Communication method, communication apparatus, and communication system

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, a communication apparatus, and a communication system. In the method, a terminal device can measure the signal quality of a first reference signal on a first carrier. A first message is sent on a second carrier on the basis of the signal quality of the first reference signal, the first message comprising first indication information, and the first indication information being used for indicating the signal quality of the first reference signal. A second message is sent, the second message being used for requesting to switch a carrier. Second indication information is received, the second indication information being used for indicating that the second carrier is switched to a third carrier, a frequency band of the third carrier being different from that of the second carrier, and the third carrier being used for sending the first message. A third message is received on the third carrier, the third message being used for indicating beam switching or updating, the third message being sent upon a network device receiving the first message N times, and N being a positive integer. According to the method, delay and signaling overhead during a beam switching / updating process can be reduced.

Description

Communication method, communication device and communication system

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number 202410172159.5 filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on February 7, 2024, and priority to the Chinese patent application with the invention name “Communication Method, Communication Device and Communication System”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system. Background Art

[0003] Currently, beam reporting and beam switching / updating are primarily initiated by the network (NW). The NW configures / requests the user equipment (UE) to measure certain beams, and the UE reports the optimal beam after the beam measurements. The NW instructs the UE to switch to certain beams for downlink (DL) reception and / or uplink (UL) transmission. However, beam switching / updating is subject to significant latency and signaling overhead. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system. The communication method can reduce delay and signaling overhead during beam switching / updating.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device or a module (for example, a chip) in the terminal device, the method comprising: measuring the signal quality of a first reference signal on a first carrier; based on the signal quality of the first reference signal, sending a first message on a second carrier, the first message including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the signal quality of the first reference signal; sending a second message, the second message being used to request switching carriers; receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate switching the second carrier to a third carrier, the third carrier having a different frequency band from the second carrier, the third carrier being used to send the first message; receiving a third message on the third carrier, the third message being used to indicate beam switching or updating, the third message being sent when the network device receives the first message N times, where N is a positive integer.

[0006] It should be understood that the current beam switching / updating is based on periodic beam reporting in most cases (except for extreme cases such as beam failure recovery). If the network device and the terminal device are reconnected due to periodic beam reporting, it will also generate greater delays and signaling overhead. However, the embodiment of the present application determines the signal quality of the first reference signal and reports the signal quality (also referred to as terminal device side event trigger reporting) through the terminal device. It can promptly notify the network device when the signal quality of the first reference signal decreases, which is conducive to the network device making timely judgments and processing (i.e., whether to switch or update the beam). It can solve the problem of large delays and signaling overhead in the beam switching / updating process caused by the signal quality detection of the reference signal initiated by the network device in the current protocol.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, when the signal quality of a certain frequency band (such as the first carrier mentioned above) is poor, other frequency bands (such as the third carrier mentioned above) can be used to assist in completing the terminal device's reporting of the signal quality of the reference signal and the network device's feedback on the report, thereby rationally allocating carrier resources and facilitating the network device to make timely judgments and processing (i.e., switching to the third carrier), thereby ensuring the signal quality of data transmission between the terminal device and the network device.

[0008] It should be understood that the second indication information is used to indicate that the carrier component carrying the first message is switched from the second carrier to the third carrier. It should be understood that the carrier component carrying the first message may also be referred to as the carrier component sending the first message, or as the carrier component carrying the first indication information (i.e., indication information indicating the signal quality of the first reference signal). Exemplarily, the second indication information may include an identifier of the third carrier (or auxiliary carrier information). Optionally, the second indication information may also include an identifier of the first message or an identifier of the second carrier.

[0009] Exemplarily, the auxiliary carrier information may be at least one of the following: frequency band, channel bandwidth, and subcarrier spacing.

[0010] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the frequency bands of the first carrier and the second carrier are the same, or the frequency bands of the first carrier and the second carrier are different.

[0011] The embodiment of the present application does not limit whether the carrier component (CC) for sending the first reference signal and sending the first message is the same carrier component, which can improve the flexibility of carrier resource allocation.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the third message is sent when the network device receives the first message N times within the first time window; the start time of the first time window is the moment when the network device receives the first message for the first time or the sum of the moment when the network device receives the first message for the first time and an offset, and the offset is predefined or configured by the network device.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present application, a network device may send a third message to a terminal device upon receiving N times within a first time window an indication of the signal quality of a first reference signal (such as the first indication information described above). This method may perform beam switching or updating when the signal quality of the first reference signal frequently exhibits poor quality within a preset duration, thereby improving the transmission quality of data transmission.

[0014] This application does not limit the duration of the first time window; this application does not limit the carrier component for sending the first message N times, and the carrier component can be the above-mentioned second carrier, or the third carrier, or other carrier components.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method also includes: before receiving the third message on the third carrier, sending a fourth message on the second carrier, the fourth message being used to indicate that the second indication information has been received; after sending the fourth message, performing event triggering configuration with the network device through the third carrier; after receiving the third message, performing event triggering configuration with the network device through the second carrier.

[0016] In this embodiment of the present application, after receiving the second indication information, the terminal device can send a feedback message (such as the fourth message described above) to the network device; after sending the feedback message, the terminal device performs event triggering configuration with the network device via the third carrier. This method can improve the success rate of event triggering configuration between the terminal device and the network device via the third carrier.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the third message, the terminal device can perform event triggering configuration with the network device via the second carrier. It is understandable that performing event triggering configuration on the second carrier can be an initial state. When the signal quality of the first reference signal on the first carrier meets the first condition, the signal quality on the second carrier may also be deteriorating, or is about to / is deteriorating. In this embodiment of the present application, by switching the event triggering configuration from the second carrier to the third carrier, the robustness of the entire process can be enhanced.

[0018] With reference to the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the signal quality of the first reference signal satisfies a first condition;

[0019] The first condition includes at least one of the following: the signal quality is lower than the first threshold, the difference between the signal quality and the last detected signal quality is greater than the second threshold, the rate of decrease of the signal quality in the second time window exceeds the third threshold, and the difference between the rate of decrease of the signal quality in the third time window and the rate of decrease last detected in the third time window is greater than the fourth threshold.

[0020] With reference to the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, the fourth threshold, the first time window, and the second time window are configured or predefined by the network device;

[0021] The first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the fourth threshold are different from the thresholds used to discover candidate beams, and there is no correlation between the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the fourth threshold.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first message further includes indication information indicating the first condition.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the signal quality is layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-reference signal received power, L1-RSRP) or layer 1 signal to interference plus noise ratio (L1-signal to interference plus noise ratio, L1-SINR).

