Communication method, apparatus, and system

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system. The method comprises: generating first information, wherein the first information is used for instructing to switch from a first carrier to a second carrier; and sending the first information on a third carrier, wherein the third carrier is different from the first carrier. According to the technical solution, there is no need for limitation where the switching information of the first carrier can only be exclusively carried by the first carrier itself, that is, the switching information can be carried by another carrier; thus, the flexibility of carrier switching instruction can be improved.

Description

Communication method, device and system

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on April 2, 2024, with application number 202410399569.3 and invention name “A communication method, device and system”, and the priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on August 14, 2024, with application number 202411118577.2 and invention name “A communication method, device and system”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly, to a communication method, device, and system. Background Art

[0003] Electronic devices can communicate with each other through wireless short-range communication technologies, enabling information sharing and wireless transmission of services. With the development of the Internet of Things (IoT), new application scenarios such as smart cars, smart homes, smart terminals, and smart manufacturing have emerged, prompting the emergence of a new generation of short-range access technologies (for example, SparkLink Alliance access technologies). For example, SparkLink Alliance access technologies include, but are not limited to, SparkLink Basic (SLB) and SparkLink Low Energy (SLE).

[0004] Wireless channels are susceptible to noise and interference, which can degrade channel quality and reduce wireless communication reliability. In multi-carrier scenarios, frequency hopping can be used to switch carriers, allowing communication to proceed using carriers with better signal quality. However, in current frequency hopping methods, each carrier to be switched independently carries its own switching indication information, which is inflexible and can lead to switching failures.

[0005] Therefore, how to improve the indication flexibility of carrier switching is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, device, and system, which can improve the indication flexibility of carrier switching.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a first device, or may be executed by a chip or circuit of the first device, which is not limited in this application.

[0008] The method includes: generating first information, where the first information is used to instruct a first carrier to switch to a second carrier; and sending the first information on a third carrier, where the third carrier is different from the first carrier.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, when the first carrier needs to switch to the second carrier, the third carrier can be used to indicate it. There is no need to limit the switching information to the first carrier alone, that is, other carriers can carry the switching information, which can improve the flexibility of carrier switching instructions.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending second information on the third carrier, where the second information is used to instruct the third carrier to switch to a fourth carrier.

[0011] Based on the above technical solution, in scenarios where multiple carriers need to be switched, a single carrier can carry the switching information for multiple carriers. For example, a third carrier can be used to indicate that the first carrier needs to be switched to the second carrier, and also to indicate that the third carrier needs to be switched to the fourth carrier. This eliminates the need to use different carriers to indicate the carriers that need to be switched. Compared to using multiple carriers to carry switching information separately, this can reduce the probability of interference between carriers and improve the performance of indicating carrier switching.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending the first information and second information on the first carrier, where the second information is used to instruct the third carrier to switch to a fourth carrier.

[0013] Based on the above technical solution, multiple carriers respectively carry the same switching information, which can improve the transmission reliability of the switching information in the presence of interference, thereby improving the performance of indicating carrier switching.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first information and the second information are included in a first message.

[0015] Based on the above technical solution, carrying the first information and the second information in the same message can reduce signaling overhead compared to sending them separately through different messages.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the signal quality of the third carrier is greater than a first threshold.

[0017] Based on the above technical solution, a carrier with a signal quality greater than the first threshold can be considered to have better signal quality. Carrying the first message by the carrier with better signal quality can ensure the transmission reliability of the first information to a certain extent, thereby improving the performance of indicating carrier switching.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: the signal quality of the third carrier is related to the measurement result of the first indicator; wherein, the first indicator includes at least one of the following: received signal strength indication RSSI, modulation and coding strategy MCS, packet loss rate, reference signal received power RSRP or reference signal received quality RSRQ.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first information includes information about the first carrier and information about the second carrier.

[0020] Based on the above technical solution, the first information carries information about the first carrier and information about the second carrier, which can clearly indicate the carrier to be switched and the target carrier corresponding to the carrier to be switched, avoiding confusion of switching information and improving the performance of indicating carrier switching.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in certain embodiments of the first aspect, the first information is N bits, and N is an integer greater than 1; bit N1 of the N bits indicates the first carrier, and bit N2 of the N bits indicates the second carrier, and N1 and N2 are integers greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N; or, the first bit of the N bits indicates that the first carrier is switched, and the position of at least one second bit of the N bits in the N bits indicates the first carrier, and the value of the at least one second bit indicates the second carrier; or, the first bit of the N bits indicates that the first carrier is switched, and the position of at least one second bit of the N bits in the N bits indicates the second carrier, and the value of the at least one second bit indicates the first carrier.

[0022] Based on the above scheme, in the first indication method, the N1 bit directly indicates the carrier to be switched, and the N2 bit directly indicates the target carrier. This method is simple and efficient. In the second and third indication methods, the first bit indicates carrier switching, and the position and value of the second bit indicate the carrier to be switched and the target carrier (or, the target carrier and the carrier to be switched), respectively. Compared with the first indication method, the number of bits occupied by simultaneously indicating the carrier to be switched and the target carrier is reduced, which can reduce signaling overhead.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in certain embodiments of the first aspect, the first information is used to indicate that the first carrier is switched to the second carrier, including: the first information includes a first index, the first index is used to indicate a first switching relationship in the first configuration table, and the first switching relationship indicates switching the first carrier to the second carrier.

[0024] Based on the above solution, a first configuration table can be set on both the first device side and the second device side. The first configuration table includes at least one carrier switching relationship and an index corresponding to the at least one carrier switching relationship. Thus, when the first device sends first information to the second device, it can only carry the first index in the first information. The second device can determine the specific carrier switching relationship based on the index and the first configuration table, thereby reducing the data volume of the first information and effectively reducing the resource overhead of air interface data transmission in scenarios with high carrier switching requirements.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in certain embodiments of the first aspect, the first configuration table is related to information of the first carrier, information of the second carrier, information of the third carrier and / or information of the fourth carrier.

[0026] In combination with the first aspect, in certain embodiments of the first aspect, the information of the first carrier includes the identifier of the first carrier and / or the measurement result of the first indicator of the first carrier; the information of the second carrier includes the identifier of the second carrier and / or the measurement result of the first indicator of the second carrier; the information of the third carrier includes the identifier of the third carrier and / or the measurement result of the first indicator of the third carrier; the information of the fourth carrier includes the identifier of the fourth carrier and / or the measurement result of the first indicator of the fourth carrier.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before generating the first information, the method further includes: determining that the first carrier is switched to the second carrier.

[0028] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: switching from the first carrier to the second carrier.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method is executed by a management node that supports the Star Flash basic SLB access technology.

[0030] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a first device, or can be executed by a chip or circuit of the first device, which is not limited in this application.

[0031] The method includes: generating second information, wherein the first information is used to indicate that a first carrier is switched to a second carrier; the first information includes a first index, wherein the first index is used to indicate a first switching relationship in a first configuration table, and the first switching relationship indicates that the first carrier is switched to the second carrier; and sending the first information on the first carrier.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first configuration table is related to information about the first carrier, information about the second carrier, and information about the third carrier.

[0033] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the information of the first carrier includes the identifier of the first carrier and / or the measurement result of the first indicator of the first carrier; the information of the second carrier includes the identifier of the second carrier and / or the measurement result of the first indicator of the second carrier; the information of the third carrier includes the identifier of the third carrier and / or the measurement result of the first indicator of the third carrier.

[0034] The technical effects of the method shown in the above second aspect and its possible design can refer to the technical effects in the first aspect and its possible design.

[0035] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a second device, or can be executed by a chip or circuit of the second device, which is not limited in this application.

[0036] The method includes: receiving first information on a third carrier, where the first information is used to instruct a first carrier to switch to a second carrier; and switching from the first carrier to the second carrier according to the first information.

[0037] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: receiving second information on the third carrier, where the second information is used to instruct the third carrier to switch to a fourth carrier.

