Transmission method and apparatus in multi-connection scenario, device, and readable storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications, and discloses a transmission method and apparatus in a multi-connection scenario, a device, and a readable storage medium. The transmission method in a multi-connection scenario in embodiments of the present application comprises: a terminal performs transmission by means of some or all of M CGs, wherein the M CGs comprise an MCG and M-1 SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M≥3. The transmission solution in a multi-connection scenario designed in the embodiments of the present application can aggregate transmission resources of more than two network nodes, thereby improving the system capacity. In addition, the multi-connection technology has a plurality of available transmission paths, thereby facilitating improvement of the transmission stability of the terminal.

Description

Transmission method, device, equipment and readable storage medium in multi-connection scenario

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on January 12, 2024, with application number 202410052536.1 and invention name “Transmission method, device, equipment and readable storage medium in multi-connection scenario”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a transmission method, apparatus, device, and readable storage medium in a multi-connection scenario. Background Art

[0004] At this stage, the New Radio (NR) system can support dual connectivity (DC) communication, that is, providing the terminal with the resources of two network nodes, one of which is called the master node (MN) and the other is called the secondary node (SN). At each network node, carrier aggregation technology (CA) can also be used, that is, configuring a series of service cells controlled by the network node for the terminal, and these service cells form a cell group (CG). The cell group controlled by the MN is the master cell group (MCG), and the cell group controlled by the SN is the secondary cell group (SCG). Each cell group can contain a special cell (SpCell) and a series of secondary cells (SCell), where the special cell in the MCG is called the primary cell (PCell) and the special cell in the SCG is called the primary secondary cell (PSCell). With the development of communication technology, dual connectivity (DC) communication is gradually unable to meet the growing transmission needs. How to further improve the transmission rate and transmission reliability is a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a transmission method, apparatus, device, and readable storage medium in a multi-connection scenario, and design a transmission solution in a multi-connection scenario, which can solve the problems of limited transmission rate and unstable transmission in dual-link communication.

[0006] In a first aspect, a transmission method in a multi-connection scenario is provided, including:

[0007] The terminal transmits through some or all of the M CGs; wherein the M CGs include MCG and M-1 SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M≥3.

[0008] In a second aspect, a transmission method in a multi-connection scenario is provided, including:

[0009] The network side device transmits through some or all of the M CGs; wherein the M CGs include MCG and M-1 SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M≥3.

[0010] In a third aspect, a transmission device in a multi-connection scenario is provided, including:

[0011] A transceiver unit is used to transmit through some or all of M CGs; wherein the M CGs include MCG and M-1 SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M≥3.

[0012] In a fourth aspect, a transmission device in a multi-connection scenario is provided, including:

[0013] A transceiver unit is used to transmit through some or all of M CGs; wherein the M CGs include MCG and M-1 SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M≥3.

[0014] In a fifth aspect, a terminal is provided, comprising a transceiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a program or instruction that can be run on the processor, and when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the method described in the first aspect are implemented.

[0015] In a sixth aspect, a terminal is provided, comprising a processor and a communication interface;

[0016] The communication interface is used for transmission through part or all of the M CGs; wherein the M CGs include MCG and M-1 SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M≥3.

[0017] In the seventh aspect, a network side device is provided, which includes a transceiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores programs or instructions that can be run on the processor, and when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, the steps of the method described in the second aspect are implemented.

[0018] In an eighth aspect, a network-side device is provided, including a processor and a communication interface;

[0019] The communication interface is used for transmission through part or all of the M CGs; wherein the M CGs include MCG and M-1 SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M≥3.

[0020] In the ninth aspect, a readable storage medium is provided, on which a program or instruction is stored. When the program or instruction is executed by a processor, the steps of the method described in the first aspect are implemented, or the steps of the method described in the second aspect are implemented.

[0021] In the tenth aspect, a wireless communication system is provided, including: a terminal and a network side device, wherein the terminal can be used to execute the steps of the method described in the first aspect, and the network side device can be used to execute the steps of the method described in the second aspect.

[0022] In the eleventh aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the method as described in the first aspect, or to implement the method as described in the second aspect.

[0023] In the twelfth aspect, a computer program / program product is provided, which is stored in a storage medium and executed by at least one processor to implement the steps of the transmission method in a multi-connection scenario as described in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0024] In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal or network-side device can transmit through some or all of the M CGs; wherein, the M CGs include the MCG and M-1 SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M≥3. The embodiment of the present application specifically designs a transmission scheme for a multi-connection scenario, which can aggregate the transmission resources of more than two network nodes and improve the system capacity. In addition, multi-connection technology is conducive to improving the stability of terminal transmission because it has multiple available transmission paths. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0026] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a dual connection structure described from a network side perspective provided in this application.

[0028] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a dual connection structure described from the perspective of a terminal side provided in this application.

[0029] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of a transmission method in a multi-connection scenario provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a multi-connection scenario provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of another multi-connection scenario provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a first type of separate bearer provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0033] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of another first type of separate bearer provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of another first type of separate bearing provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a second type of separate bearing provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of another second type of separate bearer provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] FIG12 is a schematic block diagram of a transmission device in a multi-connection scenario according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] FIG13 is a schematic block diagram of another transmission device in a multi-connection scenario provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] FIG14 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0040] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal provided according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] Figure 16 is a schematic block diagram of a network-side device provided according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0043] The terms "first", "second", etc. in this application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this way are interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first" and "second" are generally of the same type, and do not limit the number of objects, for example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "or" in this application represents at least one of the connected objects. For example, "A or B" covers three options, namely, Option 1: including A but not including B; Option 2: including B but not including A; Option 3: including both A and B. The character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0044] The term "indication" in this application can be either a direct indication (or explicit indication) or an indirect indication (or implicit indication). A direct indication can be understood as the sender explicitly informing the receiver of specific information, the operation to be performed, or the requested result, etc. in the instruction sent; an indirect indication can be understood as the receiver determining the corresponding information based on the instruction sent by the sender, or making a judgment and determining the operation to be performed or the requested result, etc. based on the judgment result.

[0045] It is worth noting that the technology described in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to the Ambient Internet of Things (IoT) system, but can also be used in other wireless communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single-carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth system, or other systems. In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably, and the technology described can be used for the systems and radio technologies mentioned above as well as for other systems and radio technologies. The following description describes a New Radio (NR) system for example purposes, and NR terminology is used in most of the following description, but these techniques can also be applied to systems other than NR systems, such as 6G (6 th Generation, 6G) communication system.

[0046] FIG1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. The wireless communication system includes a terminal 11 and a network-side device 12. The terminal 11 may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Tablet Personal Computer), a laptop computer (Laptop Computer), a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld computer, a netbook, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a mobile internet device (MID), an augmented reality (AR), a virtual reality (VR) device, a robot, a wearable device (Wearable Device), an aircraft (Flight Vehicle), a vehicle-mounted device (VUE), a ship-mounted device, a pedestrian user equipment (PUE), a smart home (home appliances with wireless communication capabilities, such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, or furniture), a game console, a personal computer (PC), an ATM, or a self-service machine, or other terminal-side devices. Wearable devices include: smart watches, smart bracelets, smart headphones, smart glasses, smart jewelry (smart bracelets, smart bracelets, smart rings, smart necklaces, smart anklets, smart anklets, etc.), smart wristbands, smart clothing, etc. Among them, the vehicle-mounted device can also be called a vehicle-mounted terminal, vehicle-mounted controller, vehicle-mounted module, vehicle-mounted component, vehicle-mounted chip or vehicle-mounted unit, etc. It should be noted that the specific type of the terminal 11 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0047] The network side device 12 may include an access network device or a core network device.

[0048] Access network equipment can also be referred to as radio access network (RAN) equipment, radio access network functions, or radio access network units. Access network equipment can include base stations, wireless local area network (WLAN) access points (AS), or wireless fidelity (WiFi) nodes. Among them, the base station can be referred to as Node B (NB), Evolved Node B (eNB), the next generation Node B (gNB), New Radio Node B (NR Node B), access point, Relay Base Station (RBS), Serving Base Station (SBS), Base Transceiver Station (BTS), radio base station, radio transceiver, Basic Service Set (BSS), Extended Service Set (ESS), Home Node B (HNB), Home evolved Node B (home evolved Node B), Transmission Reception Point (TRP) or other appropriate terms in the relevant field. As long as the same technical effect is achieved, the base station is not limited to specific technical vocabulary. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, only the base station in the NR system is used as an example for introduction, and the specific type of the base station is not limited.