[0024] With reference to the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the signal quality is at least one of the following:

[0025] The signal quality of the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) associated with the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), the signal quality of the reference signal included in the transmission configuration index (TCI) state associated with the PDSCH, the signal quality of the DMRS associated with the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), the signal quality of the reference signal of the quasi-co-located DMRS of the PDCCH, and the signal quality of the reference signal included in the TCI state associated with the control resource set (coreset).

[0026] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the first message is one of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, a control element (MAC control element, MAC CE) of the medium access control layer, and uplink control information (UCI).

[0027] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the second indication information is an identifier of the third carrier, and the second indication information is carried in downlink control signaling.

[0028] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or a module (for example, a chip) in the network device, and the method may include: sending a first reference signal on a first carrier; receiving a first message on a second carrier, the first message including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the signal quality of the first reference signal; the first message is sent by a terminal device based on the signal quality of the first reference signal; receiving a second message, the second message being used to request switching carriers; sending second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate switching the second carrier to a third carrier, the third carrier having a different frequency band from the second carrier, and the third carrier being used to send the first message; sending a third message on the third carrier when the first message is received N times, the third message being used to indicate beam switching or updating, where N is a positive integer.

[0029] With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the frequency bands of the first carrier and the second carrier are the same, or the frequency bands of the first carrier and the second carrier are different.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the third message is sent when the network device receives the first message N times within the first time window; the start time of the first time window is the moment when the network device receives the first message for the first time or the sum of the moment when the network device receives the first message for the first time and the offset, and the offset is predefined or configured by the network device.

[0031] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving a fourth message on the second carrier, the fourth message being used to indicate that the second indication information has been received; after receiving the fourth message, performing event triggering configuration with the terminal device through the third carrier; after sending the third message, performing event triggering configuration with the terminal device through the second carrier.

[0032] With reference to the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the signal quality of the first reference signal satisfies a first condition;

[0033] The first condition includes at least one of the following: the signal quality is lower than the first threshold, the difference between the signal quality and the last detected signal quality is greater than the second threshold, the rate of decrease of the signal quality in the second time window exceeds the third threshold, and the difference between the rate of decrease of the signal quality in the third time window and the rate of decrease last detected in the third time window is greater than the fourth threshold.

[0034] With reference to the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, the fourth threshold, the first time window, and the second time window are configured or predefined by the network device;

[0035] The first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the fourth threshold are different from the thresholds used to discover candidate beams, and there is no correlation between the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the fourth threshold.

[0036] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first message further includes indication information indicating the first condition.

[0037] With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the signal quality is L1-RSRP or L1-SINR.

[0038] With reference to the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the signal quality is at least one of the following:

[0039] The signal quality of the DMRS associated with the PDSCH, the signal quality of the reference signal included in the TCI state associated with the PDSCH, the signal quality of the DMRS associated with the PDCCH, the signal quality of the reference signal of the DMRS quasi-co-site of the PDCCH, and the signal quality of the reference signal included in the TCI state associated with the coreset.

[0040] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first message is one of RRC signaling, MAC CE, and UCI.

[0041] With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the second indication information is an identifier of the third carrier, and the second indication information is carried in downlink control signaling.

[0042] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal device or a chip / circuit therein. The communication device is configured to perform the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. The communication device includes a unit capable of performing the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0043] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a network device or a chip / circuit therein. The communication device is configured to perform the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. The communication device includes a unit configured to perform the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0044] In the third or fourth aspect, the communication device may include a processing unit and a transceiver unit. For a detailed description of the processing unit and the transceiver unit, reference may be made to the device embodiments described below. The beneficial effects of the third to fourth aspects may be referenced to the relevant descriptions of the first to second aspects, and are not further elaborated here.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may include a processor and an interface circuit, and the processor is connected to the interface circuit. Wherein, the interface circuit is used to interact (or transmit and receive or input and output) information or data, and the processor is used to run program instructions so that the communication device performs the method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any aspect thereof. Wherein, the interface circuit may be a communication interface, or a transceiver. The transceiver may be a radio frequency module in a communication device, or a combination of a radio frequency module and an antenna, or an input and output interface of a chip or circuit.

[0046] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any of the aspects above.

[0047] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a program product comprising program instructions, which, when executed, enables the method described in the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation of any of the aspects to be executed.

[0048] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a device, which can be implemented in the form of a chip or in the form of a device, and the device includes a processor. The processor is used to read and execute a program stored in a memory to execute the information interaction method provided by one or more of the above-mentioned first aspect, or the above-mentioned second aspect, or one or more of any possible implementation methods of any aspect. Optionally, the device also includes a memory, which is connected to the processor via a circuit. Further optionally, the device also includes a communication interface, and the processor is connected to the communication interface. The communication interface is used to receive information to be processed, and the processor obtains the information from the communication interface, processes the information, and outputs the processing results through the communication interface. The communication interface can be an input and output interface.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the processor and memory may be physically independent units, or the memory may be integrated with the processor.

[0050] In the ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes a network device and a terminal device; the network device is used to execute the method described in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, and the network device is used to execute the method described in the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0051] The technical effects achieved in the above-mentioned aspects can be referred to each other or to the beneficial effects in the method embodiments shown below, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG2 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG3 is a flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG5 is another schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG6 is another schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in the text is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" means two or more than two.

[0059] It should be understood that the terms "first," "second," and the like in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish between different objects, rather than to describe a particular order. Furthermore, the terms "including," "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or elements is not limited to the listed steps or elements, but may optionally include steps or elements not listed, or may optionally include other steps or elements inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0060] References to "embodiments" in this application mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it constitute an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described in this application may be combined with other embodiments.

[0061] In the current protocol, only the beam failure recovery (BFR) process involves beam reporting, switching, or updating initiated by the UE. The beam failure recovery process includes: the UE detecting a beam failure (e.g., L1-RSRP falling below a certain threshold); the UE attempting to discover a new beam or a new beam pair that can restore the connection; the UE sending a beam recovery request to the network; and the network responding to the beam recovery request.

[0062] When BFR occurs in a secondary cell (SCell), the UE triggers BFR through a BFR MAC CE. The UE then selects a beam for the SCell and sends the signal included in the BFR MAC CE to the base station. The PDCCH receives the uplink scheduling grant transmitted by the UE in the BFR MAC CE, and the SCell BFR is completed.

[0063] However, the above BFR process does not involve carrier switching, nor does it perform beam failure measurement and recovery on the same carrier component, which is different from the application scenario and technical field of this application. Beam reporting and beam switching / updates in other scenarios are mainly initiated by the network side, which has the problem of large delay and signaling overhead.

