Cell change command processing method and apparatus, and uplink timing determination method and apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a cell change command processing method and apparatus, and an uplink timing determination method and apparatus. The cell change command processing method comprises: a terminal device receiving a cell change command; and an MAC layer of the terminal device providing beam-related information to a lower layer, wherein the beam-related information comprises TCI-state-related information and RA-related information, or comprises TCI-state-related information and information about whether the TCI-state-related information is valid, alternatively, the MAC layer of the terminal device providing beam-related information to the lower layer on the basis of an RA type.

Description

Method for processing cell change command, method and device for determining uplink timing Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications. Background Art

[0002] Network-controlled mobility applies to connected devices and can be divided into two types of mobility: cell-level mobility and beam-level mobility. Cell-level mobility requires explicit Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, i.e., RRC-triggered handover.

[0003] The RRC-triggered handover mechanism requires the terminal device to at least reset the Media Access Control (MAC) entity and re-establish the Radio Link Control (RLC). RRC-managed handover with and without the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity re-establishment is supported.

[0004] For Data Radio Bearers (DRBs) using RLC AM mode, PDCP can either re-establish with a security key update or initiate a data recovery procedure without a key update. For DRBs using RLC UM mode, PDCP can either re-establish with a security key update or remain unchanged without a key update. For Signalling Radio Bearers (SRBs), PDCP can remain unchanged without a key update, discard stored PDCP PDUs / SDUs, or re-establish with a security key update.

[0005] Cell-level mobility also includes changing serving cells via Layer 1 (L1) / Layer 2 (L2) signaling. Figure 1 illustrates an example scenario for L1 / L2-based inter-cell mobility. As shown in Figure 1, when a terminal device moves from one cell's coverage area to another, a serving cell change is required at some point.

[0006] Currently, serving cell changes are triggered by Layer 3 (L3) measurements and completed by RRC signaling, triggering reconfiguration with synchronization for PCell and PSCell changes, as well as the release of SCells when applicable. All cases involve a full L2 (and L1) reset, resulting in longer latency, greater overhead, and longer disruption than beam switching mobility.

[0007] Additionally, the network equipment (e.g., gNB) determines the expected TA setting and provides it to the terminal equipment (UE). The UE uses the provided TA to determine its uplink transmit time relative to the downlink receive time observed by the UE.

[0008] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between uplink timing and downlink timing on the UE side. As shown in FIG2, for example, the uplink advance between uplink frame i and downlink frame i can be based on (N TA +N TA,offset )T c Calculation, N TA For example, it is an absolute time advance value.

[0009] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is merely intended to provide a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of this application and facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Simply because these solutions are described in the background technology section of this application, it should not be assumed that the above technical solutions are well known to those skilled in the art.

[0010] Summary of the Invention

[0011] Currently, the network configures n-TimingAdvanceOffset for random access and all uplink transmissions on the serving cell through broadcast or RRC dedicated signaling. The IEs and descriptions of the relevant configuration messages are as follows:

[0012] ServingCellConfigCommon information element

[0013] ServingCellConfigCommonSIB information element

[0014] The network configures n-TimingAdvanceOffset for all uplink transmissions on the candidate cell through RRC dedicated signaling. The IE and description of the relevant configuration message are as follows:

[0015] EarlyUL-SyncConfig information element

[0016] The network sends a Cell Switch Command (CSC) to the terminal equipment (UE) via an LTM CSC MAC CE. Figure 3 illustrates the format of an LTM CSC MAC CE. As shown in Figure 3, the LTM CSC MAC CE indicates the TCI state and the Timing Advance Command.

[0017] According to the agreement of the last RAN1 meeting, after the random access (RACH) procedure until the target cell indicates a new TCI state, at least for non-contention random access (CFRA) triggered by the cell command, the UE follows the TCI-state indicated in the cell change command.

[0018] Figure 4 illustrates the behavior of LTM on the UE side. As shown in Figure 4, according to current standards, upon receiving the LTM CSC MAC CE, the UE's LTM behavior is as follows: Upon receiving the LTM CSC MAC CE, the MAC layer indicates the target configuration ID to the upper layer (e.g., the RRC layer); based on this configuration ID, the RRC layer performs LTM and applies the configuration corresponding to this configuration ID. The RRC layer instructs the lower layer (e.g., the MAC layer) to perform a MAC reset. After completing the MAC reset as requested by the upper layer (e.g., the RRC layer), the terminal device processes the remaining fields in the LTM CSC MAC CE, including fields related to the TCI status, TA, and RA.

[0019] The terminal processes other fields in the LTM CSC MAC CE, including:

[0020] If the TAC value is not set to FFF, the MAC layer will:

[0021] Processing of received TAC;

[0022] The RACH-less LTM cell change is considered to be ongoing.

[0023] If the MAC entity is associated with an SCG:

[0024] Indicates to upper layers that the random access procedure is skipped for this LTM cell change.

[0025] Otherwise, if TA measurement is configured and the UE has successfully measured the TA of the indicated LTM target, the MAC layer shall:

[0026] TA that processes the measurements;

[0027] The RACH-less LTM cell change is considered to be ongoing.

[0028] If the MAC entity is associated with an SCG:

[0029] Indicates to upper layers that the random access procedure is skipped for this LTM cell change.

[0030] If TCI status information is included, the MAC layer shall:

[0031] The SSB corresponding to the indicated TCI state is considered as the SSB selected for the configured uplink grant for the initial uplink transmission on the candidate cell in the RACH-less LTM cell change;

[0032] Indicates to lower layers the information related to the TCI status information in the LTM cell change command MAC CE.

[0033] The inventors discovered that, according to the above process, the MAC indicates information related to the TCI state information in the LTM CSC MAC CE, namely the TCI state ID, to lower layers. However, according to the RAN1 agreement, after the RACH process completes and before a new TCI state is indicated, the beam is related not only to the TCI state in the LTM CSC MAC CE but also to the random access type used in the LTM process. Therefore, if only the TCI state information in the LTM CSC MAC CE is delivered to lower layers, the lower layers may not be able to determine the beam or may use an unsuitable beam, thereby reducing system capacity and throughput.

[0034] In addition, from the RAN1 perspective, assuming that UE-based TA measurement is supported (the UE obtains the TA based on the receive timing difference between the serving cell and the candidate cell and the TA value of the current serving cell), according to the RAN1 standard, if the UE is provided with the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the candidate cell and the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the serving cell, and both have the same value, the UE estimates a TA based on the UE implementation, starting from the first transmission on the candidate cell after receiving the cell change command, and applies it to the candidate cell.

