communication system 100 may also include at least two network devices, such as the network device 120 and the network device 130 shown in Figure 1 . Terminal device 110 may communicate with both network device 120 and network device 130 simultaneously. For example, communication between terminal device 110 and network device 120, and between terminal device 110 and network device 130, may occur via a wireless link. Each communication device, such as terminal device 110, network device 120, or network device 130, may be configured with multiple antennas. For each communication device in the communication system, the multiple antennas configured may include at least one transmit antenna for transmitting signals and at least one receive antenna for receiving signals. Therefore, communication between the communication devices in the communication system, between terminal device 110 and network device 120, and between terminal device 110 and network device 130, may occur using multi-antenna technology.

[0115] It should be understood that FIG1 is only a simplified schematic diagram for ease of understanding, and the communication system may further include other network devices or other terminal devices, which are not shown in FIG1 .

[0116] It should also be understood that the simultaneous communication between terminal device 110 and network device 120 and network device 130 may also be referred to as dual-connectivity (DC) of the terminal device. One network device communicating with terminal device 110 may be referred to as a master node (MN), and the other network device communicating with terminal device 110 may be referred to as a secondary node (SN). As an example, assume that network device 120 is an MN and network device 130 is an SN.

[0117] As an example, based on the different types of MNs and SNs, DC scenarios can be further divided into EN-DC and MR-DC. EN-DC and MR-DC are described in detail below.

[0118] 1. EN-DC

[0119] EN-DC refers to LTE and 5G dual connectivity. The letter E stands for evolved universal terrestrial radio access new radio (E-UTRA), which is the air interface in LTE cellular networks. The letter N stands for new radio (NR), which is a global standard for a unified and more powerful 5G wireless air interface. In other words, terminal devices that support EN-DC can simultaneously connect to the LTE master node eNB (MN-eNB) and the 5G-NR secondary node gNB (SN-gNB). EN-DC is a technology that enables the introduction of 5G services and data rates in networks that are primarily 4G.

[0120] For example, Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device (e.g., UE) that supports EN-DC. As shown in Figure 2, the bearers in the network can be divided into three categories: master cell group (MCG) bearer, secondary cell group (SCG) bearer, and Split bearer. In EN-DC, the MCG bearer uses the PDCP, RLC, and MAC corresponding to the master node. For EN-DC, 4G (E-UTRA) is the master node, so the MCG bearer uses E-UTRA PDCP, E-UTRA RLC, and E-UTRA MAC. The SCG bearer uses the PDCP, RLC, and MAC corresponding to the secondary node. For EN-DC, 5G-NR (gNB) is the secondary node, so the SCG bearer uses NR PDCP, NR RLC, and NR MAC. Split bearer splits the air interface data into two bearers. NR PDCP is used in PDCP, E-UTRA RLC is used to carry the air interface data of MN in RLC, and NR RLC is used to carry the air interface data of SN. E-UTRA MAC is used to carry the air interface data of MN in MAC, and NR MAC is used to carry the air interface data of SN.

[0121] It should be understood that the LTE master node eNB (MN-eNB) uses multiple frequencies to form a multi-layer cell network. These cells can serve as control plane anchor points. Therefore, these 4G cells are collectively referred to as MCGs, and the wireless data bearers established on them are called MCG bearers. Correspondingly, multiple 5G cells form SCGs, and the wireless data bearers established on them are called SCG bearers. Split bearers refer to the splitting of air interface data into two bearers.

[0122] 2. MR-DC

[0123] MR-DC refers to 5G and 5G dual connectivity. Terminal devices that support MR-DC can simultaneously connect to the 5G-NR master node gNB (MN-gNB) and the 5G-NR secondary node gNB (SN-gNB).

[0124] For example, Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device (e.g., UE) that supports MR-DC. As shown in Figure 3, the bearers in the network can be divided into three categories: master cell group (MCG) bearer, secondary cell group (SCG) bearer, and Split bearer. In EN-DC, the MCG bearer uses the PDCP, RLC, and MAC corresponding to the master node. For MR-DC, 5G-NR (gNB) is the master node, so the MCG bearer uses NR PDCP, MN RLC, and MN MAC. The SCG bearer uses the PDCP, RLC, and MAC corresponding to the secondary node. For EN-DC, 5G-NR (gNB) is the secondary node, so the SCG bearer uses NR PDCP, SN RLC, and SN MAC. Split bearer splits the air interface data into two bearers. NR PDCP is used in PDCP, MN RLC is used to carry the air interface data of MN in RLC, SN RLC is used to carry the air interface data of SN, MN MAC is used to carry the air interface data of MN in MAC, and SN MAC is used to carry the air interface data of SN.

[0125] For example, Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of the MN and SN in an MR-DC scenario. As shown in Figure 4, taking downlink data as an example, assuming the MN serves as the anchor point, after receiving data from the core network, for a split bearer, the downlink data is split starting at the PDCP layer and sent to the RLC / MAC layers of the MN and SN for processing. For example, the MN can send downlink data to a terminal device via the MN RLC and MN MAC layers within the MN. Alternatively, the MN can send the downlink data to the SN RLC within the SN, which then forwards the data to the terminal device via the SN RLC and MN MAC layers within the SN.

[0126] In the future, extended reality (XR) will become the primary service carried by communication networks. Not only will XR resolution upgrade from 8K to 16K / 32K and even higher, but augmented reality (AR) scenarios for industry applications will also evolve from single-terminal communication to multi-XR collaborative interaction, with rapid growth expected around 2025. By then, due to the impact of traffic volume and service characteristics, XR services will place higher demands on SLA guarantees for network capacity, latency, bandwidth, and other aspects. At the same time, basic communication services still have considerable room for development. Multi-party video calls and virtual conferences, exemplified by teleworking, will become the norm. In terms of service delivery, the current fixed access, video, and call conferencing model will evolve into mobile access, rich media, and real-time interactive multi-party remote collaboration. For example, employees from home will be able to access the corporate office environment at any time through their virtual avatars and communicate effectively with colleagues. Therefore, the current capabilities of 5G networks are still insufficient, and a new voice network architecture and enhanced interactive communication capabilities are needed to meet the business development needs of evolving from existing communication methods based on clear voice to fully perceptive, interactive, and immersive communication methods, enabling an upgrade in personal consumer experience.

[0127] Protocol data unit set importance (PSI)-based data discard refers to the terminal device discarding data according to the importance of the data. In the related technical solution, the terminal device is connected to a network device, and the network device sends configuration information to the terminal device. The configuration information is used to configure a discard timer with short value (a data discard timer with a shorter duration) and a discard timer with long value (a data discard timer with a longer duration). The terminal device receives the PSI based discard activation command or deactivation command of the network device, and determines to start the corresponding discard timer with short value according to the activation command, or starts the corresponding discard timer with long value according to the deactivation command. After the timer expires, the terminal device discards the corresponding received data in the PDCP entity.

[0128] In the above technical solution, a terminal device is connected to a network device, which sends a PSI-based discard activation or deactivation command to the terminal device based on its own congestion status. However, in a DC scenario, the network device is unaware of the congestion status of other network devices. If it sends a PSI-based discard activation command to the terminal device based solely on its own congestion status, the terminal device will discard excessive packets.

[0129] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can prevent terminal devices from discarding too many data packets in a DC scenario.

[0130] A communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with FIG5 . It should be understood that the embodiments shown below do not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiment of the present application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided by the embodiment of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided by the embodiment of the present application, for example, the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiment of the present application can be a receiving device or a sending device, or a functional module in the receiving device or the sending device that can call and execute the program.

[0131] It should be understood that FIG5 illustrates in detail the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application by taking the interaction between the first communication device, the second communication device, and the third communication device as an example. The first communication device may be a terminal device in a DC scenario, and the second communication device and the third communication device may be different network devices in a DC scenario. For example, the second communication device is an MN in a DC scenario, and the third communication device is an SN in a DC scenario. For another example, the second communication device is an SN in a DC scenario, and the third communication device is an MN in a DC scenario.

[0132] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method for a dual-connection DC scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, the method may include steps 510-530, which are described in detail below.

[0133] Step 510: The second communication device sends first indication information to the first communication device, where the first indication information is used to activate a function of a first entity in the first communication device, or to deactivate a function of the first entity in the first communication device.

[0134] In an embodiment of the present application, the second communication device may send first indication information to the first communication device, where the first indication information is used to activate a function of the first entity in the first communication device, or to deactivate a function of the first entity in the first communication device.

[0135] It should be understood that the entity in the first communication device may be a protocol layer of the first communication device, and different entities are used to manage different data processing functions.

[0136] It should be understood that the above function may refer to a data discard function. For example, the above function may refer to a PSI based discard function. The data discard function of the first entity will be described in detail below in conjunction with step 520 and will not be described in detail here.

[0137] As an example, the second communication device may send the above-mentioned first indication information to the first communication device based on the network status of the second communication device. For example, if the network status of the second communication device is a congested state, the second communication device may send the first indication information to the first communication device, and the first indication information is used to activate the function of the first entity in the first communication device. For another example, if the network status of the second communication device is a non-congested state (i.e., a normal state), the second communication device may send the first indication information to the first communication device, and the first indication information is used to deactivate the function of the first entity in the first communication device.