[0064] In view of this, the present application proposes a communication method, in which the terminal device judges the signal quality of the first reference signal and reports the signal quality, and can promptly notify the network device when the signal quality of the first reference signal decreases, which is conducive to the network device to make timely judgments and processing (i.e., whether to switch or update the beam). Since the terminal device is the first to know the changes in the beam and the changes in the optimal beam, it can solve the problem of large delays and signaling overhead in the beam switching / update process caused by the signal quality detection of the reference signal initiated by the network device in the current protocol.

[0065] In order to better understand the communication method, communication device and communication system proposed in this application, the network architecture applied in the embodiments of this application is described below.

[0066] Exemplarily, the communication system may be: a global system for mobile communication (GSM) system, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, a general packet radio service (GPRS), an LTE system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) system, an enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (EDGE) system, and a world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) system. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems, such as public land mobile network (PLMN) systems, advanced long term evolution (LTE advanced, LTE-A) systems, fifth generation mobile communication (5G) systems, new radio (NR) systems, machine to machine communication (M2M) systems, or other communication systems evolved in the future, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems, in which there are entities that can send control information and send (and / or receive) transmission blocks, and in which there are other entities that can receive control information and receive (and / or send) transmission blocks.

[0067] Please refer to FIG1 , which is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0068] As shown in Figure 1, network devices and terminal devices form a communication system.

[0069] In the present application, a network device may send a first reference signal to a terminal device on a first carrier; the terminal device may measure the signal quality of the first reference signal on the first carrier; the terminal device may send a first message to the network device on a second carrier based on the signal quality of the first reference signal, the first message including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the signal quality of the first reference signal; the terminal device may send a second message to the network device, the second message being used to request carrier switching; the network device may send second indication information to the terminal device, the second indication information being used to indicate switching the second carrier to a third carrier, the third carrier having a different frequency band from the second carrier, the third carrier being used to send the first message; the network device may send a third message to the terminal device on a third carrier when receiving the first message from the terminal device N times, the third message being used to indicate beam switching or updating, where N is a positive integer.

[0070] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application is an entity on the user side for receiving or transmitting signals, such as user equipment, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device. The terminal device can also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0071] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0072] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may also be a terminal in the Internet of Things (IoT) system. The IoT is an important component of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network that interconnects people and machines and things. In the embodiments of the present application, IoT technology can achieve massive connections, deep coverage, and terminal power saving through, for example, narrowband (NB) technology.

[0073] In addition, in an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also include sensors such as smart printers, train detectors, and gas stations. Its main functions include collecting data (part of the terminal device), receiving control information and downlink data from the network device, and sending electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to the network device.

[0074] The network device in the embodiment of the present application is an entity for transmitting or receiving signals, and can be a device for communicating with a terminal device. The network device can be a base station (base transceiver station, BTS) in a global system for mobile communications (GSM) system or code division multiple access (CDMA), or a base station (NodeB, NB) in a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, or an evolved NodeB (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or the network device can be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in a 5G network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network, etc., and the embodiment of the present application is not limited.

[0075] The network device in the embodiment of the present application may be a device in a wireless network, such as a radio access network (RAN) node that connects a terminal device to the wireless network. Currently, some examples of RAN nodes are: base station, next-generation base station gNB, transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (evolved Node B, eNB), home base station, baseband unit (BBU), or access point (AP) in a WiFi system. In a network structure, the network device may include a centralized unit (CU) node, a distributed unit (DU) node, or a RAN device including a CU node and a DU node.

[0076] Among them, the terminal equipment and the network equipment can both include an RRC signaling interaction module, a MAC signaling interaction module and a physical layer (PHY) signaling and data interaction module, wherein the RRC signaling interaction module is a module used by the base station and the UE to send and receive RRC signaling; the MAC signaling interaction module is a module used by the base station and the UE to send and receive MAC-CE signaling; the PHY signaling and data interaction module is a module used by the base station and the UE to send and receive uplink / downlink control signaling and uplink / downlink data, which can specifically be used to send and receive downlink control signaling through a physical downlink control channel, send and receive the above-mentioned downlink control signaling through a physical uplink control channel, send and receive downlink data through a physical downlink shared channel, and send and receive uplink data through a physical uplink shared channel.

[0077] In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device or a network device includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also called main memory). The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as a Linux operating system, a Unix operating system, an Android operating system, an iOS operating system, or a Windows operating system. The application layer includes applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software. In addition, the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, for example, the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be a terminal device or a network device, or a functional module in the terminal device or the network device that can call a program and execute the program.

[0078] In addition, various aspects or features of the present application can be implemented as methods, apparatuses, or articles of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used in this application encompasses a computer program that can be accessed from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). In addition, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0079] It should be noted that the number and type of terminal devices included in the network architecture shown in Figure 1 are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For example, more or fewer terminal devices that communicate with network devices may also be included. For the sake of simplicity, they are not described one by one in the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the network architecture shown in Figure 1, although network devices and terminal devices are shown, the application scenario may not be limited to including network devices and terminal devices. For example, core network nodes or devices for carrying virtualized network functions may also be included. These are obvious to those skilled in the art and will not be described one by one here.

[0080] In combination with the above-mentioned network architecture, a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application is described below.

[0081] Please refer to Figure 2, which is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The functions performed by the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application can also be performed by a module (e.g., a chip) in the terminal device, and the functions performed by the network device in the present application can also be performed by a module (e.g., a chip) in the network device.

[0082] As shown in FIG2 , the communication method may include the following steps:

[0083] Step S201: A network device sends a first reference signal to a terminal device on a first carrier.

[0084] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first reference signal sent by the network device on the first carrier.

[0085] Exemplarily, the first reference signal may be a DMRS associated with PDSCH, a reference signal included in a TCI state associated with PDSCH, a DMRS associated with PDCCH, a reference signal of a quasi-co-located DMRS of PDCCH, and a reference signal included in a TCI state associated with coreset.

[0086] Step S202: The terminal device measures the signal quality of a first reference signal on a first carrier.

[0087] Optionally, the first carrier may be a carrier component supported by the current protocol, and resources of the first carrier are configured or predefined by the network device.

[0088] Step S203: The terminal device sends a first message to the network device on the second carrier based on the signal quality of the first reference signal, where the first message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the signal quality of the first reference signal.

[0089] Accordingly, the network device receives the first message on the second carrier.

[0090] Optionally, the frequency bands of the first carrier and the second carrier are the same, or the frequency bands of the first carrier and the second carrier are different.

[0091] Optionally, the first carrier may be a carrier component supported by the current protocol, and resources of the first carrier are configured or predefined by the network device.

