Handover method, device and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a handover method, a device and a storage medium. The method comprises: determining first information corresponding to a first cell; and according to the first information, determining whether to hand over to the first cell. The first cell is a cell to which a terminal device expects to be handed over. The first information comprises a first duration and / or a first moment, the first duration being a predicted camping duration after the terminal device accesses the first cell, and the first moment being a predicted moment at which the terminal device leaves the first cell after accessing the first cell. Therefore, according to the first information, the terminal device can determine whether to hand over to the first cell so as to avoid frequent handover caused by too short time of camping on the first cell, thereby reducing signaling overhead and service interruption caused by handover, and improving the network performance.

Description

Switching method, device and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a switching method, device, and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] To improve the handover performance of wireless communication systems, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) proposed conditional handover (CHO). Terminal devices can implement conditional handover based on the handover trigger conditions and associated candidate cells configured by network equipment.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a switching method, a device, and a storage medium.

[0005] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a handover method is provided, which is performed by a terminal device. The method includes:

[0006] Determine first information corresponding to a first cell, where the first cell is a cell to which the terminal device expects to switch, the first information including a first duration and / or a first moment, the first duration being a predicted stay duration of the terminal device after accessing the first cell, and the first moment being a predicted moment when the terminal device leaves the first cell after accessing the first cell;

[0007] Determine whether to switch to the first cell according to the first information.

[0008] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a switching method is proposed, which is performed by a network device. The method includes:

[0009] Send second information to the terminal device, the second information is used to configure switching conditions for the terminal device, the switching conditions are used for the terminal device to determine whether to switch to the first cell based on whether the first information meets the switching conditions, the first cell is the cell to which the terminal device expects to switch, the first information includes a first duration and / or a first moment, the first duration is the predicted stay duration of the terminal device after accessing the first cell, and the first moment is the predicted moment when the terminal device leaves the first cell after accessing the first cell.

[0010] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal device is provided, including:

[0011] The processing module is configured to determine first information corresponding to a first cell, where the first cell is the cell to which the terminal device expects to switch, and the first information includes a first duration and / or a first moment, where the first duration is the predicted stay duration of the terminal device after accessing the first cell, and the first moment is the predicted moment when the terminal device leaves the first cell after accessing the first cell; and determine whether to switch to the first cell based on the first information.

[0012] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network device is provided, including:

[0013] The transceiver module is configured to send second information to the terminal device, where the second information is used to configure a switching condition for the terminal device, and the switching condition is used by the terminal device to determine whether to switch to the first cell based on whether the first information meets the switching condition. The first cell is the cell to which the terminal device expects to switch, and the first information includes a first duration and / or a first moment. The first duration is the predicted stay duration of the terminal device after accessing the first cell, and the first moment is the predicted moment when the terminal device leaves the first cell after accessing the first cell.

[0014] According to a fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device is proposed, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the communication device can be used to execute an optional implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0015] According to a sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium is proposed, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0016] According to the seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system is proposed, which may include: a terminal device and a network device; wherein the terminal device is configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation manner of the first aspect, and the network device is configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0017] The technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may include the following beneficial effects: determining the first information corresponding to the first cell, and determining whether to switch to the first cell based on the first information. The first cell is the cell that the terminal device expects to switch to, and the first information includes a first duration and / or a first moment. The first duration is the predicted duration of stay of the terminal device after accessing the first cell, and the first moment is the predicted moment when the terminal device leaves the first cell after accessing the first cell. In this way, the terminal device can determine whether to switch to the first cell based on the first information, avoiding frequent switching due to too short a stay time in the first cell, thereby reducing the signaling overhead and service interruption caused by switching and improving network performance.

[0018] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following drawings required for describing the embodiments are introduced. The following drawings are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG2A is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a switching method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG2B is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a switching method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG3A is a schematic flow chart showing a switching method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG3B is a schematic flow chart of a switching method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG3C is a schematic flow chart showing a switching method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG4A is a schematic flow chart showing a switching method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG4B is a schematic flow chart showing a switching method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG5 is a schematic flow chart showing a switching method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG6A is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG6B is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG7A is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG7B is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a switching method, a device, and a storage medium.

[0034] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a handover method, which is performed by a terminal device. The method includes:

[0035] Determine first information corresponding to a first cell, where the first cell is a cell to which the terminal device expects to switch, the first information including a first duration and / or a first moment, the first duration being a predicted stay duration of the terminal device after accessing the first cell, and the first moment being a predicted moment when the terminal device leaves the first cell after accessing the first cell;

[0036] Determine whether to switch to the first cell according to the first information.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the terminal device can determine whether to switch to the first cell based on the first information, avoiding frequent switching due to too short a stay time in the first cell, thereby reducing the signaling overhead and service interruption caused by switching and improving network performance.

[0038] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining whether to initiate handover to the first cell according to the first information includes:

[0039] Determining that the first information satisfies a switching condition;

[0040] Switch to the first cell.

[0041] In the above embodiment, when it is determined that the first information meets the switching condition, switching to the first cell can be performed to avoid too short a stay time in the first cell.

[0042] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes the first duration, and the switching condition includes that the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration.

[0043] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes the first moment, and the switching condition includes that the first moment is later than or equal to the second moment.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the above first information and switching conditions can be used to avoid frequent switching caused by the terminal device staying in the first cell for too short a time, thereby improving network performance.

[0045] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0046] Determine the switching condition according to the second information; wherein:

[0047] The second information includes information configured by a network device and sent to the terminal device, or the second information includes information configured by the terminal device.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the switching condition may be determined based on the configuration of the network device or the terminal device, so that the switching condition may be flexibly configured.

[0049] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0050] Receive the second information sent by the network device.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the switching condition can be flexibly configured by the network device.

[0052] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0053] a handover condition corresponding to at least one cell, the at least one cell including the first cell;

[0054] A switching condition corresponding to at least one frequency, where the at least one frequency includes the frequency of the first cell.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the handover condition can be flexibly configured based on the cell or frequency, thereby improving the flexibility of the handover condition configuration.

[0056] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the first information corresponding to the first cell includes:

[0057] Prediction is performed through an artificial intelligence (AI) model to obtain the first information corresponding to the first cell.

[0058] In the above embodiment, based on the AI ​​model, the first information can be accurately predicted, thereby improving the accuracy of information prediction.

[0059] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the terminal device switches to the first cell in a condition-based handover (CHO).

