Switching method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a switching method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: in a downlink carrier switching scenario of a terminal device, the terminal device sending first capability information to a network device, wherein the first capability information indicates a switching interval that the terminal device supports, the switching interval corresponds to a frequency band combination on a one-to-one basis, and the frequency band combination comprises a first frequency band and a second frequency band; and the network device sending first configuration information to the terminal device, wherein the first configuration information instructs the terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching between the first frequency band corresponding to a source serving cell and the second frequency band corresponding to a target serving cell, and the first configuration information is determined on the basis of the first capability information. Thus, a network device provides configuration information for downlink carrier switching to a terminal device on the basis of a switching interval that the terminal device supports, thereby improving the user experience.

Description

Switching method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on January 29, 2024, with application number 202410124383.7 and invention name “A switching method and communication device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a switching method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] Carrier aggregation (CA) technology in New Radio (NR) communication systems is used to increase the transmission bandwidth for individual users. Specifically, CA can integrate multi-frequency resources, aggregating spectrum resources in the same or different frequency bands for use by terminal devices, thereby improving overall network resource utilization and enhancing user experience.

[0004] The number of carriers deployed in the current network far exceeds the carrier capabilities that terminal devices can handle simultaneously. In the layer 1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM) technology, the number of carriers configured by the network device for the terminal device is greater than the number of carriers that the terminal device can handle simultaneously. In the LTM technology, the medium access control control element (MAC CE) signaling is used to instruct the terminal device to perform cell switching. The switching time (or switching interval) of the cell switching is generally 6ms to 10ms. Considering the limited capabilities of the terminal device, the data transmission between the terminal device and the network device is completely disconnected during the switching interval, that is, the terminal device and the network device cannot transmit data during the switching interval. It can be seen that in the existing technology, the downlink carrier switching of the terminal device is generally triggered based on MAC CE signaling, resulting in a long switching interval, which affects the user experience of the terminal device. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a switching method in order to provide a downlink carrier switching method for terminal equipment and improve user experience.

[0006] In a first aspect, a handover method is provided. The method may be performed by a network device or by a component of the network device (e.g., a chip, circuit, or chip system). For ease of understanding, the following description is based on the example of a network device performing the handover.

[0007] The switching method includes: a network device receives first capability information from a terminal device, and the first capability information indicates a switching interval supported by the terminal device. Specifically, the switching interval corresponds one-to-one to a frequency band combination, and the frequency band combination includes a first frequency band and a second frequency band, and the switching interval is the time required for the terminal device to switch between the first frequency band and the second frequency band. Furthermore, the network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device, and the first configuration information is determined based on the first capability information. The first configuration information instructs the terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching in a first cell set, and the first cell set includes a source service cell whose carrier is located in a first frequency band and a target service cell whose carrier is located in a second frequency band.

[0008] Among them, the source service cell whose carrier is located in the first frequency band can be understood as: the frequency band where the source service cell is located is the first frequency band; the target service cell whose carrier is located in the second frequency band can be understood as: the frequency band where the target service cell is located is the second frequency band.

[0009] The first configuration information instructs the terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching in the first cell set, which can be understood as: the first configuration information instructs the terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching between at least two serving cells (for example, a source serving cell and a target serving cell). Alternatively, the first configuration information instructs the terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching in multiple serving cells. The serving cells correspond one to one to the downlink carriers.

[0010] Among them, the switching interval can be the gap / interval / duration between the start time of data transmission of the terminal device in the downlink corresponding to the second frequency band and the end time of data transmission of the downlink corresponding to the first frequency band by the terminal device.

[0011] Based on the above technical solution, the network device instructs the terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching through the first configuration information. The first configuration information is determined by the network device based on the first capability information, so that the network device can determine appropriate downlink carrier switching configuration information for the terminal device based on the switching interval supported by the terminal device, thereby improving user experience.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations, before the network device sends the first configuration information to the terminal device, the method also includes: the network device determines a candidate switching pattern based on the first capability information, the frequency band information corresponding to the first cell set, and the specific positions of the uplink time slot and the downlink time slot in the frequency band corresponding to the first cell set, and the candidate switching pattern includes a first switching pattern; the network device determines the first switching pattern, and the first switching pattern is the switching pattern with the largest downlink peak rate among the candidate switching patterns.

[0013] Based on the above technical solution, the network device selects the switching pattern with the largest downlink peak rate (for example, the first switching pattern) from the candidate switching modes according to the size of the downlink peak rate, and indicates it to the terminal device through the first configuration information, so that the network device can determine the optimal downlink carrier switching pattern for the terminal device and provide carrier switching resources, thereby further improving the user experience.

[0014] In a second aspect, a handover method is provided. The method may be executed by a terminal device or by a component of the terminal device (e.g., a chip, circuit, or chip system). For ease of understanding, the following description is based on the example of a terminal device.

[0015] The switching method includes: the terminal device sends first capability information, the first capability information indicates the switching interval supported by the terminal device, the capability value of the switching interval corresponds one-to-one to the frequency band combination, the frequency band combination includes a first frequency band and a second frequency band, and the switching interval is the time required for the terminal device to switch between the first frequency band and the second frequency band; the terminal device receives first configuration information from a network device, the first configuration information instructs the terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching in a first cell set, the first cell set includes a source service cell whose carrier is located in the first frequency band and a target service cell whose carrier is located in the second frequency band.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first configuration information indicates a first switching pattern, which is a switching pattern for the terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching in the first cell set within a first time period.

[0017] It should be understood that the first time period in the present application is any time period in a radio frame, not a specific time period.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect or the second aspect, the switching pattern includes a bit map, the number of bits included in the bit map is determined based on the number of time units included in the carrier with the largest subcarrier spacing in the frequency band combination within the first time period, the bits in the bit map correspond one-to-one to the time units within the first time period, and each bit in the bit map indicates the cell performing data transmission on the corresponding time unit.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect or the second aspect, the switching pattern includes an index of a cell in the first cell set that performs data transmission in each time unit within the first time period.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first configuration information further indicates: the switching interval is located on the carrier with the smallest carrier bandwidth in the frequency band combination, or the switching interval is located on the carrier corresponding to the first frequency band, or the switching interval is located on the carrier corresponding to the second frequency band.

[0021] It should be understood that the cells in the first cell set correspond to the downlink carriers one-to-one, that is, the frequency bands of the downlink carriers corresponding to the multiple cells included in the first cell set belong to the frequency band combination.

[0022] Based on the above technical solution, considering that when determining the peak rate experience rate, the same interruption delay is used, the smaller the bandwidth, the less the peak rate experience rate is lost, and the switching interval is placed on the carrier with the smallest carrier bandwidth in the frequency band combination, thereby reducing the transmission loss caused by the terminal delay due to downlink carrier switching; assuming that the position of the CSI-RS of the network device is considered (for example, the network device can place the channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) at the end of the time slot of the carrier corresponding to the first frequency band), the first configuration information indicates that the switching interval is located on the carrier corresponding to the second frequency band, thereby avoiding resource conflicts; assuming that the transmission of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is considered (for example, PDCCH generally occupies the first 3 symbols of a time slot), the first configuration information indicates that the switching interval is located on the carrier corresponding to the first frequency band, thereby avoiding resource conflicts.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect or the second aspect, the frequency band combination includes a 3.5G frequency band, a 1.8G frequency band and a 2.1G frequency band, the index of the cell corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band is 0, the index of the cell corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band is 1, and the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.1G frequency band is 2. When the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is any one or more of {35us, 140us, 210us}, the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1} or {0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2}; when the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is {500us} or {1ms}, the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0}.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect or the second aspect, the frequency band combination includes a 3.5G frequency band, a 1.8G frequency band, and a 2.1G frequency band, the index of the cell corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band includes 0 and 1, the index of the cell corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band is 2, and the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.1G frequency band is 3. When the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is any one or more of {35us, 140us, 210us}, the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2}, or {0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 3}, or {1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 2}, or {1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 3}; when the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is {500us} or {1ms}, the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0}, or {1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1}.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect or the second aspect, the frequency band combination includes a 4.9G frequency band, a 2.6G frequency band and a 700M frequency band, the index of the cell corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band is 0, the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band is 1, and the index of the cell corresponding to the 700M frequency band is 2. When the capability value of the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is any one or more of {35us, 140us, 210us}, the first switching pattern is {1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1}; when the capability value of the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is {500us} or {1ms}, the first switching pattern is {1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1}.