[0138] Step 520: The first communication device discards data in the first entity according to the first timer based on the first indication information when the function of the first entity in the first communication device is activated.

[0139] It should be understood that the first timer is used to control the discarding of low-importance data when the above function is activated.

[0140] In an embodiment of the present application, after the first communication device receives the first indication information sent by the second communication device, if the first indication information indicates to activate the function of the first entity in the first communication device, the first communication device activates the above function of the first entity.

[0141] As an example, the first entity is an RLC entity in a first communication device (eg, a first RLC entity), and the first RLC entity corresponds to the second communication device.

[0142] It should be understood that the first RLC entity in the first communication device refers to an RLC entity in the RLC layer that receives data sent by the second communication device or sends data to the second communication device. For example, assuming that the second communication device is an MN and the first communication device is a terminal device, taking the above-mentioned EN-DC scenario as an example, the first RLC entity is the E-UTRA RLC in Figure 2; taking the above-mentioned MR-DC scenario as an example, the first RLC entity is the MN RLC in Figure 3.

[0143] For example, when the above-mentioned function of the first entity is activated, data in the first entity is discarded according to the first timer. Specifically, when the first timer expires, the first communication device discards data in the first entity, such as data of low importance. For example, video P frames are less important than video I frames. When both video P frames and video I frames are present, video P frames are discarded first.

[0144] The timeout of the first timer can be understood as the running time of the first timer reaching the first duration.

[0145] Step 530: The first communication device discards data in the first entity according to the second timer based on the first indication information when the function of the first entity in the first communication device is deactivated.

[0146] In an embodiment of the present application, after a first communication device receives first indication information sent by a second communication device, if the first indication information indicates to deactivate a function of a first entity in the first communication device, the first communication device deactivates the above-mentioned function of the first entity. For example, in one implementation, when the above-mentioned function of the first entity is deactivated, the first communication device discards data in the first entity according to a second timer.

[0147] It should be understood that the second timer is different from the first timer. The second timer is used to control the discarding of data in the first entity, including low-importance data and high-importance data, when the above-mentioned function of the first entity is deactivated. For example, when the second timer expires, the first communication device will discard the data in the first entity, including low-importance data and high-importance data. For example, when both video P frames and video I frames are present, the video P frames and video I frames are discarded.

[0148] The timeout of the second timer can be understood as the running time of the second timer reaching the second duration, wherein the second duration is greater than the first duration, that is, the duration of the first timer is less than the duration of the second timer.

[0149] The first entity in the first communication device is different from the second entity. The second entity is an entity in the first communication device, and the second entity is configured to manage or maintain the first timer and the second timer. Specifically, data processing by the first entity occurs after data processing by the second entity. For example, the second entity is a PDCP entity in the first communication device, and the first entity is an RLC entity in the first communication device.

[0150] It should be understood that managing a timer includes starting or restarting a timer, and determining whether the timer has expired.

[0151] It should be understood that the second entity in the first communication device starts or restarts the first timer or the second timer when receiving data from an upper layer (eg, IP layer or transport layer) in the first communication device.

[0152] In the embodiment of the present application, the first indication information further includes identification information of a first RB, and the first RB corresponds to the first entity and the second entity.

[0153] It should be understood that the data in the first entity and the second entity are transmitted in the form of the first RB.

[0154] The above-mentioned first RB is any one of the following RBs: a split RB, a duplicated RB, or a dual active protocol stack (DAPS) RB. The first RB is a logical channel for transmitting service data. For a split RB, different data is transmitted between a terminal device (e.g., UE) and different network devices, and the data is securely protected using the same key. For a duplicate RB, the same data is transmitted between a terminal device (e.g., UE) and different network devices, and the data is securely protected using the same key. For a DAPS RB, different data is transmitted between a terminal device (e.g., UE) and different network devices, and the data is securely protected using different keys.

[0155] In a possible implementation, the format of the first indication information may refer to the MAC CE format shown in FIG8 . The MAC CE format in FIG8 will be described in detail below and will not be described in detail here.

[0156] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third communication device will also send third indication information to the first communication device, where the third indication information is used to indicate activation of the above function of the third entity in the first communication device, or to deactivate the above function of the third entity in the first communication device.

[0157] It should be understood that the third entity is another entity in the first communication device, and the third entity is different from the first entity. As an example, the third entity is an RLC entity in the first communication device (for example, a second RLC entity), and the second RLC entity corresponds to the third communication device.

[0158] It should be understood that the second RLC entity in the first communication device refers to an RLC entity in the RLC layer that receives data sent by the third communication device, or sends data to the third communication device. For example, assuming that the third communication device is an SN and the first communication device is a terminal device, taking the above-mentioned EN-DC scenario as an example, the second RLC entity is the NR RLC in Figure 2; taking the above-mentioned MR-DC scenario as an example, the second RLC entity is the SN RLC in Figure 3.

[0159] The third entity in the above-mentioned first communication device is different from the first entity, and they respectively correspond to different network devices in the DC scenario. In one implementation, the first entity is the entity corresponding to the MN in the DC scenario, and the third entity is the entity corresponding to the SN in the DC scenario. For example, the first entity is the RLC entity corresponding to the MN, and the third entity is the RLC entity corresponding to the SN. In another possible implementation, the first entity is the RLC entity corresponding to the SN, and the third entity is the RLC entity corresponding to the MN.

[0160] It should be understood that, taking the EN-DC scenario as an example, the RLC entity corresponding to the MN is the E-UTRA RLC, and the RLC entity corresponding to the SN is the NR RLC. Taking the MR-DC scenario as an example, the RLC entity corresponding to the MN and the RLC entity corresponding to the SN are both NR RLC.

[0161] As an example, the third communication device may send the third indication information to the first communication device based on the network status of the third communication device. For example, if the network status of the third communication device is a congested state, the third communication device may send third indication information to the first communication device, and the third indication information is used to activate the function of the third entity in the first communication device. For another example, if the network status of the third communication device is a non-congested state (i.e., a normal state), the third communication device may send third indication information to the first communication device, and the third indication information is used to deactivate the function of the third entity in the first communication device.

[0162] For example, the function of the third entity may refer to a data discarding function of the third entity. Specifically, when the function of the third entity is activated, data (e.g., low-importance data) in the third entity is discarded according to a first timer. When the function of the third entity is deactivated, data (e.g., low-importance data) in the third entity is discarded according to a second timer.

[0163] In one example, when the first communication device receives the above-mentioned first indication information (the first indication information indicates activation of the function of the first entity in the first communication device) and the third indication information (the third indication information indicates activation of the function of the third entity in the first communication device), the first communication device discards the data of the second entity (for example, low-importance data) according to the first timer.

[0164] In another example, when the first communication device receives the above-mentioned first indication information (the first indication information indicates activation of the function of the first entity in the first communication device) and the third indication information (the third indication information indicates deactivation of the function of the third entity in the first communication device), the first communication device discards the data of the first entity (for example, low importance data) according to the first timer, discards the data of the third entity (for example, high importance data and low importance data) according to the second timer, and discards the data of the second entity (including low importance data and high importance data) according to the second timer.

[0165] In another example, when the first communication device receives the above-mentioned first indication information (the first indication information indicates deactivation of the function of the first entity in the first communication device) and the third indication information (the third indication information indicates activation of the function of the third entity in the first communication device), the first communication device discards the data of the first entity (for example, high-importance data and low-importance data) according to the second timer, discards the data of the third entity (for example, low-importance data) according to the first timer, and discards the data of the second entity (including low-importance data and high-importance data) according to the second timer.

[0166] In another example, when the first communication device only receives the above-mentioned third indication information (the third indication information indicates activation of the function of the third entity in the first communication device) or the above-mentioned first indication information (the first indication information indicates activation of the function of the first entity in the first communication device), the first communication device discards the data of the second entity (including low-importance data and high-importance data) according to the second timer.

[0167] In another example, when the first communication device receives the above-mentioned first indication information (the first indication information indicates to deactivate the function of the first entity in the first communication device) and the third indication information (the third indication information indicates to deactivate the function of the third entity in the first communication device), the first communication device discards the data of the second entity (including low-importance data and high-importance data) according to the second timer.

[0168] In another example, when the first communication device only receives the first indication information (the first indication information indicates deactivation of the function of the first entity in the first communication device), the first communication device discards the data of the first entity according to the second timer.

[0169] In another example, when the first communication device only receives the third indication information (the third indication information indicates deactivation of the function of the third entity in the first communication device), the first communication device discards the data of the third entity according to the second timer.

[0170] It should be understood that the data discarded in the first entity, the data discarded in the second entity, and the data discarded in the third entity may be the same or different, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0171] Optionally, before step 510, the second communication device sends configuration information to the first communication device, where the configuration information is used to configure the above-mentioned function of the first communication device in the DC scenario. Specifically, the indication information may include the duration of the above-mentioned first timer (e.g., the first duration) and the duration of the second timer (e.g., the second duration).

[0172] Optionally, the above configuration information may further include second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate the above function of the first communication device in the DC scenario.