[0038] Based on the above technical solution, multiple carriers carry the same switching information respectively. The receiving end can improve the signal-to-noise ratio and the reliability of switching information transmission through signal processing methods such as multi-carrier combined reception, thereby improving the performance of indicating carrier switching.

[0039] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: receiving the first information and the second information on the first carrier, where the second information is used to instruct the third carrier to switch to a fourth carrier.

[0040] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first information and the second information are included in a first message.

[0041] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the signal quality of the third carrier is greater than a first threshold.

[0042] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: the signal quality of the third carrier is related to the measurement result of the first indicator; wherein, the first indicator includes at least one of the following: received signal strength indication RSSI, modulation and coding strategy MCS, packet loss rate, reference signal received power RSRP or reference signal received quality RSRQ.

[0043] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first information includes information about the first carrier and information about the second carrier.

[0044] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the first information is N bits, where N is an integer greater than 1; bit N1 of the N bits indicates the first carrier, and bit N2 of the N bits indicates the second carrier, and N1 and N2 are integers greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N; or, the first bit of the N bits indicates that the first carrier is switched, and the position of at least one second bit of the N bits in the N bits indicates the first carrier, and the value of the at least one second bit indicates the second carrier; or, the first bit of the N bits indicates that the first carrier is switched, and the position of at least one second bit of the N bits in the N bits indicates the second carrier, and the value of the at least one second bit indicates the first carrier.

[0045] In combination with the third aspect, in certain embodiments of the third aspect, the first information is used to indicate that the first carrier is switched to the second carrier, including: the first information includes a first index, the first index is used to indicate a first switching relationship in the first configuration table, and the first switching relationship indicates switching the first carrier to the second carrier.

[0046] In combination with the third aspect, in certain embodiments of the third aspect, the first configuration table is related to information of the first carrier, information of the second carrier, information of the third carrier and / or information of the fourth carrier.

[0047] In combination with the third aspect, in certain embodiments of the third aspect, the information of the first carrier includes the identifier of the first carrier and / or the measurement result of the first indicator of the first carrier; the information of the second carrier includes the identifier of the second carrier and / or the measurement result of the first indicator of the second carrier; the information of the third carrier includes the identifier of the third carrier and / or the measurement result of the first indicator of the third carrier; the information of the fourth carrier includes the identifier of the fourth carrier and / or the measurement result of the first indicator of the fourth carrier.

[0048] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the method is executed by a terminal node that supports Star Flash Basic SLB access technology.

[0049] The technical effects of the method shown in the third aspect and its possible design above can refer to the technical effects in the first aspect and its possible design.

[0050] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is configured to execute the method provided in any one of the implementations of the first to third aspects. Specifically, the communication device may include units and / or modules, such as a processing unit and an acquisition unit, configured to execute the method provided in any one of the implementations of the first to third aspects.

[0051] In one implementation, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface; the processing unit may be at least one processor. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0052] In another implementation, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin or related circuit on the chip, chip system or circuit; the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0053] Exemplarily, the communication device is the above-mentioned first communication device or a component of the first communication device (such as a chip or circuit), and the communication device includes:

[0054] The processing unit is configured to generate first information, where the first information is used to instruct the first carrier to switch to the second carrier.

[0055] The transceiver unit is configured to send the first information on the third carrier, where the third carrier is different from the first carrier.

[0056] Exemplarily, the communication device is the above-mentioned second communication device or a component of the second communication device (such as a chip or circuit), and the communication device includes:

[0057] The transceiver unit receives first information on a third carrier, where the first information is used to instruct the first carrier to switch to the second carrier.

[0058] A processing unit is configured to switch from the first carrier to the second carrier according to the first information.

[0059] In a fifth aspect, a processor is provided for executing the methods provided in the above aspects.

[0060] The operations of sending and acquiring / receiving mentioned above can be understood as processor output, reception, input and other operations, or as sending and receiving operations performed by the RF circuit and antenna. This application does not limit this.

[0061] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a program code for execution by a device, and the program code includes a method provided by any one of the implementation methods of the first to third aspects above.

[0062] In the seventh aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided by any one of the implementation methods of the first to third aspects above.

[0063] Optionally, as an implementation method, the chip also includes a memory, in which a computer program or instruction is stored, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instruction stored in the memory. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided in any one of the implementation methods of the first and third aspects above.

[0064] In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a first communication device for executing the method provided in the first or second aspect and a second communication device for executing the method provided in the third aspect.

[0065] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method provided in any one of the implementations of the first to third aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0066] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0067] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a wireless short-range communication protocol architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0068] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a multi-carrier frequency hopping method 300 .

[0069] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0070] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a method 500 for indicating carrier switching indication information provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0071] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a method 600 for sending carrier switching indication information provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0072] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a communication process provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0073] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 800 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0074] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 900 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0075] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip system 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0076] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0077] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: the fifth generation (5G) (or new radio (NR)) system, long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system and LTE time division duplex (TDD) system. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device to device (D2D) communication, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication system or other communication systems. In addition, the technical solutions provided in this application support short-range communication.

[0078] Exemplarily, short-range communication can realize communication between electronic devices that are close to each other. The mainstream access technologies in current short-range communication include wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) technology, Bluetooth technology and ZigBee technology. With the development of the Internet of Things, new application scenarios such as smart cars, smart homes, smart terminals and smart manufacturing have emerged, and a new generation of short-range access technology has emerged. Taking the SparkLink Alliance access technology as an example, it includes but is not limited to: SparkLink Basic (SLB) access technology and SparkLink Low Energy (SLE) access technology. Among them, SLB access technology can support the transmission of large-bandwidth services such as screen projection, virtual reality (VR) and in-vehicle communications, and SLE access technology can support the transmission of small-bandwidth, low-rate and low-power services such as audio playback, keyboard, mouse and electronic pen. For the convenience of description, SLB access technology may be referred to as SLB and SLE access technology may be referred to as SLE in the following embodiments. In addition, unless otherwise specified, the access technology mentioned in the following description refers to short-distance access technology.

[0079] The technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN) scenarios, for example, supporting the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 related standards, such as 802.11be, Wi-Fi 7, extremely high throughput (EHT), 802.11ad, 802.11ay or 802.11bf, and 802.11be next generation, Wi-Fi 8, etc. It can also be applied to wireless personal area network systems based on ultra-wide band (UWB), such as the 802.15 series standards, and can also be applied to sensing systems, such as the 802.11bf series standards, and can also be applied to the 802.11bn standard or the ultra-high reliability (UHR) standard. The present application may also support the Spark Link / NearLink standard protocol.

[0080] The above-mentioned communication system applicable to the present application is only an example, and the communication system applicable to the present application is not limited to this. It is described uniformly here and will not be repeated below.

[0081] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0082] As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 includes at least one first device (for example, a first device 110 and / or 111) and at least one second device (for example, a second device 121 and / or 122). Each electronic device can establish a connection for communication through a short-range access technology. The solution of the present application is applicable to data communication between a first device and one or more second devices (for example, data communication between 110 and 120, and / or data communication between 110 and 121), and is also applicable to data communication between a first device and a first device (for example, data communication between 110 and 111), and data communication between a second device and a second device (for example, data communication between 121 and 122). It should be noted that the communication system 100 shown in Figure 1 is only for schematic illustration, and the communication system may also include other devices, such as base stations and other devices, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0083] The first device can be a node that connects a terminal (e.g., a mobile phone) to a wired (or wireless) network. It is primarily deployed in homes, buildings, and campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. It can also be deployed outdoors. The first device acts as a bridge between wired and wireless networks, connecting wireless network clients and then connecting the wireless network to Ethernet.

[0084] Specifically, the first device can be a server, a router, a switch, a bridge, a computer, a mobile phone, a relay station, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in a 5G network, a network device in a future communication network, or a network device in a public land mobile communication network (public land mobile network, PLMN), etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited.