[0035] The inventors found that: the current UE-based TA measurement does not define a specific method, and is based on UE implementation evaluation. In addition, according to RAN4LS, the TA error of the TA obtained by UE-based TA measurement is required to be less than 260ns. If the uplink timing adjustment still uses the current method, that is, uplink timing = downlink timing + N TA_offset +N TA , unspecified N TA_offsetThis may cause TA errors exceeding 260ns, thus failing to meet RAN4 requirements and increasing the risk of test failure.

[0036] To address at least one of the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a method for processing a cell change command, and a method and apparatus for determining uplink timing.

[0037] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a method for processing a cell change command is provided, the method comprising: a terminal device receiving a cell change command; a MAC layer of the terminal device providing beam-related information to a lower layer, the beam-related information including TCI status-related information and RA-related information, or including TCI status-related information and information on whether the TCI status-related information is valid; or, the MAC layer of the terminal device providing beam-related information to a lower layer according to the RA type.

[0038] According to the second aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a method for determining uplink timing is provided, the method comprising: a terminal device calculating a time advance (TA) value to obtain a calculated TA value; and the terminal device determining the uplink timing of a candidate cell based on the downlink timing and the calculated TA value; or, the terminal device determining the uplink timing of the candidate cell based on the downlink timing, the calculated TA value and a first TA offset.

[0039] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a configuration method is provided, the method comprising: a network device configuring a first TA offset and / or a second TA offset to a terminal device, the first TA offset being used at least for the terminal device to determine the uplink timing of a candidate cell, and the second TA offset being used at least for the terminal device to calculate a TA value.

[0040] According to the fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a device for processing a cell change command is provided, which is arranged in a terminal device, and the device includes: a receiving unit, which receives a cell change command; a processing unit, which is configured to: the MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to a lower layer, and the beam-related information includes TCI status-related information and RA-related information, or includes TCI status-related information and information on whether the TCI status-related information is valid; or, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer according to the RA type.

[0041] According to the fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a device for determining uplink timing is provided, which is arranged in a terminal device, and the device includes: a first calculation unit, which calculates a time advance (TA) value to obtain a calculated TA value; and a second calculation unit, which determines the uplink timing of a candidate cell based on the downlink timing and the calculated TA value; or, a third calculation unit, which determines the uplink timing of the candidate cell based on the downlink timing, the calculated TA value and a first TA offset.

[0042] According to the sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a configuration device is provided, which is arranged in a network device, and the device includes: a configuration unit, which configures a first TA offset and / or a second TA offset to a terminal device, wherein the first TA offset is at least used by the terminal device to determine the uplink timing of a candidate cell, and the second TA offset is at least used by the terminal device to calculate a TA value.

[0043] According to a seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device is provided, wherein the network device includes the apparatus according to the fourth aspect or the fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present application.

[0044] According to an eighth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a network device is provided, comprising the apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present application.

[0045] According to the ninth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a communication system is provided, which includes the terminal device according to the seventh aspect of the embodiment of the present application and / or the network device according to the eighth aspect of the embodiment of the present application.

[0046] According to the tenth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable program is provided, wherein when the program is executed in a cell change command processing device or terminal device, the program causes the cell change command processing device or terminal device to execute the cell change command processing method described in the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application.

[0047] According to the eleventh aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable program is provided, wherein when the program is executed in an uplink timing determination device or a terminal device, the program enables the uplink timing determination device or the terminal device to execute the uplink timing determination method described in the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application.

[0048] According to the twelfth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable program is provided, wherein when the program is executed in a configuration device or a network device, the program causes the configuration device or the network device to perform the configuration method described in the third aspect of the embodiment of the present application.

[0049] According to the thirteenth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a storage medium storing a computer-readable program is provided, wherein the computer-readable program enables the cell change command processing device or terminal device to execute the cell change command processing method described in the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application.

[0050] According to the fourteenth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a storage medium storing a computer-readable program is provided, wherein the computer-readable program enables the uplink timing determination device or terminal equipment to execute the uplink timing determination method described in the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application.

[0051] According to the fifteenth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a storage medium storing a computer-readable program is provided, wherein the computer-readable program enables a configuration device or a network device to execute the configuration method described in the third aspect of the embodiment of the present application.

[0052] One of the beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application is:

[0053] After receiving the cell change command, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the lower layer with not only TCI status-related information, but also RA-related information or information on whether the TCI status-related information is valid; or the MAC layer provides the lower layer with beam-related information based on the RA type, so that the lower layer can determine and use a good beam, thereby ensuring system capacity and throughput.

[0054] In addition, a specific method for calculating the TA value based on the UE and determining the uplink timing based on the calculated TA value is defined. The terminal device can calculate the TA value based on the UE and determine the uplink timing based on the calculated TA value, which can meet RAN4's requirements for TA errors in the calculated TA value and reduce the risk of test failure.

[0055] With reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, indicating the manner in which the principles of the present application can be employed. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited in scope. Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the embodiments of the present application include many variations, modifications and equivalents.

[0056] Features described and / or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments.

[0057] It should be emphasized that the term "include / comprising" when used herein refers to the presence of features, integers, steps or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] The elements and features described in one figure or one embodiment of the present application can be combined with the elements and features shown in one or more other figures or embodiments. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals represent corresponding parts in several figures and can be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one embodiment.

[0059] FIG1 is a diagram illustrating an example scenario of inter-cell mobility based on L1 / L2;

[0060] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between uplink timing and downlink timing on the UE side;

[0061] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the format of the LTM CSC MAC CE;

[0062] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the behavior of LTM on the UE side;

[0063] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the signaling process of LTM;

[0065] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a method for processing a cell change command according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a method for determining uplink timing according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a configuration method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a device for processing a cell change command according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for determining uplink timing according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a configuration device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] 13 is a schematic block diagram of a system structure of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0072] FIG14 is a schematic block diagram of the system structure of the network device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] The above and other features of the present application will become apparent through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description and the accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, which illustrate some embodiments in which the principles of the present application can be adopted. It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the described embodiments. On the contrary, the present application includes all modifications, variations and equivalents that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0074] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish different elements from the name, but do not indicate the spatial arrangement or temporal order of these elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms. The term "and / or" includes any one and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms. The terms "comprising", "including", "having", etc. refer to the presence of the stated features, elements, components or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components or components.

[0075] In the embodiments of this application, the singular forms "a," "the," etc. include plural forms and should be broadly understood to mean "a" or "a type" rather than being limited to "one." Furthermore, the term "said" should be understood to include both singular and plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, the term "according to" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", and the term "based on" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "communication network" or "wireless communication network" may refer to a network that complies with any of the following communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), enhanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A, LTE-Advanced), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), etc.