[0173] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first communication device may also send a first report (e.g., a first PDCP report) to the second communication device, where the first report is used to indicate the sequence number SN of data discarded by the first communication device, where the discarded data includes data discarded by an entity in the first communication device, which entity may be, for example, at least one of the following entities: a first entity, a second entity, or a third entity.

[0174] For example, when the control anchor point (also known as the RB termination point) is switched from the second communication device to the third communication device, the second communication device may also send a second report (for example, a second PDCP report) to the third communication device, where the second report is used to indicate that the data discarded by the first communication device has been successfully received, wherein the data discarded by the first communication device in the second report is determined by the first report. At this time, based on the second report, the bottom of the receiving SN window of the third communication device skips the SN of the data discarded by the first communication device. Otherwise, without the second report, the bottom of the receiving SN window in the third communication device will stay at the SN of the data discarded by the first communication device, resulting in the inability to receive subsequent data in the third communication device, thereby affecting the service experience.

[0175] The above-mentioned control anchor point refers to the station where the PDCP entity is located, and that station is the control anchor point.

[0176] It should be understood that the second report includes a false ACK indication, that is, the data indicated in the first report as discarded by the first communication device is indicated in the second report as successfully received (eg, successfully received by the second communication device).

[0177] In the above technical solution, in the DC scenario, when only one network device is congested, the first communication device only needs to control the data discarding to the network device, and other network devices are not affected. In this way, the first communication device can be prevented from discarding too much data and the service experience can be improved.

[0178] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method for a dual-connection DC scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, the method may include steps 610-650, which are described in detail below.

[0179] It should be understood that FIG6 uses the interaction between the first communication device, the second communication device, the third communication device, the fourth communication device, and the fifth communication device as an example to illustrate in detail the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The first communication device and the fifth communication device can be logical units of different network devices in a DC scenario (for example, CUs of different network devices), and the second communication device and the fourth communication device can be logical units of different network devices in a DC scenario (for example, DUs of different network devices). The third communication device is a terminal device in a DC scenario.

[0180] Step 610: The first communication device determines first indication information, where the first indication information is used to activate a function of a first entity in a third communication device, or to deactivate a function of the first entity in the third communication device.

[0181] In an embodiment of the present application, the first communication device may determine first indication information. In one implementation, the first communication device may determine the first indication information based on network status information of the second communication device and / or the fourth communication device, and the first indication information is used to activate or deactivate a function of the first entity in the first communication device.

[0182] In one implementation, a first communication device may send first control information to a second communication device, where the first control information is used to control the second communication device to report network status information of the second communication device. After receiving the first control information, the second communication device reports the network status information of the second communication device to the first communication device. The network status of the second communication device includes a congested state or a non-congested state (i.e., a normal state).

[0183] In another implementation, the first communication device may further send second control information to the fourth communication device via the fifth communication device, where the second control information is used to control the fourth communication device to report the network status information of the fourth communication device. After receiving the second control information, the fourth communication device reports the network status information of the fourth communication device to the first communication device via the fifth communication device. The network status of the fourth communication device includes a congested state or a non-congested state (i.e., a normal state).

[0184] In a possible implementation, if the network status information acquired by the first communication device is congestion status information, the first indication information is used to activate a function of the first entity in the third communication device.

[0185] In another possible implementation, if the first communication device obtains network status information indicating non-congestion status, the first indication information is used to deactivate a function of the first entity in the third communication device.

[0186] The function of the first entity may refer to a data discarding function of the first entity. For a detailed description of the function of the first entity, please refer to the description in FIG5 , which will not be repeated here.

[0187] In an embodiment of the present application, the first indication information further includes identification information of a first RB, which corresponds to the first entity. The first RB is any one of the following RBs: a split RB, a duplicated RB, or a dual active protocol stack (DAPS) RB.

[0188] Step 620: The first communication device sends first indication information to the second communication device.

[0189] As an example, the first indication information can be sent to the second communication device via a PDCP message or an F1AP message, and the second communication device then sends the first indication information to the third communication device. At this time, the first indication information can be transmitted via a PDCP message or a MAC CE.

[0190] In a possible implementation, the format of the first indication information may refer to the MAC CE format shown in FIG10 . The MAC CE format in FIG10 will be described in detail below and will not be described in detail here.

[0191] Step 630: The second communication device sends first indication information to the third communication device.

[0192] In the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the first indication information sent by the first communication device, the second communication device may send the first indication information to the third communication device.

[0193] Step 640: The third communication device discards the data in the first entity according to the first timer based on the first indication information when the function of the first entity in the third communication device is activated.

[0194] In an embodiment of the present application, after a third communication device receives first indication information sent by a second communication device, if the first indication information indicates activation of a function of a first entity in the third communication device, the third communication device activates the aforementioned function of the first entity. Specifically, if a first timer expires, the third communication device discards data in the first entity.

[0195] Step 650: The third communication device discards the data in the first entity according to the second timer based on the first indication information when the function of the first entity in the third communication device is deactivated.

[0196] In an embodiment of the present application, after a third communication device receives first indication information sent by a second communication device, if the first indication information indicates to deactivate a function of a first entity in the third communication device, the third communication device deactivates the aforementioned function of the first entity. Specifically, upon expiration of the second timer, the third communication device discards data in the first entity.

[0197] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second communication device further sends third indication information to the third communication device, where the third indication information is used to indicate activation of the above-mentioned function of the third entity in the third communication device, or deactivation of the above-mentioned function of the third entity in the third communication device. Specifically, if the above-mentioned function of the third entity in the third communication device is in an activated state, data in the third entity is discarded when the first timer expires. If the above-mentioned function of the third entity in the third communication device is in a deactivated state, data in the third entity is discarded when the second timer expires.

[0198] In one example, when the third communication device receives the above-mentioned first indication information (the first indication information indicates activation of the function of the first entity in the third communication device) and the third indication information (the third indication information indicates activation of the function of the third entity in the third communication device), the third communication device discards the data of the second entity (for example, low-importance data) according to the first timer.

[0199] In another example, when the third communication device receives the above-mentioned first indication information (the first indication information indicates activation of the function of the first entity in the third communication device) and the third indication information (the third indication information indicates deactivation of the function of the third entity in the third communication device), the third communication device discards the data of the first entity (for example, low importance data) according to the first timer, discards the data of the third entity (for example, high importance data and low importance data) according to the second timer, and discards the data of the second entity (including low importance data and high importance data) according to the second timer.

[0200] In another example, when the third communication device receives the above-mentioned first indication information (the first indication information indicates deactivation of the function of the first entity in the third communication device) and the third indication information (the third indication information indicates activation of the function of the third entity in the third communication device), the third communication device discards the data of the first entity (for example, high-importance data and low-importance data) according to the second timer, discards the data of the third entity (for example, low-importance data) according to the first timer, and discards the data of the second entity (including low-importance data and high-importance data) according to the second timer.

[0201] In another example, when the third communication device only receives the above-mentioned third indication information (the third indication information indicates activation of the function of the third entity in the third communication device) or the above-mentioned first indication information (the first indication information indicates activation of the function of the first entity in the third communication device), the third communication device discards the data of the second entity (including low-importance data and high-importance data) according to the second timer.

[0202] In another example, when the third communication device receives the above-mentioned first indication information (the first indication information indicates to deactivate the function of the first entity in the third communication device) and the third indication information (the third indication information indicates to deactivate the function of the third entity in the third communication device), the third communication device discards the data of the second entity (including low-importance data and high-importance data) according to the second timer.

[0203] In another example, when the third communication device only receives the first indication information (the first indication information indicates deactivation of the function of the first entity in the third communication device), the third communication device discards the data of the first entity according to the second timer.

[0204] In another example, when the third communication device only receives the third indication information (the third indication information indicates deactivating the function of the third entity in the third communication device), the third communication device discards the data of the third entity according to the second timer.

[0205] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third communication device may also send a first report (e.g., a first PDCP report) to the first communication device, where the first report is used to indicate the sequence number SN of data discarded by the third communication device, where the discarded data includes data discarded by an entity in the third communication device, which entity may be, for example, at least one of the following entities: a first entity, a second entity, or a third entity.

[0206] For example, when the control anchor point (also known as the RB termination point) is switched from the first communication device to the fifth communication device, the first communication device may also send a second report (for example, a second PDCP report) to the fifth communication device, where the second report is used to indicate that the data discarded by the third communication device has been successfully received, wherein the data discarded by the third communication device in the second report is determined by the first report. At this time, the fifth communication device skips the SN of the data discarded by the third communication device at the bottom of the receiving SN window of the fifth communication device based on the second report. Otherwise, without the second report, the bottom of the receiving SN window in the fifth communication device will stay at the SN of the data discarded by the third communication device, resulting in the inability to receive subsequent data in the fifth communication device, thereby affecting the service experience.

[0207] In the above technical solution, by exchanging network status information between different network devices in the DC scenario, the entity in the third communication device is centrally controlled to discard data, thereby avoiding the third communication device in the DC scenario from discarding too much data and improving the service experience.