[0085] The second device may be a wireless communication chip, a wireless sensor, or a wireless communication terminal, and may also be referred to as a user, user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user apparatus. The second device may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, an Internet of Things device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, a terminal device in a future communication network, or a terminal device in a PLMN, etc. The second device may also be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a set-top box, a smart TV, a smart wearable device, an in-vehicle communication device, a computer, an Internet of Things (IoT) node, a sensor, a smart home, such as a smart camera, a smart remote control, a smart water meter, or a sensor in a smart city, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0086] The first device and the second device may include a transmitter, a receiver, a memory and a processor, etc., wherein the transmitter and the receiver are respectively used for sending and receiving packet structures, the memory is used to store signaling information and store pre-agreed preset values, etc., and the processor is used to parse signaling information and process related data, etc.

[0087] It should be understood that the embodiment of the present application does not impose any limitation on the number and type of the first device and the second device included in the communication system 100. In the embodiment of the present application, the first device and the second device may support at least one short-range access technology, such as SLB access technology.

[0088] In the embodiments of the present application, the first device may be a grant node, and the second device may be a terminal node. The grant node may be referred to as a G-node, G-device, or first node, etc.; the terminal node may be referred to as a T-node, T-device, or second node, etc. This application does not impose any restrictions on the device names; they only need to be able to perform the corresponding functions. For ease of description, the grant node will be referred to as a G-node and the terminal node as a T-node.

[0089] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a wireless short-range communication protocol architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0090] The protocol architecture 200 can be applied to any electronic device capable of short-range communication, for example, it can be applied to the first device and the second device in the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 , and can also be applied to a G-node and a T-node.

[0091] As shown in Figure 2, the protocol architecture 200 includes, but is not limited to, a host and a controller. The host is the upper protocol layer of the controller and includes the basic application layer and the basic service layer. The controller, also known as the access layer, is the lowest layer of the protocol architecture. From bottom to top, the protocol architecture 200 includes the access layer 210, the basic service layer 220, and the basic application layer 230.

[0092] The access layer 210 is responsible for processing the underlying logical links, such as the establishment, reconfiguration and deletion of logical links, in order to undertake the business requirements of the basic service layer 220 (such as reliable data or real-time data, etc.). The logical link is used to transmit services between two electronic devices. The access layer 210 may further include a data link layer and a physical layer. The data link layer may include a link control layer and a media access layer. Each layer implements its own function to support the access layer 210. Among them, the physical layer uses the transmission medium to provide a physical connection for the data link layer to achieve transparent transmission of the bit stream; the data link layer performs resource management, access control, data segmentation, cascading or reordering functions to ensure reliable data transmission. In order to achieve secure and efficient data transmission between the access layer G node and the T node, the necessary connection management, resource scheduling and other management functions and information security-related functions between the G node and the T node are also included in this protocol. Information exchange can be carried out between layers, and the lower layer provides services for the upper layer.

[0093] The access layer 210 can support multiple access technologies, including but not limited to SLB access technology, SLE access technology, and other access technologies, such as Bluetooth low energy (BLE) technology and other future Star Alliance access technologies. The present embodiment of the application uses the SLB access technology as an example to introduce the architecture of the access layer 210. The name of the SLB access technology is merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present embodiment of the application. In other embodiments or in future architectures, SLB may also use other names.

[0094] The basic service layer 220 is a protocol layer located between the access layer 210 and the basic application layer 230. It includes multiple functional units, is unbound from the business, and implements a general functional process. Specifically, the basic service layer is mainly responsible for the creation, addition, deletion and release of transmission channels, as well as the control of logical links (for example, the selection of access technology) to meet the business requirements of the basic application layer 230 (for example, traffic, rate, sound quality or resolution). The design goal of the basic service layer 220 is to be compatible with a variety of access layer technologies, such as the SLB and SLE access technologies introduced above, and to retain the ability to be compatible with more access technologies in the future. The basic service layer 220 may include multiple modules or functional units to achieve the above design goals, including but not limited to: device discovery module, service management module, channel management module, quality of service (QoS) management module, security management module, measurement management module, multi-domain coordination module, 5G fusion module and transmission and control adaptation module, wherein the transmission and control adaptation module includes a relay module for transmitting relay data.

[0095] The basic application layer 230 primarily routes data to the basic service layer 220 based on different business requirements. Depending on the different business categories, the basic application layer 230 may include multiple different business function sets (also called business modules or business frameworks), such as an audio and video framework or a data framework. These different business function sets include categorized data processing for each business.

[0096] For example, as shown in Figure 2, application layer 230 may include a general perception framework, a general device management framework, a general audio and video framework, and a general data framework. The general perception framework includes processing of perception data; the general device management framework includes processing of device management data; the general audio and video framework includes processing of audio and video data, such as encoding and decoding; and the general data framework includes processing of file data, such as encryption and compression. Different service function sets can be distinguished by service identifiers.

[0097] It should be understood that the network architecture 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. Ordinary technicians in this field can know 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.

[0098] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, some terms or concepts that may be involved in the embodiments of the present application are first briefly described.

[0099] 1. G node: The node that sends data scheduling information in the wireless short-range communication system.

[0100] 2. T-node: A node in a wireless short-range communication system that receives data scheduling information and sends data according to the data scheduling information.

[0101] 3. Superframe: A physical resource composed of multiple radio frames in a wireless short-range communication system. For example, 48 radio frames constitute a superframe.

[0102] 4. Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS): This method spreads the spectrum by hopping the carrier frequency. Frequency hopping can be used to mitigate interference in mobile communication channels.

[0103] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a multi-carrier frequency hopping method 300 .

[0104] In a multi-carrier scenario, there are multiple carriers. Influences such as noise or interference will cause the signal quality of the working carrier to deteriorate, reducing communication reliability. Therefore, the working carrier with the above-mentioned degraded signal quality can be switched to the destination carrier by carrier switching. The working carrier is the carrier that carries the data stream, and the destination carrier can be a working carrier or a non-working carrier.

[0105] It should be noted that the carrier to be switched is the working carrier that needs to be switched, and the target carrier is the carrier to which the data stream carried by the carrier to be switched needs to be switched. The names of the carrier to be switched and the target carrier are only used for distinction. The carrier to be switched can also be called the source carrier, and the target carrier can also be called the target carrier. The names of the carrier to be switched and the target carrier are not limited in this embodiment of the application.

[0106] The following describes the method 300 in detail by taking the interaction between a G node and a T node as an example. The G node and the T node both support short-range wireless access technology, and may support the protocol architecture 200 shown in FIG2 , such as SLB access technology.

[0107] In addition, for ease of understanding, this application describes method 300 based on a four-carrier switching scenario, where carrier 0 and carrier 1 are carriers to be switched, carrier 2 and carrier 3 are target carriers, carrier 0 needs to be switched to carrier 2, and carrier 1 needs to be switched to carrier 3. Method 300 can also be applied to scenarios with fewer or more carrier switching, and this application does not limit the number of carriers to be switched.

[0108] Method 300 includes the following steps:

[0109] S301: Node G measures a first indicator.

[0110] Specifically, the physical layer of the G node periodically measures a first indicator of each carrier, where the first indicator is used to measure channel quality. The first indicator includes at least one of the following: received signal strength indication (RSSI), modulation and coding scheme (MCS), packet loss rate (Loss Tolerance or Packet Loss Rate), reference signal received power (RSRP), or reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ).

[0111] RSSI defines the average signal strength of the receiver input as measured by the receiver's measurement circuit. A larger absolute value of RSSI indicates better signal quality. MCS defines the number of useful bits that can be carried within a symbol. A larger MCS value indicates better signal quality. The packet loss rate is the ratio of lost data packets to transmitted data packets. A smaller packet loss rate indicates better signal quality. RSRP defines the average received signal power across all resource elements carrying the reference signal within a symbol. A smaller absolute value of RSRP indicates better signal quality. RSRQ defines the reference signal reception quality. A smaller absolute value of RSRQ indicates better signal quality.