[0060] In the above embodiment, the target cell for handover can be controlled based on the dwell time in a CHO handover scenario, thereby improving the performance of the CHO handover.

[0061] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a switching method, which is performed by a network device. The method includes:

[0062] Send second information to the terminal device, the second information is used to configure switching conditions for the terminal device, the switching conditions are used for the terminal device to determine whether to switch to the first cell based on whether the first information meets the switching conditions, the first cell is the cell to which the terminal device expects to switch, the first information includes a first duration and / or a first moment, the first duration is the predicted stay duration of the terminal device after accessing the first cell, and the first moment is the predicted moment when the terminal device leaves the first cell after accessing the first cell.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the network device can configure switching conditions for the terminal device and instruct the terminal device to determine whether to switch to the first cell based on whether the first information meets the switching conditions. This can avoid frequent switching caused by the terminal device staying in the first cell for too short a time, thereby reducing the signaling overhead and service interruption caused by the switching and improving network performance.

[0064] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes the first duration, and the switching condition includes that the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration.

[0065] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes the first moment, and the switching condition includes that the first moment is later than or equal to the second moment.

[0066] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0067] a handover condition corresponding to at least one cell, the at least one cell including the first cell;

[0068] A switching condition corresponding to at least one frequency, where the at least one frequency includes the frequency of the first cell.

[0069] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information is information obtained by the terminal device through prediction through an artificial intelligence AI model.

[0070] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the terminal device switches to the first cell in a condition-based switching CHO.

[0071] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a terminal device, which may include at least one of a transceiver module and a processing module; wherein the terminal device can be used to execute the optional implementation method of the first aspect.

[0072] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a network device, which may include at least one of a transceiver module and a processing module; wherein the network device can be used to execute the optional implementation method of the second aspect.

[0073] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication device, which may include: one or more processors; wherein the communication device can be used to execute an optional implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0074] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a storage medium storing instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the method described in the optional implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0075] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a program product, which, when executed by a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the method described in the optional implementation manner of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0076] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0077] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a chip or a chip system, wherein the chip or chip system includes a processing circuit configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0078] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication system, which may include: a terminal device and a network device; wherein, the terminal device is configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation manner of the first aspect, and the network device is configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0079] It is understandable that the above-mentioned terminal devices, network devices, communication devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, computer programs, chips, or chip systems can all be used to perform the methods proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding methods and will not be repeated here.

[0080] The present disclosure provides a switching method, device, and storage medium. In some embodiments, the terms "switching method" and "information processing method" and "communication method" are interchangeable; "switching device" and "information processing device" and "communication device" are interchangeable; and "information processing system" and "communication system" are interchangeable.

[0081] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0082] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0083] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0084] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular, such as "a", "an", "the", "above", "said", "the", "the", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc. For example, when using articles such as "a", "an", "the" in English in translation, the noun following the article may be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0085] In some embodiments, "plurality" may refer to two or more.

[0086] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0087] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "A in one case, B in another case," or "in response to one case A, in response to another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0088] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0089] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restriction on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description object, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restriction should be constituted due to the use of prefixes. For example, if the description object is a "field", the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields". "First" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the description object is a "level", the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of description objects is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. Taking "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device", then the "first device" and the "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; for another example, if the description object is "information", then the "first information" and the "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0090] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0091] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0092] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0093] In some embodiments, devices and the like may be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to those described in the embodiments. Terms such as "device," "equipment," "device," "circuit," "network element," "node," "function," "unit," "section," "system," "network," "chip," "chip system," "entity," and "subject" may be used interchangeably.

[0094] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network (eg, network equipment, access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.).

[0095] In some embodiments, the network device may include at least one of an access network device and a core network device.

[0096] In some embodiments, the terms "Access Network Device (AN Device)", "Radio Access Network Device (RAN Device)", "Base Station (BS)", "Radio Base Station (Radio Base Station)", "Fixed Station (Fixed Station)", "Node (Node)", "Access Point (Access Point)", "Transmission Point (TP)", "Reception Point (RP)", "Transmission and / or Reception Point (TRP))", "Panel (Panel)", "Antenna Panel (Antenna Panel)", "Antenna Array (Antenna Array)" "Cell (Cell)", "Macro Cell (Macro Cell)", "Small Cell (Small Cell)", "Femto Cell (Femto Cell)", "Pico Cell (Pico Cell)" "Sector (Sector)", "Cell Group (Cell Group)", "Serving Cell (Cell)", "Carrier (Carrier)", "Component Carrier (Component Carrier)", "Bandwidth Part (BWP)" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0097] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "terminal side device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal" "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station (Subscriber Station), mobile unit (Mobile Unit), subscriber unit (Subscriber Unit), wireless unit (Wireless Unit), remote unit (Remote Unit), mobile device (Mobile Device), wireless device (Wireless Device), wireless communication device (Wireless Communication Device), remote device (Remote Device), mobile subscriber station (Mobile Subscriber Station), access terminal (Access Terminal), mobile terminal (Mobile Terminal), wireless terminal (Wireless Terminal), remote terminal (Remote Terminal), handset (Handset), user agent (User Agent), mobile client (Mobile Client), client (Client) and the like can be used interchangeably.

[0098] In some embodiments, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device can be replaced by a terminal device. For example, the various embodiments of the present disclosure can also be applied to a structure in which the communication between the access network device, the core network device, or the network device and the terminal device is replaced by the communication between multiple terminal devices (for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, it is also possible to set the structure in which the terminal device has all or part of the functions of the access network device. In addition, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can also be replaced by terms corresponding to communication between terminal devices (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channels, downlink channels, etc. can be replaced by side channels or direct channels, and uplinks, downlinks, etc. can be replaced by side links or direct links.

[0099] In some embodiments, the terminal device may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device may have a structure that has all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0100] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0101] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0102] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of any elements, any rows, and any columns can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0103] FIG1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1 , the communication system 100 may include a terminal device 101 and a network device 102 .

[0104] In some embodiments, the terminal device 101 may include at least one of a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a car with communication capabilities, a smart car, an in-vehicle terminal, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a roadside unit (RSU), a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in smart city, and a wireless terminal device in smart home, but is not limited thereto. The terminal device may be one or more.

[0105] In some embodiments, the network device 102 may include at least one of an access network device and a core network device.