[0092] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send a first message on the second carrier when the signal quality of the first reference signal meets a first condition; wherein the first condition includes at least one of the following: the signal quality is lower than a first threshold, the difference between the signal quality and the last detected signal quality is greater than a second threshold, the rate of decrease of the signal quality within the second time window exceeds a third threshold, and the difference between the rate of decrease of the signal quality within the third time window and the rate of decrease last detected within the third time window is greater than a fourth threshold. In this application, the first condition may also be referred to as an event trigger condition, an event type, or an event trigger type; the first condition may be configured or predefined by the network device.

[0093] Among them, the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, the fourth threshold, the first time window and the second time window are configured or predefined by the network device; the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold and the fourth threshold are different from the thresholds used to discover candidate beams, and there is no correlation between the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold and the fourth threshold.

[0094] Optionally, the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the fourth threshold may be obtained based on their corresponding offset values, and the offset may be configured by the network device.

[0095] Exemplarily, the signal quality of the first reference signal may be L1-RSRP or L1-SINR.

[0096] Exemplarily, the signal quality of the above-mentioned first reference signal can be at least one of the following items: the signal quality of the DMRS associated with PDSCH, the signal quality of the reference signal included in the TCI state associated with PDSCH, the signal quality of the DMRS associated with PDCCH, the signal quality of the quasi-co-located reference signal of the DMRS of PDCCH, and the signal quality of the reference signal included in the TCI state associated with coreset.

[0097] Optionally, the first message may further include indication information indicating the first condition. It should be noted that the terminal device may also implicitly indicate the first condition to the network device through the first message, such as by corresponding different resources to the first condition.

[0098] Exemplarily, the first message is one of RRC signaling, MAC CE, and UCI.

[0099] In some embodiments of the present application, when the terminal device measures that the signal quality of the first reference signal satisfies the first condition, the terminal device sends a first message to the network device, where the first message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the signal quality of the first reference signal. It should be noted that the first message may refer to a message including the first indication information, and is not limited to being a first message sent only on the second carrier, but may also be a first message sent on other component carriers.

[0100] In this application, the first message may also be referred to as an event trigger request, and the first indication information may also be referred to as event content.

[0101] Step S204: The terminal device sends a second message to the network device, where the second message is used to request carrier switching.

[0102] Correspondingly, the network device receives the second message sent by the terminal device.

[0103] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send a second message to the network device when the signal quality of the first reference signal meets the first condition. Exemplarily, the second message is used to request switching of the carrier that sends the first reference signal.

[0104] In this application, the second message may also be referred to as a CC switching request.

[0105] Step S205: The network device sends second indication information to the terminal device, where the second indication information is used to instruct switching the second carrier to a third carrier. The third carrier has a different frequency band from the second carrier, and the third carrier is used to send the first message.

[0106] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second indication message sent by the network device.

[0107] Exemplarily, the second indication information is an identifier of the third carrier.

[0108] Optionally, the second indication information is carried in downlink control signaling, that is, the downlink control signaling includes the second indication information, or is referred to as the downlink control signaling containing the second indication information. For example, the network device sends downlink control signaling to the terminal device, where the downlink control signaling includes the second indication information, and the second indication information is an identifier of the third carrier (or auxiliary carrier ID).

[0109] Exemplarily, the second indication information is used to instruct the carrier component for sending the first message (i.e., the message including the first indication information) to be switched from the first carrier to the third carrier; alternatively, the second indication information is used to instruct the carrier for sending the first message to be switched to the third carrier. The carrier component for sending the first message may also be referred to as the carrier component carrying the first message, or as the carrier component carrying or sending indication information indicating the signal quality of the first reference signal (i.e., the first indication information).

[0110] In some embodiments, after receiving the above-mentioned second message, the network device sends second indication information to the terminal device.

[0111] Step S206: When the network device receives the first message from the terminal device N times, it sends a third message to the terminal device on the third carrier, where the third message is used to indicate beam switching or updating, and N is a positive integer.

[0112] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third message sent by the network device on the third carrier.

[0113] In one implementation, before the terminal device receives the third message (also called event trigger indication) on the third carrier, after receiving the second indication information, the terminal device sends a fourth message (also called feedback indication) on the second carrier, and the fourth message is used to indicate that the second indication information has been received; after the terminal device sends the fourth message, the terminal device and the network device perform event trigger configuration (or event trigger configuration process) through the third carrier; after the terminal device receives the third message, the terminal device and the network device perform event trigger configuration through the second carrier. Among them, event trigger configuration refers to: the UE sends a message indicating the signal quality of the first reference signal (such as the above-mentioned first message), the base station feedbacks the message (such as the above-mentioned second message), and indicates beam switching / update (such as the above-mentioned third message). Such as the process of steps S201, S203 and S206 above.

[0114] Optionally, the third message is sent when the network device receives the first message N times within the first time window; the start time of the first time window is the time when the network device first receives the first message or the sum of the time when the network device first receives the first message and an offset, where the offset is predefined or configured by the network device. This application does not limit the duration of the first time window, for example, the duration of the first time window is a positive number.

[0115] Exemplarily, when the network device receives the above-mentioned first message for the first time, it may start a timer to determine the first time window and start a counter to count the number of times the first message is received; when the network device receives the first message N times within the first time window, it sends a third message to the UE on the third carrier; at the same time, it resets the timer and the counter to zero; if the number of times the first message is detected within the first time window does not reach N times, the third message is not sent.

[0116] Optionally, the N first messages received by the network device may be messages indicating that the signal quality of the first reference signal satisfies a first condition, and the first message may be independent of the carrier component of the first reference signal. In other words, the N first messages received by the network device may include first messages before carrier switching and / or first messages after carrier switching. It should be understood that switching carriers does not affect the count of first messages.

[0117] For example, the communication method of FIG2 is described below using the example where the first carrier and the second carrier are the same carrier CC1, the third carrier is CC2, the terminal device is a UE, and the network device is a base station. It should be understood that any unexplained terms in FIG3 can be referred to the relevant description of FIG2 and will not be repeated in the embodiments of this application.

[0118] Optionally, CC1 and CC2 may both be component carriers supported by the protocol, and resources of CC1 and CC2 are configured or predefined by the network side.

[0119] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the method may include:

[0120] Step S301: When the UE detects in CC1 that the signal quality of the first reference signal is lower than a first threshold, the UE reports the signal quality of the first reference signal to the base station in CC1.

[0121] In some embodiments, when the UE detects that the signal quality of the first reference signal meets the first condition on which carrier component (eg, CC1 or CC2), the UE reports the signal quality of the first reference signal to the base station.