[0112] Optionally, the first indicator may be other parameters indicating radio resource management (RRM) measurement results, or other parameters indicating signal quality, which is not limited in this application.

[0113] Exemplarily, the G node obtains measurement value A, measurement value B, measurement value C and measurement value D, where measurement value A is determined based on the first indicator measurement result of carrier 0, measurement value B is determined based on the first indicator measurement result of carrier 1, measurement value C is determined based on the first indicator measurement result of carrier 2, and measurement value D is determined based on the first indicator measurement result of carrier 3.

[0114] S302: Node G determines frequency hopping.

[0115] Specifically, frequency hopping is the process of switching a carrier to be switched to a target carrier. The G node determines a carrier to be switched from working carriers based on frequency hopping conditions, and determines a target carrier for the carrier to be switched.

[0116] Therefore, in S302, two steps are included: determining the carrier to be switched and determining the target carrier.

[0117] S302a: Node G determines a carrier to be switched.

[0118] Specifically, it is determined whether the first indicator measurement result of each working carrier of the G node in S301 meets condition A, and the working carrier that meets condition A is the carrier to be switched.

[0119] In a possible implementation, the condition A is that a difference between a first indicator measurement result of a certain working carrier and a first indicator measurement result of any carrier other than the carrier is greater than a threshold A.

[0120] For example, if the difference between measured value A and measured value B is greater than threshold A; or the difference between measured value A and measured value C is greater than threshold A; or the difference between measured value A and measured value D is greater than threshold A, then carrier 0 needs to be switched, and carrier 0 is the carrier to be switched. If the difference between measured value B and measured value A is greater than threshold A; or the difference between measured value B and measured value C is greater than threshold A; or the difference between measured value B and measured value D is greater than threshold A, then carrier 1 needs to be switched, and carrier 1 is the carrier to be switched.

[0121] It should be understood that the threshold A can be determined by a protocol predefined method or by signaling transmission. This application does not limit the specific setting method of the threshold A.

[0122] Exemplarily, the first indicator is RSSI, and the threshold A is 20 dBm. Then, the degradation of the carrier 0 and the carrier 1 satisfying the condition A both exceeds 20 dBm.

[0123] It should be understood that the condition A is only used to determine the carrier to be switched, and this application does not limit the specific content of condition A.

[0124] S302b: Node G determines the destination carrier.

[0125] It should be understood that there is a switching relationship between the carrier to be switched and the target carrier, and the switching relationship is used to describe switching the carrier to be switched to the target carrier. Therefore, determining the target carrier includes: determining the switching relationship between the carrier to be switched and the target carrier.

[0126] Optionally, the switching relationship may be determined in a manner predefined by the protocol, or may be determined by the G node. This application does not limit the manner of determining the switching relationship.

[0127] In a possible implementation, the G node determines the switching relationship, and the switching relationship is determined according to the index number of the carrier.

[0128] Optionally, the switching relationship is determined in ascending order of index numbers.

[0129] Exemplarily, carrier 0 and carrier 1 are carriers to be switched, and the index value of carrier 0 is smaller than the index value of carrier 1. Carrier 2 and carrier 3 are candidate destination carriers, and the index value of carrier 2 is smaller than the index value of carrier 3. In this case, the switching relationship is that carrier 0 switches to carrier 2, and carrier 1 switches to carrier 3.

[0130] Optionally, the switching relationship is determined in descending order of the index numbers. This is contrary to the determination of the switching relationship in ascending order of the index numbers, which is not described in detail in this application.

[0131] In a possible implementation, the G node determines the switching relationship, and the switching relationship is determined according to the signal quality of the carrier.

[0132] Optionally, the switching relationship is determined in descending order of signal quality.

[0133] For example, carrier 0 and carrier 1 are carriers to be switched, and the signal quality of carrier 0 is better than that of carrier 1. Carrier 2 and carrier 3 are candidate destination carriers, and the signal quality of carrier 2 is better than that of carrier 3. In this case, the switching relationship is that carrier 0 switches to carrier 2, and carrier 1 switches to carrier 3.

[0134] Optionally, the switching relationship is determined in ascending order of signal quality. This is contrary to determining the switching relationship in descending order of signal quality, which is not described in detail in this application.

[0135] In a possible implementation, the G node determines the switching relationship, and the switching relationship is determined according to the index number of the carrier and / or the signal quality of the carrier.

[0136] Optionally, the order of the carriers to be switched is determined in ascending order according to the carrier index numbers, and the order of the target carriers is determined in ascending order according to the carrier channel quality, and the carriers to be switched and the target carriers correspond in order; or, the order of the carriers to be switched is determined in ascending order according to the carrier index numbers, and the order of the target carriers is determined in descending order according to the carrier channel quality, and the carriers to be switched and the target carriers correspond in order; or, the order of the carriers to be switched is determined in descending order according to the carrier index numbers, and the order of the target carriers is determined in ascending order according to the carrier channel quality, and the carriers to be switched and the target carriers correspond in order; or, the order of the carriers to be switched is determined in descending order according to the carrier index numbers, and the order of the target carriers is determined in descending order according to the carrier channel quality, and the carriers to be switched and the target carriers correspond in order.

[0137] It should be understood that the switching relationship is only used to determine the corresponding target carrier for each carrier to be switched, and the present application does not limit the method for determining the switching relationship.

[0138] It should be noted that steps S301 to S302 are located in the same superframe. Each execution of S301 triggers the execution of S302a. If S302a determines that there is a carrier to be switched at the G node, S302b will be further triggered.

[0139] S303: Node G obtains the resources required to send message A and message B.

[0140] It should be understood that message A and message B are used to instruct switching the carrier to be switched to the target carrier. Specifically, message A is used to instruct switching carrier 0 to carrier 2, and message B is used to instruct switching carrier 1 to carrier 3.

[0141] Message A and Message B may be referred to as fast carrier switching indication information, or carrier switching indication information, or frequency hopping indication information. The names of Message A and Message B are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0142] Specifically, after determining the carrier to be switched and the corresponding target carrier, the data link layer of the G node performs resource scheduling and obtains resources for sending instructions to the T node to perform frequency hopping.

[0143] S304: Node G generates message A and message B.

[0144] The fields carried in message A include but are not limited to at least one of the following:

[0145] (1) Destination carrier identifier: used to uniquely identify the destination carrier.

[0146] (2) Switching Time Indication: This indicates the offset of the last superframe of the current carrier before the carrier switch, starting from the superframe in which the current fast carrier switch indication message is sent, in superframes. For example, a switching time value of 0 indicates that the superframe in which message A is currently sent is the last superframe of the current carrier.

[0147] (3) Function indication: indicates the function of the extended control information. For example, a value of 0 indicates that the current extended control information is fast carrier switching indication information.

[0148] (4) Switching interval: The interval starts at the end of the last superframe of the carrier to be switched and ends at the start of the first superframe of the destination carrier. The switching interval is an integer number of milliseconds. The superframe number of the first superframe of the destination carrier after the switch is consecutive to the superframe number of the last superframe of the current carrier before the switch.

[0149] (5) Re-access indication: Indicates whether the destination carrier needs to be re-accessed. For example, a value of 0 indicates that the second device does not need to re-access the destination carrier, and a value of 1 indicates that the second device needs to use the currently allocated physical layer identifier for non-contention access on the destination carrier.

[0150] (6) Preamble transmission indication: indicates that after the first device switches to the destination carrier, it does not send the preamble information of the superframe discontinuous transmission before the first superframe of the destination carrier. When sending the preamble, the superframe number field in the preamble information indicates the superframe number of the last superframe of the current carrier. For example, a value of 0 indicates that after the first device switches to the destination carrier, it does not send the preamble information of the superframe discontinuous transmission before the first superframe of the destination carrier; a value of 1 indicates that after the first device switches to the destination carrier, it sends the preamble information of the superframe discontinuous transmission before the first superframe of the destination carrier.