[0208] Below, in conjunction with FIG7 , a specific implementation of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application is described in detail. It should be understood that the example of FIG7 is merely to help those skilled in the art understand the embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the embodiment of the application to the specific numerical values ​​or specific scenarios illustrated in FIG7 . Those skilled in the art can obviously make various equivalent modifications or changes based on the following example given in FIG7 , and such modifications and changes also fall within the scope of the embodiment of the present application.

[0209] Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method for a dual-connection DC scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 7, the method may include steps 710-770, which are described in detail below.

[0210] It should be understood that Figure 7 corresponds to Figure 5, that is, Figure 7 is a specific implementation of the communication method shown in Figure 5. In Figure 7, the terminal device may correspond to the first communication device in Figure 5, the MN-DU corresponds to the second communication device in Figure 5, the SN-DU corresponds to the third communication device in Figure 5, the first RLC entity corresponds to the first entity in Figure 5, the second RLC entity corresponds to the third entity in Figure 5, and the PDCP corresponds to the second entity in Figure 5.

[0211] For the convenience of description, FIG7 takes MN as an example for description.

[0212] Step 710: The MN-CU sends a first RRC reconfiguration message for the first RB to the terminal device through the MN-DU.

[0213] As an example, the MN-CU may send an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device via the MN-DU. The RRC reconfiguration message may include but is not limited to: the duration of the first timer, the duration of the second timer, and configuration information of an enhanced format for PSI-based activation or deactivation.

[0214] The MN-CU mentioned above refers to the CU in the MN, and the MN-DU refers to the DU in the MN. For example, in an EN-DC scenario, the MN can be an LTE master node eNB (MN-eNB). For another example, in an MR-DC scenario, the MN can be a 5G-NR master node gNB (MN-gNB).

[0215] Optionally, before step 710, the terminal device may further send capability information to the MN-CU via the MN-DU, where the capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device can support the enhanced format of PSI-based activation or deactivation.

[0216] The first timer and the second timer both correspond to a first RB, and the first RB may be any one of the following: a split RB, a duplicated RB, or a dual active protocol stack (DAPS) RB.

[0217] In an embodiment of the present application, before step 710, after MN receives downlink data from the core network as a control anchor point (also referred to as RB termination point), on the one hand, MN-CU will send the downlink data to the terminal device through MN-DU, and on the other hand, MN-CU will also send the downlink data to SN-CU, and SN-CU will send the downlink data to the terminal device through SN-DU. Specifically, MN-DU sends the downlink data to the first MAC entity (or first MAC for short) corresponding to MN in the terminal device, and passes through the first RLC entity (or first RLC for short) corresponding to MN. SN-DU sends the downlink data to the second MAC entity (or second MAC for short) corresponding to MN in the terminal device, and passes through the second RLC entity (or second RLC for short) corresponding to MN. Finally, the downlink data sent by MN to the terminal device and the downlink data sent by SN to the terminal device will converge at the NR PDCP of the terminal device.

[0218] The SN-CU mentioned above refers to the CU in the SN, and the SN-DU refers to the DU in the SN. For example, in the EN-DC or MR-DC scenario, the SN is the 5G-NR secondary node gNB (SN-gNB).

[0219] In one possible implementation, in the EN-DC scenario, the first RLC entity is the E-UTRA RLC in Figure 2, the first MAC entity is the E-UTRA MAC in Figure 2, the second RLC entity is the NR RLC in Figure 2, and the second MAC entity is the NR MAC in Figure 2.

[0220] In another possible implementation, in the MR-DC scenario, the first RLC entity is the MN RLC in FIG3 , the first MAC entity is the MN MAC in FIG3 , the second RLC entity is the SN RLC in FIG3 , and the second MAC entity is the SN MAC in FIG3 .

[0221] For example, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an enhanced format for PSI-based activation or deactivation provided in an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the indication information of PSI-based activation or deactivation can be carried in a MAC CE, and the format of the MAC CE is an enhanced format. Referring to Figure 8, the MAC CE may include: a DRB ID field and an RLCi field. Among them, the DRB ID field indicates the identifier of the DRB corresponding to the current MAC CE (for example, the identifier of the first RB), and the field length is, for example, 5 bits. RLCi represents the ID of the logical channel of the RLC entity. These logical channel IDs all correspond to the first RB and are numbered in ascending order according to MCG and SCG. For example, when i=0, RLCi represents RLC entity 0, and when i=1, RLCi represents RLC entity 1. Taking the MR-DC scenario as an example, RLC entity 0 can correspond to the MN RLC entity, and RLC entity 1 can correspond to the SN RLC entity. The value of the RLCi field is used to indicate the PSI-based discard activation / deactivation status of RLC entity i. The value of the RLCi field is set to 1 to indicate that PSI-based discard is activated for RLC entity i. The value of the RLCi field is set to 0 to indicate that PSI-based discard is deactivated for RLC entity i.

[0222] The following, in conjunction with steps 715 to 735, describes in detail the specific implementation method of sending a PSI based discard activation indication for the RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device in the case of DU (MN-DU and / or SN-DU) congestion.

[0223] Step 715: In the case of MN-DU congestion, the MN-DU sends a first activation indication of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device.

[0224] In an embodiment of the present application, in the case of MN-DU congestion, MN-DU determines to activate the PSI based discard of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB, and sends a PSI based discard activation indication of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device. The PSI based discard activation indication can also be referred to as a first activation indication.

[0225] As an example, the first activation indication may be carried in the MAC CE of FIG. 8 . For the specific format of the MAC CE, please refer to the above description of FIG. 8 , which will not be repeated here.

[0226] Step 720: After receiving the first activation indication sent by the MN-DU, the terminal device activates the PSI based discard function of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB.

[0227] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving a first activation indication sent by an MN-DU, the terminal device may activate a PSI based discard function of a first RLC entity corresponding to a first RB. After the terminal device activates the PSI based discard function of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB, if the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (e.g., first data) from an upper layer of the terminal device, a first timer is started, the duration of the first timer is a first duration, and the terminal device determines whether to discard the first data received from the PDCP entity in the first RLC entity according to the running state of the first timer.

[0228] It should be understood that the above-mentioned first data is transmitted through the first RB.

[0229] In one example, if the first timer expires, the terminal device may discard the first data received from the PDCP entity in the first RLC entity.

[0230] As another example, if the first timer does not time out, the terminal device will not discard the first data received from the PDCP entity in the first RLC entity, that is, it will cache the first data received from the PDCP entity in the first RLC entity.

[0231] It should be noted that, at this time, the terminal device does not determine whether to discard data based on the running status of the second timer. Optionally, the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (e.g., first data) from an upper layer of the terminal device, and the terminal device may also start the second timer, but will not discard data based on the running status of the second timer, for example, will not discard the first data received from the PDCP entity.

[0232] Step 725: In the case of SN-DU congestion, the SN-DU sends a second activation indication of the second RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device.

[0233] In an embodiment of the present application, in the case of SN-DU congestion, the SN-DU determines to activate the PSI based discard of the second RLC entity corresponding to the first RB, and sends a PSI based discard activation indication of the second RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device. The PSI based discard activation indication can also be called a second activation indication.

[0234] As an example, the second activation indication may be carried in the MAC CE of FIG. 8 . For the specific format of the MAC CE, please refer to the above description of FIG. 8 , which will not be repeated here.

[0235] Step 730: After receiving the second activation indication sent by the SN-DU, the terminal device activates the PSI based discard function of the second RLC entity corresponding to the first RB.

[0236] In an embodiment of the present application, after the terminal device receives the second activation indication sent by the SN-DU, the PSI based discard function of the second RLC entity corresponding to the first RB can be activated. After the terminal device activates the PSI based discard function of the second RLC entity corresponding to the first RB, if the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (for example, second data) from the upper layer of the terminal device, the above-mentioned first timer is started, and the terminal device determines whether to discard the first data received from the PDCP entity in the second RLC entity according to the running state of the first timer.

[0237] It should be understood that the above-mentioned second data is transmitted through the first RB.

[0238] In one example, if the first timer expires, the terminal device may discard the second data received from the PDCP entity in the second RLC entity.

[0239] As another example, if the first timer does not time out, the terminal device will not discard the second data received from the PDCP entity in the second RLC entity, that is, it will cache the second data received from the PDCP entity in the second RLC entity.

[0240] Similarly, at this time, the terminal device does not determine whether to discard the data based on the running status of the second timer. Optionally, the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (e.g., second data) from an upper layer of the terminal device, and the terminal device may also start the second timer, but will not discard the data based on the running status of the second timer, for example, will not discard the second data received from the PDCP entity.

[0241] Step 735: The terminal device receives both the first activation indication sent by the MN-DU and the second activation indication sent by the SN-DU. The terminal device activates the PSI based discard function of the PDCP entity corresponding to the first RB.

[0242] In some embodiments, if the terminal device receives both a first activation indication sent by the MN-DU and a second activation indication sent by the SN-DU, the terminal device may activate the PSI based discard function of the PDCP entity corresponding to the first RB. After the terminal device activates the PSI based discard function of the PDCP entity corresponding to the first RB, if the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (for example, third data) from an upper layer of the terminal device, the first timer is started, and according to the running status of the first timer, it is determined whether to discard the received third data in the PDCP entity.