[0077] Furthermore, communication between devices in the communication system may be carried out according to communication protocols of any stage, for example, including but not limited to the following communication protocols: 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and 5G, New Radio (NR), future 6G, etc., and / or other communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0078] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "network device" refers to, for example, a device in a communication system that connects a terminal device to the communication network and provides services to the terminal device. Network devices may include, but are not limited to, the following devices: base station (BS), access point (AP), transmission reception point (TRP), broadcast transmitter, mobile management entity (MME), gateway, server, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), etc.

[0079] Among them, base stations may include but are not limited to: NodeB (NodeB or NB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) and 5G base station (gNB), IAB host, etc., and may also include remote radio head (RRH, Remote Radio Head), remote radio unit (RRU, Remote Radio Unit), relay (relay) or low-power node (such as femeto, pico, etc.). The term "base station" can include some or all of their functions. Each base station can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area. The term "cell" can refer to a base station and / or its coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0080] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "user equipment" (UE) or "terminal equipment" (TE) refers to, for example, a device that accesses a communication network through a network device and receives network services. A terminal device can be fixed or mobile and may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), a terminal, a subscriber station (SS), an access terminal (AT), a station, and so on.

[0081] Among them, terminal devices may include but are not limited to the following devices: cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, wireless communication devices, handheld devices, machine-type communication devices, laptop computers, cordless phones, smart phones, smart watches, digital cameras, etc.

[0082] For another example, in scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), the terminal device can also be a machine or device for monitoring or measuring, such as but not limited to: machine type communication (MTC) terminal, vehicle-mounted communication terminal, device-to-device (D2D) terminal, machine-to-machine (M2M) terminal, and so on.

[0083] In addition, the term "network side" or "network device side" refers to one side of the network, which can be a base station or one or more network devices as described above. The term "user side" or "terminal side" or "terminal device side" refers to the user or terminal side, which can be a UE or one or more terminal devices as described above. Unless otherwise specified herein, "device" can refer to either network equipment or terminal equipment.

[0084] The following describes the scenarios of the embodiments of the present application through examples, but the present application is not limited thereto.

[0085] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application, schematically illustrating a situation using a terminal device and a network device as an example. As shown in FIG5 , a communication system 100 may include a network device 101 and terminal devices 102 and 103. For simplicity, FIG5 illustrates only two terminal devices and one network device as an example, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0086] In the embodiment of the present application, existing services or future services can be transmitted between the network device 101 and the terminal devices 102 and 103. For example, these services may include but are not limited to: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), etc.

[0087] It is worth noting that FIG5 shows that both terminal devices 102 and 103 are within the coverage range of network device 101, but the present application is not limited thereto. Both terminal devices 102 and 103 may not be within the coverage range of network device 101, or one terminal device 102 may be within the coverage range of network device 101 while the other terminal device 103 is outside the coverage range of network device 101.

[0088] The terminal device can perform an LTM process, in which a network device (e.g., a gNB) receives an L1 measurement report from the terminal device, and based on the L1 measurement report, the network device can change the serving cell of the terminal device through a cell change command (cell switch command) issued by a MAC CE.

[0089] For example, after an LTM cell handover, the terminal device does not update its security keys; subsequent LTM is supported. LTM supports intra-gNB-DU mobility and inter-gNB-DU mobility within a gNB-CU. LTM supports both intra-frequency and inter-frequency mobility, including mobility to an inter-frequency cell other than the current serving cell. LTM can support the following scenarios: PCell changes in non-CA and non-DC scenarios; PCell changes in CA scenarios; dual connectivity scenarios, MCG PCell changes, and SCG PSCell changes not involving the mobile node (i.e., intra-SN PSCell changes).

[0090] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the LTM signaling process. As shown in Figure 6, the LTM process may include:

[0091] Step 1: The UE sends a MeasurementReport message to the gNB. The gNB decides to configure LTM and initiates candidate cell configuration.

[0092] Step 2: The gNB sends an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE, including the LTM candidate cell configuration of one or more candidate cells.

[0093] Step 3: The UE stores the LTM candidate cell configuration and sends an RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the gNB.

[0094] Step 4: Before receiving the cell change command, the UE performs DL synchronization of the candidate cell;

[0095] When UE-based TA measurement is configured, the UE obtains the TA value of the candidate cell through measurement. Otherwise, before receiving a cell change command, if the network requests that the UE perform early TA acquisition of the candidate cell, this can be accomplished by triggering a CFRA from the PDCCH order of the source cell and then sending a preamble to the indicated candidate cell. To minimize data interruption in the source cell caused by the CFRA to the candidate cell, the UE does not receive a random access response from the network to obtain the TA value. The TA value of the candidate cell is indicated in the cell handover command. The UE does not maintain a TA timer for the candidate cell and relies on the network to ensure TA validity.

[0096] Step 5: The UE performs L1 measurements on the configured candidate cells and sends an L1 measurement report to the gNB. L1 measurements should be performed whenever RRC reconfiguration (step 2) applies.

[0097] Step 6: The gNB decides to perform a cell change to the target cell and sends a MAC CE indicating a cell change with the candidate configuration index of the target cell. The UE switches to the target cell and applies the configuration indicated by the candidate configuration index.

[0098] Step 7: If the UE does not have a valid TA for the target cell, the UE performs a random access procedure to the target cell. If the LTM cell change command MAC CE includes CFRA information, the UE performs CFRA;

[0099] Step 8: The UE completes the LTM cell change procedure by sending an RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the target cell. If the UE has performed a random access procedure in step 7, the UE considers that the LTM cell change has been successfully completed when the random access procedure is successfully completed; for RACH-less LTM, the UE considers that the LTM cell change has been successfully completed when the UE determines that the network has successfully received its first UL data. The UE determines the successful reception of its first UL data by receiving a newly transmitted PDCCH addressed by the UE's C-RNTI in the target cell and after scheduling the first UL data. The PDCCH carries a DL assignment or a UL grant of the same HARQ process as the first UL data.

[0100] Subsequent LTM is performed by repeating the early synchronization, LTM cell change execution, and LTM cell change completion steps. After each LTM cell change is completed, the other LTM candidate cell configurations are not released. That is, using the LTM candidate cell configuration provided in step 2, steps 4-8 can be performed multiple times.

[0101] The above schematically illustrates the relevant contents of the embodiments of the present application, and the present application is further explained below.

[0102] Embodiments of the first aspect

[0103] An embodiment of the present application provides a method for processing a cell change command, which is applied to a terminal device.

[0104] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a method for processing a cell change command according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the method includes:

[0105] 701: The terminal device receives a cell change command;

[0106] 702: The MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer. The beam-related information includes TCI status-related information and RA-related information, or includes TCI status-related information and information on whether the TCI status-related information is valid; or

[0107] 703: The MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer according to the RA type.