[0122] Exemplarily, the first condition may include multiple event types, such as Type 1: the signal quality of the first reference signal is lower than threshold A (or the first threshold); Type 2: the difference between the signal quality and the signal quality detected last time exceeds threshold B (or the second threshold); Type 3: the rate of decrease in the signal quality of the first reference signal within time window T2 (or the second time window) exceeds threshold C (or the third threshold); Type 4: the difference between the rate of decrease in the signal quality of the first reference signal within time window T3 (or the third time window) and the rate of decrease detected last time within time window T3 exceeds threshold D (or the fourth threshold). The thresholds are configured or predefined by the base station. The thresholds are different from the thresholds used to discover candidate beams, and there is no correlation between the thresholds A / B / C / D, and each is configured separately. Furthermore, the thresholds are A / B / C / D plus a corresponding offset, which may be configured by the base station; and the time windows T2 / T3 are configured or predefined by the base station.

[0123] Optionally, the event content reported by the UE may include an event type, or may correspond to the event type through different resources; the reported content may be reported through RRC / MAC CE / UCI.

[0124] It should be understood that the UE may also report the signal quality of the first reference signal to the base station on other carrier components.

[0125] Exemplarily, the signal quality of the first reference signal reported by the UE may include the signal quality detected by the UE on CC1 / CC2, and the signal quality may refer to L1-RSRP or L1-SINR.

[0126] Exemplarily, a method for a UE to obtain signal quality may include: (1) obtaining through PDSCH, such as obtaining the signal quality of a DMRS associated with the PDSCH, and further, if the PDSCH is transmitted on more than one layer, the signal quality needs to consider the common measurement results of the multiple layers; (2) the signal quality of a reference signal included in a TCI state associated with the PDSCH, and further, the PDSCH is scheduled by a specific search space, such as a lowest search space ID; (3) obtaining through PDCCH, and further, the PDCCH is transmitted in a UE-specific search space, i.e., a UE-specific search space; (4) the reference signal may be the signal quality of a DMRS associated with the PDCCH; (5) the reference signal may be a reference signal quasi-co-located with the DMRS of the PDCCH; (6) the reference signal may be the signal quality of a reference signal included in a TCI state associated with a control resource set, and further, the signal quality of a reference signal included in a TCI state associated with only some control resource sets, such as a lowest control resource set ID.

[0127] Step S302: When the base station receives the signal quality report of the first reference signal from the UE for the first time, it starts a timer and a counter. The timer is used to determine the time window T1, and the counter is used to count the number of times the UE reports the signal quality of the first reference signal.

[0128] Step S303: The UE reports a CC switching request to the base station.

[0129] In one implementation, when detecting that the signal quality of the first reference signal meets the first condition, the UE reports a CC switching request to the base station.

[0130] Step S304: the base station sends a downlink control signaling to the UE. The downlink control signaling includes incremental carrier information. The incremental carrier information is used to indicate CC2.

[0131] In one implementation, upon receiving the CC switching request, the base station sends a downlink control signaling to the UE. It is understandable that the downlink control signaling is used to request the UE to change CC1 to CC2, which are different from CC1.

[0132] For example, if the UE's event reporting CC1 is in the FR2 frequency band, and the UE detects that the signal quality of the first reference signal on CC1 has significantly degraded, it may no longer be able to complete event reporting on CC1. Therefore, it needs to initiate a CC switching request through this process. After the base station confirms the request, it can switch to CC2 in the FR1 frequency band. This method can enhance coverage.

[0133] For example, the frequency range definitions of FR1 and FR2 may be as shown in Table 1 below:

[0134] Table 1

[0135] Step S305: The UE sends a feedback message on CC2, where the feedback message is used to indicate receipt of downlink control signaling.

[0136] In one implementation, after receiving the downlink control signaling, the UE sends a feedback message (ie, the fourth message) to the base station.

[0137] Step S306: The UE and the base station use CC2 to perform an event-triggered configuration process within the time window T1.

[0138] In one implementation, after the UE sends a feedback message in the reverse direction to the base station, it always reports events through CC2 within the time window T1, that is, when it detects that the signal quality of the first reference signal meets the first condition, it reports the signal quality of the first reference signal to the base station.

[0139] Step S307: When the base station detects N times that the UE reports the signal quality of the first reference signal within the time window T1, the base station sends an event trigger indication to the UE in CC2.

[0140] Optionally, if the cumulative number of detections within the time window T1 is less than N times, no event triggering indication is issued.

[0141] Exemplarily, the value of N can be determined by the base station, and N is a natural number greater than 0; N can be a cumulative count of a single event type, or a cumulative count of a combination of multiple types of events. For example, when the terminal device reports the signal quality of the first reference signal, it also reports the event type of the first condition. If the network device counts the number of times the UE reports the signal quality of the first reference signal for a single event type (such as type 1), then when the network device receives the signal quality of type 1 and the first reference signal, the cumulative count is added by 1, and when the network device receives the signal quality of other types (such as type 2, etc.) and the first reference signal, no cumulative count is performed. The signal quality of type 1 and the first reference signal can be reported through the same message (such as the first message mentioned above), and the first message includes indication information for indicating type 1 (or called an indication indicating the first condition) and the first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the signal quality of the first reference signal.

[0142] Step S308: The base station resets the timer and counter to zero.

[0143] In one implementation, when the base station detects N times that the UE reports the signal quality of the first reference signal within T1, the base station resets the timer and the counter to zero.

[0144] Exemplarily, a counter that counts N times may be in an inactive state by default, start counting from the time it is activated after the first UE event report is received, and end counting and deactivation within the time window T1. If the count value is less than N at this time, the count is cleared to 0.

[0145] Step S309: The base station instructs the UE that the current time window ends.

[0146] In one implementation, the base station may send an indication message to the UE after resetting the timer and counter, or at the same time as resetting the timer and counter, and the indication message is used to indicate the end of this time window (i.e., the above-mentioned time window T1); accordingly, after receiving the indication message, the UE may execute step S310.

[0147] Step S310: After the timer is reset, the UE and the base station use CC1 to perform an event-triggered configuration process.

[0148] In an embodiment of the present application, after the timer is reset, the UE and the base station can restore the initial state to perform the next event trigger configuration, such as when the terminal device detects that the signal quality of the first reference signal is lower than the first threshold next time, it reports the signal quality of the first reference signal on CC1.