[0243] It should be understood that the third data is transmitted through the first RB.

[0244] In one example, if the first timer times out, the terminal device will discard the received third data in the PDCP entity. That is, after the third data is discarded in the PDCP entity, the third data will no longer be sent to the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity.

[0245] In another example, if the first timer does not time out, the terminal device will not discard the received third data in the PDCP entity, that is, the third data will be sent to the first RLC entity and / or the second RLC entity through the PDCP entity.

[0246] Similarly, at this time, the terminal device does not determine whether to discard the data based on the running status of the second timer. Optionally, the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (e.g., third data) from an upper layer of the terminal device, and the terminal device may also start the second timer, but does not discard the data based on the running status of the second timer. For example, whether to discard the received third data will not be determined in the PDCP entity.

[0247] It should be noted that the first data, the second data, and the third data may be the same data, or may be different data, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0248] The following, in combination with steps 740 to 760, describes in detail the specific implementation method of sending a PSI based discard deactivation indication for the RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device when the DU (MN-DU and / or SN-DU) is not congested.

[0249] For example, when the DU (MN-DU and / or SN-DU) changes from the above-mentioned congested state to a non-congested state, the following steps 740-760 may be executed.

[0250] Step 740: When the MN-DU is not congested, the MN-DU sends a first deactivation indication of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device.

[0251] In an embodiment of the present application, when the MN-DU is not congested, the MN-DU determines to deactivate the PSI based discard of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB, and sends a PSI based discard deactivation indication of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device. The PSI based discard deactivation indication may also be referred to as a first deactivation indication.

[0252] As an example, the first deactivation indication may be carried in the MAC CE of FIG. 8 . For the specific format of the MAC CE, please refer to the above description of FIG. 8 , which will not be repeated here.

[0253] Step 745: After receiving the first deactivation indication sent by the MN-DU, the terminal device deactivates the PSI based discard function of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB.

[0254] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the first deactivation indication sent by the MN-DU, the terminal device may deactivate the PSI based discard function of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB. After the terminal device deactivates the PSI based discard function of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB, if the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (for example, the fourth data) from the upper layer of the terminal device, a second timer is started, the duration of the second timer is the second duration, and the terminal device determines whether to discard the fourth data received from the PDCP entity in the first RLC entity according to the running state of the second timer.

[0255] It should be understood that the fourth data is transmitted through the first RB.

[0256] In one example, if the second timer expires, the terminal device may discard the fourth data received from the PDCP entity in the first RLC entity.

[0257] As another example, if the second timer does not time out, the terminal device will not discard the fourth data received from the PDCP entity in the first RLC entity, that is, it will cache the fourth data received from the PDCP entity in the first RLC entity.

[0258] It should be noted that, at this time, the terminal device does not determine whether to discard the data based on the running status of the first timer. Optionally, the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (e.g., the fourth data) from an upper layer of the terminal device, and the terminal device may also start the first timer, but will not discard the data based on the running status of the first timer, for example, will not discard the fourth data received from the PDCP entity.

[0259] Step 750: When the SN-DU is not congested, the SN-DU sends a second deactivation indication of the second RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device.

[0260] In an embodiment of the present application, when the SN-DU is not congested, the SN-DU determines to deactivate the PSI based discard of the second RLC entity corresponding to the first RB, and sends a PSI based discard deactivation indication of the second RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device. The PSI based discard deactivation indication can also be called a second deactivation indication.

[0261] As an example, the second deactivation indication may be carried in the MAC CE of FIG. 8 . For the specific format of the MAC CE, please refer to the description of FIG. 8 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0262] Step 755: After receiving the second deactivation indication sent by the SN-DU, the terminal device deactivates the PSI based discard function of the second RLC entity corresponding to the first RB.

[0263] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the second deactivation indication sent by the SN-DU, the terminal device may deactivate the PSI based discard function of the second RLC entity corresponding to the first RB. After the terminal device deactivates the PSI based discard function of the second RLC entity corresponding to the first RB, if the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (e.g., the fifth data) from the upper layer of the terminal device, the second timer is started, and the terminal device determines whether to discard the fifth data received from the PDCP entity in the second RLC entity according to the running state of the second timer.

[0264] It should be understood that the fifth data is transmitted through the first RB.

[0265] In one example, if the second timer expires, the terminal device may discard the fifth data received from the PDCP entity in the second RLC entity.

[0266] As another example, if the second timer does not time out, the terminal device will not discard the fifth data received from the PDCP entity in the second RLC entity, that is, it will cache the fifth data received from the PDCP entity in the second RLC entity.

[0267] Similarly, at this time, the terminal device does not determine whether to discard the data based on the running status of the first timer. Optionally, the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (e.g., the fifth data) from an upper layer of the terminal device, and the terminal device may also start the first timer, but will not discard the data based on the running status of the first timer, for example, will not discard the fifth data received from the PDCP entity.

[0268] Step 760: The terminal device receives both the first deactivation indication sent by the MN-DU and the second deactivation indication sent by the SN-DU. The terminal device deactivates the PSI based discard function of the PDCP entity corresponding to the first RB.

[0269] In some embodiments, if the terminal device receives both a first deactivation indication sent by the MN-DU and a second deactivation indication sent by the SN-DU, the terminal device may deactivate the PSI based discard function of the PDCP entity corresponding to the first RB. After the terminal device deactivates the PSI based discard function of the PDCP entity corresponding to the first RB, if the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (for example, the sixth data) from the upper layer of the terminal device, the second timer is started, and according to the running status of the second timer, it is determined whether to discard the received sixth data in the PDCP entity.

[0270] It should be understood that the sixth data is transmitted through the first RB.

[0271] In one example, if the second timer times out, the terminal device will discard the received sixth data in the PDCP entity. That is, after the second data is discarded in the PDCP entity, the second data will no longer be sent to the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity.

[0272] In another example, if the second timer does not time out, the terminal device will not discard the received sixth data in the PDCP entity, that is, the sixth data will be sent to the first RLC entity and / or the second RLC entity through the PDCP entity.

[0273] Similarly, at this time, the terminal device does not determine whether to discard the data based on the running status of the first timer. Optionally, the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (e.g., the first stream data) from an upper layer of the terminal device, and the terminal device may also start the first timer, but does not discard the data based on the running status of the first timer. For example, the PDCP entity does not determine whether to discard the received sixth data.

[0274] It should be noted that the fourth data, fifth data, and sixth data may be the same data, or may be different data, and this embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0275] Step 765: The terminal device sends a first PDCP report to the MN-CU, where the first PDCP report indicates the sequence number (SN) of the data discarded by the terminal device.

[0276] In this embodiment, step 765 is optional.

[0277] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device also sends a first PDCP report to the MN-CU, where the first PDCP report indicates the SN (also referred to as PDCP SN) of the data discarded by the terminal device.

[0278] For example, the SN of the data discarded by the terminal device may include at least one of the following SNs: the SN of the first data, the SN of the second data, and the SN of the third data.

[0279] As an example, the first PDCP report may be in a control protocol data unit (PDU) or in a user PDU, and this embodiment of the present application does not impose any specific limitation on this.

[0280] Step 770: The MN-CU sends a second PDCP report to the SN-CU.

[0281] In an embodiment of the present application, after the MN-CU receives a first PDCP report sent by a terminal device, when the RB termination point switches from the MN to the SN, the MN-CU sends a second PDCP report to the SN-CU, where the second PDCP report indicates that data discarded by the terminal device has been successfully received. After the SN-CU receives the second PDCP report, the SN-CU skips the SN at the bottom of the SN receiving window that contains data discarded by the terminal device based on the second PDCP report.

[0282] It should be understood that Figure 7 uses MN as the control anchor point (also known as RB termination point) for illustration. Therefore, the terminal device sends a first PDCP report to the MN-CU. When the RB termination point switches from MN to SN, the MN-CU sends a second PDCP report to the SN-CU. If the control anchor point is SN, the terminal device sends a first PDCP report to the SN-CU. After the SN-CU receives the first PDCP report, when the RB termination point switches from SN to MN, the SN-CU sends a second PDCP report to the MN-CU.

[0283] It should be noted that the second PDCP report is a false ACK indication, that is, if there is no second report, the bottom of the SN receiving window in the SN-CU will stay at the SN of the data discarded by the terminal device, resulting in the inability to receive subsequent data in the SN-CU, thereby affecting the service experience.

[0284] In an embodiment of the present application, after the RB termination point is switched from the MN to the SN, after the SN receives downlink data from the core network as a control anchor point, on the one hand, the SN-CU will send the downlink data to the terminal device through the SN-DU, and on the other hand, the SN-CU will also send the downlink data to the MN-CU, and the MN-CU will send the downlink data to the terminal device through the MN-DU.

[0285] In the above technical solution, MN and SN each control the activation and deactivation of the PSI-based discard of their respective corresponding RLC entities in the terminal device. When only one of MN and SN is congested, only the data discard function of its corresponding RLC entity is activated, and the other one maintains data transmission with the terminal device, that is, the data transmission between the other network device and the terminal device is not affected, thereby avoiding the terminal device from discarding too much data and improving the service experience.