[0026] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect or the second aspect, the frequency band combination includes a 4.9G frequency band, a 2.6G frequency band, and a 700M frequency band, the index of the cell corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band includes 0 and / or 1, the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band includes 2 and / or 3, and the index of the cell corresponding to the 700M frequency band is 4. When the capability value of the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is any one or more of {35us, 140us, 210us}, the first switching pattern is {2 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 2 2}, or {3 3 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3}, or {3 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 3 3}, or {2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2}; when the capability value of the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is {500us} or {1ms}, the first switching pattern is {2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2}, or {3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3}.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect or the second aspect, the frequency band combination includes a 3.5G frequency band, a 1.8G frequency band and a 700M frequency band, the index of the cell corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band is 0, the index of the cell corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band is 1, and the index of the cell corresponding to the 700M frequency band is 2. When the capability value of the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is any one or more of {35us, 140us, 210us}, the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1}; when the capability value of the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is {500us} or {1ms}, the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0}.

[0028] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which is configured to execute the method provided by any of the above aspects or implementations thereof. Specifically, the device may include units and / or modules, such as a processing unit and / or a communication unit, configured to execute the method provided by any of the above aspects or implementations thereof.

[0029] In one implementation, the apparatus is the aforementioned terminal device or network device. When the apparatus is a terminal device or network device, the communication unit may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or a communication interface; and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver is a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface is an input / output circuit.

[0030] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a terminal device or network device. When the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a terminal device or network device, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a memory for storing programs; and at least one processor for executing computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to perform the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementation.

[0032] In one implementation, the apparatus is a terminal device or a network device.

[0033] In another implementation, the device is a chip, a chip system or a circuit used in a terminal device or a network device.

[0034] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the at least one processor is configured to retrieve a computer program or instruction stored in a memory through the communication interface to execute the method provided by any of the above aspects or implementations thereof. The communication interface may be implemented in hardware or software.

[0035] In one implementation, the apparatus further includes a memory.

[0036] In a sixth aspect, a processor is provided for executing the methods provided in the above aspects.

[0037] For the operations such as sending and acquiring / receiving involved in the processor, unless otherwise specified, or if they do not conflict with their actual functions or internal logic in the relevant descriptions, they can be understood as operations such as processor output, reception, and input, or as sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and antenna. This application does not limit this.

[0038] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a program code for execution by a device, wherein the program code includes a method for executing any one of the above aspects or its implementation.

[0039] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementation.

[0040] In a ninth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided by any one of the above aspects or implementations thereof. The communication interface may be implemented in hardware or software.

[0041] Optionally, as an implementation method, the chip also includes a memory, in which a computer program or instruction is stored, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instruction stored in the memory. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided by any of the above aspects or its implementation methods.

[0042] When the method provided in this application is executed by a chip, this application does not limit the number of chips that implement the method. For example, the method can be executed by one chip or by two or more chips. Furthermore, when the number of chips implementing the method of this application is two or more, the chip manufacturers are not limited and can be the same manufacturer or different manufacturers.

[0043] In a tenth aspect, a computer program is provided, which, when run on a computer, enables the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementation to be executed.

[0044] In an eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising the above-mentioned terminal device and network device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 used in an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of carrier aggregation.

[0047] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an operator's spectrum planning.

[0048] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a switching method provided in the present application.

[0049] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a frequency band combination.

[0050] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of another frequency band combination.

[0051] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of another frequency band combination.

[0052] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0053] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 used in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1 , the communication system includes a radio access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300. The radio access network 100 may include at least one radio access network device (such as 110a and 110b in Figure 1 ) and at least one terminal (such as 120a-120j in Figure 1 ). The terminal is wirelessly connected to the radio access network device, and the radio access network device is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network. The core network device and the radio access network device may be independent, distinct physical devices, or the core network device's functions and the radio access network device's logical functions may be integrated into the same physical device, or a single physical device may integrate some of the core network device's functions and some of the radio access network device's functions. Terminals and radio access network devices may be interconnected via wired or wireless connections. Figure 1 is merely a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1 .

[0056] Radio access network equipment is the access device that terminals use to wirelessly access a communication system. Radio access network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a future mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. It can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station, such as a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The CU performs the base station's radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) functions, as well as the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) functions. The DU performs the base station's radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer functions, as well as some or all of the physical layer functions. For detailed descriptions of each of these protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0057] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, the radio access network may also be an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture. In the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0058] The wireless access network device can be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1), a relay node, a donor node, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the wireless access network device. For ease of description, network device is used as an abbreviation for wireless access network device, and base station is used as an example of wireless access network device.

[0059] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that can send signals to a base station or receive signals from a base station. A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. A terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0060] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of base stations and terminals.

[0061] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. To terminals 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal 120i is a base station. However, to base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that communication between 110a and 120i occurs via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, communication between 110a and 120i can also occur via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, 120i is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with base station functionality, while 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functionality.

[0062] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be carried out through authorized spectrum, unauthorized spectrum, or both; communication can be carried out through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0063] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes the base station functions. The control subsystem that includes the base station functions here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or modem) in the terminal, or by a device that includes the terminal functions.

[0064] In this application, a base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to a terminal, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a wireless connection with the cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a wireless connection is called the serving cell of the terminal. When the terminal communicates with the serving cell, it will also be subject to interference from signals in neighboring cells.

[0065] In this application, PDCCH is used as an example of a downlink control channel. In different systems and different scenarios, the control channel may have different names, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0066] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, some basic concepts involved in the present application are briefly explained.

[0067] 1. Cell: It is a set of resources managed by the base station, including frequency domain resources and spatial domain resources. The frequency domain resources of a cell include uplink frequency domain resources and / or downlink frequency domain resources; the spatial domain resources of a cell can be the spatial domain resources corresponding to a beam or a group of beams, and can also be understood as a cell corresponding to a specific physical coverage area. In an embodiment of the present application, different cells can be managed by different base stations. For example, cell #1 and cell #2 can be managed by different base stations. In this case, it can be said that cell #1 and cell #2 do not share the same site. Cell #1 and cell #2 can also be managed by the same base station and have the same baseband processing unit and / or radio frequency processing unit. This application does not limit this.

[0068] It should be noted that in this application, cell and carrier can be used interchangeably when the description logic does not conflict. In other words, the frequency band range of a cell can be understood as the frequency band range of the frequency of the cell's corresponding carrier, and can also be called the cell's operating frequency band or the cell's frequency band.

[0069] 2. Carrier aggregation (CA): This is the process of aggregating two or more component carriers (CCs) to support a larger transmission bandwidth. The CA technology in NR is used to increase the transmission bandwidth for a single user. Specifically, carrier aggregation technology can achieve multi-frequency resource integration. For example, CA technology can aggregate spectrum resources in the same or different frequency bands and provide them to terminals, thereby improving the utilization of the entire network resources and improving the user experience.

[0070] For ease of understanding, the following briefly describes CA technology with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 shows that the component carriers corresponding to cell #1, cell #2, and cell #3 are aggregated together to provide service to the terminal. Cell #1 is the primary cell (PCell), and cells #2 and #3 are secondary cells (SCells). Among them, PCell is the cell where the terminal establishes the initial connection or the cell where the radio resource control (RRC) connection is reestablished. PCell is responsible for RRC communication between the terminal and the carrier unit corresponding to PCell is called primary component carrier (PCC) (as shown in Figure 2). The downlink carrier of PCell is called DL PCC, and the uplink carrier of PCell is called UL PCC. SCell is added during RRC reconfiguration to provide additional wireless resources. There is no RRC communication between SCell and UE. The carrier unit corresponding to SCell is called secondary component carrier (SCC) (as shown in Figure 2 SCC#1 and SCC#2). The downlink carrier of SCell is called downlink (DL) SCC, and the uplink carrier of SCell is called uplink (UL) SCC.

[0071] Currently, most operators use 4-5 carrier resources, and it is expected that operators may have more frequency bands in the future. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of operator spectrum planning, mainly showing the frequency bands corresponding to China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC), China Telecom Communications Corporation (CTCC), and Deutsche Telecom (DT). Taking CMCC as an example, the current CMCC carrier resources are 5CCs. As shown in Figure 3, the current CMCC carrier resources are 2CCs for 2.6G, 2CCs for 4.9G, and 1CC for 700M. In the future, with the addition of 1CC for 1.8G, 1CC for F-band, and 1CC for A-band, as well as several CCs in the upper half of the 6GHz band (6425MHz to 7125MHz) (abbreviated as U6G), it is expected that operators will have more carrier resources.

[0072] However, due to terminal device cost constraints, the baseband is limited in the maximum number of physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs) it can process, limiting the number of carriers it can support simultaneously. Specifically, each PDSCH requires a separate baseband processing unit, such as a fast Fourier transform (FFT) and post-FFT data buffering. The more PDSCHs the baseband processes simultaneously, the greater the baseband implementation cost. Most current terminal devices only support 2CC CA, and some do not even support CA.

[0073] In other words, the number of carriers deployed by current network equipment for terminal devices is far greater than the carrier capacity that the terminal devices can simultaneously process. In order to improve the user experience of terminal devices, a method for providing carrier resources to terminal devices is needed to improve user experience.

