Communication method, apparatus, and system

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and discloses a communication method, an apparatus, and a system. The method comprises: a first network side apparatus receives first identification information which is from a second network side apparatus and is for a terminal side apparatus, the first identification information being associated with a first candidate cell managed by the second network side apparatus; determines second identification information on the basis of the first identification information, the second identification information being different from the first identification information; and sends the second identification information to the terminal side apparatus, the second identification information being used for determining a processing mode associated with the first candidate cell. In this way, a first network device can reallocate identification information associated with a candidate cell, thus preventing conflicts from occurring among identification information allocated by different candidate network devices, so that a terminal can accurately determine, on the basis of the identification information associated with the candidate cell, a processing mode associated with the candidate cell, facilitating the terminal switching to the candidate cell.

Description

Communication method, device and system

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on February 8, 2024, with application number 202410177946.9 and application name "A Communication Method, Device and System", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, device, and system. Background Art

[0004] Cell switching is a very important feature in communication systems. It mainly involves the network equipment switching the terminal to a neighboring cell with better signal quality before the signal quality of the serving cell becomes poor, thereby providing lossless or packet loss-free communication services.

[0005] However, how to accurately determine the processing method for candidate cell association, such as whether to perform protocol layer reconstruction when the candidate cell is the target cell for handover, still requires further research. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system for accurately determining a processing method for associating candidate cells, thereby facilitating terminal switching to the candidate cells.

[0007] In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a first network side device, and the first network side device can be a first network device or a component in the first network device (such as a chip or circuit). For example, in this method, the first network side device receives first identification information for a terminal side device from a second network side device, and the first identification information is associated with a first candidate cell managed by the second network side device; based on the first identification information, second identification information is determined, and the second identification information is different from the first identification information; the second identification information is sent to the terminal side device, and the second identification information is used to determine a processing method for associating the first candidate cell; wherein the processing method includes: performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, or not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer; and / or, determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on user equipment UE measurement, or not determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement.

[0008] By adopting the above method, the first network device can determine the second identification information based on the first identification information, and the second identification information is different from the first identification information, that is, the first network device can reallocate the identification information associated with the candidate cell, thereby avoiding conflicts among the identification information allocated by different candidate network devices, so that the terminal can accurately determine the processing method associated with the candidate cell based on the identification information associated with the candidate cell, thereby facilitating the terminal to switch to the candidate cell and avoiding switching failure due to inaccurate processing method associated with the determined candidate cell.

[0009] In one possible design, the first identification information is information determined by the second network side device for determining the processing method.

[0010] In one possible design, the second identification information is different from the first identification information, including: the second identification information and the first identification information have different values; or, the second identification information includes the first identification information and information corresponding to the first candidate cell.

[0011] In this way, the first network device can modify the value of the first identification information to obtain the second identification information, or the first network device can also use the first identification information as part of the second identification information, thereby making the redistribution method more flexible.

[0012] In one possible design, the information corresponding to the first candidate cell includes group identification information corresponding to the first candidate cell, or identification information of the second network device.

[0013] In one possible design, the method also includes: receiving third identification information from a third network side device, wherein the third identification information is associated with a second candidate cell; and determining second identification information based on the first identification information, including: determining the second identification information when the first identification information and the third identification information are the same.

[0014] In this way, the first network device can determine the second identification information when it is determined that the first identification information and the third identification information are the same (ie, a conflict occurs), thereby enabling more targeted reallocation.

[0015] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending a first message to the second network side device, wherein the first message is used to request configuration information of the processing method.

[0016] In one possible design, the reconstruction of the protocol layer includes the reconstruction of the PDCP layer or the reconstruction of the RLC layer; the data recovery of the protocol layer includes the data recovery of the PDCP layer.

[0017] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a terminal side device, and the terminal side device can be a terminal or a component in the terminal (such as a chip or circuit). For example, in this method, the terminal side device receives a second message from a first network side device, and the second message includes first identification information and information corresponding to a first candidate cell managed by the second network side device; based on the first identification information and the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, a processing method associated with the first candidate cell is determined; wherein the first identification information is information determined by the second network side device for determining the processing method; the processing method includes: performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, or not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer; and / or, determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement, or not determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement.

[0018] In one possible design, the information corresponding to the first candidate cell is determined by the first network side device.

[0019] In one possible design, based on the first identification information and the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, a processing method for the association of the first candidate cell is determined, including: when the information corresponding to the source cell is the same as the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, and the identification information associated with the source cell is the same as the first identification information, determining that the processing method for the association of the first candidate cell is not to perform protocol layer reconstruction; when the information corresponding to the source cell is different from the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, or the identification information associated with the source cell is different from the first identification information, determining that the processing method for the association of the first candidate cell is to perform protocol layer reconstruction, or to perform protocol layer data recovery.

[0020] In one possible design, based on the first identification information and the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, a processing method for associating the first candidate cell is determined, including: when the information corresponding to the source cell is the same as the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, and the identification information associated with the source cell is the same as the first identification information, determining that the processing method for associating the first candidate cell is to determine the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement; when the information corresponding to the source cell is different from the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, or the identification information associated with the source cell is different from the first identification information, determining that the processing method for associating the first candidate cell is not to determine the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement.

[0021] In one possible design, the first message also includes identification information associated with the source cell and information corresponding to the source cell.

[0022] In one possible design, the reconstruction of the protocol layer includes the reconstruction of the PDCP layer or the reconstruction of the RLC layer; the data recovery of the protocol layer includes the data recovery of the PDCP layer.

[0023] It can be understood that the communication method provided in the second aspect corresponds to the first aspect, and the beneficial effects of the relevant technical features in the second aspect can be referred to the description of the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0024] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a first network side device, and the first network side device can be a first network device or a component in the first network device (such as a chip or circuit). For example, in this method, the first network side device sends a first message to the second network side device, and the first message is used to request that the first identification information be used as identification information associated with the first candidate cell; and receives a second message from the second network side device, and the second message is used to indicate whether to accept or not accept the first identification information as identification information associated with the first candidate cell, and the identification information associated with the first candidate cell is used to determine a processing method for the association of the first candidate cell; wherein the processing method includes: performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, or not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer; and / or, determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement, or not determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement.

[0025] By adopting the above method, the first network device can send a suggested identification information to the second network device, and the second network device can accept or reject the suggested identification information, thereby eliminating the need for the second network device to determine the identification information itself, thereby avoiding conflicts between identification information allocated by different candidate network devices, and enabling the terminal to accurately determine the processing method associated with the candidate cell based on the identification information associated with the candidate cell, thereby facilitating the terminal to switch to the candidate cell and avoiding switching failure due to inaccurate processing method associated with the determined candidate cell.

[0026] In one possible design, the first message is further used to request that the first identification information be used as identification information associated with a second candidate cell. Alternatively, the method further includes: sending a first message ' to the second network device, the first message ' being used to request that the first identification information be used as identification information associated with the second candidate cell, the first message ' being a different message from the first message.

[0027] In one possible design, the method also includes: receiving topology information from the second network side device, the topology information being used to indicate that the first candidate cell and the second candidate cell correspond to the same DU or the same TRP or the same identification information; and determining the first identification information based on the topology information.

[0028] In this way, the second network device can send the topology information to the first network device, so that the identification information suggested by the first network device is more reasonable.

[0029] In one possible design, the second message is used to indicate that the first identification information is not accepted as identification information associated with the first candidate cell, and the second message includes second identification information, and the second identification information is used to request that the second identification information be used as identification information associated with the first candidate cell.

[0030] In one possible design, the second identification information is identification information that has been accepted by the second network-side device.

[0031] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending a third message to a third network side device, wherein the third message is used to request that third identification information be used as identification information associated with a third candidate cell, and the third identification information is different from the first identification information.

[0032] In one possible design, the reconstruction of the protocol layer includes the reconstruction of the PDCP layer or the reconstruction of the RLC layer; the data recovery of the protocol layer includes the data recovery of the PDCP layer.

[0033] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a second network side device, and the second network side device can be a second network device or a component in the second network device (such as a chip or circuit). For example, in this method, the second network side device receives a first message from the first network side device, and the first message is used to request that the first identification information be used as identification information associated with the first candidate cell; in response to the first message, a second message is sent to the first network side device, and the second message is used to indicate whether to accept or not accept the first identification information as identification information associated with the first candidate cell, and the identification information associated with the first candidate cell is used to determine the processing method of the first candidate cell association; wherein the processing method includes: performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, or not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer; and / or, determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement, or not determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement.

[0034] In one possible design, the first message is also used to request that the first identification information be used as identification information associated with the second candidate cell.

[0035] In one possible design, the method also includes: sending topology information to the first network side device, the topology information being used to indicate that the first candidate cell and the second candidate cell correspond to the same DU or the same TRP or the same identification information, and the topology information being used to determine the first identification information.

[0036] In one possible design, the second message is used to indicate that the first identification information is not accepted as identification information associated with the first candidate cell, and the second message includes second identification information, and the second identification information is used to request that the second identification information be used as identification information associated with the first candidate cell (or, the second message is also used to request that the second identification information be used as identification information associated with the first candidate cell).

[0037] In one possible design, the second identification information is identification information that has been accepted by the second network-side device.

[0038] In one possible design, the reconstruction of the protocol layer includes the reconstruction of the PDCP layer or the reconstruction of the RLC layer; the data recovery of the protocol layer includes the data recovery of the PDCP layer.