[0049] Among them, the core network equipment may include but is not limited to at least one of the following: core network node, core network function, mobility management entity (MME), access mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), user plane function (UPF), policy control function (PCF), policy and charging rules function unit (PCRF), edge application service discovery function (EASDF), unified data management (UDM), unified data repository (UDR), home user server (HSS), centralized network configuration (CNC), network storage function (NRF), network exposure function (NEF), local NEF (L-NEF), binding support function (BSF), application function ( Function, AF), Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF), Location Management Function (LMF), etc. It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, only the core network device in the NR system is introduced as an example, and the specific type of the core network device is not limited.

[0050] To facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of the present application, dual connectivity (DC) is described below.

[0051] DC provides the UE with the resources of two network nodes, one of which is called an MN and the other is called an SN. Carrier aggregation technology (CA) can also be used at each network node, that is, configuring a series of service cells controlled by the node for the UE. These service cells form a cell group. The cell group controlled by the MN is the primary cell group (MCG), and the cell group controlled by the secondary node SN is the secondary cell group (SCG). Each cell group contains a special cell (SpCell) and a series of secondary cells (SCells). In the MCG, the special cell is called the primary cell (PCell), and in the SCG, the special cell is called the primary and secondary cells (PSCell).

[0052] Specifically, DC includes EN-DC, NR-DC, and NE-DC; among them, E represents E-UTRA and N represents NR.

[0053] Specifically, in DC, there are three types of radio bearers.

[0054] MCG bearer: RLC bearer is located in MCG.

[0055] SCG bearer: RLC bearer located in the SCG.

[0056] Split bearer: A bearer with two RLC bearers, one in the MCG and one in the SCG.

[0057] The RLC bearer includes the configuration of the Radio Link Control (RLC) and Media Access Control (MAC). The three types of bearers mentioned above can be further divided into MN-terminated bearers and SN-terminated bearers, depending on the node where the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) is located.

[0058] Figure 2 shows the protocol stack of the MR-DC (NGEN-DC, NE-DC, and NR-DC) architecture connected to the 5GC on the network side.

[0059] Figure 3 shows the protocol stack of the MR-DC (NGEN-DC, NE-DC, and NR-DC) architecture connected to the 5GC on the terminal side.

[0060] The following takes an MN terminated MCG bearer, an MN terminated split bearer, and an MN terminated SCG bearer as examples.

[0061] MN terminated MCG bearer: After downlink data reaches the User Plane Function (UPF) in the core network, the core network sends the downlink data (such as Quality of Service (QoS) flow) to the MN. After the MN processes the data through the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) and PDCP, it is sent to the UE through the MN's air interface resource configuration (MCG RLC or MCG MAC). After the UE receives the data through the MCG, it submits it to the upper level for processing. The UE's PDCP entity corresponds to the MN PDCP.

[0062] MN terminated SCG bearer: This differs from MN terminated MCG bearer in that, after SDAP and PDCP processing, the MN sends the PDCP data to the SN via the Xn interface, which is then sent to the UE via the SN's air interface resource configuration (SCG RLC or SCG MAC). After receiving the data through the SCG, the UE passes it on to the upper level for further processing.

[0063] MN terminated split bearer: After downlink data reaches the UPF in the core network, the core network sends the downlink data (such as QoS flow) to the MN. After the MN is processed by SDAP and PDCP, it is sent to the UE through the air interface resource configuration (MCG RLC or MCG MAC) of the MN and SN. After the UE receives the data through the MCG and SCG, it submits it to the upper level for processing in sequence, and the data is aggregated at the PDCP.

[0064] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The above related technologies can be combined arbitrarily with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and all of them fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0065] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of a transmission method 200 in a multi-connection scenario according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , the transmission method 200 in a multi-connection scenario may include at least part of the following contents:

[0066] S210, the terminal transmits through some or all of M CGs; wherein the M CGs include an MCG and M-1 SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M ≥ 3;

[0067] S220, the network side device transmits through part or all of the M CGs; wherein the M CGs include MCG and M-1 SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M≥3.

[0068] It should be understood that Figure 4 shows the steps or operations of the transmission method 200 in a multi-connection scenario, but these steps or operations are only examples. The embodiments of the present application can also perform other operations or variations of the various operations in Figure 4.

[0069] The embodiments of the present application design a transmission solution for multi-connection scenarios, which can aggregate the transmission resources of more than two network nodes and improve system capacity. In addition, multi-connection technology is conducive to improving the stability of terminal transmission due to the multiple available transmission paths.

[0070] It should be noted that, on the one hand, the transmission scheme in multi-connection scenarios can improve system capacity. Multi-connection technology can aggregate the transmission resources of more than two network nodes, fully utilize the discretely distributed resources of the communication system, and improve system capacity. On the other hand, the transmission scheme in multi-connection scenarios can improve transmission reliability. To increase system capacity, higher communication frequencies may be introduced in 6G. Although high-frequency signals have the advantage of large bandwidth, they also have significant disadvantages, namely unstable signal quality. The quality of high-frequency signals may drop significantly when blocked by obstacles. Multi-connection technology, because it has multiple available transmission paths, is conducive to improving the stability of terminals under such high-frequency transmission.

[0071] In some embodiments, the multi-connection scenario to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied may be as shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 .

[0072] The "transmission" described in the embodiments of the present application may refer to: sending or receiving. For example, in the above S210, the terminal sends through some or all of the M CGs, or the terminal receives through some or all of the M CGs. For another example, in the above S220, the network side device sends through some or all of the M CGs, or the network side device receives through some or all of the M CGs.

[0073] In an embodiment of the present application, M CGs can increase the transmission rate of the terminal, that is, by sending different data (split) in parallel on M CGs. Optionally, when M CGs are needed for transmission often depends on the actual data volume of the terminal, link quality, network available resources, etc. For example, when downlink data arrives, the network side device can decide which CG (or branch (leg)) to throw the data to based on the data volume of the terminal and the network resource usage. For example, when uplink data arrives, it is generally the network side device that controls which CG (or branch (leg)) the terminal can send on.

[0074] In an embodiment of the present application, M CGs can improve the transmission reliability of the terminal, that is, by sending multiple copies of the same data (duplication) on M CGs.

[0075] In some embodiments, the radio access technologies (RATs) constituting the multiple connections may be the same or different. These RATs may use radio access technologies such as E-UTRA, NR, and 6G new RAT, which is not limited in this application.

[0076] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal can be configured with multiple connections, where each connection can correspond to a service cell group, that is, the terminal can be configured with multiple CGs, such as M CGs, where the M CGs include MCG and M-1 SCGs.

[0077] In an embodiment of the present application, different SCGs in the M-1 SCGs can be distinguished by the SCG identifier; or, different SCGs in the M-1 SCGs can be distinguished by the SCG name, such as one of the SCGs in the network configuration is a primary SCG, a special SCG, a default SCG, etc., and the remaining SCGs are normal SCGs.

[0078] In some implementations, the CG in the M CGs may also be referred to as MCG, SCG, third CG (TCG), fourth CG (FCG), etc., or similar names, which is not limited in this application.

[0079] In some embodiments, the M CGs may correspond to three network nodes (such as a base station or a transmission reception point (TRP) or an access point (AP)) respectively.

[0080] In some embodiments, M CGs correspond to M distributed units (DUs), and the M DUs can be associated with the same or different centralized units (CUs).

[0081] In some embodiments, the MCG among the M CGs corresponds to a base station, the M-1 SCGs among the M CGs correspond to a second CU, and the second CU corresponds to M-1 DUs.