[0074] Currently, in LTM technology, the number of service cells configured by network equipment for terminal devices is far greater than the number of carriers that the terminal devices can support. The network equipment instructs the terminal devices to perform cell handovers through Layer 2 signaling (e.g., MAC CE signaling), with a handover interval typically ranging from 6ms to 10ms. Given the limited interruption capabilities of terminal devices, data transmission between the terminal device and the network equipment is completely disconnected during the handover interval, meaning that data transmission between the terminal device and the network equipment is impossible. This indicates that triggering the mobility mechanism through MAC CE signaling results in a long handover interval, significantly impacting the user experience of the terminal device.

[0075] In view of the problems existing in the above-mentioned technology, the present application provides a switching method, in order to provide a method for downlink carrier switching configuration for terminal equipment and improve user experience.

[0076] It should be understood that the switching method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a system that communicates using multi-antenna technology, for example, the communication system 1000 shown in Figure 1. The communication system may include at least one network device and at least one terminal device. The network device and the terminal device can communicate using multi-antenna technology.

[0077] It should also be understood that the embodiments shown below do not specifically limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be a terminal device and a network device, or a functional module in the terminal device and the network device that can call and execute the program.

[0078] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a switching method provided by the present application, which includes the following steps:

[0079] 401. The terminal device sends first capability information to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the first capability information from the terminal device.

[0080] Specifically, the first capability information indicates a switching gap supported by the terminal device. The switching gap corresponds one-to-one to a frequency band combination, the frequency band combination including a first frequency band corresponding to a source service cell of the terminal device and a second frequency band corresponding to a target service cell of the terminal device, and the switching gap is the duration required for the terminal device to switch between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

[0081] It should be understood that the switching interval is the duration required for a terminal device to switch from one frequency band to another, or it can also be understood as the duration of the terminal device's transmission interruption from the time the terminal device switches to the time the switching is completed and data is transmitted on the frequency band after switching. For example, the switching interval is the duration required for the terminal device to switch between the first frequency band and the second frequency band, that is, the switching interval can be the duration required for the terminal device to switch from the first frequency band to the second frequency band, or the switching interval can be the duration required for the terminal device to switch from the second frequency band to the first frequency band, or the switching interval can be the gap / duration / interval between the start time of downlink data transmission corresponding to the second frequency band and the end time of downlink data transmission corresponding to the first frequency band.

[0082] It should also be understood that the switching interval corresponds to the frequency band combination one-to-one, that is, one frequency band combination (such as band pair) corresponds to one switching interval. For example, the first capability information of the terminal device indicates that the switching interval supported by the terminal device includes one or more of {35us, 140us, 210us, 500us, 1ms}, that is, each duration in the switching interval corresponds to a frequency band combination. Assuming that 35us corresponds to frequency band combination #1, frequency band combination #1 includes frequency band #1-1 and frequency band #1-2, that is, the terminal device switches from frequency band #1-1 to frequency band #1-2, or from frequency band #1-2 to frequency band #1-1, and the supported switching interval is 35us; assuming that 500us corresponds to frequency band combination #2, frequency band combination #2 includes frequency band #2-1 and frequency band #2-2, that is, the terminal device switches from frequency band #2-1 to frequency band #2-2, or from frequency band #2-2 to frequency band #2-1, and the supported switching interval is 500us.

[0083] Furthermore, after the network device receives the first capability information of the terminal device, the network device sends the first configuration information to the terminal device. The method flow shown in FIG4 further includes:

[0084] 402. The network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first configuration information from the network device.

[0085] Specifically, the first configuration information is determined based on the first capability information. For example, the network device receives the first capability information from the terminal device and sends the first configuration information to the terminal device based on the first capability information. The first configuration information instructs the terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching in a first cell set, where the first cell set includes a source serving cell and a target serving cell of the terminal device.

[0086] It should be understood that the first configuration information can instruct the terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching between multiple service cells, and the multiple service cells include a source service cell and a target service cell. The multiple service cells are service cells configured by the network device for the terminal device, and each of the multiple service cells corresponds to a downlink carrier. The multiple service cells can be referred to as a cell set (for example, a first cell set), or the multiple service cells can also be referred to as a cell group (cell group). In the embodiment of the present application, the first cell set is used as an example to introduce the method in the present application. In the absence of logical conflict, the cells and downlink carriers in the present application can be replaced, and the carriers in the embodiments of the present application can be understood as downlink carriers unless otherwise specified.

[0087] In one possible implementation, the first configuration information indicates a first switching pattern, where the first switching pattern is a switching pattern for a terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching in a first cell set within a first time period.

[0088] It should be understood that the first time period is any time period in the wireless frame, and is not a specific time period.

[0089] It should be understood that the first switching pattern may be indicated by a bitmap or a cell index. The first switching pattern is taken as an example for exemplary description below:

[0090] Example 1: The first switching pattern is indicated by a bitmap

[0091] The first switching mode includes a bit map, the number of bits included in the bit map is determined according to the number of time units corresponding to the carrier with the largest subcarrier interval in the frequency band combination, the bits in the bit map correspond one-to-one to the time units in the first time period, and each bit in the bit map indicates the cell performing data transmission on the corresponding time unit.

[0092] The time unit in the present application may be a time slot, a mini-time slot, a subframe, etc. In the embodiments of the present application, a time slot is mainly used as an example of a time unit and is described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0093] It should be understood that the first switching pattern is a switching pattern for downlink carrier switching performed by the terminal device in the first cell set within the first time period. The bits in the bitmap correspond one-to-one to the time units within the first time period, and the bits in the bitmap indicate the cell that performs data transmission with the terminal device in the time unit corresponding to the bit.

[0094] It should also be understood that, assuming that the first cell set includes two cells: cell #1 and cell #2, the bit in the bitmap corresponding to cell #1 can be a bit with a value of "0", and the bit in the bitmap corresponding to cell #2 can be a bit with a value of "1", the first time period includes 10 time slots, and the first switching pattern is {0010100011}. According to the first switching pattern, the terminal device performs data transmission with the cell corresponding to the bit value at each time unit in the first time period. For example, in the 1st and 2nd time slots, the terminal device performs data transmission with cell #1, in the 3rd time slot, the terminal device performs data transmission with cell #2, in the 4th time slot, the terminal device performs data transmission with cell #1, in the 5th time slot, the terminal device performs data transmission with cell #2, in the 6th, 7th and 8th time slots, the terminal device performs data transmission with cell #1, and in the 9th and 10th time slots, the terminal device performs data transmission with cell #2. It can be seen that the terminal device undergoes carrier switching in the 3rd time slot, the 4th time slot, the 5th time slot, the 6th time slot and the 9th time slot.

[0095] Among them, the bit in the bit map corresponding to cell #1 can have a value of "1", and the bit in the bit map corresponding to cell #2 can have a value of "0", and this application does not make any specific restrictions on this.

[0096] It should be understood that when the first switching pattern indicates that the terminal device does not switch within a time period, that is, any time unit within the time period has the same bits as the previous time unit and the next time unit.

[0097] Example 2: The first switching pattern is indicated by the cell index

[0098] The first switching pattern includes an index of a cell corresponding to each time unit in the first time period, wherein the cell is a cell in the first cell set.

[0099] As an example, the first switching pattern is indicated by the index of the cell in the first cell set. Assume that the first cell set includes cell #1, cell #2 and cell #3, the carrier corresponding to the frequency band where cell #1 is located is CC0, the carrier corresponding to the frequency band where cell #2 is located is CC1, and the carrier corresponding to the frequency band where cell #3 is located is CC2. Cell #1 is the source service cell (or anchor cell) of the terminal device. As shown in Figure 5, the index corresponding to cell #1 is 0, the index corresponding to cell #2 is 1, and the index corresponding to cell #3 is 2. The first time period includes 10 time slots, and the first switching pattern is {0011000200}. The terminal device transmits data with the cell corresponding to the cell index on each time slot in the first time period according to the first switching pattern as shown in Figure 5. For example, in the 1st and 2nd time slots, the terminal device transmits data with cell #1, in the 3rd and 4th time slots, the terminal device transmits data with cell #2, in the 5th, 6th and 7th time slots, the terminal device transmits data with cell #1, in the 8th time slot, the terminal device transmits data with cell #3, and in the 9th and 10th time slots, the terminal device transmits data with cell #1. It can be seen that the terminal device undergoes carrier switching in the 3rd time slot. Similarly, the terminal device undergoes carrier switching in the 5th, 8th and 9th time slots. Among them, the terminal device undergoes carrier switching. The specific position of the switching interval of the carrier switching is described in detail below.

[0100] It should be understood that the specific values ​​of the cell indexes in the embodiments of the present application are generally in ascending order (for example, starting from 0) for illustrative purposes. In actual applications, the cell indexes can also be from large to small, or in random order, or there can be other regularities between the indexes. This application does not limit this and will not elaborate on them one by one.