[0039] It can be understood that the communication method provided in the fourth aspect corresponds to the third aspect, and the beneficial effects of the relevant technical features in the fourth aspect can be referred to the description of the third aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which has the ability to implement the functions involved in any one of the first to fourth aspects above. For example, the communication device includes modules or units or means corresponding to the operations involved in any one of the first to fourth aspects above. The functions or units or means can be implemented through software, or through hardware, or the corresponding software can be implemented through hardware.

[0041] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit. The communication unit can be used to send and receive signals to enable communication between the communication device and other devices; the processing unit can be used to perform certain internal operations of the communication device. The functions performed by the processing unit and the communication unit can correspond to the operations described in any of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0042] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor, which can be coupled to a memory. The memory can store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of any of the first to fourth aspects. The processor can execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method of any possible design or implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0043] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and a memory, and the memory may store the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions of any of the first to fourth aspects described above. The processor may execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method of any possible design or implementation of the first to fourth aspects described above.

[0044] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit and execute the method in any possible design or implementation of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0045] It can be understood that in the fifth aspect above, the processor can be implemented by hardware or by software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which is implemented by reading the software code stored in the memory. In addition, the above processors can be one or more, and the memories can be one or more. The memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory and the processor can be set separately. In the specific implementation process, the memory can be integrated with the processor on the same chip, or can be set on different chips respectively. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of memory and the setting method of the memory and the processor.

[0046] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes a first network side device and a terminal side device; wherein the first network side device is used to execute the method described in the first aspect above, and the terminal side device is used to execute the method described in the second aspect above.

[0047] Alternatively, the communication system includes a first network side device and a second network side device; wherein the first network side device is used to execute the method described in the third aspect above, and the second network side device is used to execute the method described in the fourth aspect above.

[0048] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer-readable instructions. When a computer reads and executes the computer-readable instructions, the computer executes the method in any possible design of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0049] Exemplarily, a computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, a computer-readable medium can include a non-transitory computer-readable medium, a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0050] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which, when read and executed by a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in any possible design of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0051] In the ninth aspect, the present application provides a chip (or chip system), which includes a processor, and the processor is coupled to a memory, and is used to read and execute a software program stored in the memory to implement the method in any possible design of the first to fourth aspects above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG2A is a schematic diagram of a CU-DU separation architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG2B is a schematic diagram of another CU-DU separation architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of determining a cell's TA based on UE measurement according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG4 is a flow chart of the communication method according to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG5 is a flow chart of the communication method according to the second embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG6 is a possible exemplary block diagram of a device involved in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a network-side device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal-side device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, 4th generation (4G) mobile communication system, such as long term evolution (LTE) system, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, such as new radio (NR) system, and future evolved communication systems, such as sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system.

[0062] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features in the context of systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the figures. Furthermore, combinations of these aspects may also be used.

[0063] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplarily" and "such as" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as an "example" in the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the word "example" is intended to present concepts in a concrete way. In the embodiments of the present application, "of", "corresponding, relevant" and "corresponding" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings to be expressed are consistent.

[0064] The communication system and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0065] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application is first described in detail using the communication system shown in Figure 1 as an example. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes one or more network devices 20, and one or more terminals 30. Among them, the interface between the network device and the terminal can be a Uu interface (or called an air interface), and data can be transmitted between the network device 20 and the terminal 30 through air interface resources. Exemplarily, the terminal can be located within the communication coverage of one or more cells managed by the network device, and the cell providing services to the terminal (i.e., the service cell of the terminal) can be one or more.

[0066] (1) Terminal

[0067] A terminal can be a device that accesses the above-mentioned communication system and has wireless transceiver capabilities. A terminal may also be called user equipment (UE), terminal equipment, user device, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal unit, terminal station, terminal device, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device.

[0068] For example, the terminal in the embodiment of the present application can be a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a drone, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home (such as a game console, a smart TV, a smart speaker, a smart refrigerator, and fitness equipment, etc.), a vehicle-mounted terminal, and an RSU with terminal function.

[0069] (2) Network equipment

[0070] A network device is a device located on the network side of the communication system and has wireless transceiver capabilities. A network device may also be referred to as an access network device, an access network node, a wireless access network device, or a wireless access network node.

[0071] For example, the network device in the embodiment of the present application can be an access point (AP) in a Wi-Fi system, such as a home gateway, a router, a server, a switch, a bridge, etc., a base station, an evolved Node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station, a baseband unit (BBU), a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, etc. It can also be a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB, such as a roadside unit (RSU) with a base station function, or it can also be a satellite or various future forms of base stations.

[0072] (3) Protocol layer structure

[0073] Communication between terminals and network devices follows a specific protocol layer structure. For example, the control plane protocol layer structure may include the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical layer (PHY). The user plane protocol layer structure may include the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the physical layer. In one possible implementation, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer may also be included above the PDCP layer. The SDAP layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and physical layer may also be collectively referred to as the access layer. For detailed descriptions of each of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0074] Taking downlink data transmission as an example, downlink data can be encapsulated accordingly at each layer of a network device. Data received by a layer from the layer above it is considered a service data unit (SDU) of that layer. After layer encapsulation, it becomes a protocol data unit (PDU) and is then passed to the next layer. For example, data received by a PDCP layer entity from the SDAP layer can be called a PDCP SDU. After the PDCP layer entity encapsulates the PDCP SDU, it obtains a PDCP PDU and sends it to the RLC layer. The PDCP PDU received by an RLC layer entity from the PDCP layer can be called an RLC SDU. After the RLC layer entity encapsulates the RLC SDU, it obtains an RLC PDU and sends it to the MAC layer. From the perspective of a terminal, after the terminal's physical layer receives a transport block from the network device, it can pass it from the physical layer to the upper layer in sequence, and each layer can perform the corresponding decapsulation. In other words, the processing performed by each layer in the terminal can be the reverse of the processing performed by each layer in the network device.

[0075] (4) CU-DU separation architecture

[0076] For example, in some possible network structures, a network device may include one or more centralized units (CUs) and one or more distributed units (DUs), and multiple DUs may be centrally controlled by one CU. This architecture may be referred to as a CU-DU separation architecture. As an example, the interface between the CU and the DU may be referred to as an F1 interface, where the control plane (CP) interface may be an F1-C interface and the user plane (UP) interface may be an F1-U interface.

[0077] The processing functions of CU and DU can be divided according to the protocol layers of the wireless network: for example, as shown in Figure 2A, the functions of the PDCP layer and above protocol layers are set in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the RLC layer and the MAC layer, etc.) are set in the DU. It can be understood that the above division of the processing functions of CU and DU according to the protocol layer is only an example, and can also be divided in other ways, such as the functions of the protocol layers above the RLC layer are set in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers of the RLC layer and below are set in the DU. For example, the CU or DU can be divided into functions with more protocol layers, and the CU or DU can also be divided into partial processing functions with protocol layers. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0078] Furthermore, the functions of the CU can be implemented by one entity, or by different entities. For example, the functions of the CU can be further divided, that is, the control plane and the user plane are separated and implemented through different entities, namely the control plane CU entity (i.e., CU-CP entity) and the user plane CU entity (i.e., CU-UP entity). The CU-CP entity and the CU-UP entity can be coupled with the DU to jointly complete the functions of the RAN device. The interface between the CU-CP entity and the CU-UP entity can be an E1 interface, the interface between the CU-CP entity and the DU can be an F1-C interface, and the interface between the CU-UP entity and the DU can be an F1-U interface. Among them, one DU and one CU-UP can be connected to one CU-CP. Under the control of the same CU-CP, one DU can be connected to multiple CU-UPs, one CU-UP can be connected to multiple DUs, and under the collaboration of multiple CU-CPs, one CU-UP can also be connected to multiple cooperating CU-CPs, thereby improving the flexibility of the CU-CP. Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of an air interface protocol stack distribution. As shown in FIG2B , for both the user plane and the control plane, the air interface protocol stack may be RLC, MAC, and PHY in the DU, and PDCP and above protocol layers in the CU.

[0079] It should be noted that: in the architecture shown in Figures 2A and 2B above, the signaling generated by the CU can be sent to the terminal through the DU, or the signaling generated by the terminal can be sent to the CU through the DU. The DU can directly encapsulate the signaling through the protocol layer and transmit it to the terminal or CU without parsing it. In the following embodiments, if the transmission of such signaling between the DU and the terminal is involved, the sending or receiving of the signaling by the DU includes this scenario. For example, the signaling of the RRC or PDCP layer will eventually be processed into physical layer data and sent to the terminal, or converted from the received physical layer data. Under this architecture, the signaling of the RRC layer or PDCP layer can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or sent by the DU and the radio frequency device.

[0080] It can be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of network devices and the number of terminals included in the communication system. In addition, in addition to network devices and terminals, the above-mentioned communication system may also include other devices or network elements, such as core network devices, relay devices, etc., which are not limited by the embodiments of the present application.

[0081] The following first explains the relevant terms involved in the embodiments of this application. When not specifically explained, these explanations are intended to support the meaning of the relevant terms and make the embodiments of this application easier to understand, and should not be regarded as strict limitations on the relevant terms in the scope of protection claimed by this application.