[0286] Below, in conjunction with FIG9 , another specific implementation of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. It should be understood that the example of FIG9 is only to help those skilled in the art understand the embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the embodiment of the application to the specific numerical values ​​or specific scenarios illustrated in FIG9 . Those skilled in the art can obviously make various equivalent modifications or changes based on the following example given in FIG9 , and such modifications and changes also fall within the scope of the embodiment of the present application.

[0287] It should be understood that Figure 9 corresponds to Figure 6, that is, Figure 9 is a specific implementation of the communication method shown in Figure 6. In Figure 9, the CU of the first node corresponds to the first communication device in Figure 6, the DU of the first node corresponds to the second communication device in Figure 6, the terminal device corresponds to the third communication device in Figure 6, the DU of the second node corresponds to the fourth communication device in Figure 6, and the CU of the second node corresponds to the fifth communication device in Figure 6.

[0288] Figure 9 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method for a dual-connection DC scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9, the method may include steps 910-980, which are described in detail below.

[0289] Step 910: The CU of the first node sends an RRC reconfiguration message for the first RB to the terminal device.

[0290] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the first node represents the node where the control anchor point of the first RB (also referred to as the RB termination point) is located. If the MN is the RB termination point, the first node is the MN, and the CU of the first node is the CU of the MN (abbreviated as MN-CU). If the SN is the RB termination point, the first node is the SN, and the CU of the first node is the CU of the SN (abbreviated as SN-CU).

[0291] Step 910 is similar to step 710. Please refer to the description in step 710 for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0292] Step 915: The CU of the first node sends congestion reporting control information to the DU of the first node.

[0293] In an embodiment of the present application, the CU of the first node can send congestion reporting control information to the DU of the first node, and the congestion reporting control information is used to control the DU of the first node to report the congestion information of the DU of the first node for the first RB to the CU of the first node (for example, the congestion information can be RB granularity).

[0294] It should be understood that, with the MN as the RB termination point, the DU of the first node is the MN's DU (abbreviated as MN-DU). With the SN as the RB termination point, the DU of the first node is the SN's DU (abbreviated as SN-DU).

[0295] Step 920: The CU of the first node sends congestion reporting control information to the DU of the second node through the CU of the second node.

[0296] In an embodiment of the present application, the CU of the first node can also send congestion reporting control information to the DU of the second node through the CU of the second node. The congestion reporting control information is used to control the DU of the second node to report the congestion information of the DU of the second node for the first RB to the CU of the first node (for example, the congestion information can be RB granularity).

[0297] The following describes in detail, in conjunction with steps 925 to 945, a specific implementation method for sending a PSI based discard activation indication for the RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device when DU (DU of the first node, DU of the second node) is congested.

[0298] Step 925: The DU of the first node reports congestion information of the DU of the first node for the first RB to the CU of the first node.

[0299] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the congestion reporting control information sent by the CU of the first node, the DU of the first node reports the congestion information of the DU of the first node for the first RB to the CU of the first node when the DU of the first node is congested.

[0300] Step 930: The DU of the second node reports congestion information of the DU of the second node for the first RB to the CU of the first node.

[0301] In an embodiment of the present application, after the DU of the second node receives the congestion reporting control information sent by the CU of the first node, if the DU of the second node is congested, the CU of the second node reports the congestion information of the DU of the second node for the first RB to the CU of the first node through the CU of the second node.

[0302] Step 935: The CU of the first node sends a PSI based discard activation indication for the first RB to the DU of the first node or the DU of the second node according to the congestion information of the DU of the first node and / or the DU of the second node.

[0303] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the congestion information of the DU of the first node for the first RB and / or the congestion information of the DU of the second node for the first RB, the CU of the first node can determine to activate the PSI based discard of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB according to the congestion information of the DU of the first node and / or the DU of the second node, and send a PSI based discard activation indication for the first RB to the DU of the first node or the DU of the second node. The PSI based discard activation indication may also be referred to as a third activation indication.

[0304] For the convenience of description, FIG9 is illustrated by taking the case where the CU of the first node sends a PSI based discard activation indication for the first RB to the DU of the first node as an example.

[0305] Step 940: The DU of the first node or the DU of the second node sends a third activation indication of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device.

[0306] In one example, the CU of the first node sends a PSI based discard activation indication for the first RB to the DU of the first node based on the congestion information of the DU of the first node and / or the DU of the second node, and the DU of the first node sends a MAC CE to the terminal device, where the MAC CE includes a third activation indication of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB.

[0307] In another example, the CU of the first node sends a PSI based discard activation indication for the first RB to the DU of the second node through the CU of the second node based on the congestion information of the DU of the first node and / or the DU of the second node, and the DU of the second node sends a MAC CE to the terminal device, where the MAC CE includes a third activation indication of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB.

[0308] For the convenience of description, FIG9 is illustrated by taking the example of the DU of the first node sending the third activation indication of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device.

[0309] In this embodiment of the present application, the format of the MAC CE in step 940 is shown in FIG10 . The MAC CE may include the following: a Di field. i represents the ascending order of the DRB IDs in the DRB for PSI discarded SDUs. Di = 1 indicates that the PSI-based SDU discard function needs to be activated for DRB i. Di = 0 indicates that the PSI-based SDU discard function is deactivated for DRB i.

[0310] Step 945: After receiving the third activation indication, the terminal device activates the PSI based discard function of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB.

[0311] In an embodiment of the present application, after the terminal device receives the third activation indication sent by the DU of the first node or the DU of the second node, the PSI based discard function of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB can be activated. After the terminal device activates the PSI based discard function of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB, if the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (for example, the seventh data) from the upper layer of the terminal device, a first timer is started, and the duration of the first timer is the first duration. The terminal device determines whether to discard the seventh data received from the PDCP entity in the PDCP entity and / or RLC entity (including the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity) according to the running status of the first timer.

[0312] It should be understood that the seventh data is transmitted through the first RB.

[0313] In one example, if the first timer expires, the terminal device may discard the received seventh data in the PDCP entity and / or the RLC entity (including the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity).

[0314] It should be noted that, at this time, the terminal device does not determine whether to discard the data based on the running status of the second timer. Optionally, the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (e.g., the seventh data) from an upper layer of the terminal device, and the terminal device may also start the second timer, but will not discard the data based on the running status of the second timer, for example, will not discard the seventh data received from the PDCP entity.

[0315] The following describes in detail, in combination with steps 950 to 970, a specific implementation method of sending a PSI based discard deactivation indication for the RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device when the DU (DU of the first node, DU of the second node) is not congested.

[0316] Step 950: The DU of the first node reports non-congestion information of the DU of the first node for the first RB to the CU of the first node.

[0317] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the congestion reporting control information sent by the CU of the first node, the DU of the first node reports the non-congestion information of the DU of the first node for the first RB to the CU of the first node when the DU of the first node is not congested.

[0318] Step 955: The DU of the second node reports the non-congestion information of the DU of the second node for the first RB to the CU of the first node.

[0319] In an embodiment of the present application, after the DU of the second node receives the congestion reporting control information sent by the CU of the first node, if the DU of the second node is not congested, the CU of the second node reports the non-congestion information of the DU of the second node for the first RB to the CU of the first node through the CU of the second node.

[0320] Step 960: The CU of the first node sends a PSI based discard deactivation indication for the first RB to the DU of the first node or the DU of the second node according to the non-congestion information of the DU of the first node and / or the DU of the second node.

[0321] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the non-congestion information of the DU of the first node for the first RB and / or the non-congestion information of the DU of the second node for the first RB, the CU of the first node can determine to deactivate the PSI based discard of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB based on the non-congestion information of the DU of the first node and / or the DU of the second node, and send a PSI based discard deactivation indication for the first RB to the DU of the first node or the DU of the second node. The PSI based discard deactivation indication may also be referred to as a third deactivation indication.

[0322] Step 965: The DU of the first node or the DU of the second node sends a third deactivation indication of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB to the terminal device.

[0323] In one example, the CU of the first node sends a PSI based discard deactivation indication for the first RB to the DU of the first node based on the non-congestion information of the DU of the first node and / or the DU of the second node, and the DU of the first node sends a MAC CE to the terminal device, and the MAC CE includes a third deactivation indication of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB.

[0324] In another example, the CU of the first node sends a PSI based discard deactivation indication for the first RB to the DU of the second node through the CU of the second node based on the non-congestion information of the DU of the first node and / or the DU of the second node, and the DU of the second node sends a MAC CE to the terminal device, where the MAC CE includes a third deactivation indication of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB.

[0325] In an embodiment of the present application, the third deactivation indication may be carried in the MAC CE shown in FIG10 . For the specific format of the MAC CE, please refer to the description of FIG10 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0326] Step 970: After receiving the third deactivation indication, the terminal device deactivates the PSI based discard function of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB.