[0101] The above mainly introduces the expression form of the first switching pattern included in the first configuration information. Next, the position of the switching interval when the terminal device performs carrier switching will be introduced.

[0102] In one possible implementation, the first configuration information indicates the position of the switching interval when the terminal device performs downlink carrier switching, wherein the switching interval may be located on a carrier corresponding to a first frequency band, which is a frequency band corresponding to a source service cell of the terminal device; or, the switching interval is located on a carrier corresponding to a second frequency band, which is a frequency band corresponding to a target service cell of the terminal device; or, the switching interval may be located on a carrier with the smallest carrier bandwidth in the frequency band combination.

[0103] It should be understood that the switching interval can be located on the carrier corresponding to the source service cell corresponding to the terminal device, or can be located on the carrier corresponding to the target service cell corresponding to the terminal device. Assume that the terminal device switches between CC0 and CC1, wherein, considering that the PDCCH generally occupies the first few symbols of a time slot for transmission (for example, occupying the first few symbols of the corresponding time slot on CC1), in order to avoid resource conflicts, the switching interval can be located on the last few symbols of the corresponding time slot on CC0; or, considering that the network device corresponding to CC0 may place the CSI-RS information on the last few symbols of the time slot (for example, CSI-RS occupies the last few symbols of the corresponding time slot on CC0), in order to avoid resource conflicts, the switching interval can be located on the first few symbols of the corresponding time slot on CC1.

[0104] As an example, assuming that the frequency band combination includes the 2.6G band, the 700M band and the 4.9G band, as shown in Figure 6, when the terminal device switches from the 2.6G band to the 4.9G band, the dark gray part in Figure 6 corresponds to the position of the switching interval, that is, when the terminal device switches from the 2.6G band to the 4.9G band, the switching interval is located on the 4.9G band; when the terminal device switches from the 4.9G band to the 2.6G band as shown in Figure 6, the switching interval is located on the 2.6G band.

[0105] It should also be understood that the switching interval can be located on the carrier with the smallest carrier bandwidth in the frequency band combination. Specifically, in the case of no conflict with other signals, the switching interval can be located on the carrier with the smallest carrier bandwidth in the frequency band combination. For example, the frequency band combination includes 3.5G band, 1.8G band and 2.1G band. As shown in Figure 7, the carrier bandwidth corresponding to the 3.5G band is 100M, the carrier bandwidth corresponding to the 1.8G band is 50M, and the carrier bandwidth corresponding to the 2.1G band is 50M. When the terminal device switches carriers between the 3.5G band and the 1.8G band, the switching interval is located on the carrier corresponding to the 1.8G band. Specifically, when the terminal device switches from the 3.5G band to the 1.8G band, the switching interval is located on the carrier corresponding to the 1.8G band. When the terminal device switches from the 1.8G band to the 3.5G band, the switching interval is located on the carrier corresponding to the 1.8G band. The switching interval is located on the carrier with the smallest carrier bandwidth, which can reduce the interruption delay caused by downlink carrier switching, thereby reducing transmission loss.

[0106] It should also be understood that in step 402, the network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device. The first configuration information can be carried in RRC signaling and sent to the terminal device, thereby realizing semi-static configuration without the need for real-time dynamic indication, reducing the switching delay of the terminal device, and saving resource overhead.

[0107] According to the introduction in Figures 4 to 7 above, in the method provided in the present application, the network device instructs the terminal device to perform relevant configurations of downlink carrier switching through the first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information sent by the network device to the terminal device is determined based on the first capability information of the terminal device, thereby enabling the network device to optimize the downlink carrier switching configuration information for the terminal device based on the switching interval supported by the terminal device, thereby improving the user experience.

[0108] In addition, the first configuration information also indicates the location of the handover interval. Taking into account the symbol positions that the CSI-RS and PDCCH may occupy in the carrier, the handover interval is indicated to be located on the frequency band corresponding to the target serving cell or the frequency band corresponding to the source serving cell, thereby avoiding resource conflicts. Alternatively, the handover interval is indicated to be located on the carrier with the smallest carrier bandwidth, thereby reducing terminal delay caused by downlink carrier switching and reducing transmission loss.

[0109] Based on the detailed description of FIG. 4 to FIG. 7 above, before the network device sends the first configuration information to the terminal device in step 402, the method may further include the following steps:

[0110] The network device determines a first switching pattern.

[0111] Specifically, the network device determines at least one switching pattern (or candidate switching pattern) based on the first capability information, the frequency band information corresponding to the first cell set, and the specific positions of the uplink time slot and the downlink time slot in the frequency band corresponding to the first cell set. The network device determines the first switching pattern from the candidate switching patterns.

[0112] It should be understood that the network device may determine the first switching pattern based on the downlink peak rate corresponding to each switching pattern in the candidate switching patterns. For example, the network device may determine the downlink peak rate corresponding to each switching pattern in the candidate switching patterns based on each switching pattern in the candidate switching patterns and the position of the switching interval corresponding to the switching pattern. The network device determines the first switching pattern based on the downlink peak rate corresponding to each switching pattern.

[0113] The following will introduce, in combination with three scenarios, how the network device determines the first switching pattern from candidate switching patterns according to the downlink peak rate.

[0114] Scenario 1: Telephone connection scenario

[0115] In the scenarios of China Telecom and China Unicom, referred to as the China Telecom scenario, the typical configuration frequency band combinations in the China Telecom scenario include the 3.5G band, the 1.8G band, and the 2.1G band. Among them, the 3.5G band can be configured with two cells or one cell, the 1.8G band can be configured with one cell, and the 2.1G band can be configured with one cell. The following will describe how to determine the first switching pattern from the candidate switching patterns for the different situations of configuring two cells and one cell in the China Telecom scenario:

[0116] Case 1:

[0117] When one cell is configured for each of the 3.5 GHz, 1.8 GHz, and 2.1 GHz bands, the carrier bandwidths corresponding to the 3.5 GHz, 1.8 GHz, and 2.1 GHz bands are 100 MHz, 50 MHz, and 50 MHz, respectively, and the subcarrier spacings corresponding to the 3.5 GHz, 1.8 GHz, and 2.1 GHz bands are 30 kHz, 15 kHz, and 15 kHz, respectively. For example, the carrier corresponding to the 3.5 GHz band is CC0, the carrier corresponding to the 1.8 GHz band is CC1, and the carrier corresponding to the 2.1 GHz band is CC2.

[0118] It should be understood that the terminal device performs downlink carrier switching between the 3.5G frequency band, the 1.8G frequency band and the 2.1G frequency band. Assume that the carrier corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band is CC0, the carrier corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band is CC1, and the carrier corresponding to the 2.1G frequency band is CC2. The cell index corresponding to CC0 is 0, the cell index corresponding to CC1 is 1, and the cell index corresponding to CC2 is 2. The cell indexes in the first switching pattern are 0, 1, and 2, which respectively indicate that the terminal device performs downlink data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band in the time unit corresponding to the cell index 0 in the first switching pattern, the terminal device performs downlink data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band in the time unit corresponding to the cell index 1 in the first switching pattern, and the terminal device performs downlink data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 2.1G frequency band in the time unit corresponding to the cell index 2 in the first switching pattern.

[0119] The following describes a scenario where one cell is configured for each of the 3.5 GHz, 1.8 GHz, and 2.1 GHz frequency bands. In this scenario, the network device determines candidate switching patterns based on the switching interval supported by the terminal device in the first capability information of the terminal device. Furthermore, the network device calculates the downlink peak rate corresponding to each switching pattern in the candidate switching patterns and determines the first switching pattern. This is shown in Table 1.

[0120] Table 1

[0121] It should be understood that Table 1 above lists only some candidate switching patterns, not all candidate switching patterns. The data in Table 1 is only an example and does not have a limiting effect.

[0122] It should also be understood that the typical configuration frequency band combination for the telecom scenario is the 3.5G frequency band, the 1.8G frequency band and the 2.1G frequency band, such as the frequency band combination shown in Figure 7 above. Assume that the carriers corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band, the 1.8G frequency band and the 2.1G frequency band are CC0, CC1 and CC2 respectively, the cell index corresponding to CC0 is 0, the cell index corresponding to CC1 is 1, and the cell index corresponding to CC2 is 2. Taking the candidate switching pattern {0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1} in Table 1 above as an example, the terminal device performs downlink carrier switching between CC0 and CC1, that is, the terminal device switches at the 5th time unit (for example, time slot) from CC0 to CC1. Among them, in the example in Table 1, the switching interval is located at carrier Carrier1, which can indicate that the switching interval is located at the carrier with a cell index of 1 (for example, CC1); the switching interval is located at carrier Carrier2, which can indicate that the switching interval is located at the carrier with a cell index of 2 (for example, CC2). Considering that the bandwidth of carrier CC0 is greater than that of CC1, the switching interval can be located on a carrier with a smaller bandwidth (such as CC1), thereby reducing the capacity loss caused by switching interruption delay. The network device determines each candidate switching pattern and the location of the switching interval corresponding to each candidate switching pattern. The network device can further calculate the downlink peak rate corresponding to each candidate switching pattern.