[0106] In some embodiments, the access network device may be a node or device that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. The access network device may include at least one of an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a NodeB (NB), a home NodeB (HNB), a home evolved NodeB (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open RAN, a cloud RAN, a base station in other communication systems, and an access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto. The access network device may be one or more.

[0107] In some embodiments, the technical solution of the present disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within the access network devices involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented through software or programs.

[0108] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), where the CU can also be called a control unit (Control Unit). The CU-DU structure can be used to split the protocol layer of the access network device, with the functions of some protocol layers centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU, but is not limited to this.

[0109] In some embodiments, the core network device may be a single device, or may be multiple devices or a group of devices. The core network may include at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), a 6G Core Network (5GCN), and a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0110] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0111] The following embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 , or a portion thereof, but are not limited thereto. The entities shown in FIG1 are examples. The communication system may include all or part of the entities shown in FIG1 , or may include other entities outside of FIG1 . The number and form of the entities are arbitrary, and the entities may be physical or virtual. The connection relationship between the entities is an example. The entities may be connected or disconnected, and the connection may be in any manner, including direct or indirect, wired or wireless.

[0112] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G New Radio (NR), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New Radio Access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems based on and extending these methods. Furthermore, multiple systems may be combined (for example, a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0113] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, an artificial intelligence (AI) model may be deployed in the communication system. For example, the AI ​​model may be deployed in a network device and / or a terminal device. The AI ​​model may be used to predict events or information and obtain relatively accurate prediction results. It should be noted that the name of the AI ​​model in the embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited. For example, it may be a machine learning (ML) model or any model obtained through training.

[0114] In some embodiments, the above communication system may implement mobility management, such as cell switching.

[0115] In some embodiments, the network device can configure the terminal device to perform measurements. Based on the measurement results reported by the terminal device, the network device sends a handover request to the target cell. After the target cell confirms the completion, it sends a handover command to the terminal device, carrying configuration information of the target cell. The configuration information may include bearer configuration, MAC configuration, and random access configuration. After receiving the handover command, the terminal device can synchronize with the target cell, then initiate a random access process to access the target cell and begin using the carried target cell configuration information.

[0116] In some embodiments, in order to further improve the handover performance, 3GPP proposes condition-based handover CHO, that is, the network device can configure the CHO handover command for the terminal device in advance. The CHO handover command may include the candidate cell configuration and the handover trigger condition, wherein the candidate cell configuration may be a reconfiguration message provided by the candidate cell configuration for handover. The terminal device can perform signal measurement based on the CHO handover command to determine whether the handover trigger condition is met. When the handover trigger condition is met, the terminal device can perform handover on its own. The handover is performed by performing synchronous reconfiguration (reconfiguration with sync). This can avoid radio link failure caused by the network device sending the handover command too late.

[0117] In some embodiments, the time a terminal device spends in a cell (Time of Stay, ToS) is used to measure handover performance. If the ToS is too short, it indicates frequent handovers, which can lead to significant signaling overhead and connection interruptions and should be avoided. The ToS can be the time between two handovers.

[0118] FIG2A is an interactive schematic diagram of a handover method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be executed by the above-mentioned communication system. As shown in FIG2A , the method may include:

[0119] Step S2101: The network device sends second information to the terminal device.

[0120] In some embodiments, the terminal device may obtain the second information. For example, the terminal device may receive the second information sent by the network device.

[0121] In some embodiments, the second information may be used to configure a handover condition for the terminal device. The handover condition may be used by the terminal device to determine whether to handover to the first cell according to the handover condition, and the first cell may be a target cell for handover.

[0122] In some embodiments, the name of the second information is not limited, for example, it can be "configuration information", "switching condition configuration information", etc.

[0123] In some embodiments, the second information may be carried in at least one of a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control element (MAC CE), downlink control information (DCI), or other messages sent by the network device to the terminal device. Optionally, the second information may be carried in an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0124] In some embodiments, the second information may include information configured by the network device and sent to the terminal device.

[0125] In some embodiments, the second information may include information configured by the terminal device. For example, the terminal device may configure the second information. Optionally, the network device does not need to send the second information to the terminal device, and the terminal device configures the second information on its own.

[0126] In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0127] a handover condition corresponding to at least one cell, the at least one cell including the first cell. For example, the handover condition may correspond to a cell, and the handover conditions corresponding to different cells are independently configured. The handover conditions corresponding to different cells may be different or the same;

[0128] The switching condition corresponds to at least one frequency, where the at least one frequency includes the frequency of the first cell. For example, the switching condition may correspond to the frequency deployed by the cell, and the switching conditions corresponding to different frequencies may be the same or different.

[0129] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine the handover condition corresponding to the frequency deployed by the first cell based on the frequency of the first cell, and use the handover condition as the handover condition of the first cell. Optionally, the first cell may be the target cell of the handover.

[0130] In this way, the flexibility of switching condition configuration can be improved through the second information.

[0131] In other embodiments, the handover condition may be one, and different cells or different frequencies may correspond to the same handover condition, thereby simplifying the configuration of the handover condition.

[0132] Step S2102: The terminal device determines a switching condition based on the second information.

[0133] In some embodiments, the second information may include a second duration and / or a second moment, and the switching condition may include the second duration and / or the second moment.

[0134] In some embodiments, the second information includes a second duration, and the switching condition may include that the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration.

[0135] In one implementation, the second duration may be the shortest desired stay duration of the terminal device, such as 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 5 minutes. That is, the duration that the terminal device expects to stay in a cell is greater than or equal to the second duration.

[0136] In one implementation, the first duration may be a predicted duration of stay of the terminal device. For example, the first duration may be a predicted duration of stay (Time of Stay, ToS) of the terminal device after accessing the first cell. The first cell may be a cell to which the terminal device expects to switch, for example, a target cell for switching.

[0137] Optionally, the terminal device accesses the first cell based on random access triggered by handover, or based on random access triggered by other events such as RRC reconstruction or RRC connection establishment.

[0138] For example, if the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration, it can be determined that the switching condition is met. Conversely, if the first duration is less than the second duration, it can be determined that the switching condition is not met.

[0139] In some embodiments, the second information includes a second time, and the switching condition may include that the first time is later than or equal to the second time.

[0140] Optionally, the first moment is the moment when the terminal device predicts to access the first cell and then leave the first cell. The moment may be Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), or the time zone where the terminal device is located.