[0327] In an embodiment of the present application, after the terminal device receives the third deactivation indication sent by the DU of the first node or the DU of the second node, the terminal device can deactivate the PSI based discard function of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB. After the terminal device deactivates the PSI based discard function of the first RLC entity corresponding to the first RB, if the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (for example, the eighth data) from the upper layer of the terminal device, a second timer is started, and the duration of the second timer is the second duration. The terminal device determines whether to discard the received eighth data in the PDCP entity and / or RLC entity (including the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity) according to the running status of the second timer.

[0328] It should be understood that the eighth data is transmitted through the first RB.

[0329] In one example, if the second timer expires, the terminal device may discard the received eighth data in the PDCP entity and / or the RLC entity (including the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity).

[0330] It should be noted that, at this time, the terminal device does not determine whether to discard the data based on the running status of the first timer. Optionally, the PDCP entity of the terminal device receives data (e.g., the eighth data) from an upper layer of the terminal device, and the terminal device may also start the first timer, but will not discard the data based on the running status of the first timer, for example, will not discard the received eighth data.

[0331] Step 975: The terminal device sends a first PDCP report to the CU of the first node, where the first PDCP report indicates the sequence number (SN) of the data discarded by the terminal device.

[0332] In this embodiment, step 975 is optional.

[0333] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device also sends a first PDCP report to the CU of the first node, where the first PDCP report indicates the SN of the data discarded by the terminal device.

[0334] For example, the SN of the data discarded by the terminal device may include at least one of the following SNs: the SN of the seventh data, the SN of the eighth data.

[0335] Step 980: The CU of the first node sends a second PDCP report to the CU of the second node.

[0336] In an embodiment of the present application, after the CU of the first node receives a first PDCP report sent by the terminal device, when the RB termination point switches from the first node to the second node, the CU of the first node sends a second PDCP report to the CU of the second node, where the second PDCP report indicates that the data discarded by the terminal device has been successfully received. After the CU of the second node receives the second PDCP report, the CU of the second node skips the SN of the data discarded by the terminal device at the bottom of the receive SN window based on the second PDCP report.

[0337] In the above technical solution, by exchanging congestion information between stations, PSI-based activation and deactivation are centrally controlled to prevent terminal devices from discarding too many data packets in DC scenarios, thereby improving the service experience.

[0338] It should be understood that the size of the serial numbers of the above processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0339] It should also be understood that 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 to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their internal logical relationships.

[0340] It should also be understood that in some of the above embodiments, devices in existing network architectures are mainly used as examples for illustrative purposes, and it should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific form of the devices. For example, devices that can achieve the same functions in the future are applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0341] It is understandable that in the above-mentioned various method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by devices (such as the first communication device and the second communication device) can also be implemented by components that can be used in the devices (such as chips or circuits).

[0342] It can also be understood that some optional features in the various embodiments of the present application may not depend on other features in certain scenarios, and may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios, without limitation.

[0343] The above, in conjunction with Figures 5-7 and 9, details the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application. The above communication method is primarily described from the perspective of a first communication device and a second communication device. It is understood that, in order to implement the above functions, the first communication device and the second communication device include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to performing each function.

[0344] Those skilled in the art should be aware that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0345] The communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to Figures 11 to 13. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for matters not described in detail, reference can be made to the method embodiment above. For the sake of brevity, some contents are not repeated here.

[0346] In the embodiment of the present application, the functional modules of the transmitting device or the receiving device can be divided according to the above method example. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The following is an example of dividing each functional module according to each function.

[0347] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 10 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 10 includes a transceiver module 11 and a processing module 12. The transceiver module 11 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 12 is used to process data. In other words, the transceiver module 11 is used to perform operations related to receiving and sending, while the processing module 12 is used to perform operations other than receiving and sending. The transceiver module 11 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0348] Optionally, the device 10 may further include a storage module 13, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 12 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the device implements the actions of the devices in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0349] In one design, the device 10 may correspond to the first communication device in the above method embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the first communication device.

[0350] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the first communication device in Figure 5 above, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to perform the transceiver-related operations of the first communication device in Figure 5 above, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform the processing-related operations of the first communication device in Figure 5 above.

[0351] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is used to receive first indication information, which is used to activate the function of the first entity in the first communication device, or to deactivate the function of the first entity in the first communication device; the processing module 12 is used to discard the data of the first entity according to the first timer when the function of the first entity is activated according to the first indication information; or the processing module 12 is used to discard the data of the first entity according to the second timer when the function of the first entity is deactivated according to the first indication information.

[0352] In another possible implementation, the first indication information also includes identification information of a first radio bearer RB, the first RB corresponds to the first entity, the first RB corresponds to the second entity, and the first RB is any one of the following: a separated RB, a repeated RB, or a dual activation protocol stack DAPS RB.

[0353] In another possible implementation, when the function of the first entity is activated, the function of the third entity is in a deactivated state, and the third entity is used to discard the data in the third entity according to the second timer. The third entity and the first entity correspond to different network devices in the DC scenario.

[0354] In another possible implementation, the first entity is the RLC entity corresponding to the master node MN, and the third entity is the RLC entity corresponding to the secondary node SN; or the first entity is the RLC entity corresponding to the SN, and the third entity is the RLC entity corresponding to the MN.

[0355] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is used to receive configuration information, where the configuration information is used to configure the function in the DC scenario, and the configuration information includes the duration of the first timer and the duration of the second timer.

[0356] In another possible implementation, the configuration information further includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate the function in the DC scenario.

[0357] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is used to receive a first indication information from the MN, and the first indication information is used to activate the above-mentioned function of the first entity in the first communication device; the transceiver module 11 is also used to receive a third indication information from the SN, and the third indication information is used to activate the function of the third entity in the first communication device; the processing module 12 is used to discard the data of the first entity, and / or the data of the second entity, and / or the data in the third entity according to the first timer.

[0358] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is used to send a first report, which is used to indicate the serial number SN of the data discarded by the first communication device, and the discarded data includes at least one of the following data: data discarded by the first entity, data discarded by the second entity, or data discarded by the third entity.

[0359] In another possible implementation manner, the first indication information is also used to indicate the first entity.

[0360] In another possible implementation, the processing module 12 is configured to discard the data of the first entity when the first timer times out.

[0361] In another possible implementation, the processing module 12 is configured to discard the data of the first entity when the second timer times out.

[0362] In another possible implementation, the first timer and the second timer correspond to a first RB.

[0363] In another possible implementation, the duration of the first timer is shorter than the duration of the second timer.

[0364] In another design, the device 10 may correspond to the second communication device in the above method embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the second communication device.

[0365] The device 10 can implement steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the second communication device in Figure 5 above, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations of the second communication device in Figure 5 above, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the second communication device in Figure 5 above.

[0366] In one possible implementation, the processing module 12 is used to determine first indication information; the transceiver module 11 is used to send the first indication information, and the first indication information is used to activate the function of the first entity in the first communication device, or to deactivate the function of the first entity. The first communication device is a terminal device under the DC scenario. When the function of the first entity is activated, the first entity is used to discard the data of the first entity according to the first timer. When the function of the first entity is deactivated, the first entity is used to discard the data of the first entity according to the second timer. The first entity is different from the second entity in the first communication device, and the second entity is used to manage the first timer and the second timer.

[0367] In another possible implementation, the first indication information also includes identification information of a first radio bearer RB, the first RB corresponds to the first entity, the first RB corresponds to the second entity, and the first RB is any one of the following: a separated RB, a repeated RB, or a dual activation protocol stack DAPS RB.

[0368] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is used to send configuration information, which is used to configure the function of the first communication device in the DC scenario. The configuration information includes the duration of the first timer and the duration of the second timer. The first timer and the second timer correspond to the first RB.

[0369] In another possible implementation, the configuration information further includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate the function of the first communication device in the DC scenario.

[0370] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is used to receive a first report, which is used to indicate the serial number SN of the data discarded by the first communication device, and the discarded data includes at least one of the following data: data discarded by the first entity, data discarded by the second entity, or data discarded by the third entity.

[0371] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is configured to send a second report, where the second report is used to indicate that the discarded data is successfully received.

[0372] In another possible implementation manner, the network state is a congested state, and the first indication information is used to activate the function of the first entity in the first communication device.

[0373] In another possible implementation manner, the network state is a non-congested state, and the first indication information is used to deactivate the function of the first entity in the first communication device.

[0374] In another possible implementation, the duration of the first timer is shorter than the duration of the second timer.

[0375] In another possible implementation manner, the first indication information is also used to indicate the first entity.

[0376] In another design, the device 10 may correspond to the first communication device in the above method embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the first communication device.

[0377] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the first communication device in Figure 6 above, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to perform the transceiver-related operations of the first communication device in Figure 6 above, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform the processing-related operations of the first communication device in Figure 6 above.

[0378] In one possible implementation, the processing module 12 is used to determine the first indication information; the transceiver module 11 is used to send the first indication information to the second communication device based on the network status information, and the first indication information is used to activate the function of the first entity in the third communication device, or to deactivate the function of the first entity in the third communication device. The second communication device is a network device under the DC scenario, and the third communication device is a terminal device under the DC scenario.

[0379] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is configured to receive network status information from the second communication device and / or the fourth communication device, and determine the first indication information according to the network status information of the second communication device and / or the fourth communication device.