[0082] In Scenario 1, M CGs include, for example, MCG, SCG 1, and SCG 2. Each of these three CGs corresponds to three base stations. Each base station has a user plane interface with the core network and can receive data from the core network. For example, the MCG corresponds to the mobile node, and SCG 1 and SCG 2 correspond to the network node.

[0083] In Scenario 2, M CGs include, for example, MCG, SCG 1, and SCG 2. MCG, SCG 1, and SCG 2 can also correspond to multiple DUs but share a common CU. For example, MCG is an independent base station 1, and SCG 1 and SCG 2 are two DUs connected to the same CU. In this scenario, data first arrives at the CU and is then sent by the CU to the corresponding DU. There is no user plane interface between the DU and the core network.

[0084] In an embodiment of the present application, when a terminal is configured with M CGs, a radio bearer needs to be defined first. For example, each CG may have its own dedicated bearer.

[0085] In some embodiments, before the terminal or the network-side device transmits through some or all of the M CGs, the transmission method 200 in the multi-connection scenario further includes:

[0086] The terminal receives configuration information from the network side device, wherein the configuration information includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: relevant configuration of at least one first-type split bearer, relevant configuration of at least one second-type split bearer;

[0087] Among them, the first type of separated bearer is associated with M RLC bearers, and the M RLC bearers have a one-to-one correspondence with the M CGs; the second type of separated bearer is associated with N RLC bearers, and the N RLC bearers have a one-to-one correspondence with N CGs in the M CGs, N is a positive integer, and N<M.

[0088] In some embodiments, configurations related to the first type of split bearer include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following:

[0089] The type information of the separated bearer, the information of the network node where the PDCP of the separated bearer is located, and the mapping relationship between the RLC bearer associated with the separated bearer and the CG.

[0090] Optionally, in the first type of split bearer, the PDCP is located in one network node. For example, in the first type of split bearer, the PDCP is located in the MN. For another example, in the first type of split bearer, the PDCP is located in the SN.

[0091] In some embodiments, configurations related to the second type of split bearer include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following:

[0092] The type information of the separated bearer, the information of the network node where the PDCP of the separated bearer is located, and the mapping relationship between the RLC bearer associated with the separated bearer and the CG.

[0093] Optionally, in the second type of split bearer, the PDCP is located in one network node. For example, in the second type of split bearer, the PDCP is located in the MN. For another example, in the second type of split bearer, the PDCP is located in the SN.

[0094] Exemplarily, the M CGs include MCG, SCG 1, and SCG 2. When the network-side device configures a split bearer, the bearer configuration includes at least one of the following:

[0095] The bearer type (type), such as first-class separated bearer or second-class separated bearer;

[0096] When the bearer is a second-type split bearer, the two legs associated with it; further, the two legs can be associated with two SCGs, or the two legs can be associated with one MCG and one SCG;

[0097] The location of the bearer's PDCP.

[0098] Optionally, if the bearer's PDCP is on a certain node, the above bearer configuration is configured by that node.

[0099] Exemplarily, the M CGs include the MCG, SCG 1, and SCG 2. For the first type of split bearer, the PDCP is located at one network node, and the first type of split bearer includes three legs consisting of the MCG RLC bearer, the SCG 1 RLC bearer, and the SCG 2 RLC bearer. For example, the first type of split bearer in scenario 1 may be shown in FIG7 or FIG8 , and the first type of split bearer in scenario 2 may be shown in FIG9 . Optionally, the first type of split bearer may be further divided into an MN terminated split bearer, an SN 1 terminated split bearer, and an SN 2 terminated split bearer.

[0100] Exemplarily, the M CGs include the MCG, SCG 1, and SCG 2. For the second type of split bearer, the PDCP is located at one network node, and the second type of split bearer includes two legs consisting of two RLC bearers from the MCG RLC bearer, the SCG 1 RLC bearer, and the SCG 2 RLC bearer. For example, the second type of split bearer in scenario 1 may be shown in FIG10 , and the second type of split bearer in scenario 2 may be shown in FIG11 . Optionally, the second type of split bearer may be further divided into MN terminated split bearer, SN 1 terminated split bearer, and SN 2 terminated split bearer.

[0101] In some embodiments, the configuration information may be carried by at least one of the following:

[0102] Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, downlink control information (DCI), and media access control element (MAC CE) bearer.

[0103] In some embodiments, the transmission method 200 in the multi-connection scenario further includes:

[0104] The terminal receives first information from the network side device;

[0105] The first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: activating a PDCP duplication transmission function of K1 separate bearers, and deactivating a PDCP duplication transmission function of K2 separate bearers;

[0106] The separate bearers in the K1 separate bearers are first-type separate bearers or second-type separate bearers, and the separate bearers in the K2 separate bearers are first-type separate bearers or second-type separate bearers. K1 and K2 are both positive integers.

[0107] In this embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the PDCP duplicate transmission function at the split bearer granularity can be achieved through the first information, thereby improving the reliability of transmission.

[0108] Specifically, the K1 separate bearers may be configured by the above configuration information, and the K2 separate bearers may be configured by the above configuration information.

[0109] In one embodiment, the first information is used to indicate which separate bearers' PDCP copy transmission functions need to be activated and / or which separate bearers' PDCP copy transmission functions need to be deactivated; it can be understood that the first information is used to indicate one or more separate bearers that need to be activated and / or deactivated.

[0110] In some implementations, the first information indicates the separate bearer that needs to be activated by indicating an identifier of a cell group or base station where a PDCP entity of the separate bearer that needs to be activated or deactivated is located.

[0111] As an implementation manner, the first indication information is used to indicate the identifier of the separate bearer for which the PDCP duplicate transmission function needs to be activated and / or the identifier of the separate bearer for which the PDCP duplicate transmission function needs to be deactivated; or the first indication information is used to indicate the index of the separate bearer for which the PDCP duplicate transmission function needs to be activated and / or the index of the separate bearer for which the PDCP duplicate transmission function needs to be deactivated. In some implementation manners, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0112] Activate the PDCP duplicate transport function: identifiers or indices of K1 separate bearers;

[0113] Deactivating the PDCP duplicate transmission function: identifiers or indices of K2 separate bearers.

[0114] In some implementations, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0115] Activate PDCP duplicate transmission function: parameter K1;

[0116] Deactivate the PDCP duplicate transmission function: parameter K2.

[0117] Specifically, when the first information includes parameter K1 for activating the PDCP copy transmission function, K1 separate bearers are selected from the separate bearers configured by the above configuration information in order of priority from high to low, or, K1 separate bearers are randomly selected from the separate bearers configured by the above configuration information, or, K1 separate bearers are selected from the separate bearers configured by the above configuration information based on implementation, or, K1 separate bearers are pre-configured on the network side, or, K1 separate bearers are agreed upon by the protocol.

[0118] Specifically, when the first information includes parameter K2 for deactivating the PDCP copy transmission function, the K2 separate bearers are selected from the separate bearers configured by the above configuration information in order of priority from high to low, or the K2 separate bearers are randomly selected from the separate bearers configured by the above configuration information, or the K2 separate bearers are selected from the separate bearers configured by the above configuration information based on implementation, or the K2 separate bearers are pre-configured on the network side, or the K2 separate bearers are agreed upon by the protocol.

[0119] In some implementations, the terminal may determine at least one of the following through the first information:

[0120] Among the split bearers configured by the above configuration information, there are K1 split bearers that need to activate the PDCP duplication transmission function, and among the split bearers configured by the above configuration information, there are K2 split bearers that need to deactivate the PDCP duplication transmission function.

[0121] In some implementations, the terminal may determine at least one of the following through the first information:

[0122] Which K1 separate bearers among the separate bearers configured by the above configuration information need to activate the PDCP duplication transmission function, and which K2 separate bearers among the separate bearers configured by the above configuration information need to deactivate the PDCP duplication transmission function.

[0123] Exemplarily, the first information is used to indicate the activation of the PDCP duplication transmission function of K1 separate bearers. In this case, it can be understood that the first information is used to indicate the activation of the PDCP duplication transmission function of each RLC bearer associated with the K1 separate bearers. For example, for the xth first-class separate bearer (having three legs: MCG, SCG 1, and SCG2), when the UE receives the first information indicating the activation of the PDCP duplication transmission function of the separate bearer, the UE activates the PDCP duplication function of the three legs of the separate bearer, that is, the UE will repeatedly send the same data on the three legs.