[0151] (7) Superframe number continuity indication: For example, a value of 0 indicates that the superframe number of the first superframe of the destination carrier after the switch is not guaranteed to be continuous with the superframe number of the last superframe of the current carrier before the switch. In this case, the scheduling of the carrier before the switch is invalid on the destination carrier after the switch. A value of 1 indicates that the superframe number of the first superframe of the destination carrier after the switch is continuous with the superframe number of the last superframe of the current carrier before the switch. In this case, the scheduling of the carrier before the switch is valid on the destination carrier after the switch.

[0152] (8) Extended control information mask: configured by the upper layer, and the cyclic redundancy check sequence is calculated using the cyclic redundancy check generator polynomial.

[0153] (9) Reserved bits.

[0154] In addition, the fields carried by message B are similar to those of message A. The difference is that message B indicates switching carrier 1 to carrier 3, so the information of the destination carrier in message B is the information of carrier 3, which is not described in detail in this application.

[0155] It should be understood that the names of the above fields are only used to indicate the corresponding functions, and the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific names of the above fields.

[0156] S305: Node G sends message A on carrier 0 and sends message B on carrier 1; correspondingly, node T receives message A on carrier 0 and receives message B on carrier 1.

[0157] Message A is used to instruct switching from carrier 0 to carrier 2, and message B is used to instruct switching from carrier 1 to carrier 3.

[0158] It should be understood that if there are multiple carriers to be switched, each carrier to be switched will carry carrier switching indication information indicating its own switching status. In this case, the flexibility of carrier switching indication is poor. If there is interference in the channel of the carrier to be switched, the T node may not be able to receive the carrier switching indication information instructing the carrier to be switched to switch, causing the switching of the carrier to be switched to fail. In addition, if there are multiple carriers to be switched, sending carrier switching indication information on each carrier to be switched will result in large resource overhead and scheduling time.

[0159] S306: Node T parses message A and message B.

[0160] It should be understood that after receiving the message A and the message B on the carrier to be switched, the T node needs to parse the message A and the message B to obtain the specific information carried therein.

[0161] Optionally, the T node determines to switch carrier 0 to carrier 2 according to message A.

[0162] Optionally, the T node determines to switch carrier 1 to carrier 3 according to message B.

[0163] Optionally, the T node determines the time to trigger the switching of carrier 0 to carrier 2 according to the switching time information carried in message A.

[0164] Optionally, the T node determines the time to trigger the switching of carrier 1 to carrier 3 according to the switching time information carried in message B.

[0165] S307: The G node and the T node perform carrier switching.

[0166] Specifically, the G node and the T node simultaneously perform carrier switching at the corresponding switching time, switching from the carrier to be switched to the target carrier, for example, switching from carrier 0 to carrier 2, and from carrier 1 to carrier 3.

[0167] In the communication system shown in Figure 1, wireless channels are susceptible to noise and interference, which can degrade signal quality and reduce communication reliability. In a multi-carrier scenario, carrier switching can be used to communicate using carriers with better channel quality. However, in the frequency hopping method shown in Figure 3, each carrier to be switched independently carries its own switching indication information, which is inflexible and may lead to switching failures.

[0168] Therefore, how to improve the indication flexibility of carrier switching is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0169] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system, which can improve the flexibility of carrier switching indication.

[0170] The technical solution provided by the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present application can be applied to a variety of different scenarios, such as the scenario shown in FIG1 , but is not limited to this scenario.

[0171] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0172] It should be understood that the embodiments shown below do not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, for example, the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be the first device or the second device, or it can be a functional module in the first device or the second device that can call and execute the program.

[0173] Hereinafter, without loss of generality, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail by taking the interaction between the first device and the second device as an example. Wherein, the first device and the second device both support short-range wireless access technology, such as SLB access technology, the first device may be a G-node, the second device may be a T-node, and the first device and the second device both support the protocol architecture 200 shown in Figure 2.

[0174] It should be noted that method 400 can be applicable to multi-carrier scenarios, more specifically, can be applicable to single carrier switching situations in multi-carrier scenarios, or can be applicable to multiple carrier switching situations in multi-carrier scenarios. This application does not limit the number of carriers to be switched. The multi-carrier scenario includes multiple carriers, and the single carrier switching situation and / or multiple carrier switching situation include at least one working carrier, and the working carrier is used to carry data streams. The carrier that needs to be switched in the at least one working carrier is the carrier to be switched, and the carrier to which the carrier to be switched is switched is the destination carrier.

[0175] In addition, the carrier to be switched and the destination carrier are different carriers. Each carrier to be switched corresponds to a destination carrier, which can be a working carrier or a non-working carrier. The carrier to be switched is switched to the destination carrier, indicating that the data stream carried by the carrier to be switched needs to be switched to the destination carrier for transmission. That is, the destination carrier carries the data stream originally carried by the carrier to be switched.

[0176] It should be understood that the names of the carrier to be switched and the target carrier are only used for distinction. The carrier to be switched can also be called the source carrier, and the target carrier can also be called the target carrier. This application does not limit the names of the carrier to be switched and the target carrier.

[0177] The method 400 may include the following steps:

[0178] S401: A first device generates first information.

[0179] Specifically, the first information is used to indicate that the first carrier is switched to the second carrier. The first carrier is the carrier to be switched, and the second carrier is the destination carrier to which the first carrier needs to be switched. It should be noted that if the first carrier has not yet been switched to the second carrier, the first carrier is the working carrier to be switched.

[0180] It should be understood that in this embodiment, there is no limitation on the name of the first information, as long as it can realize the corresponding function. For example, the first information in this embodiment can also be called carrier switching indication information, fast carrier switching indication information, frequency hopping indication information, etc., which can indicate that the first carrier is switched to the second carrier.

[0181] Optionally, before generating the first information, the first device may determine to switch the first carrier to the second carrier. In this embodiment, the process of the first device determining to switch the first carrier to the second carrier can be referred to steps S301 to S302 in Figure 3 above, and this application will not repeat them here.

[0182] Optionally, the first device may also obtain resources required for sending the first information. The process of obtaining resources required for sending the first information is shown in step S303 in FIG3 , and is not described in detail in this application.

[0183] In one implementation, the fields carried by the first information include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: a destination carrier identifier, a switching time, a function indicator, a switching interval indicator, a re-access indicator, a preamble transmission indicator, a superframe number continuity indicator, an extended control information mask, or a reserved bit. For descriptions of the above fields, see step S304 in FIG. 3 above, and this application will not elaborate on them here.

[0184] Optionally, the field carried by the first information may further include an identifier of the carrier to be switched.

[0185] Exemplarily, the first information may carry information about the first carrier and information about the second carrier, such as the first information including an identifier of the first carrier and an identifier of the second carrier. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the information about the first carrier may also include other information that can indicate the first carrier in addition to the identifier of the first carrier. Similarly, the information about the second carrier may also include other information that can indicate the second carrier in addition to the identifier of the second carrier, which will not be repeated here. By carrying the information about the carrier to be switched and the information about the destination carrier in the first information, the carrier to be switched and the destination carrier corresponding to the carrier to be switched can be clearly indicated, thereby avoiding confusion in the switching information and improving the performance of indicating carrier switching.

[0186] Specifically, the first information is N bits, where N is an integer greater than 1. The first information indicates a manner in which the first carrier is switched to the second carrier, including but not limited to the following manners:

[0187] Method 1: Bit N1 of the N bits indicates the first carrier, and bit N2 of the N bits indicates the second carrier, where N1 and N2 are integers greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N. The N1 bit directly indicates the carrier to be switched, and the N2 bit directly indicates the target carrier. This method is simple and efficient.