[0082] (1) Cell switching

[0083] Cell switching (switch or handover) can be divided into two types, one of which is cell switching based on layer 1 / layer 2, which can be called layer 1 / layer 2 switching or layer 1 / layer 2 triggered mobility (L1 / L2 triggered mobility, LTM) switching, and the other is cell switching based on layer 3, which can be called layer 3 switching (L3 handover) or ordinary switching. Among them, layer 1 can refer to the physical layer, layer 2 can refer to any layer or multiple layers of the PDCP layer, RLC layer, and MAC layer, and layer 3 can refer to the RRC layer. Since layer 1 / layer 2 is located at a lower level of the protocol stack than the RRC layer (layer 3), layer 1 / layer 2 switching can also be called low-layer switching, or bottom layer switching, or lower layer switching. This application does not limit the name of the specific switching technology. In the embodiment of this application, LTM switching will be described as an example.

[0084] (2) Cell switching scenarios

[0085] When a terminal switches between different cells, there may be multiple specific switching scenarios, such as scenario 1 and scenario 2.

[0086] Scenario 1: A terminal switches from a cell on network device 1 to a cell on network device 2. In this scenario, network device 1 is called the source network device, and network device 2 is called the target network device. In other words, the source and target cells of the terminal belong to different network devices. The cell handover associated with Scenario 1 is called an inter-gNB handover.

[0087] For example, when a CU-DU separation architecture is adopted (for example, a network device includes one CU and multiple DUs, the multiple DUs are centrally controlled by one CU, and each of the multiple DUs may include one or more cells), network device 1 includes CU1 and DU1, and network device 2 includes CU2 and DU2. The above scenario 1 can also be described as: the terminal switches from a cell of DU1 controlled by CU1 to a cell of DU2 controlled by CU2, that is, the source cell and target cell of the terminal belong to different CUs. Therefore, cross-site switching can also be understood as inter-CU switching.

[0088] Scenario 2: A terminal switches from one cell of a network device to another cell of the same network device. In other words, the source and target cells of the terminal belong to the same network device. The cell handover associated with Scenario 2 is known as an intra-gNB handover.

[0089] Exemplarily, when a CU-DU separation architecture is adopted (for example, the network device includes a CU, a DU1 controlled by the CU, and a DU2 controlled by the CU), the above scenario 2 can also be referred to as intra-CU switching. For example, intra-CU switching includes intra-DU switching and inter-DU switching. Intra-DU switching refers to the terminal switching from a cell of a DU controlled by the CU to another cell of the DU, that is, the source cell and the target cell of the terminal belong to the same DU; inter-DU switching refers to the terminal switching from a cell of DU1 controlled by the CU to a cell of DU2 controlled by the CU, that is, the source cell and the target cell of the terminal belong to different DUs controlled by the same CU.

[0090] (3) Reconstruction of the protocol layer

[0091] In the embodiment of the present application, the reconstruction of the protocol layer may refer to the reconstruction of layer 2 or the reset of layer 2 (L2 reset).

[0092] In one example, the reconstruction of the protocol layer is the reconstruction of the PDCP layer. The reconstruction of the PDCP layer includes data retransmission and key update of the PDCP layer. For example, after the terminal switches from the source network device to the target network device, if the uplink data sent by the terminal to the source network device has not been sent successfully, the PDCP layer of the terminal will trigger the reconstruction, that is, after the switch, this part of the uplink data will be retransmitted on the target network device using the updated key to ensure lossless transmission of this part of the uplink data. Similarly, for downlink data: if the downlink data sent by the source network device to the terminal has not been sent successfully, then after the terminal switches, this part of the downlink data will be retransmitted on the target network device using the updated key to ensure lossless transmission of this part of the data.

[0093] In addition, not performing the PDCP layer reconstruction can be understood as the PDCP layer being maintained, that is, the variables of the PDCP layer (for example, the sequence number (SN) variable of the sending or receiving window) remain unchanged, and the functions of the PDCP layer continue to operate.

[0094] In another example, the protocol layer reestablishment may also be an RLC layer reestablishment, wherein the RLC layer reestablishment may include discarding an RLC SDU, a segment of an SDU, or an RLC PDU, and / or stopping and resetting an RLC layer timer, such as a reassembly timer for a segment.

[0095] In addition, the RLC layer re-establishment is not performed, which can be understood as the RLC layer being maintained, that is, the variables of the RLC layer remain unchanged, and the functions of the RLC layer continue to operate.

[0096] (4) Data recovery at the protocol layer

[0097] In the embodiment of the present application, data recovery at the protocol layer may refer to data recovery at the PDCP layer, and data recovery at the PDCP layer may also be referred to as data retransmission at the PDCP layer.

[0098] For example, after a terminal switches from a source network device to a target network device, if the uplink data sent by the terminal to the source network device has not been successfully sent, the terminal's PDCP layer entity needs to trigger retransmission, that is, retransmit this part of the uplink data to ensure lossless transmission of this part of the uplink data. In this scenario, the key does not need to be updated. Similarly, for downlink data: if the downlink data sent by the source network device to the terminal has not been successfully sent, this part of the downlink data will be retransmitted to ensure lossless transmission of this part of the downlink data.

[0099] (5) Timing ahead

[0100] Timing advance (TA) is used for uplink synchronization between the terminal and network equipment. TA can be a cell-level parameter, with each cell having a corresponding TA. For example, a terminal can use the TA of cell A to send uplink data on cell A.

[0101] One possible way for the terminal to obtain the TA of cell A is to determine the TA of cell A based on UE (or terminal) measurements. Specifically, the terminal can determine the downlink timing of cell A by measuring the downlink reference signal of cell A, and determine the downlink timing of cell B by measuring the downlink reference signal of cell B. Furthermore, the terminal can determine the TA of cell A or cell B based on the downlink timing difference between cell A and cell B.

[0102] Taking cell A as the candidate cell, if the downlink time slot boundaries of cell A and cell B (cell B is the serving cell or source cell of the terminal) are synchronized, as shown in Figure 3, then the TA of cell A can be determined based on the downlink timing difference by the following formula 1: TA_targetcell = TA_sourcecell + 2*(Tnew - Told) ... Formula 1

[0103] Among them, TA_targetcell represents the TA of cell A, TA_sourcecell represents the TA of cell B, Tnew-Told is the downlink timing difference between cell A and cell B, Tnew is the downlink timing of cell A, and Told is the downlink timing of cell B.

[0104] The above formula 1 can also be transformed into: TA_targetcell=TA_sourcecell-2*(Told-Tnew)

[0105] If the downlink time slot boundaries of cell A and cell B are not synchronized, the TA of cell A can be determined based on the downlink timing difference by using the following formula 2: TA_targetcell=TA_sourcecell+2*(Tnew-Told)+offset...Formula 2

[0106] Here, offset represents the downlink time slot boundary deviation between cell A and cell B.

[0107] In addition, whether the downlink time slot boundaries of cell A and cell B are synchronized, and the downlink time slot boundary deviation between cell A and cell B may be indicated to the terminal by the network device, and the specific implementation is not limited.

[0108] It can be understood that not determining the TA of cell A based on UE measurement may mean that the terminal does not use this method to determine the TA of cell A. In this case, the terminal may optionally use other methods to determine the TA of cell A, such as the terminal obtaining the TA of cell A by initiating random access, which is not specifically limited.

[0109] (6) Processing method of candidate cell association

[0110] The processing method of the candidate cell association of the terminal may include: performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, or not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer; and / or, determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on user equipment UE measurement, or not determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement.

[0111] For example, when the terminal's candidate cell and the serving cell (or source cell) correspond to the same DU, the candidate cell association processing method includes not performing protocol layer reconstruction. When the terminal's candidate cell and the source cell correspond to different DUs, the candidate cell association processing method includes performing protocol layer reconstruction or performing protocol layer data recovery.

[0112] For another example, when the candidate cell and the source cell of the terminal correspond to the same transmission and reception point (TRP) (or the same antenna), the processing method of candidate cell association includes determining the TA of the candidate cell based on UE measurement; when the candidate cell and the source cell correspond to different TRPs (or different antennas), the processing method of candidate cell association includes determining the TA of the candidate cell not based on UE measurement.

[0113] In the above-mentioned switching scenario 2 (i.e., intra-CU switching), multiple candidate cells of the terminal correspond to the same CU. The CU can allocate identification information to the multiple candidate cells based on the topological structure (such as the relationship between the multiple candidate cells) and send it to the terminal. For example, the multiple candidate cells include cell A and cell B. After the terminal switches to cell B, the terminal can determine the processing method of cell A association based on the identification information associated with cell B (i.e., the source cell) and the identification information associated with cell A (i.e., the candidate cell). For example, if the terminal determines that the identification information associated with cell B is the same as the identification information associated with cell A, then the processing method of determining the association with cell A includes: not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, and / or determining the TA of the candidate cell based on UE measurement; if the terminal determines that the identification information associated with cell B is different from the identification information associated with cell A, then the processing method of determining the association with cell A includes: performing reconstruction of the protocol layer or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, and / or not determining the TA of the candidate cell based on UE measurement.

[0114] For example, if the CU determines that cell A and cell B correspond to the same DU, the same identification information is assigned to cell A and cell B. The identification information can be called a layer 2 no-reset identifier (L2 NO reset ID) and is sent to the terminal. Accordingly, after the terminal switches to cell B, the terminal determines that the processing method associated with cell A includes not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer based on the L2 NO reset ID associated with cell A and the L2 NO reset ID associated with cell B.