[0141] For example, if the first time is later than or equal to the second time, it can be determined that the switching condition is met. Conversely, if the first time is earlier than the second time, it can be determined that the switching condition is not met.

[0142] In some embodiments, the terminal device may access the first cell through switching. For example, the first cell may serve as a target cell for switching, and the terminal device accesses the first cell based on switching.

[0143] In some embodiments, the terminal device may leave the first cell by switching. For example, the first message may be the source cell of the switching, and the terminal device leaves the first cell based on the switching.

[0144] Optionally, the terminal device may leave the first cell based on a handover trigger or a departure triggered by other events such as RRC connection release.

[0145] In some embodiments, the second information may include a second duration, and the terminal device may determine the second time based on the second time and the predicted time of accessing the first cell. The switching condition may include that the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration, and / or that the first time is later than or equal to the second time. In this way, the conditions obtained based on the second duration and the second time may be the same.

[0146] In some embodiments, the second information may include a second duration and a second time, and the switching condition may include that the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration, and the first time is later than or equal to the second time.

[0147] In one implementation, if the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration, or the first moment is later than or equal to the second moment, the terminal device determines that the switching condition is met, that is, if any one of the two conditions is met, it can be determined that the switching condition is met.

[0148] In another implementation, if the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration, and the first moment is later than or equal to the second moment, the terminal device determines that the switching condition is met, that is, the switching condition is determined to be met only when any one of the two conditions is met.

[0149] In another implementation, the priority of the second duration and the second moment can be preset, and the switching condition is determined based on the priority. For example, if the priority of the second duration is higher than that of the second moment, the second duration is given priority. If the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration, the terminal device determines that the switching condition is met without considering the first moment and the second moment. For example, if the priority of the second moment is higher than that of the second duration, the second moment is given priority. If the first moment is greater than or equal to the second moment, the terminal device determines that the switching condition is met without considering the first duration and the second moment.

[0150] Optionally, the above priority may be a priority pre-configured by the terminal device, or a priority configured by the network device and sent to the terminal device, or a priority specified by a protocol.

[0151] In some embodiments, the name of the switching condition is not limited, and may be, for example, a "switching time condition", a "stay time TOS condition", etc.

[0152] Step S2103: The network device sends third information to the terminal device.

[0153] In some embodiments, the terminal device may obtain the third information. For example, the terminal device may receive the third information sent by the network device.

[0154] In some embodiments, the third information may be used to instruct the terminal device to perform a mobility operation, where the mobility operation may include handover, such as condition-based handover (CHO).

[0155] In some embodiments, the third information may be used to instruct the terminal device to determine a first cell, which may be a target cell for switching of the terminal device.

[0156] In some embodiments, the name of the third information is not limited, and may be, for example, "CHO ​​switching command", "switching command", "switching configuration information", "condition-based switching configuration information", etc.

[0157] In some embodiments, the third information may be carried in at least one of an RRC message, a MAC CE, a DCI, or other messages sent by the network device to the terminal device. Optionally, the third information may be carried via an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0158] In some embodiments, the second information and the third information may be carried by the same message, for example, by the same RRC reconfiguration message.

[0159] In other embodiments, the second information and the third information may be carried by different messages, for example, by two independent RRC reconfiguration messages.

[0160] Step S2101 and step S2103 may be performed in a swapped order or in parallel. For example, the network device may first send the second information and then the third information. For another example, the network device may first send the third information and then the second information. For another example, the network device may send the second information and the third information in parallel.

[0161] In some embodiments, the terminal device may trigger measurement for a mobility operation according to the third information. The mobility operation may include a cell handover. The cell handover may be a normal handover or a condition-based handover (CHO).

[0162] In some embodiments, the terminal device may trigger a condition-based handover CHO according to the third information.

[0163] In some embodiments, the third information may include candidate cell configurations and handover triggering conditions corresponding to one or more candidate cells. The candidate cells may be candidate cells for the terminal device to perform mobility operations. For example, the candidate cells may include multiple cells such as a first cell and a second cell. The terminal device may measure the multiple candidate cells, obtain measurement results, and trigger handover to the candidate cell if the measurement results meet the handover triggering conditions.

[0164] Step S2104: The terminal device sends fourth information to the network device.

[0165] In some embodiments, the network device may receive the fourth information. For example, the network device may receive the fourth information sent by the terminal device.

[0166] In some embodiments, the fourth message may be a response message to the third message.

[0167] In some embodiments, the fourth information may be used to respond to the third message.

[0168] In some embodiments, the name of the fourth information is not limited, for example, it can be "CHO ​​handover command response", "handover command response", "handover configuration response information", "condition-based handover configuration response information", etc.

[0169] In some embodiments, the fourth information may be carried in at least one of an RRC message, a MAC CE, uplink control information (UCI), or other messages sent by the terminal device to the network device. Optionally, the fourth information may be carried via an RRC reconfiguration completion message.

[0170] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send the fourth information if it is determined that the third information verification is successful.

[0171] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send the fourth information when it is determined that the third information is successfully verified and a condition-based handover CHO is triggered according to the third information.

[0172] Step S2105: The terminal device determines the first cell.

[0173] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine the target cell for switching to be the first cell.

[0174] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine candidate cells based on the third information and determine the first cell based on the measurement results of the candidate cells. For example, the terminal device may select a candidate cell that meets the handover triggering condition as the first cell. For another example, the terminal device may select the cell with the strongest signal strength among multiple candidate cells as the first cell. For another example, the terminal device may select the cell with the strongest signal strength among the candidate cells that meet the handover triggering condition as the first cell.

[0175] Step S2106: The terminal device determines the first information corresponding to the first cell.

[0176] In some embodiments, the first information may include a first duration and / or a first time.

[0177] In one implementation, the first duration may include a predicted duration of stay of the terminal device after accessing the first cell. The first cell may be a cell to which the terminal device expects to switch, for example, a target cell for switching.

[0178] For example, the first duration may be the duration that the terminal device stays in the first cell after accessing the first cell.

[0179] In one implementation, the first moment may include the moment when the terminal device predicts that it will access the first cell and then leave the first cell.

[0180] For example, the first moment may be the moment of the next handover after the terminal device accesses the first cell. Optionally, the moment may be the UTC moment, the GMT moment, or the moment in the time zone where the terminal device is located.