[0188] Method 2: The first bit of the N bits indicates that the first carrier is switched, the position of at least one second bit in the N bits indicates the first carrier, and the value of the at least one second bit indicates the second carrier. The first bit indicates carrier switching, the position of the second bit indicates the carrier to be switched, and the value of the second bit indicates the destination carrier. Compared to the first indication method, this method reduces the number of bits occupied by simultaneously indicating the carrier to be switched and the destination carrier, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0189] Mode 3: The first bit of the N bits indicates that the first carrier is switched, the position of at least one second bit of the N bits indicates the second carrier, and the value of the at least one second bit indicates the first carrier. Mode 3 is similar to Mode 2. Compared with the first indication mode, Mode 3 reduces the number of bits occupied by simultaneously indicating the carrier to be switched and the target carrier, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0190] For ease of understanding, FIG5 is briefly introduced to illustrate how the first information instructs the first carrier to switch to the second carrier in this embodiment. FIG5 is based on the SLB 80M scenario and describes a carrier switching indication applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0191] Specifically, the SLB protocol specifies that the carrier switching indication information indicates the destination carrier (destination carrier channel number) of the carrier switching through 14 bits. For the SLB 80M scenario, the signaling format of the first information can be as shown in Figure 5. For example, for the SLB 80M scenario where the number of carriers is 4, 4 bits of the 14 bits specified in the existing SLB protocol can be defined as switching identification bits, and 8 bits of the 14 bits other than the aforementioned 4 bits are defined as switching indication bits.

[0192] Among them, the 4 bits in the switching flag are used to indicate whether the 4 carriers need to be switched. For example, the 4 bits indicate whether carriers 0-3 need to be switched from right to left. A bit value of 1 indicates that the carrier corresponding to the bit needs to be switched, and a bit value of 0 indicates that the carrier corresponding to the bit does not need to be switched. For example, the switching flag in Figure 5 is 0011, where the first bit "1" from right to left indicates that carrier 0 needs to be switched, the second bit "1" from right to left indicates that carrier 1 needs to be switched, the third bit "0" from right to left indicates that carrier 2 needs to be switched, and the fourth bit "0" from right to left indicates that carrier 3 needs to be switched.

[0193] The eight bits in the handover indication bit are used to indicate the carrier to be switched and the target carrier. For example, every two bits in the eight bits represent one of carriers 0-3, and the value of each position indicates the target carrier corresponding to that carrier. The validity of the target carrier is controlled by the handover flag bit. For example, the switching indication bit in Figure 5 takes the value of 00001110, which represents carriers 0-3 and their corresponding destination carriers from right to left (for example, the first and second bits "10" from right to left represent carrier 0 and its corresponding destination carrier, the third and fourth bits "11" from right to left represent carrier 1 and its corresponding destination carrier, the fifth and sixth bits "00" from right to left represent carrier 2 and its corresponding destination carrier, and the seventh and eighth bits "00" from right to left represent carrier 3 and its corresponding destination carrier). Then, the destination carrier of carrier 0 is carrier 2, the destination carrier of carrier 1 is carrier 3, and the destination carriers of carrier 2 and carrier 3 are both carrier 0. Combined with the switching identification bit 0011, it can be seen that carriers 2 and 3 are not switched, and carriers 0 and 1 need to be switched. Therefore, the 12-bit information in Figure 5 indicates that carrier 0 is switched to carrier 2, and carrier 2 is switched to carrier 3.

[0194] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application only takes the SLB 80M scenario as an example to illustrate the indication method of the carrier switching indication information. For other multi-carrier scenarios, the number of field bits of the carrier switching indication information can be adaptively increased or decreased based on the method shown in Figure 5. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the indication method of the carrier switching indication information.

[0195] It should be understood that in the above implementation, the first device needs to transmit complete frequency hopping topology information to the other end, that is, the first message completely indicates the information of the carrier to be switched and the target carrier. In the case of a large number of carriers and a complex frequency hopping topology, the first message needs to include a large amount of frequency hopping information.

[0196] Therefore, in another implementation, a first configuration table can be provided on both the first device and the second device. The first configuration table includes at least one carrier switching relationship and an index corresponding to the at least one carrier switching relationship. Thus, the first device can carry only the index in the first information, and the second device can determine the specific carrier switching relationship based on the index and the first configuration table. This reduces the data volume of the first information and effectively reduces air interface overhead in scenarios with high carrier switching requirements.

[0197] Specifically, the first information includes a first index, where the first index is used to indicate a first switching relationship in the first configuration table, where the first switching relationship indicates switching the first carrier to the second carrier.

[0198] Optionally, the first switching relationship can also indicate switching the first carrier to a third carrier and / or a fourth carrier, that is, the first switching relationship can include all switching relationships between the first device and the second device that require carrier switching; or, it can also include partial switching relationships between the first device and the second device that require carrier switching; or, it can also include switching relationships between the first device and the second device that may perform carrier switching, and the first device and the second device can select a carrier switching relationship from the "switching relationships that may perform carrier switching" in the same manner.

[0199] The following methods may be used to obtain the first configuration table:

[0200] Mode 1: The first configuration table may be sent by other devices to the first device and / or the second device, that is, before step S401, the method further includes: the first device and / or the second device receiving the first configuration table.

[0201] Mode 2: The first configuration table may be generated by the first device and sent to the second device. Thus, after step S401, the method further includes: the first device sending the first configuration table to the second device; correspondingly, the second device receiving the first configuration table sent by the first device.

[0202] Method three: the first configuration table may be generated by the first device and the second device respectively.

[0203] The first configuration table may be determined in the following ways:

[0204] Optionally, the first configuration table may be determined based on carrier information between the first device and the second device. For ease of understanding, the following description only takes the first device generating the first configuration table as an example, which does not constitute a limitation on the subject of generating the first configuration table in this application.

[0205] Exemplarily, when the first device and the second device include a first carrier, a second carrier, a third carrier, and a fourth carrier, the first configuration table is associated with information about the first carrier, information about the second carrier, information about the third carrier, and / or information about the fourth carrier. The information about the first carrier includes an identifier of the first carrier and / or a measurement result of a first indicator of the first carrier; the information about the second carrier includes an identifier of the second carrier and / or a measurement result of the first indicator of the second carrier; the information about the third carrier includes an identifier of the third carrier and / or a measurement result of the first indicator of the third carrier; and the information about the fourth carrier includes an identifier of the fourth carrier and / or a measurement result of the first indicator of the fourth carrier.

[0206] For example, the first device may generate a first configuration table as shown in Table 1. Specifically, the first device may determine all possible carrier switching modes based on the four different carriers. The carrier switching modes may also be referred to as topological relationships, and this application does not limit the name thereof. Among all possible topological relationships, the topological relationship corresponding to the same index may include information indicating that at least one carrier is switched (i.e., the same index may correspond to at least one group of topological relationships for indicating carrier switching).

[0207] It should be understood that Table 1 is merely an example, illustrating some possible handover modes between four carriers. Here, t1 indicates that the first carrier is the carrier to be switched, and t1' indicates that the first carrier is the destination carrier; t2 indicates that the second carrier is the carrier to be switched, and t2' indicates that the second carrier is the destination carrier; t3 indicates that the third carrier is the carrier to be switched, and t3' indicates that the third carrier is the destination carrier; t4 indicates that the fourth carrier is the carrier to be switched, and t4' indicates that the fourth carrier is the destination carrier. "[,]" represents a set of topological relationships.

[0208] When the first carrier needs to be switched to the second carrier, the first information may include an index "1," which corresponds to the topological relationship for switching the first carrier to the second carrier in Table 1. In other words, the first device can determine, based on the carrier to be switched, the destination carrier, and the first configuration table, the index in the first configuration table corresponding to the topological relationship indicating "switching the carrier to be switched to the destination carrier." Thus, simply by carrying the index in the first information, the switching relationship between the carrier to be switched and the destination carrier can be indicated, effectively reducing the amount of data transmitted over the air interface for frequency hopping information.

[0209] Table 1

[0210] Optionally, in order to further reduce the resources occupied by the first device for storing the first configuration table, the first device may also remove invalid information in the first configuration table, that is, the existing first configuration table may be updated to obtain a new first configuration table; or, the first device may also generate the first configuration table with the invalid information removed when generating the first configuration table.