[0115] To give another example, if the CU determines that cell A and cell B correspond to the same TRP, the same identification information is assigned to cell A and cell B. The identification information can be called UE measurement ID and is sent to the terminal; accordingly, after the terminal switches to cell B, the terminal determines the processing method of cell A association based on the UE measurement ID associated with cell B and the UE measurement ID associated with cell A, including determining the TA of the candidate cell based on the UE measurement.

[0116] However, in the above-mentioned switching scenario 1 (i.e., inter-CU switching), the terminal's multiple candidate cells correspond to multiple CUs. For example, the terminal's multiple candidate cells include cells A to cell G, where cells A to cell D correspond to CU1, and cells E to cell G correspond to CU2. Then, CU1 allocates identification information to cells A to cell D based on the relationship between each cell in cells A to cell D, and CU2 allocates identification information to cells E to cell G based on the relationship between each cell in cells E to cell G. Since different CUs allocate identification information to candidate cells based on their respective topological structures, different CUs are not aware of each other's topological structures, which may cause conflicts in identification information allocated by different CUs. For example, the L2 NO reset ID allocated by CU1 to cell A is the same as the L2 NO reset ID allocated by CU2 to cell E, but cells A and cell E correspond to different DUs of different CUs, which will cause the terminal to determine the unreasonable or inaccurate processing method of cell A association based on the L2 NO reset ID associated with cell E (i.e., the source cell) and the L2 NO reset ID associated with cell A, thereby affecting the terminal's switching to cell A.

[0117] Based on this, in the embodiment of the present application, the relevant implementation in the cross-CU switching scenario (or cross-station switching scenario) will be studied. For example, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication method for accurately determining the processing method of the candidate cell association to facilitate the terminal to switch to the candidate cell. The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application involves a terminal side device and at least one network side device (such as a first network side device, a second network side device and a third network side device), wherein the "terminal side device" can be a terminal, or it can also be a component in the terminal, such as a chip or chip system provided in the terminal; the "network side device" can be a network device, or it can also be a component in the network device, such as a chip or chip system provided in the network device. The network device can be an access network node, or the network device is a CU of the access network node, or the network device includes a CU of the access network node and a DU of the access network node. In the embodiment of the present application, "the terminal side device is a terminal, the network side device is a network device (that is, the first network side device is a first network device, the second network side device is a second network device, and the third network side device is a third network device)" will be described as an example.

[0118] For example, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes two possible schemes (Scheme 1 and Scheme 2). These two schemes are briefly introduced here. The introduction here is only to make the embodiment of the present application easier to understand, and should not be regarded as a strict limitation of the technical features in the scope of protection required by this application, that is, not all of the technical features introduced here are necessary technical features.

[0119] Solution 1: After receiving the identification information associated with the candidate cell assigned by the candidate network device (such as identification information 1), the first network device (the initial source network device) can determine identification information 1' based on identification information 1. Identification information 1' is different from identification information 1, that is, the first network device can reallocate the identification information associated with the candidate cell.

[0120] Solution 2: The first network device (the initial source network device) sends a suggested identification information to the candidate network device. The candidate network device may accept the identification information as the identification information associated with the candidate cell, or may not accept the identification information as the identification information associated with the candidate cell. If the candidate network device does not accept the identification information as the identification information associated with the candidate cell, it may select an already accepted identification information as the identification information associated with the candidate cell.

[0121] Adopting the above-mentioned solution 1 or solution 2 can avoid the conflict of identification information allocated by different candidate network devices, so that the terminal can accurately determine the processing method of candidate cell association based on the identification information associated with the candidate cell.

[0122] The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in combination with Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2.

[0123] Example 1

[0124] In the first embodiment, the first solution will be described.

[0125] FIG4 is a flow chart of the communication method according to the first embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , the flow may include:

[0126] S401, the second network device sends identification information 1 for the terminal to the first network device, where the identification information 1 is associated with cell 1 managed by the second network device; accordingly, the first network device receives the identification information 1 for the terminal from the second network device.

[0127] Exemplarily, the first network device is the initial source network device for the terminal. The initial source network device determines to initiate LTM configuration based on the measurement results reported by the terminal. For example, the first network device determines cell 1, cell 2, cell 3, cell 4, and cell 5 as candidate cells for the terminal. Cells 1 and 2 are managed by the second network device, cells 3 and 4 are managed by the third network device, and cell 5 is managed by the first network device. Cell 5 can be the current serving cell (i.e., source cell) of the terminal.

[0128] For cell 1: the first network device sends message 1 (hereinafter referred to as request message 1) to the second network device, request message 1 is used to request the LTM configuration of cell 1, request message 1 includes LTM indication information and the cell global identifier (CGI) of cell 1, and request message 1 can be a handover request message. Optionally, request message 1 is also used to request configuration information of the processing method associated with cell 1, for example, request message 1 includes information a and / or information b, information a is used to request configuration information of L2 NO reset, and information b is used to request configuration information of UE measurement of TA; for example, request message 1 includes information c, and information c is used to request configuration information of L2 NO reset and configuration information of UE measurement of TA.

[0129] Correspondingly, after the second network device receives the request message 1, if it accepts cell 1 as the candidate cell of the terminal, it determines (or generates) identification information 1 and sends a response message 1 to the first network device. The response message 1 includes the LTM configuration of cell 1 and identification information 1. Optionally, the response message 1 may also include other possible information, which is not specifically limited. Among them, the identification information 1 is used to determine the processing method associated with cell 1, that is, the identification information 1 is used by the terminal to determine whether to perform protocol layer reconstruction when the target cell is cell 1, and / or, for the terminal to determine whether to determine the TA of cell 1 based on UE measurement. For example, the identification information 1 is L2 NO reset ID and / or UE measurement ID. The LTM configuration of cell 1 includes the transmission configuration indication (TCI) status configuration, the cell group configuration (such as the group identification information corresponding to cell 1), and may also include other possible configurations, which are not specifically limited.

[0130] In addition, after receiving the request message 1, if the second network device does not accept cell 1 as a candidate cell for the terminal, it is not necessary to determine the identification information 1, nor is it necessary to send the LTM configuration of cell 1 to the first network device. The embodiment of the present application is described using "the first network device accepts cell 1 as a candidate cell" as an example.

[0131] For cell 2: The first network device sends a request message 2 to the second network device. Request message 2 is used to request the LTM configuration of cell 2. Request message 2 can refer to the description of request message 1 above. Correspondingly, after receiving request message 2, if the second network device accepts cell 2 as a candidate cell for the terminal, it determines identification information 2, associates identification information 2 with cell 2, and sends a response message 2 to the first network device. Response message 2 includes the LTM configuration of cell 2 and identification information 2. Response message 2 can refer to the description of response message 1 above.

[0132] The identification information 2 may be the same as or different from the identification information 1. For example, if the second network device determines, based on the topology information of the second network device, that cell 1 and cell 2 correspond to the same DU or the same TRP, the identification information 2 determined is the same as the identification information 1; if the second network device determines that cell 1 and cell 2 correspond to different DUs or different TRPs, the identification information 2 determined is different from the identification information 1.

[0133] It can be understood that the above-mentioned request message 1 and request message 2 can be different messages, or they can be the same message, that is, the first network device can request the LTM configuration of cell 1 and cell 2 from the second network device through one message. Other similarities can be understood by reference.

[0134] For cell 3: The first network device sends a request message 3 to the third network device. Request message 3 is used to request the LTM configuration of cell 3. Request message 3 can refer to the description of request message 1 above. Correspondingly, after receiving request message 3, if the third network device accepts cell 3 as a candidate cell for the terminal, it determines identification information 3, associates identification information 3 with cell 3, and sends a response message 3 to the first network device. Response message 3 includes the LTM configuration of cell 3 and identification information 3. Response message 3 can refer to the description of response message 1 above.

[0135] Regarding cell 4: The first network device sends a request message 4 to the third network device. Request message 4 is used to request the LTM configuration for cell 4. Request message 4 can refer to the description of request message 1 above. Accordingly, after receiving request message 4, if the third network device accepts cell 4 as a candidate cell for the terminal, it determines identification information 4, associates identification information 4 with cell 4, and sends a response message 4 to the first network device. Response message 4 includes the LTM configuration for cell 4 and identification information 4. Response message 4 can refer to the description of response message 1 above.

[0136] The identification information 4 and the identification information 4 may be the same or different. For example, if the third network device determines, based on the topology information of the third network device, that cell 3 and cell 4 correspond to the same DU or the same TRP, the identification information 4 determined is the same as the identification information 3; if the third network device determines that cell 3 and cell 4 correspond to different DUs or different TRPs, the identification information 4 determined is different from the identification information 3.

[0137] For cell 5 : the first network device determines the LTM configuration and identification information 5 of cell 5 , where the identification information 5 is associated with cell 5 .

[0138] It is understandable that the functions of the identification information 2 to 5 can refer to the description of identification information 1. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of candidate cells of the terminal, and the above description is based on 5 candidate cells as an example.

[0139] S402 : Based on identification information 1 , the first network device determines identification information 1 ′, where identification information 1 ′ is different from identification information 1 .

[0140] Here, two possible implementations are described in combination with Implementation 1 and Implementation 2.

[0141] (1) Implementation method 1

[0142] In implementation manner 1, identification information 1' is different from identification information 1, which may mean that identification information 1' and identification information 1 have different values. That is, the first network device modifies identification information 1 to obtain identification information 1'. In this case, identification information 1' and identification information 1 are different values ​​of the same parameter, such as identification information 1' and identification information 1 are different values ​​of the L2 NO reset ID associated with cell 1, or identification information 1' and identification information 1 are different values ​​of the UE measurement ID associated with cell 1.