[0181] Optionally, the terminal device accesses the first cell by random access triggered by handover, or by random access triggered by other events such as RRC reconstruction or RRC connection establishment. Optionally, the terminal device leaves the first cell by leaving by handover, or by leaving triggered by other events such as RRC connection release.

[0182] In some embodiments, the terminal device may predict the first information corresponding to the first cell.

[0183] In some embodiments, the terminal device can make predictions through an artificial intelligence (AI) model to obtain first information corresponding to the first cell.

[0184] In some embodiments, the AI ​​model can be deployed on a terminal device. Optionally, the AI ​​model can be a pre-trained model.

[0185] In some embodiments, the AI ​​model may include at least one of the following: Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN), Long Short-Term Memory Networks (LSTM), Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) or other network models.

[0186] In some embodiments, the AI ​​model may determine first information corresponding to the first cell based on input data. The input data may include at least one of the following: location information of the terminal device, movement speed of the terminal device, signal strength of the terminal device, location information of the network device, topology of the network device, network parameters of the network device, etc.

[0187] Optionally, the input data of the AI ​​model can be current data or data within a historical time range. The historical time range can be pre-configured. For example, the historical time range can be the last hour, the last day, the last seven days, or the last month.

[0188] In this way, the first information corresponding to the first cell can be accurately predicted through the AI ​​model.

[0189] In some embodiments, the terminal device can determine the first information corresponding to the first cell after determining the first cell (for example, determining that the first cell meets the handover trigger condition and using the first cell as the handover target cell), for example, by predicting the first cell based on the AI ​​model to obtain the first information corresponding to the first cell. In this way, the latest first information can be obtained, improving the accuracy of the information.

[0190] In some embodiments, the terminal device may periodically determine the first information corresponding to the candidate cell, and the candidate cell may be one or more, and the candidate cell may include the first cell, and the period may be in milliseconds (for example, 5 milliseconds, 10 milliseconds, 20 milliseconds, or 100 milliseconds), seconds, or minutes. For example, after determining the candidate cell based on the above-mentioned third information, the terminal device may periodically determine the first information corresponding to the candidate cell, for example, predict the candidate cell based on the AI ​​model to obtain the first information corresponding to the candidate cell. Optionally, when the terminal device determines the first cell (for example, determining that the first cell meets the switching trigger condition and using the first cell as the target cell for switching), it may directly obtain the first information corresponding to the first cell of the most recent period. These do not require the prediction to be performed again during switching, which can reduce the switching delay.

[0191] Step S2107: The terminal device determines whether to switch to the first cell based on the first information.

[0192] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine whether to switch to the first cell based on the first information and the switching condition.

[0193] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine whether to switch to the first cell based on whether the first information satisfies the switching condition.

[0194] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine that the first information satisfies the switching condition and switch to the first cell. Optionally, the terminal device may switch to the first cell when determining that the first information satisfies the switching condition.

[0195] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first duration, and the switching condition includes that the first duration is greater than or equal to a second duration.

[0196] For example, the switching condition includes a second duration. If the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration, it can be determined that the switching condition is met and the terminal device can switch to the first cell.

[0197] On the contrary, if the first duration is less than the second duration, it can be determined that the switching condition is not met, and the terminal device can determine not to switch to the first cell.

[0198] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first time, and the switching condition includes the first time being later than or equal to a second time.

[0199] For example, the switching condition may include a second moment (such as UTC moment). If the first moment (that is, the moment of the next switching predicted by the terminal device) is later than or equal to the second moment, it is determined that the switching condition is met and the terminal device can switch to the first cell.

[0200] On the contrary, if the first moment is earlier than the second moment, it can be determined that the switching condition is not met, and the terminal device can determine not to switch to the first cell.

[0201] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first duration and a first time, and the switching condition includes that the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration, and the first time is later than or equal to the second time.

[0202] Optionally, for a specific implementation method of determining whether the switching condition is met according to the first information, reference may be made to the specific description of step S2102 of this embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0203] In some embodiments, when the terminal device determines that the first information does not meet the above-mentioned switching condition, it may not switch to the first cell and perform at least one of the following actions:

[0204] Continue to stay in the source cell (that is, the cell currently accessed by the terminal device);

[0205] Selecting another cell among the candidate cells as a new target cell according to the current measurement result, and determining whether to switch to the target cell according to the first information corresponding to the new target cell;

[0206] Continue to perform measurement, select another cell from the candidate cells as a new target cell according to the new measurement result, and determine whether to switch to the target cell according to the first information corresponding to the new target cell.

[0207] In some embodiments, when the terminal device determines that the first information corresponding to the first cell does not meet the above-mentioned switching conditions, the terminal device can add the first cell to the blacklist and no longer use the first cell as the target cell for switching within the first time. Optionally, the terminal device may no longer perform switching-related measurements on the first cell.

[0208] In some embodiments, if the duration that the first cell is in the blacklist exceeds the first time, the first cell can be deleted from the blacklist. After the first cell is deleted from the blacklist, the first cell can be measured. Based on the new measurement results, the first cell can be used as a new target cell for switching, and the above steps S2106 and S2107 can be performed.

[0209] In some embodiments, the terminal device switches to the first cell in a condition-based switching (CHO). In CHO switching, the terminal device can autonomously determine a target cell (e.g., the first cell) from candidate cells based on the configuration of the network device, and autonomously determine whether to switch to the target cell.

[0210] The method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S2101 to S2107. For example, step S2107 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2106+S2107 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2101+S2102 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2101+S2102+S2106+S2107 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2105+S2106+S2107 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S2102+S2105+S2106+S2107 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S2102+S2103+S2104+S2105+S2106+S2107 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0211] In some embodiments, the above steps S2101 to S2107 can be executed in a swapped order or simultaneously.

[0212] In some embodiments, the above steps S2101 to S2107 are all optional steps.

[0213] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2A .

[0214] FIG2B is an interactive diagram illustrating a handover method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG2B , an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a handover method, which can be performed by a communication system and can include:

[0215] Step S2201: The network device sends the second information to the terminal device.

[0216] The optional implementation of step S2201 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0217] Step S2202: The terminal device determines the switching condition according to the second information.

[0218] The optional implementation of step S2202 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2102 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0219] In some embodiments, the above steps are all optional steps.

[0220] In some embodiments, the embodiment shown in FIG. 2B may also be combined with any one or more steps in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A to form a new embodiment.

[0221] FIG3A is a flow chart of a handover method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3A , an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a handover method, which can be performed by a terminal device. The method may include:

[0222] Step S3101: Obtain second information.