[0124] Exemplarily, the first information is used to indicate the deactivation of the PDCP duplication transmission function of K2 separate bearers. In this case, it can be understood that the first information is used to indicate the deactivation of the PDCP duplication transmission function of each RLC bearer associated with the K2 separate bearers.

[0125] For example, the PDCP duplication transmission function can improve transmission reliability. For a split bearer with the PDCP duplication transmission function activated, the same data can be sent on each RLC bearer associated with the split bearer. For example, if the split bearer is associated with two RLC bearers (also referred to as having two legs), the UE performs duplication transmission on these two RLC bearers; if the split bearer is associated with three RLC bearers (also referred to as having three legs), the UE performs duplication transmission on these three RLC bearers.

[0126] Optionally, the first information may be carried via RRC signaling, DCI, or MAC CE.

[0127] Optionally, the network side device may be any network node associated with the M CGs, or the network side device may be a specific network node associated with the M CGs, or the network side device may be a network device other than the network nodes associated with the M CGs.

[0128] In some embodiments, the transmission method 200 in the multi-connection scenario further includes:

[0129] The terminal receives second information from the network side device;

[0130] The second information is used to instruct activation or deactivation of a PDCP duplicate transmission function of at least one RLC bearer associated with each of the K3 separate bearers;

[0131] The separate bearer in the K3 separate bearers is the first type of separate bearer or the second type of separate bearer, and K3 is a positive integer.

[0132] In this embodiment, the activation or deactivation of the PDCP duplicate transmission function at the RLC bearer granularity can be achieved through the second information, thereby improving the reliability of transmission.

[0133] Exemplarily, for the i-th separate bearer among K3 separate bearers, the second information may indicate activation of the PDCP copy transmission function of at least one RLC bearer associated with the i-th separate bearer, or, the second information may indicate deactivation of the PDCP copy transmission function of at least one RLC bearer associated with the i-th separate bearer.

[0134] For example, for the i-th first-category split bearer (having three RLC legs: MCG, SCG 1, and SCG2), the UE receives second information indicating activation of the PDCP duplication function of the MCG and SCG 1 of the split bearer, and deactivation of the PDCP duplication function of SCG 2. Then, the same data of the UE will be replicated twice, transmitted on the MCG and SCG1 respectively, and not transmitted on SCG 2.

[0135] It should be noted that, among the RLC bearers associated with different separate bearers among the K3 separate bearers, the RLC bearers with the PDCP duplicate transmission function activated may be the same or different, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0136] In some embodiments, the above S210 may specifically include:

[0137] For the i-th separate bearer among the K3 separate bearers, the terminal copies the data to be transmitted (uplink data) through the PDCP entity of the i-th separate bearer and sends it to all RLC entities associated with the i-th separate bearer with the PDCP copy transmission function activated for transmission.

[0138] It should be noted that an RLC entity corresponds to a specific CG.

[0139] The data described in the embodiment of the present application may include:

[0140] At least one of control plane signaling and user plane data; or

[0141] At least one of PDCP data PDU and PDCP control PDU; or

[0142] At least one of PDCP data and RLC data.

[0143] In some embodiments, the above S220 may specifically include:

[0144] For the i-th separate bearer among the K3 separate bearers, the network side device copies the data to be transmitted (downlink data) through the PDCP entity of the i-th separate bearer, and sends it to all RLC entities associated with the i-th separate bearer and with the PDCP copy transmission function activated for transmission.

[0145] It should be noted that the other separate bearers among the K3 separate bearers may refer to the i-th separate bearer, and for the sake of brevity, they will not be described in detail here.

[0146] Optionally, the second information may be carried via RRC signaling, DCI, or MAC CE.

[0147] In some implementations, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0148] Separate bearing 0, separate bearing 1, ..., separate bearing K3-1;

[0149] For split bearer 0, RLC bearer with PDCP duplicate transport function activated: identifiers or indices of one or more RLC bearers;

[0150] For split bearer 1, RLC bearer with PDCP duplicate transport function activated: identifiers or indices of one or more RLC bearers;

[0151] …

[0152] For the separated bearer K3-1, the RLC bearer for which the PDCP duplicate transmission function is activated: the identifier or index of one or more RLC bearers.

[0153] In some implementations, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0154] Separate bearing 0, separate bearing 1, ..., separate bearing K3-1;

[0155] For split bearer 0, the RLC bearer for which the PDCP duplicate transport function is deactivated: the identifiers or indices of one or more RLC bearers;

[0156] For split bearer 1, RLC bearer with PDCP duplicate transport function deactivated: identifiers or indices of one or more RLC bearers;

[0157] …

[0158] For the separated bearer K3-1, the RLC bearer for which the PDCP duplicate transmission function is deactivated: the identifier or index of one or more RLC bearers.

[0159] In some embodiments, the terminal is always allowed to transmit on a specific CG among the M CGs, and the terminal is allowed to transmit on some or all of the other CGs among the M CGs except the specific CG.

[0160] Exemplarily, when the PDCP duplicate transmission function of the terminal is not activated, or when the terminal is not configured with the PDCP duplicate transmission function, the terminal is always allowed to transmit on a specific CG among M CGs, and the terminal is allowed to transmit on some or all of the other CGs among the M CGs except the specific CG.

[0161] Optionally, the CG allowed to be transmitted among the other CGs is determined based on one of the following:

[0162] When the total amount of data to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the CGs allowed to be transmitted in the other CGs include the CG corresponding to the first threshold;

[0163] When the total amount of data to be transmitted is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the CGs allowed to be transmitted in the other CGs include all of the other CGs.

[0164] Exemplarily, when the total amount of data to be transmitted is less than the second threshold, there is no CG in the other CGs that is allowed to be transmitted.

[0165] Optionally, a specific CG among the M CGs is configured or indicated by the network side, or a specific CG among the M CGs is agreed upon by a protocol. For example, the specific CG is an MCG.

[0166] Optionally, if the first threshold is associated with the i-th CG among M CGs, the CG corresponding to the first threshold is the i-th CG. Exemplarily, the association relationship between the first threshold and the CG can be agreed upon by a protocol, or the association relationship between the first threshold and the CG can be configured by the network side.

[0167] Optionally, if the first threshold is associated with a CG quantity parameter S, the CGs corresponding to the first threshold are S CGs among the M CGs, where S is a positive integer and S<M. Exemplarily, the association between the first threshold and the CG quantity parameter S may be agreed upon by a protocol, or the association between the first threshold and the CG quantity parameter S may be configured by the network side.

[0168] Exemplarily, the S CGs are selected from the M CGs in order of priority from high to low; or, the S CGs are randomly selected from the M CGs; or, the S CGs are selected from the M CGs based on implementation; or, the S CGs are configured on the network side or agreed upon by protocol.

[0169] Optionally, the priority of each CG in the M CGs may be agreed upon by a protocol, or the priority of each CG in the M CGs may be configured by the network side.

[0170] In some implementations, for the first type of split bearers, the network-side device may configure at least two data volume thresholds to control which RLC bearers the terminal sends data on.

[0171] In some implementations, for the first type of split bearers, the network-side device configures a start threshold for each RLC bearer. A terminal can only send data on this RLC bearer when the amount of data to be transmitted by the terminal exceeds this start threshold. Alternatively, some RLC bearers, such as MCG, may not be configured with a start threshold, meaning that the terminal is always allowed to transmit data on these RLC bearers.

[0172] In some implementations, for the first type of split bearer, the network-side device configures at least two data volume thresholds, each corresponding to the number of RLC bearers allowed to be sent. Optionally, when the data volume threshold is met, the terminal can determine which RLC bearer or bearers to use depending on the UE implementation or according to a certain priority.

[0173] In some implementations, the network-side device can also configure which CG is allowed to be sent by default.

[0174] In some implementations, for the first type of separated bearer, the network side device only configures one threshold. When the amount of data to be sent by the UE exceeds this threshold, the UE can send it on all CGs.