[0143] Exemplarily, if the first network device determines that identification information 1 is used by other candidate network devices other than the second network device, for example, identification information 1 is the same as identification information sent by other candidate network devices other than the second network device (such as identification information 3, or identification information 4, or identification information 5), then identification information 1 is modified to obtain identification information 1'. For example, if identification information 1 is the same as identification information 3, then the first network device modifies identification information 1 to obtain identification information 1' without modifying identification information 3; or, the first network device modifies identification information 3 to obtain identification information 3' without modifying identification information 1. In addition, if the first network device determines that identification information 1 is not used by other candidate network devices other than the second network device, for example, identification information 1 is different from identification information sent by other candidate network devices other than the second network device, then identification information 1 is not modified.

[0144] The above description is based on identification information 1 as an example. Other identification information (such as identification information 2 to identification information 5) can refer to the description of identification information 1. The following description of the embodiment of the present application is based on the example of "the first network device modifies identification information 1 to obtain identification information 1', modifies identification information 2 to obtain identification information 2', modifies identification information 3 to obtain identification information 3', and does not modify identification information 4 and identification information 5".

[0145] (2) Implementation method 2

[0146] In implementation method 1, identification information 1' is different from identification information 1, which may mean that identification information 1' includes identification information 1 and information corresponding to cell 1; that is, identification information 1' includes two parts, one part of which is identification information 1, and the other part is information corresponding to cell 1. The information corresponding to cell 1 is used to indicate the cell group in which cell 1 is located, or to indicate the first network device. For example, the information corresponding to cell 1 may include group identification information corresponding to cell 1, or identification information of the second network device (such as Node ID), or other possible information. For example, the information corresponding to cell 1 is newly defined information, which is determined (or generated) by the first network device. In this case, part of the identification information 1' (such as identification information 1) is determined by the second network device, and the other part (such as information corresponding to cell 1) is determined by the first network device.

[0147] For example, if the first network device determines that identification information 1 is used by a candidate network device other than the second network device, the first network device determines identification information 1' based on identification information 1. Alternatively, the first network device directly determines identification information 1' based on identification information 1, without determining whether identification information 1 is used by a candidate network device other than the second network device. This embodiment of the present application is described using the example of the first network device directly determining identification information 1' based on identification information 1.

[0148] The above description uses identification information 1 as an example. Other identification information (such as identification information 2 to identification information 5) can refer to the description of identification information 1. For example, the first network device determines identification information 2' (including information corresponding to identification information 2 and cell 2), identification information 3' (including information corresponding to identification information 3 and cell 3), identification information 4' (including information corresponding to identification information 4 and cell 4), and identification information 5' (including information corresponding to identification information 5 and cell 5).

[0149] S403 , the first network device sends a message 2 to the terminal, where the message 2 includes identification information 1 ′; accordingly, the terminal receives the message 2 .

[0150] Exemplarily, message 2 may be an RRC message, such as an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0151] For the above implementation method 1: the RRC reconfiguration message includes identification information 1', identification information 2', identification information 3', identification information 4, and identification information 5. Among them, identification information 1' is associated with cell 1, identification information 2' is associated with cell 2, identification information 3' is associated with cell 3, identification information 4 is associated with cell 4, and identification information 5 is associated with cell 5.

[0152] For the above implementation method 2: the RRC reconfiguration message includes identification information 1', identification information 2', identification information 3', identification information 4', and identification information 5'. Among them, identification information 1' is associated with cell 1, identification information 2' is associated with cell 2, identification information 3' is associated with cell 3, identification information 4' is associated with cell 4, and identification information 5' is associated with cell 5.

[0153] Optionally, the RRC reconfiguration message also includes the LTM configuration of cell 1, the LTM configuration of cell 2, the LTM configuration of cell 3, the LTM configuration of cell 4 and the LTM configuration of cell 5, and may also include other possible information, which is not specifically limited.

[0154] In addition, after receiving the RRC reconfiguration message, the terminal may send an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the first network device.

[0155] S404: The terminal determines a processing method associated with cell 1 according to identification information 1'.

[0156] Exemplarily, the terminal sends a measurement report of cell 1 to the first network device. In response to the measurement report, the first network device sends a handover command message (referred to as handover command message 1) to the terminal. Handover command message 1 is used to instruct the terminal to switch to cell 1. Optionally, the first network device also sends a cell switch notification message to the second network device. The cell switch notification message includes an identifier of the target cell (i.e., cell 1). The cell switch notification message is used to indicate that the handover command message has been sent to the terminal. The handover command message can be a MAC control element (CE).

[0157] After receiving the handover command message 1, the terminal determines the processing method associated with cell 1 based on the identification information 1', performs processing corresponding to the processing method, and then switches to cell 1 (referred to as the first handover), and communicates with the second network device based on the LTM configuration of cell 1. It is understandable that in other examples, the terminal may also determine the processing method associated with cell 1 based on the identification information 1' before receiving the handover command message 1. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific timing when the terminal determines the processing method associated with cell 1.

[0158] The following describes the implementation of "the terminal determining the processing method associated with cell 1 according to identification information 1'".

[0159] Regarding the above implementation mode 1: the terminal determines the processing mode associated with cell 1 according to the identification information associated with the source cell (such as identification information 5 associated with cell 5) and identification information 1'.

[0160] For example, when the identification information associated with the source cell is the same as identification information 1', the processing method for determining the association with cell 1 is not to perform reconstruction of the protocol layer; when the identification information associated with the source cell is different from identification information 1', the processing method for determining the association with cell 1 is to perform reconstruction of the protocol layer, or to perform data recovery of the protocol layer. And / or, when the identification information associated with the source cell is the same as identification information 1', the processing method for determining the association with cell 1 is to determine the TA of cell 1 based on UE measurement; when the identification information associated with the source cell is different from identification information 1', the processing method for determining the association with cell 1 is not to determine the TA of cell 1 based on UE measurement.

[0161] Regarding the above implementation mode 2: the terminal determines the processing mode associated with cell 1 according to the identification information associated with the source cell (such as identification information 5 associated with cell 5), information corresponding to the source cell (such as information corresponding to cell 5) and identification information 1'.

[0162] For example, when the information corresponding to the source cell is the same as the information corresponding to cell 1, and the identification information associated with the source cell is the same as identification information 1, the processing method for determining the association with cell 1 is not to perform reconstruction of the protocol layer; when the information corresponding to the source cell is different from the information corresponding to cell 1, or the identification information associated with the source cell is different from identification information 1, the processing method for determining the association with cell 1 is to perform reconstruction of the protocol layer, or to perform data recovery of the protocol layer. And / or, when the information corresponding to the source cell is the same as the information corresponding to cell 1, and the identification information associated with the source cell is the same as identification information 1, the processing method for determining the association with cell 1 is to determine the TA of cell 1 based on UE measurement; when the information corresponding to the source cell is different from the information corresponding to cell 1, or the identification information associated with the source cell is different from identification information 1, the processing method for determining the association with cell 1 is not to determine the TA of cell 1 based on UE measurement.

[0163] Optionally, after the terminal switches to cell 1 according to handover command message 1, it can determine a processing method for cell 3 association based on identification information 3' (i.e., identification information associated with cell 3 previously received through an RRC reconfiguration message). For example, the terminal sends a measurement report of cell 3 to the second network device. In response to the measurement report, the second network device sends a handover command message 2 to the terminal. Handover command message 2 is used to instruct the terminal to switch to cell 3. Optionally, the second network device also sends a cell switch notification message to the third network device. The cell switch notification message includes an identifier of the target cell (i.e., cell 3). The cell switch notification message is used to indicate that the handover command message has been sent to the terminal.

[0164] After receiving handover command message 2, the terminal determines the processing mode associated with cell 3 based on identification information 3', performs processing corresponding to the processing mode, and then switches to cell 3 (referred to as the second handover), communicating with the second network device based on the LTM configuration of cell 3. For example, the terminal determines the processing mode associated with cell 3 based on identification information associated with the source cell (such as identification information 1' associated with cell 1) and identification information 3'.

[0165] In the embodiment of the present application, after the terminal performs the second switching, it may continue to perform the third switching, the fourth switching, etc. The specific implementation of the subsequent switching can refer to the description of the first switching.

[0166] It can be understood that "cell 1" in the above embodiment 1 can be replaced by "first candidate cell", "identification information 1" can be replaced by "first identification information", "identification information 1'" can be replaced by "second identification information", message 1 can also be replaced by "first message" (the first message is used to request configuration information of the processing method), and message 2 can also be replaced by "second message" (the second message includes the first identification information and information corresponding to the first candidate cell).

[0167] By adopting the above method, in the cross-CU switching scenario, the conflict of identification information assigned by different candidate network devices can be avoided, so that the terminal can accurately determine the processing method associated with the candidate cell based on the identification information associated with the candidate cell, which facilitates the terminal to switch to the candidate cell and avoids switching failure due to inaccurate processing method associated with the determined candidate cell.

[0168] Example 2

[0169] In the second embodiment, the second solution will be described.

[0170] FIG5 is a flow chart of the communication method provided in the second embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG5 , the flow may include:

[0171] S501 : A first network device sends a message 3 to a second network device, where the message 3 is used to request that identification information 1 be used as identification information associated with cell 1 ; accordingly, the second network device receives the message 3 .

[0172] S502 , in response to message 3 , the second network device sends message 4 to the first network device; correspondingly, the first network device receives message 4 .