[0149] The event trigger configuration process may refer to a process in which the UE sends an event trigger request (i.e., the signal quality of the first reference signal sent by the UE) and the base station provides feedback on the request (such as the downlink control signaling described above). The timer refers to a timer of the base station. The UE reports when it detects that the signal quality meets the first condition, and the base station detects the number of reports within a time window T.

[0150] The above content elaborates on the method provided by the present application. In order to facilitate the implementation of the above scheme of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides corresponding devices or equipment.

[0151] The present application divides the network equipment and terminal equipment into functional modules according to the above-mentioned method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in this application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The communication device of the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 4 to 6.

[0152] 4 , which is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , the communication device may include a processing unit 10 and a transceiver unit 20 .

[0153] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication device may be the terminal device shown above or a chip or circuit provided in the terminal device. That is, the communication device may be used to execute the steps or functions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0154] In one design, the processing unit 10 is configured to measure a signal quality of a first reference signal on a first carrier;

[0155] The transceiver unit 20 is used to: send a first message on the second carrier based on the signal quality of the first reference signal, the first message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the signal quality of the first reference signal; send a second message, and the second message is used to request carrier switching; receive second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the second carrier is switched to a third carrier, the third carrier has a different frequency band from the second carrier, and the third carrier is used to send the first message; receive a third message on the third carrier, and the third message is used to indicate beam switching or updating. The third message is sent when the network device receives the first message N times, and N is a positive integer.

[0156] In a possible implementation manner, the frequency bands of the first carrier and the second carrier are the same, or the frequency bands of the first carrier and the second carrier are different.

[0157] In one possible implementation, the third message is sent when the network device receives the first message N times within the first time window; the start time of the first time window is the moment when the network device receives the first message for the first time or the sum of the moment when the network device receives the first message for the first time and an offset, and the offset is predefined or configured by the network device.

[0158] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 20 is configured to: before receiving the third message on the third carrier, send a fourth message on the second carrier, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the second indication information has been received;

[0159] The processing unit 10 is configured to perform event triggering configuration with the network device via the third carrier after sending the fourth message; and perform event triggering configuration with the network device via the second carrier after receiving the third message.

[0160] Optionally, the signal quality of the first reference signal satisfies a first condition;

[0161] The first condition includes at least one of the following: the signal quality is lower than the first threshold, the difference between the signal quality and the last detected signal quality is greater than the second threshold, the rate of decrease of the signal quality in the second time window exceeds the third threshold, and the difference between the rate of decrease of the signal quality in the third time window and the rate of decrease last detected in the third time window is greater than the fourth threshold.

[0162] Optionally, the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, the fourth threshold, the first time window, and the second time window are configured or predefined by the network device;

[0163] The first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the fourth threshold are different from the thresholds used to discover candidate beams, and there is no correlation between the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the fourth threshold.

[0164] Optionally, the first message also includes indication information indicating the first condition.

[0165] Optionally, the signal quality is L1-RSRP or L1-SINR.

[0166] Optionally, the signal quality is at least one of the following:

[0167] The signal quality of the DMRS associated with the PDSCH, the signal quality of the reference signal included in the TCI state associated with the PDSCH, the signal quality of the DMRS associated with the PDCCH, the signal quality of the reference signal of the DMRS quasi-co-site of the PDCCH, and the signal quality of the reference signal included in the TCI state associated with the coreset.

[0168] Optionally, the first message is one of RRC signaling, MAC CE, and UCI.

[0169] Optionally, the second indication information is an identifier of the third carrier, and the second indication information is carried in downlink control signaling.

[0170] In the embodiment of the present application, the description of the first carrier, the first reference signal, etc. can refer to the introduction in the method embodiments shown in Figures 2 to 3 above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0171] It is understood that the specific description of the processing unit 10 and the transceiver unit 20 shown in the embodiment of the present application is only an example. For the specific functions or execution steps of the processing unit 10 and the transceiver unit 20, reference can be made to the method embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3 above, and no further details will be given here. In addition, the technical effects of the embodiment of the present application refer to the technical effects of the method embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3 above, and for the sake of brevity, no further details will be given here.

[0172] Reusing Figure 4, in some other embodiments of the present application, the communication device may be the terminal device shown above or a chip or circuit provided in the terminal device. That is, the communication device may be used to execute the steps or functions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0173] In one design, the transceiver unit 20 is used to: send a first reference signal on a first carrier; receive a first message on a second carrier, the first message including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the signal quality of the first reference signal; the first message is sent by the terminal device based on the signal quality of the first reference signal; receive a second message, the second message being used to request carrier switching; send second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate switching of the second carrier to a third carrier, the third carrier having a different frequency band from the second carrier, the third carrier being used to send the first message; send a third message on the third carrier when the first message is received N times, the third message being used to indicate beam switching or updating, where N is a positive integer.

[0174] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 10 is configured to determine a third carrier.

[0175] In a possible implementation manner, the frequency bands of the first carrier and the second carrier are the same, or the frequency bands of the first carrier and the second carrier are different.

[0176] In one possible implementation, the third message is sent when the network device receives the first message N times within the first time window; the start time of the first time window is the moment when the network device receives the first message for the first time or the sum of the moment when the network device receives the first message for the first time and an offset, and the offset is predefined or configured by the network device.

[0177] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 20 is configured to: receive a fourth message on the second carrier, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the second indication information has been received;

[0178] The processing unit 10 is configured to: after receiving the fourth message, perform event triggering configuration with the terminal device through the third carrier; after sending the third message, perform event triggering configuration with the terminal device through the second carrier.

[0179] Optionally, the signal quality of the first reference signal satisfies a first condition;

[0180] The first condition includes at least one of the following: the signal quality is lower than the first threshold, the difference between the signal quality and the last detected signal quality is greater than the second threshold, the rate of decrease of the signal quality in the second time window exceeds the third threshold, and the difference between the rate of decrease of the signal quality in the third time window and the rate of decrease last detected in the third time window is greater than the fourth threshold.

[0181] In combination with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, the fourth threshold, the first time window and the second time window are configured or predefined by the network device; the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold and the fourth threshold are different from the threshold used to discover candidate beams, and there is no correlation between the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold and the fourth threshold.

[0182] Optionally, the first message also includes indication information indicating the first condition.

[0183] Optionally, the signal quality is L1-RSRP or L1-SINR.

[0184] Optionally, the signal quality is at least one of the following:

[0185] The signal quality of the DMRS associated with the PDSCH, the signal quality of the reference signal included in the TCI state associated with the PDSCH, the signal quality of the DMRS associated with the PDCCH, the signal quality of the reference signal of the DMRS quasi-co-site of the PDCCH, and the signal quality of the reference signal included in the TCI state associated with the coreset.