[0175] In some implementations, for the second type of split bearer, due to the introduction of SN 1terminated bearer with SCG 1leg and SCG 2leg, SN 2terminated bearer with SCG 1leg and SCG 2leg, the network side device can configure a threshold for each bearer, and use a default RLC bearer for transmission before the threshold is exceeded. After the threshold is exceeded, transmission is performed on all RLC bearers.

[0176] In some embodiments, the above S210 may specifically include:

[0177] The terminal sends the data to be transmitted (uplink data) to one of the M CGs that is allowed to transmit through the PDCP entity for transmission.

[0178] It should be noted that the data mentioned above may include at least one of control plane signaling and user plane data. Alternatively, the data may include at least one of PDCP data PDU and PDCP control PDU. Alternatively, the data may include at least one of PDCP data and RLC data.

[0179] Exemplarily, for a first-class separated bearer, if the PDCP duplicate transmission function of the bearer is not activated or configured, if the data to be transmitted (for example, the sum of the amount of initially transmitted PDCP data and the amount of RLC data) is less than all the first thresholds, the PDCP entity of the UE sends the data to the RLC entity corresponding to the specific CG, for example, the specific CG is MCG. When the data to be transmitted is greater than the first threshold associated with SCG 1, the PDCP entity of the UE may send the data to the RLC entity corresponding to the specific CG, or the RLC entity corresponding to SCG1. When the amount of data to be transmitted exceeds the second threshold of SCG 2, the PDCP entity of the UE may send the data to the RLC entity corresponding to the specific CG, or the RLC entity corresponding to SCG1, or the RLC entity corresponding to SCG2.

[0180] In some embodiments, the above S220 may specifically include:

[0181] The network side device sends the data to be transmitted (downlink data) to one of the M CGs that is allowed to transmit through the PDCP entity for transmission.

[0182] Exemplarily, for a first-class separated bearer, if the PDCP duplicate transmission function of the bearer is not activated or configured, if the data to be transmitted (for example, the sum of the amount of initially transmitted PDCP data and the amount of RLC data) is less than all first thresholds, the PDCP entity of the network side device sends the data to the RLC entity corresponding to the specific CG, for example, the specific CG is MCG. When the data to be transmitted is greater than the first threshold associated with SCG 1, the PDCP entity of the network side device may send the data to the RLC entity corresponding to the specific CG, or the RLC entity corresponding to SCG1. When the amount of data to be transmitted exceeds the second threshold of SCG 2, the PDCP entity of the network side device may send the data to the RLC entity corresponding to the specific CG, or the RLC entity corresponding to SCG1, or the RLC entity corresponding to SCG2.

[0183] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, a terminal or a network-side device can transmit through some or all of the M CGs; wherein, the M CGs include the MCG and M-1 SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M≥3. The embodiment of the present application specifically designs a transmission scheme for a multi-connection scenario, which can aggregate the transmission resources of more than two network nodes and improve the system capacity. In addition, multi-connection technology is conducive to improving the stability of terminal transmission because it has multiple available transmission paths.

[0184] The technical solution of this application is described below through Examples 1 to 3.

[0185] In Example 1, the UE is configured with MCG, SCG1, and SCG2. SCG 1 is configured with a data volume threshold of X, and SCG2 is configured with a data volume threshold of Y, where X is less than Y. MCG is always allowed to transmit (always available) by default. When the data demand of the UE gradually increases, the UE initially sends data on the MCG. When the amount of data to be sent increases to reach or exceed X, the UE can send data on both the MCG and SCG 1. When the amount of data to be sent continues to increase and reaches or exceeds Y, the UE sends data on MCG, SCG1, and SCG2.

[0186] In Example 2, the UE is configured with MCG, SCG1 and SCG2. The UE is also configured with two data volume thresholds X and Y, where X is less than Y. Among them, MCG is always allowed to transmit (always available) by default. When the data demand of the UE gradually increases, the UE initially sends data on the MCG. When the amount of data to be sent increases to reach or exceed X, the UE can send data on both the MCG and one SCG. Optionally, if the network configures SCG 1 to have a higher priority than SCG 2, the UE sends data on both MCG and SCG 1. When the amount of data to be sent continues to increase and reaches or exceeds Y, the UE sends data on MCG, SCG1 and SCG2.

[0187] In Example 3, the UE is configured with MCG, SCG1, and SCG2. The UE is also configured with two data volume thresholds X and Y, where X is less than Y. The network configures SCG 1 as the always available leg, and configures SCG 2 with a higher priority than MCG. When the UE's data demand gradually increases, the UE initially sends data on SCG 1. When the amount of data to be sent increases to reach or exceed X, the UE can send data on both SCG1 and SCG2. When the amount of data to be sent continues to increase and reaches or exceeds Y, the UE sends data on MCG, SCG1, and SCG2. This is because the MCG may mainly provide coverage, with low frequency and many terminals accessing it, and the priority of data transmission may be relatively low.

[0188] The transmission method in a multi-connection scenario provided in the embodiments of the present application may be executed by a transmission device in a multi-connection scenario, or a processing unit in the transmission device in a multi-connection scenario for executing the transmission method in a multi-connection scenario. In the embodiments of the present application, the transmission device in a multi-connection scenario provided in the embodiments of the present application is described by taking the transmission method in a multi-connection scenario executed by the transmission device in a multi-connection scenario as an example.

[0189] FIG12 shows a schematic block diagram of a transmission device 300 in a multi-connection scenario according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG12 , the transmission device 300 in a multi-connection scenario includes:

[0190] The transceiver unit 310 is used to transmit through part or all of the M cell groups CG; wherein the M CGs include a main cell group MCG and M-1 secondary cell groups SCG, M is a positive integer, and M≥3.

[0191] In some embodiments, before the transmission device 300 in the multi-connection scenario transmits through some or all of the M CGs, the transceiver unit 310 is further configured to receive configuration information, wherein the configuration information includes at least one of the following: relevant configuration of at least one first-type split bearer, relevant configuration of at least one second-type split bearer;

[0192] Among them, the first type of separated bearer is associated with M radio link control RLC bearers, and the M RLC bearers have a one-to-one correspondence with the M CGs; the second type of separated bearer is associated with N RLC bearers, and the N RLC bearers have a one-to-one correspondence with N CGs among the M CGs, N is a positive integer, and N<M.

[0193] In some embodiments, the relevant configuration of the first type of separate bearer or the relevant configuration of the second type of separate bearer includes at least one of the following: type information of the separate bearer, information of the network node where the packet data convergence protocol PDCP of the separate bearer is located, and the mapping relationship between the RLC bearer associated with the separate bearer and the CG.

[0194] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 310 is further configured to receive first information from a network-side device;

[0195] The first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: activating the PDCP duplicate transmission function of K1 separate bearers, and deactivating the PDCP duplicate transmission function of K2 separate bearers;

[0196] The separate bearers in the K1 separate bearers are the first type of separate bearers or the second type of separate bearers, and the separate bearers in the K2 separate bearers are the first type of separate bearers or the second type of separate bearers. K1 and K2 are both positive integers.

[0197] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 310 is further configured to receive second information from a network-side device;

[0198] The second information is used to instruct activation or deactivation of the PDCP duplicate transmission function of at least one RLC bearer associated with each of the K3 separate bearers;

[0199] The separated bearers in the K3 separated bearers are the first type of separated bearers or the second type of separated bearers, and K3 is a positive integer.

[0200] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 310 is specifically configured to:

[0201] For the i-th separate bearer among the K3 separate bearers, the data to be transmitted is copied by the PDCP entity of the i-th separate bearer and sent to all RLC entities associated with the i-th separate bearer and with the PDCP copy transmission function activated for transmission.

[0202] In some embodiments, the transmission device 300 in the multi-connection scenario is always allowed to transmit on a specific CG among the M CGs, and the transmission device 300 in the multi-connection scenario is allowed to transmit on some or all of the other CGs among the M CGs except the specific CG;

[0203] The CG allowed to be transmitted among the other CGs is determined based on one of the following:

[0204] When the total amount of data to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the CGs allowed to be transmitted among the other CGs include the CG corresponding to the first threshold;

[0205] When the total amount of data to be transmitted is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the CGs allowed to be transmitted among the other CGs include all of the other CGs.