[0223] The optional implementation of step S3101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0224] In some embodiments, the terminal device may receive the second information sent by the network device, but is not limited thereto. The terminal device may also receive the second information sent by other entities.

[0225] In some embodiments, the terminal device may obtain second information specified by the protocol.

[0226] In some embodiments, the terminal device may obtain the second information from upper layer(s).

[0227] In some embodiments, the terminal device may perform processing to obtain the second information.

[0228] In some embodiments, step S3101 may be omitted, and the terminal device may autonomously implement the function indicated by the second information, or the above function may be default or by default.

[0229] Step S3102: Determine a switching condition according to the second information.

[0230] The optional implementation of step S3102 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2102 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0231] Step S3103: Obtain third information.

[0232] The optional implementation of step S3103 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2103 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0233] In some embodiments, the terminal device may receive the third information sent by the network device, but is not limited thereto. The terminal device may also receive the third information sent by other entities.

[0234] In some embodiments, the terminal device may obtain third information specified by the protocol.

[0235] In some embodiments, the terminal device may obtain the third information from upper layer(s).

[0236] In some embodiments, the terminal device may perform processing to obtain the third information.

[0237] In some embodiments, step S3103 may be omitted, and the terminal device may autonomously implement the function indicated by the third information, or the above function may be default or by default.

[0238] Step S3104: Send the fourth information.

[0239] The optional implementation of step S3104 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2104 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0240] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send the fourth information to the network device, but is not limited thereto. The terminal device may also send the fourth information to other entities.

[0241] Step S3105: Determine the first cell.

[0242] The optional implementation of step S3105 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2105 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0243] Step S3106: Determine the first information corresponding to the first cell.

[0244] The optional implementation of step S3106 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2106 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG2A , which will not be described in detail here.

[0245] Step S3107: Determine whether to switch to the first cell according to the first information.

[0246] The optional implementation of step S3107 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2107 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0247] The method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S3101 to S3107. For example, step S3107 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S3106 + S3107 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S3101 + S3102 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S3101 + S3102 + S3106 + S3107 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S3105 + S3106 + S3107 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, steps S3102 + S3105 + S3106 + S3107 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S3102 + S3103 + S3104 + S3105 + S3106 + S3107 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0248] In some embodiments, the above steps S3101 to S3107 can be executed in a swapped order or simultaneously.

[0249] In some embodiments, the above steps S3101 to S3107 are all optional steps.

[0250] FIG3B is a flow chart of a handover method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3B , an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a handover method, which can be performed by a terminal device. The method may include:

[0251] Step S3201: Obtain second information.

[0252] The optional implementation of step S3201 can be found in step S2101 of FIG. 2A , the optional implementation of step S3101 of FIG. 3A , and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2A and FIG. 3A , which will not be repeated here.

[0253] Step S3202: Determine a switching condition according to the second information.

[0254] The optional implementation of step S3202 can be found in step S2102 of FIG. 2A , the optional implementation of step S3102 of FIG. 3A , and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2A and FIG. 3A , which will not be described in detail here.

[0255] Step S3203: Determine the first information corresponding to the first cell.

[0256] The optional implementation of step S3203 can be found in step S2106 of FIG. 2A , the optional implementation of step S3106 of FIG. 3A , and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2A and FIG. 3A , which will not be described in detail here.

[0257] Step S3204: Determine whether to switch to the first cell according to the first information.

[0258] The optional implementation of step S3204 can be found in step S2107 of FIG. 2A , the optional implementation of step S3107 of FIG. 3A , and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2A and FIG. 3A , which will not be described in detail here.

[0259] In some embodiments, the above steps are all optional steps.

[0260] In some embodiments, the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B may also be combined with any one or more steps in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A to form a new embodiment.

[0261] FIG3C is a flow chart of a handover method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3C , an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a handover method, which can be performed by a terminal device. The method may include:

[0262] Step S3301: Determine first information corresponding to the first cell.

[0263] The optional implementation of step S3301 can be found in step S2106 of FIG. 2A , the optional implementation of step S3106 of FIG. 3A , and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2A and FIG. 3A , which will not be repeated here.

[0264] Step S3302: Determine whether to switch to the first cell based on the first information.

[0265] The optional implementation of step S3302 can be found in step S2107 of FIG. 2A , the optional implementation of step S3107 of FIG. 3A , and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2A and FIG. 3A , which will not be described in detail here.

[0266] In some embodiments, the above steps are all optional steps.

[0267] In some embodiments, the embodiment shown in FIG. 3C may also be combined with any one or more steps in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A to form a new embodiment.

[0268] In some embodiments, the first cell is a cell to which the terminal device expects to switch, and the first information includes a first duration and / or a first moment, the first duration is the predicted stay duration of the terminal device after accessing the first cell, and the first moment is the predicted moment when the terminal device leaves the first cell after accessing the first cell.

[0269] In some embodiments, determining whether to initiate handover to the first cell according to the first information includes:

[0270] Determining that the first information satisfies a switching condition;

[0271] Switch to the first cell.

[0272] In some embodiments, the first information includes the first duration, and the switching condition includes that the first duration is greater than or equal to a second duration.

[0273] In some embodiments, the first information includes the first time, and the switching condition includes that the first time is later than or equal to the second time.

[0274] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0275] Determine the switching condition according to the second information; wherein:

[0276] The second information includes information configured by a network device and sent to the terminal device, or the second information includes information configured by the terminal device.

[0277] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0278] Receive the second information sent by the network device.

[0279] In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0280] a handover condition corresponding to at least one cell, the at least one cell including the first cell;

[0281] A switching condition corresponding to at least one frequency, where the at least one frequency includes the frequency of the first cell.

[0282] In some embodiments, determining the first information corresponding to the first cell includes:

[0283] Prediction is performed through an artificial intelligence (AI) model to obtain the first information corresponding to the first cell.

[0284] In some embodiments, the terminal device switches to the first cell by condition-based switching CHO.

[0285] FIG4A is a flow chart of a switching method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4A , the present disclosure embodiment relates to a switching method, which can be executed by a network device, and the method includes:

[0286] Step S4101: Send the second information.

[0287] The optional implementation of step S4101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0288] In some embodiments, the network device may send the second information to the terminal device, but is not limited thereto. The network device may also send the second information to other entities.

[0289] Step S4102: Send the third information.