[0186] Optionally, the first message is one of RRC signaling, MAC CE, and UCI.

[0187] Optionally, the second indication information is an identifier of the third carrier, and the second indication information is carried in downlink control signaling.

[0188] In the embodiment of the present application, the description of the first carrier, the first reference signal, etc. can refer to the introduction in the method embodiments shown in Figures 2 to 3 above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0189] It is understood that the specific description of the processing unit 10 and the transceiver unit 20 shown in the embodiment of the present application is only an example. For the specific functions or execution steps of the processing unit 10 and the transceiver unit 20, reference can be made to the method embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3 above, and no further details will be given here. In addition, the technical effects of the embodiment of the present application refer to the technical effects of the method embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3 above, and for the sake of brevity, no further details will be given here.

[0190] The above describes the network device and terminal device of the embodiments of the present application. The following describes possible product forms of the network device and terminal device. It should be understood that any product that possesses the functions of the network device or terminal device described in FIG. 4 above falls within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. It should also be understood that the following description is merely illustrative and does not limit the product forms of the communication devices of the embodiments of the present application to these examples.

[0191] In one possible implementation, the communication device shown in Figure 4 may further include a processing unit, which may be one or more processors. The transceiver unit 20 and the processing unit 10 may be integrated into a single device, such as a transceiver, or the transceiver unit 20 may be a transmitter and the processing unit 10 may be a receiver. In the embodiments of the present application, the processor and the transceiver may be coupled, etc., and the connection method between the processor and the transceiver is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. During the execution of the above-mentioned method, the process of sending information in the above-mentioned method can be understood as the process of the processor outputting the above-mentioned information. When outputting the above-mentioned information, the processor outputs the above-mentioned information to the transceiver for transmission by the transceiver. After being output by the processor, the above-mentioned information may require further processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above-mentioned method can be understood as the process of the processor receiving the above-mentioned information. When the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the above-mentioned information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the above-mentioned information, the above-mentioned information may require further processing before being input into the processor.

[0192] Referring to Figure 5, Figure 5 is another structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment, and reference can be made to the description in the above method embodiment. The communication device can be a network device, or a terminal device, or a chip therein. Exemplarily, the communication device includes one or more processors 1001 and a transceiver 1002. The communication device may further include a memory 1003. In one implementation, the communication device also includes an input and output device (not shown in Figure 5).

[0193] Processor 1001 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process software program data. Memory 1003 is primarily used to store software programs and data. Transceiver 1002 may include control circuitry and an antenna. The control circuitry is primarily used to convert baseband signals into radio frequency signals and process radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as a touch screen, display, and keyboard, are primarily used to receive user input and output data to the user.

[0194] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1001 can read the software program in the memory 1003, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor 1001 performs baseband processing on the data to be sent and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal to the outside in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1001. The processor 1001 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0195] In another implementation, the RF circuit and antenna may be provided independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the RF circuit and antenna may be remotely arranged independent of the communication device.

[0196] The processor 1001 , the transceiver 1002 , and the memory 1003 may be connected via a communication bus.

[0197] Exemplarily, when the communication device is used to execute the steps, methods, or functions performed by the terminal device in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 above, the processor 1001 can be used to execute step S202 in FIG. 2 , the transceiver 1002 can be used to execute steps S203 and S204 in FIG. 2 , and / or other processes for the technology described herein.

[0198] Exemplarily, when the communication device is used to execute the steps, methods, or functions performed by the network device in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 above, the transceiver 1002 can be used to execute steps S201, S205, and S206 in FIG. 2, and / or other processes for the technology described herein.

[0199] In any of the above implementations, the processor 1001 may include a transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or the transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for transmitting or delivering signals.

[0200] In any of the above implementations, the processor 1001 may store instructions, which may be computer programs. The computer programs, when executed on the processor 1001, may cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The computer programs may be embedded in the processor 1001, in which case the processor 1001 may be implemented by hardware.

[0201] In one implementation, the communication device may include a circuit that can implement the functions of sending, receiving, or communicating in the aforementioned method embodiment. The processor and transceiver described in this application can be implemented in an integrated circuit (IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), a mixed signal IC, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a printed circuit board (PCB), an electronic device, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), N-type metal oxide semiconductor (nMetal-oxide-semiconductor, NMOS), P-channel metal oxide semiconductor (positive channel metal oxide semiconductor, PMOS), bipolar junction transistor (bipolar junction transistor, BJT), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0202] It is understood that the communication device shown in the embodiment of the present application may also have more components than those in Figure 5, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. The method performed by the processor and transceiver shown above is only an example. For the specific steps performed by the processor and transceiver, please refer to the description of the method embodiment above.

[0203] In another possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG4 , the processing unit 10 may be one or more logic circuits, and the transceiver unit 20 may be an input / output interface, also referred to as a communication interface, an interface circuit, an interface, etc. Alternatively, the transceiver unit 20 may be a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, the transmitting unit may be an output interface, the receiving unit may be an input interface, and the transmitting unit and the receiving unit may be integrated into one unit, such as an input / output interface.

[0204] Referring to Figure 6, Figure 6 is another structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, the communication device shown in Figure 6 includes a logic circuit 901 and an interface 902. That is, the above-mentioned processing unit can be implemented with a logic circuit 901, and the transceiver unit 20 and the processing unit 10 can be implemented with an interface 902. Among them, the logic circuit 901 can be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit or a system on chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 902 can be a communication interface, an input and output interface, a pin, etc. Exemplarily, Figure 6 is shown as an example of a chip as the above-mentioned communication device, and the chip includes a logic circuit 901 and an interface 902.

[0205] In the embodiment of the present application, the logic circuit and the interface may also be coupled to each other. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific connection method between the logic circuit and the interface.

[0206] Exemplarily, when the communication device is used to execute the steps, methods or functions performed by the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 2 above, the logic circuit 901 is used to measure the signal quality of the first reference signal on the first carrier; the interface 902 is used to send a first message, etc.

[0207] Exemplarily, when the communication device is used to execute the steps, methods, or functions performed by the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 2 above, the logic circuit 901 is used to determine the first reference signal; the interface 902 is used to send the first reference signal, etc.

[0208] In the embodiment of the present application, the description of the first indication information and the second indication information, etc., can be referred to the description of the method embodiment shown in FIG2 above, and will not be described in detail here. It is understood that the specific description of the logic circuit 901 and the interface 902 can also refer to the description of the processing unit, the transceiver unit, and the processing unit shown in FIG5, and will not be repeated here.