[0206] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 310 is specifically configured to:

[0207] The data to be transmitted is sent to one of the M CGs that is allowed to transmit through the PDCP entity for transmission.

[0208] In some embodiments, if the first threshold is associated with the i-th CG among the M CGs, the CG corresponding to the first threshold is the i-th CG; or,

[0209] If the first threshold is associated with a CG quantity parameter S, the CGs corresponding to the first threshold are S CGs among the M CGs, where S is a positive integer and S<M.

[0210] In some embodiments, the S CGs are selected from the M CGs in descending order of priority; or,

[0211] The S CGs are randomly selected from the M CGs; or,

[0212] The S CGs are selected from the M CGs based on implementation; or,

[0213] The S CGs are configured on the network side or agreed upon by the protocol.

[0214] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 310 may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip.

[0215] It should be understood that the transmission device 300 in the multi-connection scenario according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the terminal in the method embodiment of the present application, and the various units in the transmission device 300 in the multi-connection scenario are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of the terminal in the method 200 shown in Figure 4. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0216] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, a terminal or a network-side device can transmit through some or all of the M CGs; wherein, the M CGs include the MCG and M-1 SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M≥3. The embodiment of the present application specifically designs a transmission scheme for a multi-connection scenario, which can aggregate the transmission resources of more than two network nodes and improve the system capacity. In addition, multi-connection technology is conducive to improving the stability of terminal transmission because it has multiple available transmission paths.

[0217] FIG13 shows a schematic block diagram of a transmission device 400 in a multi-connection scenario according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG13 , the transmission device 400 in a multi-connection scenario includes:

[0218] The transceiver unit 410 is used to transmit through part or all of the M cell groups CG; wherein the M CGs include a main cell group MCG and M-1 secondary cell groups SCG, M is a positive integer, and M≥3.

[0219] In some embodiments, before the transmission device 400 in the multi-connection scenario transmits through some or all of the M CGs, the transceiver unit 410 is further configured to send configuration information to the terminal, wherein the configuration information includes at least one of the following: relevant configuration of at least one first-type split bearer, relevant configuration of at least one second-type split bearer;

[0220] Among them, the first type of separated bearer is associated with M radio link control RLC bearers, and the M RLC bearers have a one-to-one correspondence with the M CGs; the second type of separated bearer is associated with N RLC bearers, and the N RLC bearers have a one-to-one correspondence with N CGs among the M CGs, N is a positive integer, and N<M.

[0221] In some embodiments, the relevant configuration of the first type of separate bearer or the relevant configuration of the second type of separate bearer includes at least one of the following: type information of the separate bearer, information of the network node where the packet data convergence protocol PDCP of the separate bearer is located, and the mapping relationship between the RLC bearer associated with the separate bearer and the CG.

[0222] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 410 is further configured to send first information to the terminal;

[0223] The first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: activating the PDCP duplicate transmission function of K1 separate bearers, and deactivating the PDCP duplicate transmission function of K2 separate bearers;

[0224] The separate bearers in the K1 separate bearers are the first type of separate bearers or the second type of separate bearers, and the separate bearers in the K2 separate bearers are the first type of separate bearers or the second type of separate bearers. K1 and K2 are both positive integers.

[0225] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 410 is further configured to send second information to the terminal;

[0226] The second information is used to instruct activation or deactivation of the PDCP duplicate transmission function of at least one RLC bearer associated with each of the K3 separate bearers;

[0227] The separated bearers in the K3 separated bearers are the first type of separated bearers or the second type of separated bearers, and K3 is a positive integer.

[0228] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 410 is specifically configured to:

[0229] For the i-th separate bearer among the K3 separate bearers, the data to be transmitted is copied by the PDCP entity of the i-th separate bearer and sent to all RLC entities associated with the i-th separate bearer and with the PDCP copy transmission function activated for transmission.

[0230] In some embodiments, the terminal is always allowed to transmit on a specific CG among the M CGs, and the terminal is allowed to transmit on some or all of the other CGs among the M CGs except the specific CG;

[0231] The CG allowed to be transmitted among the other CGs is determined based on one of the following:

[0232] When the total amount of data to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the CGs allowed to be transmitted among the other CGs include the CG corresponding to the first threshold;

[0233] When the total amount of data to be transmitted is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the CGs allowed to be transmitted among the other CGs include all of the other CGs.

[0234] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 410 is specifically configured to:

[0235] The data to be transmitted is sent to one of the M CGs that is allowed to transmit through the PDCP entity for transmission.

[0236] In some embodiments, if the first threshold is associated with the i-th CG among the M CGs, the CG corresponding to the first threshold is the i-th CG; or,

[0237] If the first threshold is associated with a CG quantity parameter S, the CGs corresponding to the first threshold are S CGs among the M CGs, where S is a positive integer and S<M.

[0238] In some embodiments, the S CGs are selected from the M CGs in descending order of priority; or,

[0239] The S CGs are randomly selected from the M CGs; or,

[0240] The S CGs are selected from the M CGs based on implementation; or,

[0241] The S CGs are configured on the network side or agreed upon by the protocol.

[0242] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 410 may be a communication interface or a transceiver, or an input / output interface of a communication chip or a system on chip.

[0243] It should be understood that the transmission device 400 in the multi-connection scenario according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the network side device in the method embodiment of the present application, and the various units in the transmission device 400 in the multi-connection scenario are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of the network side device in the method 200 shown in Figure 4. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0244] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, a terminal or a network-side device can transmit through some or all of the M CGs; wherein, the M CGs include the MCG and M-1 SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M≥3. The embodiment of the present application specifically designs a transmission scheme for a multi-connection scenario, which can aggregate the transmission resources of more than two network nodes and improve the system capacity. In addition, multi-connection technology is conducive to improving the stability of terminal transmission because it has multiple available transmission paths.

[0245] The transmission device in the multi-connection scenario in the embodiment of the present application can be an electronic device, such as an electronic device with an operating system, or a component in an electronic device, such as an integrated circuit or a chip. The electronic device can be a terminal or a network-side device, or it can be a device other than a terminal or a network-side device. For example, the terminal can include but is not limited to the types of terminals 11 listed above, the network-side device can include but is not limited to the types of network-side devices 12 listed above, and other devices can be servers, network attached storage (NAS), etc., which are not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0246] The transmission device in the multi-connection scenario provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement the various processes implemented in the method embodiment of Figure 4 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0247] As shown in FIG14 , an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device 500 , including a processor 501 and a memory 502 , wherein the memory 502 stores programs or instructions that can be executed on the processor 501 .

[0248] For example, when the communication device 500 is a terminal, the program or instruction is executed by the processor 501 to implement the various steps executed by the terminal in the transmission method embodiment under the above-mentioned multi-connection scenario, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0249] For another example, when the communication device 500 is a network side device, when the program or instruction is executed by the processor 501, it implements the various steps performed by the network side device in the transmission method embodiment under the above-mentioned multi-connection scenario, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0250] The present application also provides a terminal, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is configured to execute a program or instruction to implement the steps performed by the terminal in the method embodiment shown in FIG4 . This terminal embodiment corresponds to the aforementioned terminal-side method embodiment, and each implementation process and implementation method of the aforementioned method embodiment can be applied to this terminal embodiment and achieve the same technical effects. Specifically, FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal implementing an embodiment of the present application.

[0251] The terminal 600 includes but is not limited to: a radio frequency unit 601, a network module 602, an audio output unit 603, an input unit 604, a sensor 605, a display unit 606, a user input unit 607, an interface unit 608, a memory 609 and at least some of the components of the processor 610.

[0252] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the terminal 600 may also include a power supply (such as a battery) to power various components. The power supply may be logically connected to the processor 610 through a power management system, thereby implementing functions such as charging, discharging, and power consumption management through the power management system. The terminal structure shown in Figure 15 does not constitute a limitation of the terminal. The terminal may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements, which will not be described in detail here.