[0123] As an example, the formula for calculating the downlink peak rate is as follows: Among them, Q m is the modulation order, R max is the highest bit rate (usually 948 / 1024=0.926), is the number of resource blocks, T s is the time domain symbol duration, V layersThe network device can calculate the downlink peak rate corresponding to each candidate switching pattern based on the above formula, as shown in Table 1 above. As shown in Table 1, when the switching interval supported by the terminal device is any one or more of {35us, 140us, 210us}, the switching patterns with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate are {0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1} and {0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2}, that is, the network device can use {0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1} or {0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2} in the candidate switching pattern as the first switching pattern, wherein, when the switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1}, the switching interval is located on the carrier CC1 corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band. For example, the terminal device switches from CC0 to CC1 in the 5th time unit and the 9th time unit, and the switching interval is located on CC1. In the 6th time unit, the terminal device switches from CC1 to CC0, and the switching interval is located on CC1. Similarly, when the switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2}, the terminal device switches between CC0 and CC2 in the 5th time unit, the 6th time unit and the 9th time unit, and the switching interval is on CC2; when the switching interval supported by the terminal device is {500us} or {1ms}, the switching pattern with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate is {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0}, that is, the network device can use {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0} in the candidate switching pattern as the first switching pattern. The switching pattern of {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0} indicates that the terminal device maintains data transmission on CC0 during the time period, that is, no switching occurs.

[0124] It should be understood that when the switching pattern indicates that the terminal device does not switch within a time period, that is, the bit or cell index corresponding to any time unit in the time period is the same as that of the previous time unit and the next time unit. Alternatively, in the case where the switching pattern is indicated by the cell index, when the switching pattern indicates that the terminal device does not switch within a time period, that is, the index value of the cell corresponding to any one or more time units in the time period exceeds or does not belong to the value range of the index of the cell included in the first cell set. For example, the switching pattern can be expressed as {0 0 0 0 x 0 0 0 xx}, where the value of x exceeds or does not belong to the value range of the index of the cell in the first cell set. Assume that the first cell set includes 4 cells, namely cell #0, cell 1, cell #2 and cell #4, and the cell indices corresponding to cell #0, cell 1, cell #2 and cell #4 are 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively, that is, x is 0 or 5, that is, x exceeds or does not belong to the value range of the cell index in the first cell set, that is, x represents an invalid value, and the terminal device does not switch in the time unit corresponding to x.

[0125] Case 2:

[0126] When two cells are configured in the 3.5 GHz band, the carrier bandwidth corresponding to the 3.5 GHz band is 200 MHz, with one cell corresponding to a 100 MHz carrier bandwidth and the other cell corresponding to a 100 MHz carrier bandwidth. The carrier bandwidths corresponding to the 1.8 GHz band and the 2.1 GHz band are 50 MHz, respectively. For example, the carriers corresponding to the 3.5 GHz band are CC0-1 and CC0-2, the carrier corresponding to the 1.8 GHz band is CC1, and the carrier corresponding to the 2.1 GHz band is CC2.

[0127] It should be understood that when two cells are configured in the 3.5G frequency band, the terminal device performs downlink carrier switching between the 3.5G frequency band, the 1.8G frequency band and the 2.1G frequency band, and the two cells corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band are transmitted or switched at the same time. When the network device instructs the terminal device on the first switching pattern, it can select any one of the two cells for indication. For example, the index of any one of the two cells can be indicated in the switching pattern. Assume that the carriers corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band are CC0-1 and CC0-2, the carrier corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band is CC1, and the carrier corresponding to the 2.1G frequency band is CC2. Among them, the indexes of the cells corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band include 0 and 1, for example, the cell index corresponding to CC0-1 is 0, and the cell index corresponding to CC0-2 is 1. The cell index corresponding to the carrier CC1 corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band is 2, and the cell index corresponding to CC2 corresponding to the 2.1G frequency band is 3. Among them, assuming that the first switching pattern is {0020020300}, or {1121121311}, it can be seen that in the first switching pattern, the cell index 0 or 1 can indicate that the terminal device performs data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band. For example, the above two first switching patterns {0020020300} and {1121121311} both indicate that in the 3rd time unit and the 6th time unit, the terminal device switches from the carrier corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band to the carrier corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band, and in the 9th time unit, the terminal device switches from the carrier corresponding to the 2.1G frequency band to the carrier corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band. That is, when the network device indicates that the cell index is 0 or 1 in the first switching pattern, it indicates that the terminal device performs downlink data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band in the corresponding time unit.

[0128] It should also be understood that, based on the situation in Table 1 above where one cell is configured for each of the 3.5G frequency band, the 1.8G frequency band, and the 2.1G frequency band, a specific description is given of the candidate switching patterns determined by the network device based on the switching interval supported by the terminal device in the first capability information of the terminal device, and the determination of the first switching pattern from the candidate switching patterns. In the case where two cells are configured in the 3.5G frequency band and one cell is configured for each of the 1.8G frequency band and the 2.1G frequency band, it is assumed that the indexes of the cells corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band include 0 and 1, the index of the cell corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band is 2, and the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.1G frequency band is 3. In combination with the example shown in Table 1 above, when the switching interval supported by the terminal device is any one or more of {35us, 140us, 210us}, the switching patterns with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate include: {0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 22}, {0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 33}, {1111211122} and {1111311133}, that is, the network device can use any one of {0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 22}, {0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 33}, {1111211122} and {1111311133} among the candidate switching patterns as the first switching pattern. Among them, when the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 22} or {1111211122}, the switching interval is located on the carrier CC1 corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band. Similarly, when the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 33} or {1111311133}, the switching interval is located on the carrier CC2 corresponding to the 2.1G frequency band; when the switching interval supported by the terminal device is {500us} or {1ms}, the switching patterns with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate may include {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0} and {1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1}, that is, the network device can use {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0} or {1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1} in the candidate switching pattern as the first switching pattern. The first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0} or {1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1}, both of which indicate that the terminal device maintains data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band during the time period, that is, the terminal device does not switch during the time period.

[0129] Scenario 2: Mobile Broadcasting

[0130] In the scenario of China Mobile operators, referred to as the mobile broadcast scenario, the typical configuration frequency band combination of the mobile broadcast scenario includes the 4.9 GHz band, the 2.6 GHz band, and the 700 MHz band. Among them, the 4.9 GHz band can be configured with two cells or one cell, the 2.6 GHz band can be configured with two cells or one cell, and the 700 MHz band can be configured with one cell. The following describes how to determine the first switching pattern from the candidate switching patterns for different situations in the mobile broadcast scenario, where the 4.9 GHz band is configured with two cells and one cell, and the 2.6 GHz band is configured with two cells and one cell respectively:

[0131] Case 3:

[0132] When one cell is configured for each of the 4.9 GHz, 2.6 GHz, and 700 MHz bands, the carrier bandwidths corresponding to the 4.9 GHz, 2.6 GHz, and 700 MHz bands are 60 MHz, 100 MHz, and 30 MHz, respectively. The subcarrier spacings corresponding to the 4.9 GHz, 2.6 GHz, and 700 MHz bands are 30 kHz, 15 kHz, and 15 kHz, respectively. For example, the carrier corresponding to the 4.9 GHz band is CC0, the carrier corresponding to the 2.6 GHz band is CC1, and the carrier corresponding to the 700 MHz band is CC2.

[0133] It should be understood that the terminal device performs downlink carrier switching between the 4.9G frequency band, the 2.6G frequency band and the 700M frequency band. Assume that the carrier corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band is CC0, the carrier corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band is CC1, and the carrier corresponding to the 700M frequency band is CC2. The cell index corresponding to CC0 is 0, the cell index corresponding to CC1 is 1, and the cell index corresponding to CC2 is 2. The cell indexes in the first switching pattern are 0, 1 and 2, which respectively indicate that the terminal device performs downlink data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band in the time unit corresponding to the cell index 0 in the first switching pattern, the terminal device performs downlink data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band in the time unit corresponding to the cell index 1 in the first switching pattern, and the terminal device performs downlink data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 700M frequency band in the time unit corresponding to the cell index 2 in the first switching pattern.