[0380] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is used to send first control information to the second communication device, and the first control information is used to control the second communication device to report the network status information of the second communication device; and / or the transceiver module 11 is used to send second control information to the fourth communication device, and the second control information is used to control the fourth communication device to report the network status information of the fourth communication device.

[0381] In another possible implementation manner, the network status information is congestion status information, and the first indication information is used to activate the function of the first entity.

[0382] In another possible implementation manner, the network state information is non-congestion state information, and the first indication information is used to deactivate the function of the first entity.

[0383] In another possible implementation, the first indication information further includes identification information of a first radio bearer RB, the first RB corresponds to the first entity, and the first RB is any one of the following: a separated RB, a repeated RB, or a dual-activation protocol stack DAPS RB.

[0384] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is configured to receive a first report, where the first report is used to indicate a sequence number SN of data discarded by the third communication apparatus.

[0385] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is configured to send a second report, where the second report is used to indicate that the discarded data is successfully received.

[0386] It should also be understood that the device 10 here is embodied in the form of a functional module. The term "module" here may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated processor or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combined logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. In an optional example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 10 can be specifically the first communication device in the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the first communication device in the above-mentioned method embodiments; or, the device 10 can be specifically the second communication device in the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the second communication device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. To avoid repetition, it will not be described here.

[0387] The apparatus 10 of each of the above-mentioned solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the device (such as the first communication device) in the above-mentioned method. This function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions; for example, the transceiver module can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the sending unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing module, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the transceiver operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0388] In addition, the transceiver module 11 may also be a transceiver circuit (for example, may include a receiving circuit and a sending circuit), and the processing module may be a processing circuit.

[0389] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 20 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 20 includes a processor 21, which is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in a memory 22, or read data / signaling stored in the memory 22, to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, there are one or more processors 21.

[0390] Optionally, as shown in FIG12 , the device 20 further includes a memory 22 for storing computer programs or instructions and / or data. The memory 22 may be integrated with the processor 21 or may be separately provided. Optionally, there may be one or more memories 22 .

[0391] Optionally, as shown in Figure 12, the device 20 further includes a transceiver 23, which is used to receive and / or send signals. For example, the processor 21 is used to control the transceiver 23 to receive and / or send signals.

[0392] As a solution, the device 20 is used to implement the operations performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above various method embodiments.

[0393] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0394] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: 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).

[0395] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0396] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0397] 13 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 30 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 30 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 31 and an input / output interface 32.

[0398] The logic circuit 31 may be a processing circuit in the chip system 30. The logic circuit 31 may be coupled to a storage unit and call instructions in the storage unit so that the chip system 30 can implement the methods and functions of the various embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 32 may be an input / output circuit in the chip system 30, outputting information processed by the chip system 30 or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 30 for processing.

[0399] As a solution, the chip system 30 is used to implement the operations performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above various method embodiments.

[0400] For example, the logic circuit 31 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiment; the input / output interface 32 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0401] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by the device in the above-mentioned method embodiments are stored.

[0402] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the method performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in each embodiment of the above method.

[0403] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0404] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, including the aforementioned first communication device and second communication device.

[0405] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0406] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0407] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0408] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0409] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0410] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0411] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0412] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method applied to the dual-connectivity DC scenario, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first communication device, and the method includes: Receiving first indication information, where the first indication information is used to activate the function of a first entity in the first communication device or to deactivate the function of the first entity in the first communication device; According to the first indication information, when the function of the first entity is activated, discarding the data of the first entity according to a first timer; or According to the first indication information, when the function of the first entity is deactivated, discarding the data of the first entity according to a second timer; Wherein, the first entity is different from a second entity, the second entity is used to manage the first timer and the second timer, and the first timer is different from the second timer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first indication information further includes identification information of a first radio bearer (RB), the first RB corresponds to the first entity, the first RB corresponds to the second entity, and the first RB is any one of the following: a split RB, a duplicate RB, or a dual active protocol stack (DAPS) RB.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, When the function of the first entity is activated, the function of a third entity is in a deactivated state, the third entity is used to discard the data in the third entity according to the second timer, and the third entity and the first entity correspond to different network devices in the DC scenario.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The first entity is an RLC entity corresponding to a master node (MN), and the third entity is an RLC entity corresponding to a secondary node (SN); or The first entity is an RLC entity corresponding to the SN, and the third entity is an RLC entity corresponding to the MN.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further includes: Receiving configuration information, where the configuration information is used to configure the function in the DC scenario, and the configuration information includes the duration of the first timer and the duration of the second timer.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The configuration information further includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate the function in the DC scenario.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The receiving the first indication information includes: Receiving first indication information from the MN, where the first indication information is used to activate the function of the first entity in the first communication device; The method further includes: Receiving third indication information from the SN, where the third indication information is used to activate the function of a third entity in the first communication device; The discarding the data of the first entity according to the first timer includes: Discarding the data of the first entity, and / or the data of the second entity, and / or the data in the third entity according to the first timer.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The method further includes: Sending a first report, where the first report is used to indicate the sequence number (SN) of the data discarded by the first communication device, and the discarded data includes at least one of the following data: the data discarded by the first entity, the data discarded by the second entity, or the data discarded by the third entity.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The first indication information is further used to indicate the first entity.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, Discarding the data of the first entity according to the first timer includes: Discarding the data of the first entity when the first timer expires.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, Discarding the data of the first entity according to the second timer includes: Discarding the data of the first entity when the second timer expires.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The first timer and the second timer correspond to a first radio bearer (RB).

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, The duration of the first timer is less than the duration of the second timer.

14. A communication method applied to a dual-connection DC scenario, characterized in that, The method is applied to a second communication device, and the method includes: Determining first indication information; Sending the first indication information, where the first indication information is used to activate the function of a first entity in a first communication device or to deactivate the function of the first entity. The first communication device is a terminal device in the DC scenario. When the function of the first entity is activated, the first entity is used to discard the data of the first entity according to the first timer. When the function of the first entity is deactivated, the first entity is used to discard the data of the first entity according to the second timer. The first entity is different from a second entity in the first communication device, and the second entity is used to manage the first timer and the second timer.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The first indication information further includes identification information of a first radio bearer (RB). The first RB corresponds to the first entity, the first RB corresponds to the second entity, and the first RB is any one of the following: a split RB, a duplicate RB, or a dual active protocol stack (DAPS) RB.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The method further includes: Sending configuration information, where the configuration information is used to configure the function of the first communication device in the DC scenario. The configuration information includes the duration of the first timer and the duration of the second timer. The first timer and the second timer correspond to a first RB.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The configuration information further includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate the function of the first communication device in the DC scenario.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving a first report, where the first report is used to indicate the sequence number (SN) of the data discarded by the first communication device. The discarded data includes at least one of the following data: the data discarded by the first entity, the data discarded by the second entity, or the data discarded by a third entity. Among them, the third entity and the first entity correspond to different network devices in the DC scenario.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein The method further includes: Sending a second report, where the second report is used to indicate that the discarded data has been successfully received.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that, When the network state is a congestion state, the first indication information is used to activate the function of the first entity in the first communication device.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that, When the network state is a non-congestion state, the first indication information is used to deactivate the function of the first entity in the first communication device.

22. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 21, characterized in that, The duration of the first timer is less than the duration of the second timer.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 22, characterized in that, The first indication information is further used to indicate the first entity.

24. A communication method applied to a dual-connection DC scenario, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first communication device, and the method includes: Determining first indication information; Send the first indication information to a second communication device according to network status information, where the first indication information is used to activate the function of a first entity in a third communication device or to deactivate the function of the first entity in the third communication device. The second communication device is a network device in the DC scenario, and the third communication device is a terminal device in the DC scenario.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein The determining the first indication information includes: Receiving network status information from the second communication device and / or a fourth communication device, where the fourth communication device is a network device in the DC scenario; Determining the first indication information according to the network status information of the second communication device and / or the fourth communication device.

26. The method according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending first control information to the second communication device, where the first control information is used to control the second communication device to report the network status information of the second communication device; and / or Sending second control information to a fourth communication device, where the second control information is used to control the fourth communication device to report the network status information of the fourth communication device.

27. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, characterized in that The network status information is congestion status information, and the first indication information is used to activate the function of the first entity.

28. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, characterized in that, The network status information is non-congestion status information, and the first indication information is used to deactivate the function of the first entity.

29. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 28, characterized in that, The first indication information further includes identification information of a first radio bearer (RB), where the first RB corresponds to the first entity, and the first RB is any one of the following: a split RB, a duplicate RB, or a dual active protocol stack (DAPS) RB.

30. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 29, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving a first report, where the first report is used to indicate the sequence number (SN) of data discarded by the third communication device.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein The method further includes: Sending a second report, where the second report is used to indicate that the discarded data has been successfully received.

32. A communication device, characterized in that, Including a processor, where the processor is coupled to a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program or instruction, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instruction in the memory, so that the device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 31.

33. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program or instruction is stored on the computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program or instruction runs on a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 31.

34. A chip system, characterized in that, Including: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip system executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 31.

35. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program product runs on a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 31.

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