[0173] Exemplarily, the first network device is the initial source network device of the terminal, and the initial source network device determines to initiate LTM configuration based on the measurement results reported by the terminal. For example, the first network device determines cell 1, cell 2, cell 3, cell 4, and cell 5 as candidate cells for the terminal. Cells 1 and 2 are cells managed by the second network device, and cells 3 and 4 are cells managed by the third network device. Furthermore, the first network device can assign a recommended identification information to each candidate cell, for example, the identification information assigned by the first network device to cell 1 is identification information 1, the identification information assigned to cell 2 is identification information 2, the identification information assigned to cell 3 is identification information 3, and the identification information assigned to cell 4 is identification information 4.

[0174] (1) Taking cell 1 as an example, the interaction between the first network device and the second network device is described.

[0175] The first network device sends a message 3 (hereinafter referred to as request message 1) to the second network device. Request message 1 includes identification information 1. Request message 1 is used to request (or suggest) that identification information 1 be used as identification information associated with cell 1. Optionally, request message 1 is also used to request LTM configuration for cell 1. Request message 1 includes LTM indication information and the CGI of cell 1. Request message 1 may be a handover request message.

[0176] Accordingly, after receiving request message 1, if the second network device accepts identification information 1 as identification information associated with cell 1, it sends message 4 (hereinafter referred to as response message 1a) to the first network device. Response message 1a is used to indicate acceptance of identification information 1 as identification information associated with cell 1. Response message 1 may include identification information 1 and the LTM configuration of cell 1. The identification information associated with cell 1 is used to determine the processing method for the association of cell 1.

[0177] Alternatively, if the second network device does not accept identification information 1 as identification information associated with cell 1, it sends a response message 1b to the first network device, where the response message 1b is used to indicate that cell 1 is rejected as a candidate cell for the terminal, i.e., the response message 1b does not include the LTM configuration of cell 1.

[0178] Alternatively, if the second network device does not accept identification information 1 as identification information associated with cell 1, it sends a response message 1c to the first network device. Response message 1c is used to indicate that identification information 1 is not accepted as identification information associated with cell 1. Response message 1c is also used to request that identification information a be used as identification information associated with cell 1. Accordingly, after receiving response message 1c, the first network device may send a request message 1' (i.e., a handover request message) to the second network device. Request message 1' includes identification information a and is used to request that identification information a be used as identification information associated with cell 1. After receiving request message 1', the second network device sends a response message 1' to the first network device. Response message 1' indicates that identification information a is accepted as identification information associated with cell 1. Response message 1' may include identification information a and the LTM configuration of cell 1.

[0179] Here, description is made by taking cell 1 as an example, and other cells (ie, cells 2 to 4) may be handled similarly.

[0180] The identification information a may be identification information already accepted by the second network device. For example, the first network device first sends a request message 2 to the second network device. Request message 2 includes identification information 2. Request message 1 is used to request that identification information 2 be used as identification information associated with cell 2. Accordingly, the second network device accepts identification information 2 as identification information associated with cell 2 and sends a response message 2 to the first network device. Response message 2 indicates acceptance of identification information 2 as identification information associated with cell 2 and includes the LTM configuration associated with identification information 2 and cell 2. Then, the first network device sends a request message 1 to the second network device, where the request message 1 is used to request that the identification information 1 be used as the identification information associated with cell 1; the second network device determines, based on the topology information of the second network device, that cell 1 and cell 2 correspond to the same DU or the same TRP, but the identification information 1 is different from the identification information 2. Therefore, the second network device may not accept the identification information 1 as the identification information associated with cell 1, and sends a response message 1c to the first network device. The response message 1c is used to indicate that the identification information 1 is not accepted as the identification information associated with cell 1, and is also used to request that the identification information 2 be used as the identification information associated with cell 1, that is, the above-mentioned identification information a is identification information 2.

[0181] (2) Describe the identification information allocated by the first network device to the candidate cell.

[0182] The first network device allocates different identification information to candidate cells of different network devices. For example, the above-mentioned identification information 3 (or identification information 4) is different from identification information 1 and identification information 2. The identification information allocated by the first network device to different candidate cells of the same network device may be the same or different. For example, the second network device sends topology information to the first network device. If the topology information indicates that cell 1 and cell 2 correspond to the same DU or the same TRP or the same identification information, the first network device allocates (or determines) the same identification information to cell 1 and cell 2 according to the topology information (that is, the above-mentioned identification information 1 and identification information 2 are the same). If the topology information indicates that cell 1 and cell 2 correspond to different DUs or different TRPs or different identification information, the first network device allocates different identification information to cell 1 and cell 2 according to the topology information (that is, the above-mentioned identification information 1 and identification information 2 are different).

[0183] Optionally, taking the example of the second network device accepting identification information 1 as identification information associated with cell 1, the above method further includes S503 and S504.

[0184] S503 : The first network device sends identification information 1 associated with cell 1 to the terminal; accordingly, the terminal receives identification information 1 .

[0185] S504: The terminal determines a processing method associated with cell 1 according to identification information 1.

[0186] S503 and S504 may refer to the description of S403 and S404 in embodiment 1. The above description focuses on the differences between embodiment 2 and embodiment 1. Except for the differences, the other contents between the two embodiments may refer to each other.

[0187] It can be understood that "cell 1" in the above-mentioned embodiment 2 can be replaced by "first candidate cell", "identification information 1" can be replaced by "first identification information", "identification information a" can be replaced by "second identification information", and message 3 can also be replaced by "first message" (the first message is used to request that the first identification information be used as identification information associated with the first candidate cell), and message 4 can also be replaced by "second message" (the second message is used to indicate whether to accept or not accept the first identification information as identification information associated with the first candidate cell).

[0188] By adopting the above method, in the cross-CU switching scenario, conflicts in the identification information assigned by different candidate network devices can be avoided, and the terminal can accurately determine the processing method associated with the candidate cell based on the identification information associated with the candidate cell, so as to facilitate the terminal to switch to the candidate cell and avoid switching failure due to inaccurate processing method of the determined candidate cell association.

[0189] With respect to the above embodiments, it can be understood that:

[0190] (1) In any embodiment of the present invention, "in response to A (message), execute B (action)" can be understood as "according to A, execute B" or "because of A, execute B". In any embodiment of the present invention, if A is associated with B, and B is associated with C, then A can be considered to be associated with C. "Associate" and "correspond" are interchangeable.

[0191] (2) In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and may be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. In addition, within the same embodiment, different implementations or different examples may also reference or refer to each other.

[0192] (3) The various numerical numbers involved in this application are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of this application. The step numbers of the above-mentioned flowcharts are only an example of the execution process and do not constitute a restriction on the order of execution of the steps. That is, the size of the step numbers does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each step should be determined by its function and internal logic. In addition, not all the steps shown in the flowcharts are required to be executed. Some steps can be added or deleted based on actual needs.

[0193] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of the interaction between the network side device and the terminal side device. It can be understood that in order to realize the above functions, the network side device and the terminal side device may include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easy for those skilled in the art to realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0194] In the embodiments of the present application, the network-side device and the terminal-side device can be divided into functional units according to the above-mentioned method examples. For example, each functional unit can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0195] In the case of adopting an integrated unit, Figure 6 shows a possible exemplary block diagram of the device involved in the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, the device 600 may include: a processing unit 602 and a communication unit 603. The processing unit 602 is used to control and manage the actions of the device 600. The communication unit 603 is used to support the communication between the device 600 and other devices. Optionally, the communication unit 603 is also called a transceiver unit and may include a receiving unit and / or a sending unit, which are used to perform receiving and sending operations respectively. The device 600 may also include a storage unit 601 for storing program code and / or data of the device 600.

[0196] (1) The apparatus 600 may be a network-side apparatus (e.g., a first network device) in the above-described embodiments. The processing unit 602 may support the apparatus 600 in executing the actions of the first network device in each of the above-described method examples. Alternatively, the processing unit 602 primarily executes the internal actions of the first network device in the method examples, and the communication unit 603 may support communication between the apparatus 600 and other devices.

[0197] In one embodiment, the communication unit 603 is used to: receive first identification information for the terminal side device from the second network side device, the first identification information being associated with the first candidate cell managed by the second network side device; the processing unit 602 is used to: determine second identification information based on the first identification information, the second identification information being different from the first identification information; the communication unit 603 is also used to: send the second identification information to the terminal side device, the second identification information being used to determine a processing method for associating the first candidate cell; wherein the processing method includes: performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, or not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer; and / or, determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on user equipment UE measurement, or determining the TA of the first candidate cell not based on UE measurement.

[0198] In one possible design, the first identification information is information determined by the second network side device for determining the processing method.

[0199] In one possible design, the second identification information is different from the first identification information, including: the second identification information and the first identification information have different values; or, the second identification information includes the first identification information and information corresponding to the first candidate cell.

[0200] In one possible design, the communication unit 603 is also used to: receive third identification information from a third network side device, where the third identification information is associated with the second candidate cell; the processing unit 602 is specifically used to: determine the second identification information when the first identification information and the third identification information are the same.

[0201] In one possible design, the communication unit 603 is further used to: send a first message to the second network side device, where the first message is used to request configuration information of the processing method.

[0202] (2) The apparatus 600 may be a terminal-side apparatus (e.g., a terminal) in the above-described embodiments. The processing unit 602 may support the apparatus 600 in executing the terminal actions in the above-described method examples. Alternatively, the processing unit 602 primarily executes the internal actions of the terminal in the method examples, and the communication unit 603 may support communication between the apparatus 600 and other devices.