[0211] The invalid information may include: a topological relationship including "the carrier to be switched and the target carrier are the same" and its corresponding index. For example, Table 1 includes the topological relationships of [t1, t1'], [t2, t2'], [t3, t3'], and / or [t4, t4'] and their corresponding indexes.

[0212] When there is a carrier between the first device and the second device that cannot be switched (for example, the frequency band of the third carrier is fixed and frequency hopping cannot be performed), the invalid information may also include: the topological relationship between t3 and t3' and its corresponding index (for example, index 21 and its corresponding "[t1, t1'], [t3, t4']", etc.).

[0213] Optionally, the first device may also dynamically generate the first configuration table based on an actual environment. For example, the first device may generate the first configuration table based on the measurement result of the first indicator of the first carrier, the measurement result of the first indicator of the second carrier, the measurement result of the first indicator of the third carrier, and / or the measurement result of the first indicator of the fourth carrier.

[0214] Exemplarily, after the first device is started, the first device may generate the first configuration table #1 in time period #1 based on the first indicator measurement results of the four carriers in time period #1. The first device may also update the first configuration table #1 in time period #2 based on the first indicator measurement results of the four carriers in time period #2 to obtain a new first configuration table #2. Alternatively, the first device may directly generate a new first configuration table #2 in time period #2 based on the first indicator measurement results of the four carriers in time period #2. The specific method for generating the first configuration table is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0215] Specifically, the first device can generate or update the first configuration table based on the "carrier with better signal quality" (for example, the carrier whose first indicator measurement result is greater than the second threshold). For example, the first device can retain the topological relationship of "taking the carrier with better signal quality as the destination carrier" and its corresponding index in the existing first configuration table; or, the first device can directly generate a new first configuration table based on the carrier between the first device and the second device and the carrier with better signal quality. Alternatively, the first device can also remove the topological relationship and its corresponding index containing the "carrier with poor signal quality" (for example, the carrier whose first indicator measurement result is less than the third threshold) in the existing first configuration table. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the manner in which the first device generates the first configuration table according to the actual environment.

[0216] In this case, the scale of topology data can be further reduced, and the resources occupied by the first device for storing the first configuration table can be reduced.

[0217] Optionally, the first device may also update the first configuration table according to actual conditions of carrier switching.

[0218] Exemplarily, the first device may sort the first configuration table according to the actual carrier switching between the first device and the second device in time period #3.

[0219] For example, the topological relationships in the first configuration table can be prioritized according to the corresponding number of "topological relationships corresponding to each index" and "carrier switching actually performed between the first device and the second device in time period #3" in the first configuration table, and the topological relationships can be arranged in descending order according to the "corresponding number of times", so that the topological relationships and indexes can be quickly determined when generating the first information, thereby improving the efficiency of generating the first information.

[0220] For another example, topological relationships in the first configuration table whose “number of correspondences” is lower than a fourth threshold value may be removed, thereby further reducing the resources occupied by the first device for storing the first configuration table.

[0221] Optionally, the fields carried by the first information may further include at least one of the following: a switching time, a function indication, a switching interval indication, a re-access indication, a preamble transmission indication, a superframe number continuity indication, an extended control information mask, or a reserved bit. For descriptions of the above fields, please refer to step S304 in Figure 3 above, and this application will not elaborate on them here.

[0222] S402: The first device sends first information to the second device on a third carrier; correspondingly, the second device receives the first information from the first device on the third carrier.

[0223] Optionally, the third carrier may be a carrier to be switched or a working carrier that does not need to be switched. The third carrier is different from the first carrier, and by sending the switching information of the first carrier on a carrier different from the first carrier, the flexibility of the carrier switching indication can be improved.

[0224] Optionally, the first information is transmitted via downlink control information (DCI) carried by a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). This application does not limit the transmission method of the first information.

[0225] In a possible implementation manner, the signal quality of the third carrier satisfies a first condition.

[0226] Optionally, the first condition includes: signal quality of the third carrier is greater than a first threshold. It should be understood that a carrier with signal quality greater than the first threshold can be considered to have good signal quality. Carrying the switching indication information by the carrier with good signal quality can ensure the transmission reliability of the switching indication information to a certain extent, thereby improving the performance of indicating carrier switching.

[0227] The signal quality of the third carrier is related to the measurement result of the first indicator.

[0228] Specifically, the first indicator includes at least one of the following: received signal strength indication RSSI, modulation and coding strategy MCS, packet loss rate, reference signal received power RSRP or reference signal received quality RSRQ.

[0229] Specifically, RSSI defines the average signal strength of the receiver input as measured by the receiver's measurement circuit. A larger absolute value of RSSI indicates better signal quality. MCS defines the number of useful bits that can be carried within a symbol. A larger MCS value indicates better signal quality. The packet loss rate is the ratio of lost data packets to transmitted data packets. A smaller packet loss rate indicates better signal quality. RSRP defines the average received signal power across all resource elements carrying the reference signal within a symbol. A smaller absolute value of RSRP indicates better signal quality. RSRQ defines the reference signal reception quality. A smaller absolute value of RSRQ indicates better signal quality.

[0230] Optionally, the first indicator may be other parameters representing RRM measurement results, or other parameters indicating signal quality, which is not limited in this application.

[0231] In addition, the first threshold can be determined by protocol pre-definition or by signaling transmission. This application does not limit the specific setting method of the first threshold.

[0232] Optionally, the first condition may further include: arranging the signal qualities of the working carriers in descending order, the third carrier being one of the first N in the arrangement, where N is a positive integer.

[0233] In a possible implementation, the method 400 may further include step S402a: the first device sends the first information on the fifth carrier; and correspondingly, the second device receives the first information on the fifth carrier.

[0234] Optionally, the fifth carrier may be a carrier to be switched, or may be a working carrier that does not need to be switched. The fifth carrier is different from the first carrier and the third carrier.

[0235] Specifically, the process of the first device sending the first information on the fifth carrier may refer to the process of the first device sending the first information to the second device on the third carrier in S402 above, and this application will not elaborate on it here.

[0236] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the specific execution timing of step S402a. For example, S402a may be located before S402; or S402a may be located after S402; S402a may be performed simultaneously with S402.

[0237] Optionally, the first device may also send the first information on the first carrier.

[0238] It should be understood that in the case of single carrier switching, multiple working carriers can carry the switching indication information of the carrier to be switched. In the case of interference in the carrier to be switched, the transmission reliability of the switching information can be improved, thereby improving the performance of indicating carrier switching.

[0239] It should be noted that the method 400 may also be applicable to more carrier switching situations, such as may also include switching from the third carrier to the fourth carrier.

[0240] In this implementation, the process of method 400 may further include step S401a: the first device generates second information.

[0241] Specifically, the second information is used to instruct the third carrier to switch to the fourth carrier. The process of generating the second information in this embodiment can be referred to step S401, and this application will not elaborate on it here.

[0242] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the specific execution timing of step S401a. For example, S401a may be performed before S401; or, S401a may be performed after S401; or, S401a may be performed simultaneously with S401.

[0243] In a possible implementation, the method 400 may further include step S402b: the first device may further send the second information on the third carrier; correspondingly, the second device may further receive the second information on the third carrier.

[0244] Specifically, the process of the first device sending the second information on the third carrier may refer to the process of the first device sending the first information to the second device on the third carrier in S402 above, which is not described in detail in this application.

[0245] It should be noted that this application does not limit the specific execution timing of step S402b. For example, S402b can be located before S402 or S402a; or, S402b can be located after S402 or S402a; S402b can be performed simultaneously with S402 or S402a.

[0246] It should be understood that in the case of multiple carrier switching, a single carrier can carry the switching indication information for multiple carriers. In this case, there is no need to use different carriers to indicate the carriers to be switched. Compared with multiple carriers carrying switching indication information separately, this can reduce the probability of interference between carriers and improve the performance of indicating carrier switching.