[0253] It should be understood that in an embodiment of the present application, the input unit 604 may include a graphics processing unit (GPU) 6041 and a microphone 6042, and the graphics processor 6041 processes the image data of a static picture or video obtained by an image capture device (such as a camera) in a video capture mode or an image capture mode. The display unit 606 may include a display panel 6061, and the display panel 6061 may be configured in the form of a liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting diode, etc. The user input unit 607 includes a touch panel 6071 and at least one of other input devices 6072. The touch panel 6071 is also called a touch screen. The touch panel 6071 may include two parts: a touch detection device and a touch controller. Other input devices 6072 may include, but are not limited to, a physical keyboard, function keys (such as volume control keys, switch keys, etc.), a trackball, a mouse, and a joystick, which will not be repeated here.

[0254] In the embodiment of the present application, after receiving downlink data from a network-side device, the radio frequency unit 601 may transmit the data to the processor 610 for processing. Furthermore, the radio frequency unit 601 may send uplink data to the network-side device. Typically, the radio frequency unit 601 includes, but is not limited to, an antenna, an amplifier, a transceiver, a coupler, a low-noise amplifier, a duplexer, and the like.

[0255] The memory 609 can be used to store software programs or instructions and various data. The memory 609 may mainly include a first storage area for storing programs or instructions and a second storage area for storing data, wherein the first storage area may store an operating system, applications or instructions required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.). In addition, the memory 609 may include a volatile memory 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), a static random access memory (SRAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), an enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), a synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and a direct memory bus random access memory (DRRAM). The memory 609 in the embodiment of the present application includes but is not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0256] Processor 610 may include at least one processing unit. Optionally, processor 610 integrates an application processor and a modem processor. The application processor primarily handles operations related to the operating system, user interface, and application programs, while the modem processor primarily processes transmission signals in multi-connection scenarios, such as a baseband processor. It is understood that the modem processor may not be integrated into processor 610.

[0257] The radio frequency unit 601 is used to transmit through part or all of the M cell groups CG; wherein the M CGs include a main cell group MCG and M-1 secondary cell groups SCG, M is a positive integer, and M≥3.

[0258] It can be understood that the implementation process of each implementation method mentioned in this embodiment can refer to the relevant description of the method embodiment and achieve the same or corresponding technical effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described here.

[0259] The present application also provides a network-side device, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is configured to execute a program or instruction to implement the steps performed by the network-side device in the method embodiment shown in FIG4 . This network-side device embodiment corresponds to the aforementioned network-side device method embodiment, and each implementation process and implementation method of the aforementioned method embodiment are applicable to this network-side device embodiment and can achieve the same technical effects. For the sake of brevity, they are not further described here.

[0260] Specifically, embodiments of the present application also provide a network-side device. As shown in Figure 16, the network-side device 700 includes an antenna 71, a radio frequency device 72, a baseband device 73, a processor 74, and a memory 75. Antenna 71 is connected to radio frequency device 72. In the uplink direction, radio frequency device 72 receives information via antenna 71 and sends the received information to baseband device 73 for processing. In the downlink direction, baseband device 73 processes the information to be transmitted and sends it to radio frequency device 72. Radio frequency device 72 processes the received information and then sends it through antenna 71.

[0261] The method executed by the network-side device in the above embodiment may be implemented in the baseband device 73 , which includes a baseband processor.

[0262] The baseband device 73 may include, for example, at least one baseband board, on which at least two chips are provided, as shown in FIG16 , one of the chips being, for example, a baseband processor, which is connected to the memory 75 through a bus interface to call the program in the memory 75 and execute the network device operations shown in the above method embodiment.

[0263] The network side device may further include a network interface 76, which is, for example, a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI).

[0264] Specifically, the network side device 700 of the embodiment of the present application also includes: instructions or programs stored in the memory 75 and can be run on the processor 74. The processor 74 calls the instructions or programs in the memory 75 to execute the method executed by each unit shown in Figure 13 and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0265] An embodiment of the present application also provides a readable storage medium, on which a program or instruction is stored. When the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the various processes of the transmission method embodiment in the above-mentioned multi-connection scenario are implemented, and the same technical effect can be achieved. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0266] The processor is the processor in the terminal described in the above embodiment. The readable storage medium includes a computer-readable storage medium, such as a computer read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. In some examples, the readable storage medium may be a non-transitory readable storage medium.

[0267] An embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the various processes of the transmission method embodiment in the above-mentioned multi-connection scenario, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0268] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0269] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program / program product, which is stored in a storage medium. The computer program / program product is executed by at least one processor to implement the various processes of the transmission method embodiment in the above-mentioned multi-connection scenario, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0270] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, including: a terminal and a network side device, wherein the terminal can be used to execute the steps performed by the terminal in the transmission method in the multi-connection scenario as described above, and the network side device can be used to execute the steps performed by the network side device in the transmission method in the multi-connection scenario as described above.

[0271] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "comprise", "include" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device comprising the element. In addition, it should be pointed out that the scope of the methods and devices in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, and may also include performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in the opposite order according to the functions involved. For example, the described method may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may also be added, omitted or combined. In addition, the features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0272] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by means of a computer software product plus a necessary general-purpose hardware platform, or of course, by hardware. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM, RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.) and includes a number of instructions for enabling a terminal or network-side device to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present application.

[0273] The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of this application, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms of implementation methods without departing from the purpose of this application and the scope of protection of the claims. These implementation methods are all within the protection of this application.

Claims

1. A transmission method in a multi-connection scenario, comprising: The terminal performs transmission through some or all of the M cell groups (CGs); wherein, the M CGs include a master cell group (MCG) and M - 1 secondary cell groups (SCGs), M is a positive integer, and M≥3.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Before the terminal performs transmission through some or all of the M CGs, the method further comprises: The terminal receives configuration information, wherein the configuration information includes at least one of the following: related configurations of at least one first type of split bearer, related configurations of at least one second type of split bearer; Wherein, the first type of split bearer is associated with M radio link control (RLC) bearers, and the M RLC bearers have a one-to-one correspondence with the M CGs; the second type of split bearer is associated with N RLC bearers, and the N RLC bearers have a one-to-one correspondence with N of the M CGs, N is a positive integer, and N < M.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The related configuration of the first type of split bearer or the related configuration of the second type of split bearer includes at least one of the following: type information of the split bearer, information of the network node where the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the split bearer is located, the mapping relationship between the RLC bearers associated with the split bearer and the CG.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein The method further comprises: The terminal receives first information from the network-side device; Wherein, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: activate the PDCP replication transmission function of K1 split bearers, deactivate the PDCP replication transmission function of K2 split bearers; Wherein, the split bearers in the K1 split bearers are the first type of split bearer or the second type of split bearer, the split bearers in the K2 split bearers are the first type of split bearer or the second type of split bearer, and both K1 and K2 are positive integers.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein The method further comprises: The terminal receives second information from the network-side device; Wherein, the second information is used to indicate to activate or deactivate the PDCP replication transmission function of at least one RLC bearer associated with each of the K3 split bearers; Wherein, the split bearers in the K3 split bearers are the first type of split bearer or the second type of split bearer, and K3 is a positive integer.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The terminal performs transmission through some or all of the M CGs, including: For the i-th split bearer among the K3 split bearers, the terminal copies the data to be transmitted through the PDCP entity of the i-th split bearer, and sends it to all the activated RLC entities associated with the i-th split bearer for transmission.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The terminal is always allowed to transmit on a specific CG among the M CGs, and the terminal is allowed to transmit on some or all of the other CGs among the M CGs except the specific CG; Among them, the CGs allowed to be transmitted among the other CGs are determined based on one of the following: When the total data volume of the data to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the CGs allowed to be transmitted among the other CGs include the CGs corresponding to the first threshold; When the total data volume of the data to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a second threshold, the CGs allowed to be transmitted among the other CGs include all of the other CGs.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The terminal transmits through some or all of the M CGs, including: The terminal sends the data to be transmitted to one CG allowed to be transmitted among the M CGs through a PDCP entity for transmission.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein, If the first threshold is associated with the i-th CG among the M CGs, the CG corresponding to the first threshold is the i-th CG; or, If the first threshold is associated with a CG quantity parameter S, the CGs corresponding to the first threshold are S CGs among the M CGs, where S is a positive integer and S < M.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The S CGs are selected from the M CGs in the order of priority from high to low; or, The S CGs are randomly selected from the M CGs; or, The S CGs are selected based on implementation from the M CGs; or, The S CGs are configured by the network side or agreed upon by the protocol.