[0108] It is worth noting that FIG. 7 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above content, and are not limited to the description of FIG. 7 above.

[0109] In addition, operation 702 and operation 703 are alternative relationships, that is, the method includes operation 701 and operation 702, or the method includes operation 701 and operation 703.

[0110] In operation 701, the terminal device receives a cell switch command (CSC) from a network device. For example, the terminal device receives an LTM CSC MAC CE.

[0111] In operation 702, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer. In operation 703, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer according to the RA type.

[0112] In some embodiments, the TCI state related information includes a TCI state identifier (TCI state ID) in the cell change command, for example, the TCI state ID in the LTM CSC MAC CE.

[0113] In some embodiments, the lower layer is a physical layer.

[0114] In some embodiments, in operation 702, the beam-related information provided by the MAC layer of the terminal device to the lower layer may include not only TCI state-related information (such as TCI state ID) but also RA-related information.

[0115] In some embodiments, the RA-related information includes at least one of RA information and RA type.

[0116] For example, the RA information includes at least one of the following:

[0117] Whether the cell change command includes RA information, such as RAP index;

[0118] RA preamble index in the cell change command

[0119] The SS / PBCH index in the cell change command;

[0120] The PRACH Mask index in the cell change command;

[0121] The RA resource referenced by the PRACH Mask index in the cell change command, such as rach-ConfigDedicated or rach-ConfigCommon.

[0122] For example, the RA type includes at least one of the following:

[0123] CFRA triggered by a cell change command or CFRA not triggered by a cell change command;

[0124] CFRA using a cell change command to indicate RA resources or CFRA not using a cell change command to indicate RA resources;

[0125] CFRA using a cell change command or RRC indicating RA resources or CFRA not using a cell change command or RRC indicating RA resources;

[0126] The RA resource is indicated by using the cell change command and the resource refers to the CFRA of rach-ConfigDedicated, or the RA resource is not indicated by using the cell change command and the resource refers to the CFRA of rach-ConfigDedicated;

[0127] CFRA or not CFRA;

[0128] CBRA or not CBRA.

[0129] That is, the beam-related information provided by the MAC layer of the terminal device to the lower layer may include the TCI state ID and RA information. For example, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the RA information together with the TCI state ID to the lower layer; or

[0130] The beam-related information provided by the MAC layer of the terminal device to the lower layer may include the TCI state ID and the RA type. For example, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the RA type together with the TCI state ID to the lower layer, or the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the RA type to the lower layer during the random access process.

[0131] In some embodiments, in operation 702, the beam-related information provided by the MAC layer of the terminal device to the lower layer may include not only TCI state-related information (such as TCI state ID), but also information on whether the TCI state-related information is valid.

[0132] In some embodiments, the information on whether the TCI state related information is valid includes information on whether the TCI state ID in the cell change command is valid, which indicates whether the terminal device uses the TCI state ID after the random access process is completed.

[0133] For example, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the information on whether the TCI state ID is valid together with the TCI state ID to the lower layer, or the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the information on whether the TCI state ID is valid to the lower layer during the random access process.

[0134] In operation 703, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer according to the RA type.

[0135] In some embodiments, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the TCI state identifier (TCI state ID) in the cell change command to the lower layer according to the RA type, or provides a downlink reference signal (DL RS) to the lower layer.

[0136] For example, the RA type is determined according to the RA information in the LTM CSC MAC CE and / or the DL RS selected in the RA resource selection during the random access procedure. For example, if the cell change command includes an RA preamble index, the UE (MAC entity) considers that the initiated RA type is CFRA or CFRA triggered by LTM CSC; or, if the cell change command indicates an RA resource and the resource references rach-ConfigDedicated, the UE (MAC entity) considers that the initiated RA type is CFRA or CFRA triggered by LTM CSC; or, if the cell change command includes an RA preamble index, or if the cell change command does not include an RA preamble index, the DL RS (i.e., SSB and / or CSI-RS) selected in the random access process is the SSB associated with rach-ConfigDedicated, the UE (MAC entity) considers that the initiated RA type is CFRA; or, if the DL RS (i.e., SSB and / or CSI-RS) selected in the random access process is the SSB associated with rach-ConfigCommon, the UE (MAC entity) considers that the initiated RA type is CBRA.

[0137] In some embodiments, if the initiated RA type is CBRA, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the downlink reference signal selected in the CBRA to the lower layer; or, if the initiated RA type is CFRA, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the TCI status identifier in the cell change command to the lower layer; or, if the initiated RA type is CFRA triggered by LTM CSC, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the TCI status identifier in the cell change command to the lower layer.

[0138] For example, the DL RS is a DL RS selected during the random access process, for example, a DL RS with an RSRQ associated with rach-ConfigDedicated greater than a configured value, or any DL RS.

[0139] In other embodiments, after the MAC layer of the terminal device determines the RA type, it first determines whether the TCI state identifier in the cell change command (TCI state ID in the LTM CSC MAC CE) is related to the SSB selected in the random access process; for example, if the selected SSB is the QCL-associated SSB of the DL TCI state identifier in the cell change command, then the MAC layer provides the TCI state identifier in the cell change command to the lower layer, otherwise it provides a downlink reference signal (DL RS).

[0140] For example, the DL RS includes at least one of an SSB index and a CSI-RS resource ID.

[0141] For example, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the DL RS to the lower layer during a random access procedure.

[0142] In addition, the specific content of the RA type can be referred to the above example and will not be repeated here.

[0143] The following specifically defines the operation process of the MAC layer by way of examples.

[0144] Example 1:

[0145] Example 2:

[0146] Example 3:

[0147] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0148] 704: The lower layer uses the TCI state related information or beam related information to determine the TCI state or beam after the random access process is completed until the network indicates a new TCI state or beam.

[0149] In some embodiments, the lower layer is provided with TCI state-related information and RA-related information. If the LTM CSC includes RA-related information, the lower layer uses the TCI state-related information to determine the TCI state after the random access process is completed until the network indicates a new TCI state or beam.

[0150] In some embodiments, the lower layer is provided with TCI state-related information and RA-related information. If the RA-related information is of RA type, the lower layer uses the TCI state determined by the TCI state-related information or the beam determined in the random access process according to the RA type after the random access process is completed until the network indicates a new TCI state or beam.

[0151] In some embodiments, the lower layer is provided with TCI state-related information and information on whether the TCI state-related information is valid. If the TCI state-related information is valid, the lower layer uses the TCI state determined by the TCI state-related information after the random access procedure is completed until the network indicates a new TCI state or beam; otherwise, the beam determined in the random access procedure is used. In some embodiments, if the lower layer is provided with TCI state-related information, the lower layer uses the TCI state determined by the TCI state-related information after the random access procedure is completed until the network indicates a new TCI state or beam; if the lower layer is provided with DL RS-related information, the lower layer uses the beam determined by the DL RS-related information after the random access procedure is completed until the network indicates a new TCI state or beam.