[0134] The following describes how, in this mobile broadband scenario, a network device can determine candidate switching patterns based on the switching interval supported by the terminal device in the first capability information of the terminal device, using one cell configured for each of the 4.9 GHz, 2.6 GHz, and 700 MHz bands. Furthermore, the network device calculates the downlink peak rate corresponding to each of the candidate switching patterns and determines the first switching pattern. This is shown in Table 2:

[0135] Table 2

[0136] It should be understood that Table 2 is similar to Table 1. Table 2 uses the typical configuration frequency band combination of 4.9 GHz, 2.6 GHz, and 700 MHz for mobile broadcast scenarios as an example. The network device determines the candidate switching patterns and the position of the switching interval corresponding to each candidate switching pattern, and further calculates the downlink peak rate corresponding to each candidate switching pattern. The calculation method of the downlink peak rate is described in Table 1 above.

[0137] As shown in Table 2, it is assumed that the carriers corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band, the 2.6G frequency band and the 700M frequency band are CC0, CC1 and CC2 respectively. The index of the cell corresponding to CC0 is 0, the index of the cell corresponding to CC1 is 1, and the index of the cell corresponding to CC2 is 2. When the switching interval supported by the terminal device is any one or more of {35us, 140us, 210us}, the switching pattern with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate is {1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1}, that is, the network device can use {1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1} in the candidate switching pattern as the first switching pattern. Among them, in the example in Table 2, the switching interval is located in carrier Carrier0, which can indicate that the switching interval is located in the carrier with a cell index of 0 (for example, CC0); the switching interval is located in carrier Carrier2, which can indicate that the switching interval is located in the carrier with a cell index of 2 (for example, CC2). In combination with the first switching pattern {1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1} shown in Table 2 above, the terminal device switches between CC0 and CC1 in the 3rd time unit, the 4th time unit, the 7th time unit and the 9th time unit, and the switching interval is located on the carrier CC0 corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band; when the switching interval supported by the terminal device is {500us} or {1ms}, the switching pattern with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate is {1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1}, that is, the network device can use {1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1} in the candidate switching pattern as the first switching pattern. The first switching pattern of {1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1} indicates that the terminal device maintains data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band during the time period, that is, the terminal device does not switch during the time period.

[0138] It should be understood that when the switching pattern is indicated by the index of the cell, the switching pattern {1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1} can be expressed as {1 1 x 1 1 1 xx 1 1}, where the value of x exceeds or does not belong to the value range of the index of the cell in the first cell set. The x exceeds or does not belong to the value range of the index of the cell in the first cell set, that is, x represents an invalid value, and the terminal device does not switch in the time unit corresponding to x.

[0139] Case 4:

[0140] When two cells are configured in the 4.9 GHz band, the corresponding carrier bandwidth is 160 MHz, with one cell having a 100 MHz carrier bandwidth and the other having a 60 MHz carrier bandwidth. When two cells are configured in the 2.6 GHz band, the corresponding carrier bandwidth is 160 MHz, with one cell having a 100 MHz carrier bandwidth and the other having a 60 MHz carrier bandwidth. When one cell is configured in the 700 GHz band, the corresponding carrier bandwidth is generally 30 MHz. For example, the carriers corresponding to the 4.9 GHz band are CC0-1 and CC0-2, the carriers corresponding to the 2.6 GHz band are CC1-0 and CC1-1, and the carrier corresponding to the 700 GHz band is CC2.

[0141] It should be understood that when 2 cells are configured in the 4.9G band, 2 cells are configured in the 2.6G band, and 1 cell is configured in the 700M band, the terminal device performs downlink carrier switching between the 4.9G band, the 2.6G band, and the 700M band, and the terminal device transmits or switches simultaneously in the two cells corresponding to the 4.9G band or the 2.6G band. When the network device instructs the terminal device on the first switching pattern, it selects any one of the two cells corresponding to the 4.9G band or the 2.6G band for indication. For example, the index of any one of the two cells can be indicated in the switching pattern. Assume that the carriers corresponding to the 4.9G band are CC0-1 and CC0-2, the carriers corresponding to the 2.6G band are CC1-0 and CC1-1, and the carrier corresponding to the 700M band is CC2. Among them, the index of the cell corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band includes 0 and 1, for example, the cell index corresponding to CC0-1 is 0, and the cell index corresponding to CC0-2 is 1; the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band includes 2 and 3, for example, the cell index corresponding to CC1-1 is 2, and the cell index corresponding to CC1-2 is 3; the index of the cell corresponding to the 700M frequency band is 4, for example, the cell index corresponding to CC2 is 4. Among them, it is assumed that the first switching pattern is {0020020400}, or {0 0 3 0 0 3 0 4 0 0}, or {1131131411}, or {1 1 2 1 1 2 1 4 1 1}. It can be seen that in the above-mentioned first switching pattern, index 0 or index 1 can indicate that the terminal device performs data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band, and index 2 or index 3 can indicate that the terminal device performs data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band. As shown above, {0 0 2 0 0 2 0 4 0 0}, or {0 0 3 0 0 3 0 4 0 0}, or {1 1 3 1 1 3 1 4 1 1}, or {1 1 2 1 1 2 1 4 1 1}, can all indicate that in the 3rd time unit and the 6th time unit, the terminal device switches from the carrier corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band to the carrier corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band, and in the 9th time unit, the terminal device switches from the carrier corresponding to the 700M frequency band to the carrier corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band. That is, the network device indicates that the cell index is 0 or 1 in the first switching pattern, which means that the terminal device performs downlink data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band in the corresponding time unit; the cell index is 2 or 3 indicated in the first switching pattern, which means that the terminal device performs downlink data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band in the corresponding time unit.

[0142] It should also be understood that, based on the situation in Table 2 above where 1 cell is configured for each of the 4.9G frequency band, the 2.6G frequency band, and the 700M frequency band, a specific description is given of the candidate switching patterns determined by the network device based on the switching interval supported by the terminal device in the first capability information of the terminal device, and the first switching pattern is determined from the candidate switching patterns. In the case where 2 cells are configured for the 4.9G frequency band, 2 cells are configured for the 2.6G frequency band, and 1 cell is configured for the 700M frequency band, it is assumed that the index of the cell corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band includes 0 and 1, the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band includes 2 and 3, and the index of the cell corresponding to the 700M frequency band is 4. In combination with the example shown in Table 2 above, when the switching interval supported by the terminal device is any one or more of {35us, 140us, 210us}, the switching patterns with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate include: {2 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 2 2}, {3 3 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3}, {2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2} and {3 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 3 3}, that is, the network device can select any one of {2 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 2 2}, {3 3 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3}, {2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2} and {3 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 3 3} among the candidate switching patterns as the first switching pattern. Among them, when the first switching pattern is any one of {2 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 2 2}, {3 3 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3}, {2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2} and {3 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 3 3}, the switching interval can be located on the carrier corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band. When the switching interval supported by the terminal device is {500us} or {1ms}, the switching patterns with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate may include {2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2} and {3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3}, that is, the network device can use {2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2} or {3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3} in the candidate switching pattern as the first switching pattern. The first switching pattern is {2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2} or {3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3}, both of which indicate that the terminal device maintains data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band during the time period, that is, the terminal device does not switch during the time period.

[0143] Case 5:

[0144] 5.1. When two cells are configured in the 4.9 GHz band, the corresponding carrier bandwidth for the 4.9 GHz band is 160 MHz, with one cell corresponding to a 100 MHz carrier bandwidth and the other to a 60 MHz carrier bandwidth. When one cell is configured in the 2.6 GHz band, the corresponding carrier bandwidth for the 2.6 GHz band is 100 MHz. When one cell is configured in the 700 MHz band, the corresponding carrier bandwidth for the cell is generally 30 MHz. For example, the carriers corresponding to the 4.9 GHz band are CC0-1 and CC0-2, the carrier corresponding to the 2.6 GHz band is CC1, and the carrier corresponding to the 700 MHz band is CC2.

[0145] It should be understood that when two cells are configured in the 4.9G band, one cell is configured in the 2.6G band, and one cell is configured in the 700M band, the terminal device performs downlink carrier switching between the 4.9G band, the 2.6G band, and the 700M band. Similar to the above situation 4, it is assumed that the carriers corresponding to the 4.9G band are CC0-1 and CC0-2, the carrier corresponding to the 2.6G band is CC1, and the carrier corresponding to the 700M band is CC2. Among them, the indexes of the cells corresponding to the 4.9G band include 0 and 1, the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.6G band is 2; and the index of the cell corresponding to the 700M band is 4. Among them, it is assumed that the first switching pattern is {0020020400}, or {1121121411}. It can be seen that in the first switching pattern, index 0 or 1 indicates that the terminal device performs data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band, index 2 indicates that the terminal device performs data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band, and index 4 indicates that the terminal device performs data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 700M frequency band.