[0290] The optional implementation of step S4102 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2103 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG2A , which will not be described in detail here.

[0291] In some embodiments, the network device may send the third information to the terminal device, but is not limited thereto. The network device may also send the third information to other entities.

[0292] Step S4103: Obtain fourth information.

[0293] The optional implementation of step S4103 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2104 in FIG. 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in FIG. 2A , which will not be described in detail here.

[0294] In some embodiments, the network device may receive the fourth information sent by the terminal device, but is not limited thereto. The network device may also receive the fourth information sent by other entities.

[0295] The method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of the above steps S4101 to S4103. For example, step S4101 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S4102 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S4102+S4103 can be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0296] In some embodiments, the above steps S4101 to S4103 can be executed in a swapped order or simultaneously.

[0297] In some embodiments, the above steps S4101 to S4103 are all optional steps.

[0298] FIG4B is a flow chart of a switching method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4B , an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a switching method, which can be performed by a network device. The method may include:

[0299] Step S4201: Send the second information.

[0300] The optional implementation of step S4201 can be found in step S2101 of FIG. 2A , the optional implementation of step S4101 of FIG. 4A , and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2A and FIG. 4A , which will not be repeated here.

[0301] In some embodiments, the above steps are all optional steps.

[0302] In some embodiments, the embodiment shown in FIG. 4B may also be combined with any one or more steps in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A to form a new embodiment.

[0303] In some embodiments, the second information is used to configure switching conditions for the terminal device, and the switching conditions are used by the terminal device to determine whether to switch to the first cell based on whether the first information meets the switching conditions. The first cell is the cell to which the terminal device expects to switch. The first information includes a first duration and / or a first moment. The first duration is the predicted stay duration of the terminal device after accessing the first cell, and the first moment is the predicted moment when the terminal device leaves the first cell after accessing the first cell.

[0304] In some embodiments, the first information includes the first duration, and the switching condition includes that the first duration is greater than or equal to a second duration.

[0305] In some embodiments, the first information includes the first time, and the switching condition includes that the first time is later than or equal to the second time.

[0306] In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0307] a handover condition corresponding to at least one cell, the at least one cell including the first cell;

[0308] A switching condition corresponding to at least one frequency, where the at least one frequency includes the frequency of the first cell.

[0309] In some embodiments, the first information is information obtained by the terminal device through prediction through an artificial intelligence (AI) model.

[0310] In some embodiments, the terminal device switches to the first cell by condition-based switching CHO.

[0311] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a handover method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the present disclosure embodiment relates to a handover method, which can be performed by a terminal device and / or a network device in a communication system. The method may include:

[0312] Step S5101: The terminal device predicts the dwell time in the target cell and determines whether to switch to the target cell based on the dwell time.

[0313] In some embodiments, the dwell time may be the time for the next handover after handover to the target cell.

[0314] In some embodiments, the dwell time may be the length of time the terminal device stays in the target cell after switching to the target cell.

[0315] In some embodiments, the terminal device may initiate handover access to the target cell based on the dwell time satisfying the handover condition of the target cell.

[0316] In some embodiments, the switching condition may be a duration. If the stay duration is greater than or equal to the duration, it is determined that the switching condition is met.

[0317] In some embodiments, the switching condition may be a UTC time. If the time of the next switching is later than or equal to the UTC time, it is determined that the switching condition is met.

[0318] In some embodiments, the switching condition is a network configuration.

[0319] In some embodiments, the switching condition may correspond to a cell, and different cells may correspond to different switching conditions.

[0320] In some embodiments, the switching condition may correspond to the frequency at which the cell is deployed, and the terminal device determines the corresponding switching condition based on the frequency at which the target cell is located.

[0321] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, which may include a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device can execute the switching method performed by the terminal device in the aforementioned embodiment of the present disclosure; the network device can execute the switching method performed by the network device in the aforementioned embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0322] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal device in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network function node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0323] It should be understood that the division of the various units or modules in the above device is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or they may be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device may be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the various units or modules of the above device, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the functions of some or all of the above units or modules are realized by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by the form of software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0324] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP); in another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit, and the logical relationship of the above hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable, such as a hardware circuit implemented by a processor as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document to implement the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0325] Figure 6A is a structural diagram of a terminal device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6A, the terminal device 101 may include: at least one of a transceiver module 211, a processing module 212, etc. In some embodiments, the processing module 212 is configured to determine the first information corresponding to the first cell, the first cell being the cell to which the terminal device expects to switch, the first information including a first duration and / or a first moment, the first duration being the predicted duration of stay of the terminal device after accessing the first cell, the first moment being the moment when the terminal device predicts leaving the first cell after accessing the first cell; determine whether to switch to the first cell based on the first information. Optionally, the transceiver module 211 can be used to execute at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving (for example, step S2101, step S2103, step S2104, but not limited thereto) performed by the terminal device in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here. Optionally, the processing module 212 can be used to execute at least one of the other steps (such as step S2102, step S2105, step S2106, step S2107, but not limited to these) performed by the terminal device in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here.

[0326] Figure 6B is a structural diagram of a network device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6B, the network device 102 may include: at least one of a transceiver module 221, a processing module 222, etc. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 221 is configured to send a second information to the terminal device, and the second information is used to configure a switching condition for the terminal device. The switching condition is used for the terminal device to determine whether to switch to the first cell based on whether the first information meets the switching condition. The first cell is the cell to which the terminal device expects to switch. The first information includes a first duration and / or a first moment. The first duration is the predicted stay duration of the terminal device after accessing the first cell, and the first moment is the moment when the terminal device predicts that it will leave the first cell after accessing the first cell. Optionally, the transceiver module 221 can be used to execute at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the network device in any of the above methods (for example, step S2101, step S2103, step S2104, but not limited to this), which will not be repeated here. Optionally, the processing module 222 can be used to execute at least one of the other steps (such as step S2102, step S2105, step S2106, step S2107, but not limited thereto) performed by the network device in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here.

[0327] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, and the transmitting module and the receiving module may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with the transceiver.

[0328] In some embodiments, the processing module can be a single module or can include multiple submodules. Optionally, the multiple submodules respectively execute all or part of the steps required to be executed by the processing module. Optionally, the processing module can be interchangeable with the processor.

[0329] Figure 7A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device 300 can be a network device (such as an access network device, a core network device, etc.), or a terminal device (such as a user device, etc.), or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device to implement any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal device to implement any of the above methods. The communication device 300 can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiment.