[0152] Operation 704 is an optional operation and is indicated by a dotted box in FIG. 7 .

[0153] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0154] Through the embodiments of the present application, after the terminal device receives the cell change command, the MAC layer provides the lower layer with not only TCI status-related information, but also RA-related information or information on whether the TCI status-related information is valid; or the MAC layer provides the lower layer with beam-related information based on the RA type, so that the lower layer can determine and use a good beam, thereby ensuring system capacity and throughput.

[0155] Embodiments of the second aspect

[0156] An embodiment of the present application provides a method for determining uplink timing, which is applied to a terminal device.

[0157] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a method for determining uplink timing according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG8 , the method includes:

[0158] 801, the terminal device calculates a time advance (TA) value and obtains a calculated TA value; and

[0159] 802: The terminal device determines the uplink timing of the candidate cell according to the downlink timing and the calculated TA value; or,

[0160] 803: The terminal device determines the uplink timing of the candidate cell according to the downlink timing, the calculated TA value and the first TA offset.

[0161] It is worth noting that FIG8 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above content, and are not limited to the description of FIG8 above.

[0162] In addition, operation 802 and operation 803 are alternative relationships, that is, the method includes operation 801 and operation 802, or the method includes operation 801 and operation 803.

[0163] In some embodiments, in operation 801, the terminal device calculates (or estimates) a TA value based on a terminal device (UE) implementation to obtain a calculated TA value. For example, if the UE is provided with the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the candidate cell and the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the serving cell, and both have the same value, then the UE calculates (or estimates) the TA value based on the UE implementation.

[0164] In some embodiments, the calculated TA value may also be referred to as a measured TA value (measured TA).

[0165] In some embodiments, the second TA offset is not considered or is considered when calculating the TA value.

[0166] In operation 802, the terminal device determines the uplink timing of the candidate cell according to the downlink timing and the calculated TA value. For example, the uplink timing of the candidate cell is the sum of the downlink timing and the calculated TA value.

[0167] For example, the uplink timing of the candidate cell is determined according to the following formula (1): Uplink timing = downlink timing + calculated TA value (1)

[0168] In some embodiments, after obtaining the calculated (or measured) TA value, the calculated (or measured) TA value may be further applied, ie, the TA field of the LTM cell change command MAC CE (LTM CSC MAC CE) is processed.

[0169] For example, if the MAC entity receives an LTM cell change command MAC CE on a serving cell, and if a MAC reset operation has been performed according to the upper layer request, if the TAC is set to FFF, and if TA measurement is configured, and if the UE has successfully calculated (or measured) the TA for the indicated LTM target, the MAC entity processes the calculated (or measured) TA value and considers that a RACH-less LTM cell change is to be performed. The MAC entity processes the calculated (or measured) TA value, including setting the N (of the PTAG) TA_measurement The value is the calculated (or measured) TA value; start or restart the TA timer associated with the PTAG.

[0170] In operation 803, the terminal device determines the uplink timing of the candidate cell based on the downlink timing, the calculated TA value and the first TA offset. For example, the uplink timing of the candidate cell is the sum of the downlink timing, the calculated TA value and the first TA offset.

[0171] For example, the uplink timing of the candidate cell is determined according to the following formula (2): Uplink timing = downlink timing + calculated TA value + first TA offset (2)

[0172] In some embodiments, after obtaining the calculated (or measured) TA value, the calculated (or measured) TA value may be further applied, that is, the TA field of the LTM cell change command MAC CE (LTM CSC MAC CE) is processed.

[0173] For example, if the MAC entity receives an LTM cell change command MAC CE on a serving cell, and if a MAC reset operation has been performed according to the upper layer request, if the TAC is set to FFF, and if TA measurement is configured, and if the UE has successfully calculated (or measured) the TA for the indicated LTM target, the MAC entity processes the calculated (or measured) TA value and considers that a RACH-less LTM cell change is to be performed. The MAC entity processes the calculated (or measured) TA value, including setting the N (of the PTAG) TA (or NTA_measurement ) value is the calculated (or measured) TA value; start or restart the TA timer associated with the PTAG.

[0174] In some embodiments, the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is one of the following:

[0175] a TA offset of a first serving cell; for example, the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the first serving cell and the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the candidate cell have the same value; for another example, the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is a TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in ServingCellConfigCommon of the first serving cell; or, the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is a TA offset for random access indicated in ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the first serving cell; in addition, the first serving cell is, for example, a serving cell of the terminal device;

[0176] TA offset of the candidate cell used for early random access;

[0177] The candidate cell is used for a TA offset based on a TA measurement of the terminal device;

[0178] The TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in the candidate cell's ServingCellConfigCommon;

[0179] The TA offset for random access indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the candidate cell.

[0180] For example, the first TA offset is the TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommon of the candidate cell; or the TA offset for random access indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the candidate cell.

[0181] For example, the second TA offset is the TA offset of the first serving cell.

[0182] The following uses examples to specifically define the field descriptions in the relevant configuration messages.

[0183] Example 1:

[0184] Example 2:

[0185] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0186] Through the embodiments of the present application, a specific method for calculating a TA value based on a UE and determining uplink timing based on the calculated TA value is defined. The terminal device can calculate a TA value based on the UE and determine uplink timing based on the calculated TA value, which can meet RAN4's requirements for TA errors in the calculated TA value and reduce the risk of test failure.

[0187] Embodiments of the third aspect

[0188] An embodiment of the present application provides a configuration method, which is applied to a network device, corresponding to the method for determining the uplink timing applied to a terminal device described in the embodiment of the second aspect. The same or corresponding content can refer to the records in the embodiment of the second aspect.

[0189] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a configuration method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG9 , the method includes:

[0190] 901: The network device configures the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset for the terminal device.

[0191] The first TA offset is at least used by the terminal device to determine the uplink timing of the candidate cell.

[0192] The second TA offset is at least used by the terminal device to calculate the TA value.

[0193] In some embodiments, the second TA offset is at least used by the terminal device to calculate a TA value based on a terminal device implementation.

[0194] In some embodiments, the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is one of the following:

[0195] a TA offset of a first serving cell; for example, the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the first serving cell and the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the candidate cell have the same value; for another example, the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is a TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in ServingCellConfigCommon of the first serving cell; or, the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is a TA offset for random access indicated in ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the first serving cell; in addition, the first serving cell is, for example, a serving cell of the terminal device;

[0196] TA offset of the candidate cell used for early random access;

[0197] The candidate cell is used for a TA offset based on a TA measurement of the terminal device;

[0198] The TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in the candidate cell's ServingCellConfigCommon;

[0199] The TA offset for random access indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the candidate cell.