[0146] It should also be understood that, based on the situation in Table 2 above where 1 cell is configured for each of the 4.9G frequency band, the 2.6G frequency band, and the 700M frequency band, a specific description is given of the candidate switching patterns determined by the network device based on the switching interval supported by the terminal device in the first capability information of the terminal device, and the first switching pattern is determined from the candidate switching patterns. In the case where 2 cells are configured for the 4.9G frequency band, 1 cell is configured for the 2.6G frequency band, and 1 cell is configured for the 700M frequency band, it is assumed that the index of the cell corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band includes 0 and 1, the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band is 2 or 3, and the index of the cell corresponding to the 700M frequency band is 4. In combination with the example shown in Table 2 above, when the switching interval supported by the terminal device is any one or more of {35us, 140us, 210us}, the switching patterns with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate include: {2 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 2 2} and {2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2}, or {3 3 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3} and {3 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 3 3}, that is, the network device can use any one of {2 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 2 2} and {2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2}, or {3 3 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3} and {3 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 3 3} among the candidate switching patterns as the first switching pattern. Among them, when the first switching pattern is any one of {2 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 2 2}, {2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2}, {3 3 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3} and {3 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 3 3}, the switching interval is located on the carrier corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band. When the switching interval supported by the terminal device is {500us} or {1ms}, the switching pattern with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate may include {2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2} or {3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3}, that is, the network device can use {2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2} or {3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3} in the candidate switching pattern as the first switching pattern. The first switching pattern is {2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2} or {3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3}, both of which indicate that the terminal device maintains data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band during the time period, that is, the terminal device does not switch during the time period.

[0147] 5.2. When one cell is configured in the 4.9 GHz band, the carrier bandwidth corresponding to the 4.9 GHz band is 60 MHz. When two cells are configured in the 2.6 GHz band, the carrier bandwidth corresponding to the 2.6 GHz band is 160 MHz, with one cell having a 100 MHz carrier bandwidth and the other having a 60 MHz carrier bandwidth. When one cell is configured in the 700 MHz band, the carrier bandwidth corresponding to the cell is generally 30 MHz. For example, the carrier corresponding to the 4.9 GHz band is CC0, the carriers corresponding to the 2.6 GHz band are CC1-0 and CC1-1, and the carrier corresponding to the 700 MHz band is CC2.

[0148] It should be understood that when one cell is configured in the 4.9G band, two cells are configured in the 2.6G band, and one cell is configured in the 700M band, the terminal device performs downlink carrier switching between the 4.9G band, the 2.6G band, and the 700M band. Similar to the above situation 4, it is assumed that the carrier corresponding to the 4.9G band is CC0, the carrier corresponding to the 2.6G band is CC1-0 and CC1-1, and the carrier corresponding to the 700M band is CC2. Among them, the index of the cell corresponding to the 4.9G band is 0, the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.6G band is 2 and 3; the index of the cell corresponding to the 700M band is 4. Among them, it is assumed that the first switching pattern is {0020020400}, or {0030030400}. It can be seen that in the first switching pattern, index 0 indicates that the terminal device performs data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band, index 2 or 3 indicates that the terminal device performs data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band, and index 4 indicates that the terminal device performs data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 700M frequency band.

[0149] It should also be understood that, based on the situation in Table 2 above where 1 cell is configured for each of the 4.9G frequency band, the 2.6G frequency band, and the 700M frequency band, a specific description is given of the candidate switching patterns determined by the network device based on the switching interval supported by the terminal device in the first capability information of the terminal device, and the first switching pattern is determined from the candidate switching patterns. In the case where 1 cell is configured for the 4.9G frequency band, 2 cells are configured for the 2.6G frequency band, and 1 cell is configured for the 700M frequency band, it is assumed that the index of the cell corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band includes 0 or 1, the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band is 2 and 3, and the index of the cell corresponding to the 700M frequency band is 4. In combination with the example shown in Table 2 above, when the switching interval supported by the terminal device is any one or more of {35us, 140us, 210us}, the switching patterns with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate include: {2 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 2 2} and {3 3 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3}, or {2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2} and {3 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 3 3}, that is, the network device can use any one of {2 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 2 2} and {3 3 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3}, or {2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2} and {3 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 3 3} among the candidate switching patterns as the first switching pattern. Among them, when the first switching pattern is any one of {2 2 0 2 2 2 0 0 2 2}, {3 3 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3}, {2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2}, and {3 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 3 3}, the switching interval is located on the carrier corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band. When the switching interval supported by the terminal device is {500us} or {1ms}, the switching patterns with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate may include {2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2} and {3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3}, that is, the network device can select any one of {2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2} and {3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3} in the candidate switching patterns as the first switching pattern. The first switching pattern is {2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2} or {3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3}, both of which indicate that the terminal device maintains data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band during the time period, that is, the terminal device does not switch during the time period.

[0150] Scenario 3: Typical European scenario

[0151] In a typical European scenario, the typical configuration frequency band combination of a typical European scenario includes the 3.5G band, the 1.8G band and the 2.6G band. Among them, the 3.5G band, the 1.8G band and the 2.6G band can all be configured with one cell. The carrier bandwidths corresponding to the 3.5G band, the 1.8G band and the 2.6G band are 100M, 30M and 20M respectively, and the subcarrier spacings corresponding to the 3.5G band, the 1.8G band and the 2.6G band are 30kHz, 15kHz and 15kHz respectively. In this scenario, the network device can determine the candidate switching pattern based on the switching interval supported by the terminal device in the first capability information of the terminal device. Furthermore, the network device calculates the downlink peak rate corresponding to each switching pattern in the candidate switching pattern, and determines the first switching pattern. As shown in Table 3:

[0152] Table 3

[0153] It should be understood that Table 3 is similar to Tables 1 and 2. Table 3 uses the typical configuration frequency band combination of 3.5 GHz, 1.8 GHz, and 2.6 GHz in a typical European scenario as an example. The network device determines the candidate switching patterns and the position of the switching interval corresponding to each candidate switching pattern, and further calculates the downlink peak rate corresponding to each candidate switching pattern. The calculation method of the downlink peak rate is described in Table 1 above.

[0154] As shown in Table 3, assuming that the carriers corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band, the 1.8G frequency band and the 2.6G frequency band are CC0, CC1 and CC2 respectively, the cell index corresponding to CC0 is 0, the cell index corresponding to CC1 is 1, and the cell index corresponding to CC2 is 2. When the switching interval supported by the terminal device is any one or more of {35us, 140us, 210us}, the switching pattern with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate is {0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1}, that is, the network device can use {0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1} in the candidate switching pattern as the first switching pattern. In the example in Table 3, the switching interval is located in carrier Carrier1, which can indicate that the switching interval is located in the carrier with a cell index of 1 (for example, CC1); the switching interval is located in carrier Carrier2, which can indicate that the switching interval is located in the carrier with a cell index of 2 (for example, CC2). In combination with the first switching pattern {0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1} shown in Table 3 above, the terminal device switches between CC0 and CC1 at the 5th time unit, the 6th time unit and the 9th time unit, and the switching interval is located on the carrier CC1 corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band; when the switching interval of the terminal device is {500us} or {1ms}, the switching pattern with the highest theoretical downlink peak rate is {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0}, that is, the network device can use {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0} in the candidate switching pattern as the first switching pattern. Among them, the first switching pattern of {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0} indicates that the terminal device maintains data transmission on the carrier corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band during the time period, that is, the terminal device does not switch during the time period.

[0155] It should be understood that when the switching pattern is indicated by the index of the cell, the switching pattern {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0} can be expressed as {0 0 0 0 x 0 0 0 xx}, where the value of x exceeds or does not belong to the value range of the index of the cell in the first cell set. The x exceeds or does not belong to the value range of the index of the cell in the first cell set, that is, x represents an invalid value, and the terminal device does not switch in the time unit corresponding to x.

[0156] The above describes three different scenarios, based on which the network device selects the switching pattern with the highest downlink peak rate from candidate switching patterns as the first switching pattern. The first configuration information sent by the network device to the terminal device includes this first switching pattern. Based on this first switching pattern, the terminal device performs downlink carrier switching on the carrier corresponding to the frequency band combination, thereby improving the user device's downlink peak rate experience and ensuring user experience.

[0157] It should be understood that based on the introduction of the above three scenarios, the index of the cell corresponding to different frequency bands in each scenario can be indicated to the terminal device through a pre-configured method (such as RRC signaling) or a system / protocol predefined method. The specific method is not limited in this application.

[0158] It should also be understood that, in combination with the above three scenarios, in a multi-user scenario, assuming that multiple users switch to the same carrier for data transmission at the same time, or that multiple users perform data transmission on the same carrier at the same time, it may cause the carrier to be loaded heavily. That is, some of the multiple users can be switched from the carrier to other carriers through dynamic switching (for example, through MAC CE signaling) to reduce the load on the carrier and ensure communication performance.

[0159] It should also be understood that the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0160] It should also be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their internal logical relationships.