[0203] In one embodiment, the communication unit 603 is used to: receive a second message from a first network side device, the second message including first identification information and information corresponding to a first candidate cell managed by the second network side device; the processing unit 602 is used to: determine a processing method associated with the first candidate cell based on the first identification information and the information corresponding to the first candidate cell; wherein the first identification information is information determined by the second network side device for determining the processing method; the processing method includes: performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, or not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer; and / or, determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement, or not determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement.

[0204] In one possible design, the information corresponding to the first candidate cell is determined by the first network side device.

[0205] In one possible design, the processing unit 602 is specifically used to: when the information corresponding to the source cell is the same as the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, and the identification information associated with the source cell is the same as the first identification information, determine that the processing method associated with the first candidate cell is not to perform protocol layer reconstruction; when the information corresponding to the source cell is different from the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, or the identification information associated with the source cell is different from the first identification information, determine that the processing method associated with the first candidate cell is to perform protocol layer reconstruction, or to perform protocol layer data recovery.

[0206] In one possible design, the processing unit 602 is specifically used to: when the information corresponding to the source cell is the same as the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, and the identification information associated with the source cell is the same as the first identification information, determine that the processing method for associating the first candidate cell is to determine the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement; when the information corresponding to the source cell is different from the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, or the identification information associated with the source cell is different from the first identification information, determine that the processing method for associating the first candidate cell is not to determine the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement.

[0207] In one possible design, the first message also includes identification information associated with the source cell and information corresponding to the source cell.

[0208] (3) The apparatus 600 may be a network-side apparatus (e.g., a first network device) in the above-described embodiments. The processing unit 602 may support the apparatus 600 in executing the actions of the first network device in each of the above-described method examples. Alternatively, the processing unit 602 may primarily execute the internal actions of the first network device in the method examples, and the communication unit 603 may support communication between the apparatus 600 and other devices.

[0209] In one embodiment, the communication unit 603 is used to: send a first message to a second network side device, wherein the first message is used to request that the first identification information be used as identification information associated with the first candidate cell; receive a second message from the second network side device, wherein the second message is used to indicate acceptance or rejection of the first identification information as identification information associated with the first candidate cell, and the identification information associated with the first candidate cell is used to determine a processing method for the association of the first candidate cell; wherein the processing method includes: performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, or not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer; and / or determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement, or not determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement.

[0210] In one possible design, the first message is also used to request that the first identification information be used as identification information associated with the second candidate cell.

[0211] In one possible design, the communication unit 603 is also used to: receive topology information from the second network side device, the topology information being used to indicate that the first candidate cell and the second candidate cell correspond to the same DU or the same TRP or the same identification information; and determine the first identification information based on the topology information.

[0212] In one possible design, the second message is used to indicate that the first identification information is not accepted as identification information associated with the first candidate cell, and the second message includes second identification information, and the second identification information is used to request that the second identification information be used as identification information associated with the first candidate cell.

[0213] In one possible design, the second identification information is identification information that has been accepted by the second network-side device.

[0214] In one possible design, the communication unit 603 is further used to: send a third message to a third network side device, wherein the third message is used to request that third identification information be used as identification information associated with a third candidate cell, and the third identification information is different from the first identification information.

[0215] (4) The apparatus 600 may be a network-side apparatus (e.g., a second network device) in the above-described embodiments. The processing unit 602 may support the apparatus 600 in executing the actions of the second network device in each of the above-described method examples. Alternatively, the processing unit 602 may primarily execute the internal actions of the second network device in the method examples, and the communication unit 603 may support communication between the apparatus 600 and other devices.

[0216] In one embodiment, the communication unit 603 is used to: receive a first message from a first network side device, the first message being used to request that first identification information be used as identification information associated with a first candidate cell; in response to the first message, send a second message to the first network side device, the second message being used to indicate acceptance or rejection of the first identification information as identification information associated with the first candidate cell, the identification information associated with the first candidate cell being used to determine a processing method for associating the first candidate cell; wherein the processing method includes: performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, or not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer; and / or determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement, or not determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement.

[0217] In one possible design, the first message is also used to request that the first identification information be used as identification information associated with the second candidate cell.

[0218] In one possible design, the communication unit 603 is also used to: send topology information to the first network side device, the topology information is used to indicate that the first candidate cell and the second candidate cell correspond to the same DU or the same TRP or the same identification information, and the topology information is used to determine the first identification information.

[0219] In one possible design, the second message is used to indicate that the first identification information is not accepted as identification information associated with the first candidate cell, and the second message includes second identification information, and the second identification information is used to request that the second identification information be used as identification information associated with the first candidate cell.

[0220] In one possible design, the second identification information is identification information that has been accepted by the second network-side device.

[0221] It should be understood that the division of units in the above device is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into one physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Moreover, the units in the device can all be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements; or they can all be implemented in the form of hardware; or some units can be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements, and some units can be implemented in the form of hardware. For example, each unit can be a separately established processing element, or it can be integrated into a certain chip of the device. In addition, it can also be stored in the memory in the form of a program, called by a certain processing element of the device and execute the function of the unit. In addition, all or part of these units can be integrated together, or they can be implemented independently. The processing element described here can also be a processor, which can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each operation of the above method or each unit above can be implemented by the integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor element or in the form of software calling through the processing element.

[0222] In one example, the unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above method, such as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more digital singnal processors (DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms. For another example, when the unit in the device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element can be a processor, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), or other processor that can call a program. For another example, these units can be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0223] The above-mentioned receiving unit is an interface circuit of the device, which is used to receive signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the receiving unit is the interface circuit of the chip used to receive signals from other chips or devices. The above-mentioned sending unit is an interface circuit of the device, which is used to send signals to other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the sending unit is the interface circuit of the chip used to send signals to other chips or devices.

[0224] Referring to Figure 7, which is a structural diagram of a network-side device (such as a network device) provided in an embodiment of the present application, the network device can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 1 to perform the functions of the network device in the above method embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, the network device 70 can be an access network node, and the network device 70 may include one or more DUs 701 and one or more CUs 702. The DU 701 may include at least one antenna 7011, at least one radio frequency unit 7012, at least one processor 7013 and at least one memory 7014. The DU 701 part is mainly used for receiving and transmitting radio frequency signals and converting radio frequency signals to baseband signals, as well as partial baseband processing. The CU 702 may include at least one processor 7022 and at least one memory 7021.

[0225] The CU 702 is primarily responsible for baseband processing and controlling network devices. The DU 701 and CU 702 can be physically located together or separately, i.e., in a distributed base station. The CU 702 is the control center of the network device, also known as a processing unit, and is primarily responsible for performing baseband processing functions. For example, the CU 702 can be used to control the network device to execute the network device operation procedures described in the above-described method embodiments.

[0226] In addition, the network device 70 may optionally include one or more radio frequency units (RFUs), one or more DUs (DUs), and one or more CUs. The DUs may include at least one processor 7013 and at least one memory 7014, the RFUs may include at least one antenna 7011 and at least one RFU 7012, and the CUs may include at least one processor 7022 and at least one memory 7021.

[0227] In one example, the CU702 may be composed of one or more single boards, and the multiple single boards may jointly support a wireless access network with a single access indication (such as a 5G network), or may respectively support wireless access networks with different access standards (such as an LTE network, a 5G network, or other networks). The memory 7021 and the processor 7022 may serve one or more single boards. That is, a memory and a processor may be separately set on each single board. It is also possible that multiple single boards share the same memory and processor. In addition, necessary circuits may be provided on each single board. The DU701 may be composed of one or more single boards, and the multiple single boards may jointly support a wireless access network with a single access indication (such as a 5G network), or may respectively support wireless access networks with different access standards (such as an LTE network, a 5G network, or other networks). The memory 7014 and the processor 7013 may serve one or more single boards. That is, a memory and a processor may be separately set on each single board. It is also possible that multiple single boards share the same memory and processor. In addition, necessary circuits may be provided on each single board.

[0228] The network device shown in FIG7 is capable of implementing each process related to the network device in the above-described method embodiment. The operations and / or functions of the various modules in the network device shown in FIG7 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above-described method embodiment. For details, please refer to the description of the above-described method embodiment. To avoid repetition, detailed description is omitted here.

[0229] Refer to Figure 8, which is a structural diagram of a terminal-side device (such as a terminal) provided in an embodiment of the present application. The terminal can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 1 to implement the operation of the terminal in the above embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the terminal includes: an antenna 810, a radio frequency part 820, and a signal processing part 830. The antenna 810 is connected to the radio frequency part 820. In the downlink direction, the radio frequency part 820 receives information sent by the network device through the antenna 810, and sends the information sent by the network device to the signal processing part 830 for processing. In the uplink direction, the signal processing part 830 processes the information of the terminal and sends it to the radio frequency part 820. The radio frequency part 820 processes the information of the terminal and sends it to the network device through the antenna 810.

[0230] The signal processing unit 830 may include a modem subsystem for processing data at various communication protocol layers; a central processing unit for processing the terminal operating system and application layers; and other subsystems, such as a multimedia subsystem for controlling the terminal's camera and screen display, and a peripheral subsystem for connecting to other devices. The modem subsystem may be a separate chip.