[0200] For example, the first TA offset is the TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommon of the candidate cell; or the TA offset for random access indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the candidate cell.

[0201] For example, the second TA offset is the TA offset of the first serving cell.

[0202] For example, among the TA offsets listed above, the TA offset used by the candidate cell based on the TA measurement of the terminal device needs to be configured separately by the network device, while other TA offsets do not require separate configuration by the network device. Instead, these TA offsets are also used for the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset.

[0203] Through the embodiments of the present application, the network device configures the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset, so that the terminal device can calculate the TA value based on the UE according to the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset, and determine the uplink timing based on the calculated TA value, which can meet the RAN4's requirements for the TA error of the calculated TA value and reduce the risk of test failure.

[0204] Embodiments of the fourth aspect

[0205] The present application provides a cell change command processing device. The device corresponds to the method described in the first aspect of the embodiment. The device can be, for example, a terminal device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the terminal device. The same contents as those in the first aspect of the embodiment are not repeated here.

[0206] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a cell change command processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG10 , the cell change command processing apparatus 1000 includes:

[0207] A receiving unit 1001, which receives a cell change command;

[0208] Processing unit 1002 is configured to: the MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer, and the beam-related information includes TCI status-related information and RA-related information, or includes TCI status-related information and information on whether the TCI status-related information is valid; or, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer according to the RA type.

[0209] In some embodiments, the TCI state related information includes a TCI state identifier (TCI state ID) in the cell change command, and / or,

[0210] The RA related information includes at least one of RA information and RA type, and / or,

[0211] The information on whether the TCI status related information is valid includes information on whether the TCI status identifier in the cell change command is valid, which indicates whether the terminal device uses the TCI status identifier after the random access process is completed.

[0212] In some embodiments, the RA information includes at least one of the following:

[0213] Whether the cell change command includes RA information;

[0214] RA preamble index in the cell change command

[0215] The SS / PBCH index in the cell change command;

[0216] The PRACH Mask index in the cell change command;

[0217] The RA resource referenced by the PRACH Mask index in the cell change command.

[0218] In some embodiments, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the RA information together with the TCI status identifier to the lower layer.

[0219] In some embodiments, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides information about whether the TCI status flag is valid together with the TCI status flag to the lower layer, or,

[0220] The MAC layer of the terminal device provides the lower layer with information on whether the TCI status identifier is valid during the random access process.

[0221] In some embodiments, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the RA type together with the TCI status identifier to the lower layer, or,

[0222] The MAC layer of the terminal device provides the RA type to the lower layer during the random access process.

[0223] In some embodiments, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer according to the RA type, including:

[0224] The MAC layer of the terminal device provides the TCI state identifier in the cell change command to the lower layer according to the RA type, or provides the downlink reference signal (DL RS) to the lower layer.

[0225] In some embodiments, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides the downlink reference signal to the lower layer during the random access process.

[0226] In some embodiments, the RA type includes at least one of the following:

[0227] CFRA triggered by a cell change command or CFRA not triggered by a cell change command;

[0228] CFRA using a cell change command to indicate RA resources or CFRA not using a cell change command to indicate RA resources;

[0229] CFRA using a cell change command or RRC indicating RA resources or CFRA not using a cell change command or RRC indicating RA resources;

[0230] The RA resource is indicated by using the cell change command and the resource refers to the CFRA of rach-ConfigDedicated, or the RA resource is not indicated by using the cell change command and the resource refers to the CFRA of rach-ConfigDedicated;

[0231] CFRA or not CFRA;

[0232] CBRA or not CBRA.

[0233] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1002 is further configured to: the lower layer uses the TCI state-related information or beam-related information to determine the TCI state or beam after the random access process is completed until the network indicates a new TCI state or beam.

[0234] It is worth noting that the above only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The cell change command processing device 1000 may also include other components or modules. For the specific contents of these components or modules, reference may be made to the relevant art.

[0235] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG10 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0236] Through the embodiments of the present application, after the terminal device receives the cell change command, the MAC layer provides the lower layer with not only TCI status-related information, but also RA-related information or information on whether the TCI status-related information is valid; or the MAC layer provides the lower layer with beam-related information based on the RA type, so that the lower layer can determine and use a good beam, thereby ensuring system capacity and throughput.

[0237] Embodiments of the fifth aspect

[0238] The present embodiment provides an apparatus for determining uplink timing. The apparatus corresponds to the method described in the embodiment of the second aspect. The apparatus may be, for example, a terminal device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the terminal device. The contents identical to those in the embodiment of the second aspect are not repeated here.

[0239] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for determining uplink timing according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG11 , an apparatus 1100 for determining uplink timing includes:

[0240] A first calculation unit 1101 calculates a time advance (TA) value to obtain a calculated TA value; and

[0241] A second calculation unit 1102 is configured to determine the uplink timing of the candidate cell according to the downlink timing and the calculated TA value; or

[0242] The third calculation unit 1103 determines the uplink timing of the candidate cell according to the downlink timing, the calculated TA value and the first TA offset.

[0243] In some embodiments, the first calculation unit 1101 calculates a time advance (TA) value based on the terminal device to obtain a calculated TA value.

[0244] In some embodiments, determining the uplink timing of the candidate cell according to the downlink timing and the calculated TA value includes:

[0245] The uplink timing of the candidate cell is the sum of the downlink timing and the calculated TA value.

[0246] In some embodiments, determining the uplink timing of the candidate cell according to the downlink timing, the calculated TA value, and the first TA offset includes:

[0247] The uplink timing of the candidate cell is the sum of the downlink timing, the calculated TA value, and the first TA offset.

[0248] In some embodiments, the first calculation unit 1101 does not consider the second TA offset or considers the second TA offset when calculating the TA value.

[0249] In some embodiments, the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is one of the following:

[0250] TA offset of the first serving cell;

[0251] TA offset of the candidate cell used for early random access;

[0252] The candidate cell is used for a TA offset based on a TA measurement of the terminal device;

[0253] The TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in the candidate cell's ServingCellConfigCommon;

[0254] The TA offset for random access indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the candidate cell.

[0255] In some embodiments, the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the first serving cell and the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the candidate cell have the same value.

[0256] In some embodiments, the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is a TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in ServingCellConfigCommon of the first serving cell; or,

[0257] The first TA offset and / or the second TA offset are TA offsets for random access indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the first serving cell.

[0258] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The uplink timing determination device 1100 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, please refer to the relevant art.