[0161] It should also be understood that in some of the above embodiments, the devices in the existing network architecture are mainly used as examples for illustrative description (such as network devices, terminal devices, etc.), and it should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the specific form of the devices. For example, devices that can achieve the same functions in the future are applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0162] It is understandable that in the above-mentioned various method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by devices (such as network devices, terminal devices) can also be implemented by components of the devices (such as chips or circuits).

[0163] The switching method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with FIG4 . The switching method is mainly described from the perspective of the interaction between the terminal device and the network device. It is understood that in order to implement the above functions, the terminal device and the network device include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function.

[0164] It is understood that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network devices and terminal devices include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a manner driven by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0165] Figures 8 and 9 are schematic diagrams of the structures of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the above-mentioned method embodiments, thereby also achieving the beneficial effects possessed by the above-mentioned method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be one of the terminals 120a-120j shown in Figure 1, or it can be the base station 110a or 110b shown in Figure 1, or it can be a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal or base station.

[0166] As shown in Figure 8 , a communication device 800 includes a processing unit 810 and a transceiver unit 820. The communication device 800 is used to implement the functions of the network device or terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4 above.

[0167] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the function of the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4: the transceiver unit 820 is used to receive first capability information from the terminal device, the first capability information indicates the switching interval supported by the terminal device, the switching interval corresponds one-to-one to the frequency band combination, the frequency band combination includes the first frequency band corresponding to the source service cell of the terminal device and the second frequency band corresponding to the target service cell of the terminal device, the switching interval is the time required for the terminal device to switch between the first frequency band and the second frequency band; the transceiver unit 820 is also used to send first configuration information to the terminal device, the first configuration information is determined based on the first capability information, the first configuration information indicates that the terminal device performs downlink carrier switching in a first cell set, the first cell set includes the source service cell and the target service cell.

[0168] Alternatively, when the communication device 800 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4: the transceiver unit 820 is used to send first capability information, the first capability information indicates the switching interval supported by the terminal device, the capability value of the switching interval corresponds one-to-one to the frequency band combination, the frequency band combination includes the first frequency band corresponding to the source service cell of the terminal device and the second frequency band corresponding to the target service cell of the terminal device, the switching interval is the time required for the terminal device to switch between the first frequency band and the second frequency band; the transceiver unit 820 is also used to receive first configuration information from the network device, the first configuration information is determined based on the first capability information, the first configuration information indicates that the terminal device performs downlink carrier switching in a first cell set, the first cell set includes the source service cell and the target service cell.

[0169] It should be understood that when the apparatus 800 is used to execute the method in FIG. 4 , the transceiver unit 820 may be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method.

[0170] In one possible implementation, the apparatus 800 further includes a processing unit 810, which can be used to execute the device-internal steps in the method in FIG. 4 except for sending and receiving information.

[0171] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 810 and the transceiver unit 820 , reference may be made to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4 .

[0172] As shown in Figure 9, communication device 900 includes a processor 910 and an interface circuit 920. Processor 910 and interface circuit 920 are coupled to each other. It is understood that interface circuit 920 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, communication device 900 may also include a memory 930 for storing instructions executed by processor 910, input data required by processor 910 to execute instructions, or data generated after processor 910 executes instructions.

[0173] When the communication device 900 is used to implement the functions of the device shown in FIG. 8 , the processor 910 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 810 , and the interface circuit 920 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 820 .

[0174] When the communication device is a chip used in a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information sent by the base station to the terminal through other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna); or the terminal chip sends information to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal to the base station.

[0175] When the above-mentioned communication device is a module applied to a base station, the base station module implements the functions of the base station in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The base station module receives information from other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal to the base station; or, the base station module sends information to other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the base station to the terminal. The base station module here can be the baseband chip of the base station, or it can be a CU, DU or other module, or it can be a device under the O-RAN architecture, such as an open CU, open DU and other devices.

[0176] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0177] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk, mobile hard disk, CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0178] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0179] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0180] In this application, "indication" can include direct indication and indirect indication. When describing that a certain indication information indicates A, it can include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but it does not mean that the indication information must carry A.

[0181] "At least one" shown in the present application refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second" and various digital numbers (for example, "#1", "#2", etc.) are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "S710" are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the order of execution of the steps.

[0182] The term "and / or" in this document simply describes a relationship between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

Claims

1. A switching method, executed by a network device or by a module applied to a network device, characterized in that: include: receiving first capability information from a terminal device, where the first capability information indicates a switching interval supported by the terminal device, the switching interval corresponding to a frequency band combination, the frequency band combination including a first frequency band and a second frequency band, and the switching interval being a duration required for the terminal device to switch between the first frequency band and the second frequency band; Send first configuration information to the terminal device, where the first configuration information is determined based on the first capability information, and the first configuration information instructs the terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching in a first cell set, where the first cell set includes a source service cell whose carrier is located in the first frequency band and a target service cell whose carrier is located in the second frequency band.

2. A switching method, executed by a terminal device or by a module applied to a terminal device, characterized in that: include: Sending first capability information, where the first capability information indicates a switching interval supported by the terminal device, the switching interval corresponding to a frequency band combination one-to-one, the frequency band combination including a first frequency band and a second frequency band, and the switching interval is a duration required for the terminal device to switch between the first frequency band and the second frequency band; Receive first configuration information from a network device, where the first configuration information instructs the terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching in a first cell set, where the first cell set includes a source service cell whose carrier is located in the first frequency band and a target service cell whose carrier is located in the second frequency band.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first configuration information indicates a first switching pattern, which is a switching pattern for the terminal device to perform downlink carrier switching in the first cell set within a first time period.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first switching pattern includes a bit map, the number of bits included in the bit map is determined according to the number of time units included in the carrier with the largest subcarrier spacing in the frequency band combination within the first time period, the bits in the bit map correspond one-to-one to the time units in the first time period, and each bit in the bit map indicates the cell performing data transmission on the corresponding time unit.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first switching pattern includes an index of a cell in the first cell set that performs data transmission in each time unit within the first time period.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first configuration information further indicates: The switching interval is located on a carrier with the smallest carrier bandwidth in the frequency band combination, or the switching interval is located on a carrier corresponding to the first frequency band, or the switching interval is located on a carrier corresponding to the second frequency band.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The frequency band combination includes 3.5G frequency band, 1.8G frequency band and 2.1G frequency band, the index of the cell corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band is 0, the index of the cell corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band is 1, and the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.1G frequency band is 2. When the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is any one or more of {35 us, 140 us, 210 us}, the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1} or {0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2}; When the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is {500us} or {1ms}, the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0}.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The frequency band combination includes a 3.5G frequency band, a 1.8G frequency band, and a 2.1G frequency band. The index of the cell corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band includes 0 and 1. The index of the cell corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band is 2. The index of the cell corresponding to the 2.1G frequency band is 3. When the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is any one or more of {35 us, 140 us, 210 us}, the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2}, or {0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 3}, or {1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 2}, or {1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3 3}; When the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is {500us} or {1ms}, the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0}, or {1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1}.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The frequency band combination includes 4.9G frequency band, 2.6G frequency band and 700M frequency band, the index of the cell corresponding to the 4.9G frequency band is 0, the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.6G frequency band is 1, and the index of the cell corresponding to the 700M frequency band is 2. When the switching interval capability value supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is any one or more of {35 us, 140 us, 210 us}, the first switching pattern is {1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1}; When the capability value of the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is {500us} or {1ms}, the first switching pattern is {1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1}.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The frequency band combination includes a 4.9 GHz frequency band, a 2.6 GHz frequency band, and a 700 MHz frequency band. The index of the cell corresponding to the 4.9 GHz frequency band includes 0 and / or 1, the index of the cell corresponding to the 2.6 GHz frequency band includes 2 and / or 3, and the index of the cell corresponding to the 700 MHz frequency band is 4. When the switching interval capability value supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is any one or more of {35 us, 140 us, 210 us}, the first switching pattern is {2 2 0 222 0 0 22}, or {3 3 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3}, or {3 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 3 3}, or {2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2}; When the capability value of the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is {500us} or {1ms}, the first switching pattern is {2222222222} or {3333333333}.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The frequency band combination includes a 3.5G frequency band, a 1.8G frequency band and a 700M frequency band. The 3.5G frequency band, the 1.8G frequency band and the 2.1G frequency band each correspond to one cell. The index of the cell corresponding to the 3.5G frequency band is 0, the index of the cell corresponding to the 1.8G frequency band is 1, and the index of the cell corresponding to the 700M frequency band is 2. When the switching interval capability value supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is any one or more of {35 us, 140 us, 210 us}, the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1}; When the capability value of the switching interval supported by the terminal device indicated by the first capability information is {500us} or {1ms}, the first switching pattern is {0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0}.

12. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises modules or units for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 through a logic circuit or by executing code instructions.

14. A chip, characterized in that: The system comprises a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, and the processor being used to execute the computer program stored in the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is implemented.

16. A computer program product, characterized in that The invention comprises a computer program which, when being executed, implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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