[0231] The modem subsystem may include one or more processing elements 831, such as a main control CPU and other integrated circuits. Furthermore, the modem subsystem may include a storage element 832 and an interface circuit 833. Storage element 832 is used to store data and programs. However, the program used to execute the method executed by the terminal in the above method may not be stored in storage element 832, but rather in a memory external to the modem subsystem, and loaded by the modem subsystem when in use. Interface circuit 833 is used to communicate with other subsystems.

[0232] The modem subsystem can be implemented using a chip comprising at least one processing element and an interface circuit. The processing element is configured to execute each step of any of the methods performed by the terminal, and the interface circuit is configured to communicate with other devices. In one implementation, the unit that performs each step of the method can be implemented as a processing element scheduler. For example, the terminal device includes a processing element and a storage element, and the processing element invokes a program stored in the storage element to execute the method performed by the terminal in the above method embodiments. The storage element can be a storage element located on the same chip as the processing element, i.e., an on-chip storage element.

[0233] In another implementation, the program for executing the method executed by the terminal in the above method can be stored in a memory element on a different chip from the processing element, i.e., an off-chip memory element. In this case, the processing element calls or loads the program from the off-chip memory element to the on-chip memory element to call and execute the method executed by the terminal in the above method embodiment.

[0234] In another implementation, the unit implementing each step of the above method in the terminal may be configured as one or more processing elements, which are provided in the modem subsystem. The processing elements may be integrated circuits, such as one or more ASICs, one or more DSPs, one or more FPGAs, or a combination of these integrated circuits. These integrated circuits may be integrated together to form a chip.

[0235] The units that implement the various steps of the above method in the terminal can be integrated together and implemented in the form of a SOC chip, which is used to implement the above method. The chip can integrate at least one processing element and a storage element, and the processing element can call the program stored in the storage element to implement the above terminal execution method; alternatively, the chip can integrate at least one integrated circuit to implement the above terminal execution method; or, a combination of the above implementation methods can be used, with the functions of some units implemented by the processing element calling the program, and the functions of some units implemented by the integrated circuit.

[0236] As can be seen, the above-mentioned terminal device may include at least one processing element and an interface circuit, wherein the at least one processing element is used to execute any of the terminal-executed methods provided in the above method embodiments. The processing element may execute some or all of the steps executed by the terminal in a first manner: by calling a program stored in a storage element; or in a second manner: by combining hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor element with instructions to execute some or all of the steps executed by the terminal. Of course, the first and second manners may also be combined to execute some or all of the steps executed by the terminal.

[0237] The processing element here can be implemented by a processor as described above, and the functions of the processing element can be the same as those of the processing unit described in Figure 6. For example, the processing element can be a general-purpose processor, such as a CPU, or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above method, such as one or more ASICs, or one or more microprocessors (DSPs), or one or more FPGAs, or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms. The storage element can be implemented by a memory, and the functions of the storage element can be the same as those of the storage unit described in Figure 6. The storage element can be a single memory or a collective term for multiple memories.

[0238] The terminal shown in FIG8 is capable of implementing the various processes involved in the terminal in the above-described method embodiment. The operations and / or functions of the various modules in the terminal shown in FIG8 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above-described method embodiment. For details, please refer to the description of the above-described method embodiment. To avoid repetition, detailed description is omitted here.

[0239] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes the terminal and the first network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment 1, or the communication system includes the first network device and the second network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment 2, and optionally, also includes the terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiment 2.

[0240] The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" refers to one or more, and "plurality" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B or C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC, and "at least one of A, B and C" can also be understood to include A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0241] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0242] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0243] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0244] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first network-side device, and includes: receiving first identification information for the terminal-side device from the second network-side device, where the first identification information is associated with a first candidate cell managed by the second network-side device; determining second identification information based on the first identification information, where the second identification information is different from the first identification information; sending the second identification information to the terminal side device, where the second identification information is used to determine a processing method for associating the first candidate cell; The processing methods include: Performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, or not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer; and / or, The timing advance (TA) of the first candidate cell is determined based on user equipment (UE) measurement, or the TA of the first candidate cell is determined not based on UE measurement.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first identification information is information determined by the second network side device and used to determine the processing method.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The second identification information is different from the first identification information and includes: The second identification information and the first identification information have different values; or, The second identification information includes the first identification information and information corresponding to the first candidate cell.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving third identification information from a third network-side device, where the third identification information is associated with a second candidate cell; Determining second identification information based on the first identification information includes: In a case where the first identification information and the third identification information are the same, the second identification information is determined.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: A first message is sent to the second network-side device, where the first message is used to request configuration information of the processing method.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The reconstruction of the protocol layer includes the reconstruction of the packet data convergence layer protocol PDCP layer or the reconstruction of the radio link control RLC layer; The data recovery of the protocol layer includes data recovery of the PDCP layer.

7. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal-side device, and includes: receiving a second message from the first network-side device, where the second message includes first identification information and information corresponding to a first candidate cell managed by the second network-side device; determining, based on the first identification information and information corresponding to the first candidate cell, a processing method for associating the first candidate cell; The first identification information is information determined by the second network-side device and used to determine the processing method; The processing methods include: Performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, or not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer; and / or, The TA of the first candidate cell is determined based on UE measurement, or the TA of the first candidate cell is not determined based on UE measurement.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The information corresponding to the first candidate cell is determined by the first network side device.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that Determining, based on the first identification information and information corresponding to the first candidate cell, a processing method for associating the first candidate cell, including: When the information corresponding to the source cell is the same as the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, and the identification information associated with the source cell is the same as the first identification information, determining that a processing mode for the association with the first candidate cell is not to perform protocol layer reestablishment; When the information corresponding to the source cell is different from the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, or the identification information associated with the source cell is different from the first identification information, the processing method for determining the association of the first candidate cell is to perform protocol layer reconstruction or perform protocol layer data recovery.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that Determining, based on the first identification information and information corresponding to the first candidate cell, a processing method for associating the first candidate cell, including: When the information corresponding to the source cell is the same as the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, and the identification information associated with the source cell is the same as the first identification information, determining the association with the first candidate cell by determining the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement; When the information corresponding to the source cell is different from the information corresponding to the first candidate cell, or the identification information associated with the source cell is different from the first identification information, the processing method for determining the association of the first candidate cell is not to determine the TA of the first candidate cell based on UE measurement.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The first message also includes identification information associated with the source cell and information corresponding to the source cell.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first network-side device, and includes: Sending a first message to the second network-side device, where the first message is used to request that the first identification information be used as identification information associated with the first candidate cell; receiving a second message from the second network-side device, where the second message is used to indicate whether to accept or not to use the first identification information as identification information associated with the first candidate cell, where the identification information associated with the first candidate cell is used to determine a processing method for associating the first candidate cell; The processing methods include: Performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, or not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer; and / or, The TA of the first candidate cell is determined based on UE measurement, or the TA of the first candidate cell is not determined based on UE measurement.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The first message is further used to request that the first identification information be used as identification information associated with a second candidate cell.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving topology information from the second network-side device, where the topology information is used to indicate that the first candidate cell and the second candidate cell correspond to the same distributed unit DU, the same transmitting and receiving point TRP, or the same identification information; The first identification information is determined according to the topology information.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that The second message is used to indicate that the first identification information is not accepted as identification information associated with the first candidate cell. The second message includes second identification information, and the second identification information is used to request that the second identification information be used as identification information associated with the first candidate cell.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The second identification information is identification information that has been accepted by the second network-side device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that The method further comprises: A third message is sent to a third network-side device, where the third message is used to request that third identification information be used as identification information associated with a third candidate cell, where the third identification information is different from the first identification information.

18. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a second network-side device, and includes: receiving a first message from a first network-side device, where the first message is used to request that first identification information be used as identification information associated with a first candidate cell; In response to the first message, sending a second message to the first network-side apparatus, where the second message is used to indicate whether to accept or reject the first identification information as identification information associated with the first candidate cell, where the identification information associated with the first candidate cell is used to determine a processing method for associating the first candidate cell; The processing methods include: Performing reconstruction of the protocol layer, or performing data recovery of the protocol layer, or not performing reconstruction of the protocol layer; and / or, The TA of the first candidate cell is determined based on UE measurement, or the TA of the first candidate cell is not determined based on UE measurement.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The first message is further used to request that the first identification information be used as identification information associated with a second candidate cell.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The method further comprises: Topology information is sent to the first network side device, where the topology information is used to indicate that the first candidate cell and the second candidate cell correspond to the same DU, or the same TRP, or the same identification information, and the topology information is used to determine the first identification information.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein The second message is used to indicate that the first identification information is not accepted as identification information associated with the first candidate cell. The second message includes second identification information, and the second identification information is used to request that the second identification information be used as identification information associated with the first candidate cell.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The second identification information is identification information that has been accepted by the second network-side device.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 18 to 22.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises a processor coupled to a memory, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory; the processor is configured to call the computer program in the memory so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, or the method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, or the method according to any one of claims 18 to 22.

25. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system includes a first network-side device and a terminal-side device; wherein the first network-side device is used to execute the method described in any one of claims 1 to 6, and the terminal-side device is used to execute the method described in any one of claims 7 to 11.

26. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system includes a first network side device and a second network side device; wherein the first network side device is used to execute the method described in any one of claims 12 to 17, and the second network side device is used to execute the method described in any one of claims 18 to 22.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 7 to 11 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 12 to 17 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 18 to 22 is executed.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that When a computer reads and executes the computer program product, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 7 to 11 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 12 to 17 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 18 to 22 is executed.

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