11. A transmission method in a multi-connection scenario, including: The network side device transmits through some or all of the M cell groups CGs; among them, the M CGs include a master cell group MCG and M - 1 secondary cell groups SCGs, M is a positive integer, and M ≥ 3.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Before the network side device transmits through some or all of the M CGs, the method further includes: The network side device sends configuration information to the terminal, where the configuration information includes at least one of the following: related configurations of at least one first type of split bearer, related configurations of at least one second type of split bearer; Among them, the first type of split bearer is associated with M radio link control RLC bearers, and the M RLC bearers have a one-to-one correspondence with the M CGs; the second type of split bearer is associated with N RLC bearers, and the N RLC bearers have a one-to-one correspondence with N CGs among the M CGs, N is a positive integer, and N < M.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The related configurations of the first type of split bearer or the related configurations of the second type of split bearer include at least one of the following: type information of the split bearer, information of the network node where the packet data convergence protocol PDCP of the split bearer is located, mapping relationship between the RLC bearer associated with the split bearer and the CG.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein The method further includes: The network side device sends first information to the terminal; Among them, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: activate the PDCP replication transmission function of K1 split bearers, deactivate the PDCP replication transmission function of K2 split bearers; Among them, the separation bearers in the K1 separation bearers are the first type of separation bearers or the second type of separation bearers, and the separation bearers in the K2 separation bearers are the first type of separation bearers or the second type of separation bearers. Both K1 and K2 are positive integers.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein, The method further includes: The network side device sends second information to the terminal; Among them, the second information is used to indicate activating or deactivating the PDCP duplication transmission function of at least one RLC bearer associated with each of the K3 separation bearers; Among them, the separation bearers in the K3 separation bearers are the first type of separation bearers or the second type of separation bearers, and K3 is a positive integer.

16. According to the method described in claim 15, where The network side device performs transmission through some or all of the M CGs, including: For the i-th separation bearer among the K3 separation bearers, the network side device duplicates the data to be transmitted through the PDCP entity of the i-th separation bearer and sends it to all activated RLC entities with the PDCP duplication transmission function associated with the i-th separation bearer for transmission.

17. According to the method described in any one of claims 11 to 13, where The terminal is always allowed to transmit on a specific CG among the M CGs, and the terminal is allowed to transmit on some or all of the other CGs among the M CGs except the specific CG; Among them, the CGs allowed to transmit among the other CGs are determined based on one of the following: When the total data volume of the data to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the CGs allowed to transmit among the other CGs include the CG corresponding to the first threshold; When the total data volume of the data to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a second threshold, the CGs allowed to transmit among the other CGs include all of the other CGs.

18. According to the method described in claim 17, where The network side device performs transmission through some or all of the M CGs, including: The network side device sends the data to be transmitted to one CG allowed to transmit among the M CGs through the PDCP entity for transmission.

19. According to the method described in claim 17 or 18, where If the first threshold is associated with the i-th CG among the M CGs, the CG corresponding to the first threshold is the i-th CG; or, If the first threshold is associated with the CG quantity parameter S, the CG corresponding to the first threshold is S CGs among the M CGs, where S is a positive integer and S < M.

20. According to the method described in claim 19, where The S CGs are selected from the M CGs in the order of decreasing priority; or, The S CGs are randomly selected from the M CGs; or, The S CGs are selected based on implementation from the M CGs; or, The S CGs are network side configured or protocol agreed.

21. A transmission device in a multi-connection scenario, including: A transceiver unit for transmitting through some or all of the M cell groups (CGs), where the M CGs include a master cell group (MCG) and M - 1 secondary cell groups (SCGs), M is a positive integer, and M ≥ 3.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein before the transmission apparatus in the multi - connection scenario transmits through some or all of the M CGs, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive configuration information, where the configuration information includes at least one of the following: related configurations of at least one first - type split bearer, related configurations of at least one second - type split bearer; wherein the first - type split bearer is associated with M radio link control (RLC) bearers, and the M RLC bearers have a one - to - one correspondence with the M CGs; the second - type split bearer is associated with N RLC bearers, and the N RLC bearers have a one - to - one correspondence with N of the M CGs, N is a positive integer, and N < M.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to receive first information from a network - side device; wherein the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: activating the PDCP replication transmission function of K1 split bearers, de - activating the PDCP replication transmission function of K2 split bearers; wherein the split bearers in the K1 split bearers are the first - type split bearer or the second - type split bearer, the split bearers in the K2 split bearers are the first - type split bearer or the second - type split bearer, and both K1 and K2 are positive integers.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22 or 23, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to receive second information from a network - side device; wherein the second information is used to indicate activating or de - activating the PDCP replication transmission function of at least one RLC bearer associated with each of the K3 split bearers; wherein the split bearers in the K3 split bearers are the first - type split bearer or the second - type split bearer, and K3 is a positive integer.

25. The apparatus according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the transmission apparatus in the multi - connection scenario is always allowed to transmit on a specific CG among the M CGs, and the transmission apparatus in the multi - connection scenario is allowed to transmit on some or all of the other CGs among the M CGs except the specific CG; wherein the CGs allowed to transmit among the other CGs are determined based on one of the following: when the total data volume of the data to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the CGs allowed to transmit among the other CGs include the CG corresponding to the first threshold; when the total data volume of the data to be transmitted is greater than or equal to a second threshold, the CGs allowed to transmit among the other CGs include all of the other CGs.

26. A transmission apparatus in a multi - connection scenario, comprising: A transceiver unit for transmitting through some or all of the M cell groups (CGs), where the M CGs include a master cell group (MCG) and M - 1 secondary cell groups (SCGs), M is a positive integer, and M ≥ 3.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein before the transmission apparatus in the multi-connection scenario performs transmission through some or all of the M CGs, the transceiver unit is further configured to send configuration information to the terminal, where the configuration information includes at least one of the following: related configurations of at least one first type of split bearer, related configurations of at least one second type of split bearer; wherein, the first type of split bearer is associated with M radio link control (RLC) bearers, and the M RLC bearers have a one-to-one correspondence with the M CGs; the second type of split bearer is associated with N RLC bearers, and the N RLC bearers have a one-to-one correspondence with N of the M CGs, N is a positive integer, and N < M.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to send first information to the terminal; wherein, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: activate the PDCP duplication transmission function of K1 split bearers, deactivate the PDCP duplication transmission function of K2 split bearers; wherein, the split bearers in the K1 split bearers are the first type of split bearer or the second type of split bearer, the split bearers in the K2 split bearers are the first type of split bearer or the second type of split bearer, and both K1 and K2 are positive integers.

29. The apparatus according to claim 27 or 28, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to send second information to the terminal; wherein, the second information is used to indicate to activate or deactivate the PDCP duplication transmission function of at least one RLC bearer associated with each of the K3 split bearers; wherein, the split bearers in the K3 split bearers are the first type of split bearer or the second type of split bearer, and K3 is a positive integer.

30. A terminal, comprising a transceiver, a processor, and a memory, the memory stores a program or instruction that can run on the processor, and when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the transmission method in the multi-connection scenario according to any one of claims 1 to 10 are implemented.

31. A network-side device, comprising a transceiver, a processor, and a memory, the memory stores a program or instruction that can run on the processor, and when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the transmission method in the multi-connection scenario according to any one of claims 11 to 20 are implemented.

32. A readable storage medium, wherein, The program or instruction is stored on the readable storage medium, and when the program or instruction is executed by the processor, the steps of the transmission method in the multi-connection scenario according to any one of claims 1 to 10 are implemented, or the steps of the transmission method in the multi-connection scenario according to any one of claims 11 to 20 are implemented.

33. A chip, wherein, The chip includes a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is configured to run a program or instruction to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

34. A computer program product, wherein, The program product is executed by at least one processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

35. An electronic device configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

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