[0330] As shown in Figure 7A, the communication device 300 includes one or more processors 301. The processor 301 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 300 can be used to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 301 are used to call instructions to enable the communication device 300 to perform any of the above methods.

[0331] In some embodiments, the communication device 300 may further include one or more transceivers 302. When the communication device 300 includes one or more transceivers 302, the transceiver 302 may perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (for example, step S2101, step S2103, and step S2104, but not limited thereto), and the processor 301 may perform at least one of the other steps (for example, step S2102, step S2105, step S2106, and step S2107, but not limited thereto).

[0332] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, and interface may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit may be used interchangeably.

[0333] In some embodiments, the communication device 300 also includes one or more memories 303 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of the memories 303 may be located outside the communication device 300. In alternative embodiments, the communication device 300 may include one or more interface circuits 304. Optionally, the interface circuits 304 are connected to the memories 303 and can be used to receive data from the memories 303 or other devices, or to send data to the memories 303 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 304 can read data stored in the memories 303 and send the data to the processor 301.

[0334] The communication device 300 described in the above embodiment may be a network device or a terminal device, but the scope of the communication device 300 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 300 may not be limited by FIG. 7A. The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device 300 may be: 1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data or programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0335] FIG7B is a schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 400 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the communication device 300 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 400 shown in FIG7B , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0336] The chip 400 includes one or more processors 401 , and the chip 400 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0337] In some embodiments, chip 400 further includes one or more interface circuits 404. Alternatively, the terms interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pins may be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 400 further includes one or more memories 403 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of memories 403 may be located external to chip 400.

[0338] Optionally, the interface circuit 404 is connected to the memory 403. The interface circuit 404 can be used to receive data from the memory 403 or other devices, and the interface circuit 404 can be used to send data to the memory 403 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 404 can read data stored in the memory 403 and send the data to the processor 401.

[0339] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 404 performs at least one of the communication steps (e.g., step S2101, step S2103, and step S2104) of the above method, such as sending and / or receiving. The interface circuit 404 performing the communication steps (e.g., step S2101, step S2103, and step S2104) of the above method, for example, means that the interface circuit 404 performs data exchange between the processor 401, chip 400, memory 403, or a transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 401 may perform at least one of the other steps (e.g., step S2102, step S2105, step S2106, and step S2107, but not limited thereto).

[0340] The modules and / or devices described in various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be arbitrarily combined or separated according to circumstances. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0341] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a storage medium having instructions stored thereon. When the instructions are executed on the communication device 300, the communication device 300 executes any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a transient storage medium.

[0342] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a program product, which, when executed by the communication device 300, enables the communication device 300 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product may be a computer program product.

[0343] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute any one of the above methods.

Claims

1. A switching method, characterized in that, Executed by a terminal device, the method includes: Determine first information corresponding to a first cell, where the first cell is a cell that the terminal device expects to handover to, and the first information includes a first duration and / or a first moment. The first duration is the duration that the terminal device predicts to stay after accessing the first cell, and the first moment is the moment when the terminal device predicts to leave the first cell after accessing the first cell; Determine whether to handover to the first cell according to the first information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The determining whether to initiate a handover to the first cell according to the first information includes: Determine that the first information meets the handover condition; Handover to the first cell.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The first information includes the first duration, and the handover condition includes that the first duration is greater than or equal to a second duration.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first information includes the first moment, and the handover condition includes that the first moment is later than or equal to a second moment.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The method further includes: Determine the handover condition according to second information; where: The second information includes information configured by a network device and sent to the terminal device, or the second information includes information configured by the terminal device.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The method further includes: Receive the second information sent by the network device.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The second information includes at least one of the following: Handover conditions corresponding to at least one cell, where the at least one cell includes the first cell; Handover conditions corresponding to at least one frequency, where the at least one frequency includes the frequency of the first cell.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The determining first information corresponding to a first cell includes: Perform prediction through an artificial intelligence AI model to obtain the first information corresponding to the first cell.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The manner in which the terminal device hands over to the first cell is conditional handover CHO.

10. A switching method, characterized in that, Executed by a network device, the method includes: Send second information to a terminal device. The second information is used to configure a handover condition for the terminal device. The handover condition is used for the terminal device to determine whether to handover to a first cell according to whether the first information meets the handover condition. The first cell is a cell that the terminal device expects to handover to, and the first information includes a first duration and / or a first moment. The first duration is the duration that the terminal device predicts to stay after accessing the first cell, and the first moment is the moment when the terminal device predicts to leave the first cell after accessing the first cell.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein The first information includes the first duration, and the handover condition includes that the first duration is greater than or equal to a second duration.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein The first information includes the first moment, and the handover condition includes that the first moment is later than or equal to a second moment.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein The second information includes at least one of the following: Handover conditions corresponding to at least one cell, where the at least one cell includes the first cell; Handover conditions corresponding to at least one frequency, where the at least one frequency includes the frequency of the first cell.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that, The first information is information obtained by the terminal device through prediction by an artificial intelligence AI model.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that, The manner in which the terminal device hands over to the first cell is conditional handover CHO.

16. A terminal device, characterized in that, Includes: A processing module, configured to determine first information corresponding to a first cell, where the first cell is a cell that a terminal device expects to hand over to, and the first information includes a first duration and / or a first moment, the first duration being a duration that the terminal device predicts to stay after accessing the first cell, and the first moment being a moment when the terminal device predicts to leave the first cell after accessing the first cell; and determine whether to hand over to the first cell according to the first information.

17. A network device, characterized in that, Comprising: A transceiver module, configured to send second information to a terminal device, where the second information is used to configure a handover condition for the terminal device, and the handover condition is used for the terminal device to determine whether to hand over to a first cell according to whether the first information meets the handover condition, the first cell being a cell that the terminal device expects to hand over to, and the first information including a first duration and / or a first moment, the first duration being a duration that the terminal device predicts to stay after accessing the first cell, and the first moment being a moment when the terminal device predicts to leave the first cell after accessing the first cell.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, Comprising: One or more processors; Wherein, the communication device is used to execute the handover method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or claims 10 to 15.

19. A storage medium, the storage medium stores instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction runs on the communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the handover method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or claims 10 to 15.

20. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is configured to implement the handover method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and the network device is configured to implement the handover method according to any one of claims 10 to 15.

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