[0209] It can be understood that the communication device shown in the embodiment of the present application can implement the method provided in the embodiment of the present application in the form of hardware, or can implement the method provided in the embodiment of the present application in the form of software, etc., and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0210] For the specific implementation of each embodiment shown in FIG6 , reference may also be made to the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0211] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes a network device and a terminal device. The network device and the terminal device can be used to execute the method in any of the aforementioned method embodiments (Figures 2 to 3).

[0212] In addition, the present application also provides a computer program, which is used to implement the operations and / or processing performed by the network device in the method provided by the present application.

[0213] The present application also provides a computer program, which is used to implement the operations and / or processing performed by the terminal device in the method provided by the present application.

[0214] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having computer code stored therein. When the computer code is executed on a computer, the computer executes the operations and / or processing performed by the network device in the method provided by the present application.

[0215] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer code. When the computer code runs on a computer, the computer executes the operations and / or processing performed by the terminal device in the method provided by the present application.

[0216] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer code or computer program. When the computer code or computer program runs on a computer, the operations and / or processing performed by the network device in the method provided by the present application are executed.

[0217] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer code or computer program. When the computer code or computer program is run on a computer, the operations and / or processing performed by the terminal device in the method provided by the present application are executed.

[0218] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, or can be electrical, mechanical or other forms of connection.

[0219] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the technical effects of the solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0220] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0221] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium, including a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned readable storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk, and other media that can store program code.

[0222] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: measuring a signal quality of a first reference signal on a first carrier; Sending a first message on a second carrier based on the signal quality of the first reference signal, where the first message includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate the signal quality of the first reference signal; Sending a second message, where the second message is used to request carrier switching; receiving second indication information, where the second indication information is used to instruct switching the second carrier to a third carrier, where the third carrier has a different frequency band from the second carrier, and the third carrier is used to send the first message; A third message is received on the third carrier, where the third message is used to indicate beam switching or updating. The third message is sent when the network device receives the first message N times, where N is a positive integer.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first carrier and the second carrier have the same frequency band, or the first carrier and the second carrier have different frequency bands.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The third message is sent by the network device when it receives the first message N times within the first time window; the start time of the first time window is the moment when the network device receives the first message for the first time or the sum of the moment when the network device receives the first message for the first time and an offset, and the offset is predefined or configured by the network device.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: Before receiving the third message on the third carrier, sending a fourth message on the second carrier, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the second indication information has been received; After sending the fourth message, performing event triggering configuration with the network device through the third carrier; After receiving the third message, the event triggering configuration is performed with the network device via the second carrier.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The signal quality of the first reference signal satisfies a first condition; The first condition includes at least one of the following: the signal quality is lower than a first threshold, the difference between the signal quality and the last detected signal quality is greater than a second threshold, the rate of decrease of the signal quality in the second time window exceeds a third threshold, and the difference between the rate of decrease of the signal quality in the third time window and the rate of decrease last detected in the third time window is greater than a fourth threshold.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, the fourth threshold, the first time window, and the second time window are configured or predefined by the network device; The first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the fourth threshold are different from thresholds used to discover candidate beams, and there is no correlation between the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the fourth threshold.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first message also includes indication information indicating the first condition.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The signal quality is layer 1 reference signal received power L1-RSRP or layer 1 signal to interference plus noise ratio L1-SINR.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The signal quality is at least one of the following: The signal quality of the demodulation reference signal DMRS associated with the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH, the signal quality of the reference signal included in the transmission configuration indicator TCI state associated with the PDSCH, the signal quality of the DMRS associated with the physical layer downlink control channel PDCCH, the signal quality of the DMRS quasi-co-sited reference signal of the PDCCH, and the signal quality of the reference signal included in the TCI state associated with the control resource set.

10. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first message is one of radio resource control RRC signaling, medium access control layer control unit MAC CE, and uplink control information UCI.

11. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The second indication information is an identifier of the third carrier, and the second indication information is carried in downlink control signaling.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: sending a first reference signal on a first carrier; receiving a first message on a second carrier, where the first message includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a signal quality of the first reference signal; and the first message is sent by a terminal device based on the signal quality of the first reference signal; receiving a second message, where the second message is used to request carrier switching; sending second indication information, where the second indication information is used to instruct switching the second carrier to a third carrier, where the third carrier has a different frequency band from the second carrier, and the third carrier is used to send the first message; When the first message is received N times, a third message is sent on the third carrier, where the third message is used to indicate beam switching or updating, and N is a positive integer.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first carrier and the second carrier have the same frequency band, or the first carrier and the second carrier have different frequency bands.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The third message is sent when the network device receives the first message N times within the first time window; the start time of the first time window is the moment when the network device receives the first message for the first time or the sum of the moment when the network device receives the first message for the first time and an offset, and the offset is predefined or configured by the network device.

15. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a fourth message on the second carrier, where the fourth message is used to indicate that the second indication information has been received; After receiving the fourth message, performing event triggering configuration with the terminal device through the third carrier; After sending the third message, the event triggering configuration is performed with the terminal device via the second carrier.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The signal quality of the first reference signal satisfies a first condition; The first condition includes at least one of the following: the signal quality is lower than a first threshold, the difference between the signal quality and the last detected signal quality is greater than a second threshold, the rate of decrease of the signal quality in the second time window exceeds a third threshold, and the difference between the rate of decrease of the signal quality in the third time window and the rate of decrease last detected in the third time window is greater than a fourth threshold.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, the fourth threshold, the first time window, and the second time window are configured or predefined by the network device; The first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the fourth threshold are different from thresholds used to discover candidate beams, and there is no correlation between the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and the fourth threshold.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The first message also includes indication information indicating the first condition.

19. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The signal quality is layer 1 reference signal received power L1-RSRP or layer 1 signal to interference plus noise ratio L1-SINR.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein The signal quality is at least one of the following: The signal quality of the demodulation reference signal DMRS associated with the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH, the signal quality of the reference signal included in the transmission configuration indicator TCI state associated with the PDSCH, the signal quality of the DMRS associated with the physical layer downlink control channel PDCCH, the signal quality of the DMRS quasi-co-sited reference signal of the PDCCH, and the signal quality of the reference signal included in the TCI state associated with the control resource set.

21. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The first message is one of radio resource control RRC signaling, medium access control layer control unit MAC CE, and uplink control information UCI.

22. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The second indication information is an identifier of the third carrier, and the second indication information is carried in downlink control signaling.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises modules or units for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 22.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: It includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices, and the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 22 through logic circuits or executing code instructions.

25. A communication system, characterized in that: include: A terminal device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, and a network device for executing the method according to any one of claims 12 to 22.

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