[0259] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG11 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0260] Through the embodiments of the present application, a specific method for calculating a TA value based on a UE and determining uplink timing based on the calculated TA value is defined. The terminal device can calculate a TA value based on the UE and determine uplink timing based on the calculated TA value, which can meet RAN4's requirements for TA errors in the calculated TA value and reduce the risk of test failure.

[0261] Embodiments of the sixth aspect

[0262] The present embodiment provides a configuration device. The device corresponds to the method described in the embodiment of the third aspect. The device can be, for example, a network device, or one or more components or assemblies configured on the network device. The same contents as those in the embodiment of the third aspect are not repeated here.

[0263] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a configuration device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG12 , the configuration device 1200 includes:

[0264] A configuration unit 1201 is configured to configure a first TA offset and / or a second TA offset for a terminal device,

[0265] The first TA offset is at least used by the terminal device to determine the uplink timing of the candidate cell.

[0266] The second TA offset is at least used by the terminal device to calculate the TA value.

[0267] In some embodiments, the second TA offset is at least used by the terminal device to calculate a TA value based on a terminal device implementation.

[0268] In some embodiments, the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is one of the following:

[0269] TA offset of the first serving cell;

[0270] TA offset of the candidate cell used for early random access;

[0271] The candidate cell is used for a TA offset based on a TA measurement of the terminal device;

[0272] The TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in the candidate cell's ServingCellConfigCommon;

[0273] The TA offset for random access indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the candidate cell.

[0274] In some embodiments, the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the first serving cell and the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the candidate cell have the same value.

[0275] In some embodiments, the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is a TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in ServingCellConfigCommon of the first serving cell; or,

[0276] The first TA offset and / or the second TA offset are TA offsets for random access indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the first serving cell.

[0277] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The configuration device 1200 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0278] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG12 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0279] Through the embodiments of the present application, the network device configures the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset, so that the terminal device can calculate the TA value based on the UE according to the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset, and determine the uplink timing based on the calculated TA value, which can meet the RAN4's requirements for the TA error of the calculated TA value and reduce the risk of test failure.

[0280] Embodiments of the seventh aspect

[0281] An embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, which includes the cell change command processing device according to the embodiment of the third aspect and / or the uplink timing determination device according to the embodiment of the fourth aspect.

[0282] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of the system architecture of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 13 , terminal device 1300 may include a processor 1310 and a memory 1320; memory 1320 is coupled to processor 1310. It should be noted that this diagram is exemplary; other types of structures may be used to supplement or replace this structure to implement telecommunications or other functions.

[0283] In one embodiment, the functions of the cell change command processing device and / or the uplink timing determination device may be integrated into the processor 1310 .

[0284] Corresponding to the processing device of the cell change command, the processor 1310 is configured as: the terminal device receives the cell change command; the MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer, and the beam-related information includes TCI status-related information and RA-related information, or includes TCI status-related information and information on whether the TCI status-related information is valid; or, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer according to the RA type.

[0285] Corresponding to the device for determining the uplink timing, the processor 1310 is configured as: the terminal device calculates the time advance (TA) value to obtain a calculated TA value; and the terminal device determines the uplink timing of the candidate cell based on the downlink timing and the calculated TA value; or, the terminal device determines the uplink timing of the candidate cell based on the downlink timing, the calculated TA value and the first TA offset.

[0286] In another embodiment, the cell change command processing device and / or the uplink timing determination device can be configured separately from the processor 1310. For example, the cell change command processing device and / or the uplink timing determination device can be configured as a chip connected to the processor 1310, and the functions of the cell change command processing device and / or the uplink timing determination device are realized through the control of the processor 1310.

[0287] As shown in FIG13 , the terminal device 1300 may further include: a communication module 1330, an input unit 1340, a display 1350, and a power supply 1360. It is worth noting that the terminal device 1300 does not necessarily include all the components shown in FIG13 ; in addition, the terminal device 1300 may also include components not shown in FIG13 , and reference may be made to related art for details.

[0288] As shown in FIG. 13 , the processor 1310 is sometimes also referred to as a controller or an operation control, and may include a microprocessor or other processor device and / or logic device. The processor 1310 receives inputs and controls the operations of various components of the terminal device 1300 .

[0289] Memory 1320 may be, for example, one or more of a cache, flash memory, a hard drive, removable media, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or other suitable devices. It may store various data and may also store programs for executing related information. Processor 1310 may execute the programs stored in memory 1320 to implement information storage or processing. The functions of other components are similar to those of existing devices and are not further described here. Each component of terminal device 1300 may be implemented using dedicated hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0290] Through the embodiments of the present application, after the terminal device receives the cell change command, the MAC layer provides the lower layer with not only TCI status-related information, but also RA-related information or information on whether the TCI status-related information is valid; or the MAC layer provides the lower layer with beam-related information based on the RA type, so that the lower layer can determine and use a good beam, thereby ensuring system capacity and throughput.

[0291] And / or, through the embodiments of the present application, a specific method for calculating the TA value based on the UE and determining the uplink timing based on the calculated TA value is defined. The terminal device can calculate the TA value based on the UE and determine the uplink timing based on the calculated TA value, which can meet the RAN4's requirements for the TA error of the calculated TA value and reduce the risk of test failure.

[0292] Embodiments of the eighth aspect

[0293] An embodiment of the present application provides a network device, which includes the configuration device according to the embodiment of the sixth aspect.

[0294] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of the system configuration of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 14, network device 1400 may include a processor 1410 and a memory 1420; memory 1420 is coupled to processor 1410. Memory 1420 can store various data and also stores an information processing program 1430. This program 1430 is executed under the control of processor 1410 to receive various information sent by terminal devices and to send various information to terminal devices.

[0295] In one embodiment, the functionality of the configuration device may be integrated into the processor 1410 .

[0296] Processor 1410 can be configured as: the network device configures a first TA offset and / or a second TA offset to the terminal device, the first TA offset is at least used by the terminal device to determine the uplink timing of the candidate cell, and the second TA offset is at least used by the terminal device to calculate the TA value.

[0297] In another embodiment, the configuration device may be configured separately from the processor 1410 . For example, the random access device may be configured as a chip connected to the processor 1410 , and the function of the information transceiver is realized under the control of the processor 1410 .

[0298] In addition, as shown in FIG14 , network device 1400 may further include: a transceiver 1440 and an antenna 1450, etc.; wherein, the functions of the above components are similar to those in the prior art and are not described in detail here. It is worth noting that network device 1400 does not necessarily include all the components shown in FIG14 ; in addition, network device 1400 may also include components not shown in FIG14 , and reference may be made to the prior art for details.

[0299] It can be seen from the above embodiments that the network device configures the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset, so that the terminal device can calculate the TA value based on the UE according to the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset, and determine the uplink timing based on the calculated TA value, which can meet RAN4's requirements for TA errors in the calculated TA value and reduce the risk of test failure.

[0300] Embodiments of the ninth aspect

[0301] The embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including the terminal device according to the embodiment of the seventh aspect and / or the network device according to the embodiment of the eighth aspect. For specific details, please refer to the description of the embodiment of the seventh aspect and the embodiment of the eighth aspect.

[0302] For example, the structure of the communication system can refer to Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5, the communication system 100 includes a network device 101 and terminal devices 102, 103. The terminal device 102 and / or the terminal device 103 can be the same as the terminal device recorded in the embodiment of the seventh aspect, and / or, the network device 101 can be the same as the network device recorded in the embodiment of the eighth aspect. The repeated content will not be repeated.

[0303] The above devices and methods of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a combination of hardware and software. The present application relates to such a computer-readable program that, when executed by a logic component, enables the logic component to implement the devices or components described above, or enables the logic component to implement the various methods or steps described above. The present application also relates to a storage medium for storing the above program, such as a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a DVD, a flash memory, etc.

[0304] The method / device described in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. For example, one or more of the functional block diagrams shown in Figure 10 and / or one or more combinations of functional block diagrams can correspond to various software modules of a computer program flow or to various hardware modules. These software modules can correspond to the various steps shown in Figure 7, respectively. These hardware modules can be implemented by solidifying these software modules, for example, using a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0305] The software module may be located in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium may be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. The software module may be stored in the memory of the mobile terminal or in a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if the device (such as a mobile terminal) uses a large-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a large-capacity flash memory device, the software module may be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the large-capacity flash memory device.

[0306] One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in FIG10 may be implemented as a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or any suitable combination thereof for performing the functions described in this application. One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in FIG10 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in communication with a DSP, or any other such configuration.

[0307] The present application has been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, those skilled in the art should understand that these descriptions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application based on the spirit and principles of the present application, and such modifications and variations are also within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A cell change command processing device, the device being provided in a terminal device, the device comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive a cell change command; A processing unit, configured to: the MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer, the beam-related information including TCI status-related information and RA-related information, or including TCI status-related information and information on whether the TCI status-related information is valid; or, the MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer according to the RA type.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein The TCI state related information includes a TCI state identifier (TCI state ID) in the cell change command, and / or, The RA related information includes at least one of RA information and RA type, and / or, The information on whether the TCI status related information is valid includes information on whether the TCI status identifier in the cell change command is valid, and the information indicates whether the terminal device uses the TCI status identifier after the random access process is completed.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein The RA information includes at least one of the following: Whether the cell change command includes RA information; RA preamble index in the cell change command SS / PBCH index in the cell change command; The PRACH Mask index in the cell change command; The RA resource referenced by the PRACH Mask index in the cell change command.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein The MAC layer of the terminal device provides the RA information together with the TCI status identifier to the lower layer.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein The MAC layer of the terminal device provides the information of whether the TCI status identifier is valid together with the TCI status identifier to the lower layer, or, The MAC layer of the terminal device provides the information of whether the TCI status identifier is valid to the lower layer during the random access process.

6. The device according to claim 2, wherein The MAC layer of the terminal device provides the RA type together with the TCI status identifier to the lower layer, or, The MAC layer of the terminal device provides the RA type to the lower layer during the random access process.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein The MAC layer of the terminal device provides beam-related information to the lower layer according to the RA type, including: The MAC layer of the terminal device provides the TCI state identifier in the cell change command to the lower layer according to the RA type, or provides a downlink reference signal (DL RS) to the lower layer.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein The MAC layer of the terminal device provides the downlink reference signal to the lower layer during the random access process.

9. The device according to claim 1 or 2 or 6 or 7, wherein: The RA type includes at least one of the following: CFRA triggered by a cell change command or CFRA not triggered by a cell change command; CFRA using a cell change command to indicate RA resources or CFRA not using a cell change command to indicate RA resources; CFRA using a cell change command or RRC indicating RA resources or CFRA not using a cell change command or RRC indicating RA resources; A CFRA in which the RA resource is indicated by using a cell change command and the resource refers to rach-ConfigDedicated, or a CFRA in which the RA resource is not indicated by using a cell change command and the resource refers to rach-ConfigDedicated; CFRA or not CFRA; CBRA or not CBRA.

10. A device for determining uplink timing, the device being provided in a terminal device, the device comprising: a first calculation unit, which calculates a time advance (TA) value to obtain a calculated TA value; as well as a second calculation unit, configured to determine an uplink timing of a candidate cell according to the downlink timing and the calculated TA value; or, A third calculation unit is configured to determine the uplink timing of the candidate cell according to the downlink timing, the calculated TA value, and the first TA offset.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein The first calculation unit calculates the time advance value based on the terminal device.

12. The device according to claim 10, wherein The determining the uplink timing of the candidate cell according to the downlink timing and the calculated TA value includes: the uplink timing of the candidate cell is the sum of the downlink timing and the calculated TA value, and / or, The determining the uplink timing of the candidate cell according to the downlink timing, the calculated TA value and the first TA offset includes: the uplink timing of the candidate cell is the sum of the downlink timing, the calculated TA value and the first TA offset.

13. The device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: When calculating the TA value, the first calculation unit does not consider the second TA offset or considers the second TA offset.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein The first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is one of the following: TA offset of the first serving cell; A TA offset of the candidate cell used for early random access; The candidate cell is used for a TA offset based on a TA measurement of a terminal device; The TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommon of the candidate cell; The TA offset for random access indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the candidate cell.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein The ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the first serving cell and the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the candidate cell have the same value.

16. The device according to claim 14, wherein The first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is a TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in ServingCellConfigCommon of the first serving cell; or, The first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is a TA offset for random access indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the first serving cell.

17. A configuration device, the device being provided in a network device, the device comprising: a configuration unit configured to configure the first TA offset and / or the second TA offset for the terminal device, The first TA offset is at least used by the terminal device to determine the uplink timing of the candidate cell, The second TA offset is at least used by the terminal device to calculate the TA value.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein The first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is one of the following: TA offset of the first serving cell; A TA offset of the candidate cell used for early random access; The candidate cell is used for a TA offset based on a TA measurement of a terminal device; The TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommon of the candidate cell; The TA offset for random access indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the candidate cell.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein The ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the first serving cell and the ltm-UE-MeasuredTA-ID of the candidate cell have the same value.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein The first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is a TA offset for any uplink transmission indicated in ServingCellConfigCommon of the first serving cell; or, The first TA offset and / or the second TA offset is a TA offset for random access indicated in the ServingCellConfigCommonSIB of the first serving cell.

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