[0247] It should be understood that information indicating more carrier switching may also be sent on the third carrier, and the present application does not limit the number of multiple carrier switching information carried by one carrier.

[0248] Optionally, the second information is transmitted via downlink control information (DCI) carried by a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0249] Optionally, the first information and the second information may be included in two different messages, for example, the first information is included in message #1, and the second information is included in message #2, where message #1 and message #2 are different.

[0250] Optionally, the first information and the second information may also be included in a first message. Sending the first message on the third carrier can simultaneously indicate the switching status of the first carrier and the third carrier. Carrying the first information and the second information in the same message can reduce signaling overhead compared to sending them separately in different messages.

[0251] Optionally, the first configuration table also includes at least one of the following items: a second index and a second switching relationship corresponding to the second index, the second switching relationship indicating that the third carrier is switched to the fourth carrier; a third index and a third switching relationship corresponding to the third index, the third switching relationship indicating that the first carrier is switched to the second carrier, and the third carrier is switched to the fourth carrier.

[0252] Corresponding to Table 1 shown above, the first message may include the index "30", which corresponds to the topological relationship in Table 1 of switching the first carrier to the second carrier and switching the third carrier to the fourth carrier.

[0253] Optionally, the first message is transmitted via downlink control information (DCI) carried by a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0254] In one possible implementation, method 400 may further include step S402c: the first device may further send the first information and the second information on the first carrier; correspondingly, the second device may further receive the first information and the second information on the first carrier. That is, in the case of multiple carrier switching, the switching indication information may be carried by multiple carriers.

[0255] Specifically, the process of the first device sending the first information and the second information on the first carrier can refer to the process of the first device sending the first information to the second device on the third carrier in S402 above, and the process of the first device sending the second information to the second device on the third carrier. This application will not go into details here.

[0256] Optionally, as shown in S402, S402b, and S402c, the switching indication information sent by the multiple carriers may be identical. This can improve the transmission reliability of the switching information in the presence of interference, thereby improving the performance of indicating carrier switching. For example, the first information and the second information are sent on a first carrier, and the first information and the second information are sent on a third carrier.

[0257] Optionally, as shown in S402b and S402c, the switching indication information sent by the multiple carriers may be different, which can reduce signaling overhead when there are a large number of carriers to be switched. For example, the first information and the second information are sent on the first carrier, and the first information is sent on the third carrier.

[0258] S403: The second device performs carrier switching.

[0259] Specifically, after receiving the carrier switching indication information on the corresponding carrier, the second device may parse the information and perform carrier switching based on the parsing result.

[0260] Exemplarily, after receiving the first information on the third carrier, the second device may parse the first information and switch from the first carrier to the second carrier based on the parsing result; or, after receiving the first information on the fifth carrier, the second device may parse the first information and switch from the first carrier to the second carrier based on the parsing result; or, after receiving the second information on the third carrier, the second device may parse the second information and switch from the third carrier to the fourth carrier based on the parsing result; or, after receiving the first information and the second information on the third carrier, the second device may parse the first information and the second information and switch from the first carrier to the second carrier and from the third carrier to the fourth carrier based on the parsing result; or, after receiving the first message on the third carrier, the second device may parse the first message and switch from the first carrier to the second carrier and from the third carrier to the fourth carrier based on the parsing result; or, after receiving the first information and the second information on the first carrier, the second device may parse the first information and the second information and switch from the first carrier to the second carrier and from the third carrier to the fourth carrier based on the parsing result.

[0261] Specifically, the process of switching carriers according to the carrier switching indication information in this embodiment can be referred to steps S306 to S307 in FIG3 , and this application will not elaborate on them here.

[0262] Optionally, when the first information includes the first index, the second device may first determine a specific carrier switching relationship according to the first index and the first configuration table, and then switch the carrier based on the carrier switching relationship indicated by the first information.

[0263] Optionally, when the carrier switching indication information includes information indicating a switching moment, the second device determines when to perform the carrier switching according to the switching moment indicated by the information.

[0264] Optionally, the first device performs carrier switching at a corresponding switching moment.

[0265] Exemplarily, the first device switches from the first carrier to the second carrier; or, the first device switches from the first carrier to the second carrier, and from the third carrier to the fourth carrier.

[0266] In addition, in a possible implementation, when the first information includes a first index, the first device may also send the first information on the first carrier, wherein the first index is used to indicate a first switching relationship in the first configuration table, where the first switching relationship indicates switching the first carrier to the second carrier.

[0267] Correspondingly, the second device receives the first information on the first carrier and switches from the first carrier to the second carrier according to the first information. For the content of the first configuration table, please refer to the relevant description in step S401 above, and this application will not elaborate on it here.

[0268] To further illustrate the transmission of carrier switching indication information in a scenario with multiple carriers, FIG6 illustrates a schematic diagram of a method 600 for transmitting carrier switching indication information applicable to an embodiment of the present application, for an SLB 160M scenario. The SLB 160M scenario is an 8-carrier scenario, where carriers 0-3 are the carriers to be switched, and carriers 4-7 are the destination carriers for carriers 0-3, respectively.

[0269] As shown in (a) of Figure 6 , one carrier carries the switching indication information of multiple carriers. Specifically, indication information indicating that carrier 0 switches to carrier 4, carrier 1 switches to carrier 5, carrier 2 switches to carrier 6, and carrier 3 switches to carrier 7 is sent on carrier 0. Compared with multiple carriers carrying switching information separately, the probability of interference between carriers can be reduced, and the performance of indicating carrier switching can be improved. In addition, carrier 0 can be the carrier with the best signal quality among carriers 0-4. Carrying the switching information by carrier 0 can ensure the transmission reliability of the switching information to a certain extent, thereby improving the performance of indicating carrier switching.

[0270] As shown in Figure 6(b), multiple carriers carry the same handover indication information. Specifically, indication information indicating that carrier 0 should switch to carrier 4, carrier 1 should switch to carrier 5, carrier 2 should switch to carrier 6, and carrier 3 should switch to carrier 7 is transmitted on carrier 0 and carrier 1, respectively. In the presence of interference, this improves the transmission reliability of the handover information, thereby improving the performance of indicating carrier switches.

[0271] As shown in (c) of Figure 6 , multiple carriers carry different switching indication information. Specifically, indication information indicating that carrier 0 switches to carrier 4, carrier 1 switches to carrier 5, and carrier 2 switches to carrier 6 is sent on carrier 0. Indication information indicating that carrier 1 switches to carrier 5, carrier 2 switches to carrier 6, and carrier 3 switches to carrier 7 is sent on carrier 1. Indication information indicating that carrier 0 switches to carrier 4, carrier 2 switches to carrier 6, and carrier 3 switches to carrier 7 is sent on carrier 2. Indication information indicating that carrier 0 switches to carrier 4, carrier 2 switches to carrier 6, and carrier 3 switches to carrier 7 is sent on carrier 3. Compared with the method in (b) of Figure 6 , this reduces the signaling overhead carried by each carrier.

[0272] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solution of the present application, a specific embodiment is described below.

[0273] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a communication process provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0274] For example, Figure 7 describes the communication process applicable to an embodiment of the present application for the SLB 80M scenario. Specifically, the SLB 80M scenario is a 4-carrier scenario. In the case shown in Figure 7, working carriers 0 and 1 are carriers to be switched, where the destination carrier of carrier 0 is carrier 2, and the destination carrier of carrier 1 is carrier 3.

[0275] As shown in (a) of Figure 7 , carrier switching indication information can be sent separately on multiple carriers to be switched, with each carrier switching indication information carrying switching information for multiple carriers. Specifically, carrier 0 sends indication information indicating that carrier 0 should switch to carrier 2 and carrier 1 should switch to carrier 3; carrier 1 sends indication information indicating that carrier 0 should switch to carrier 2 and carrier 1 should switch to carrier 3.

[0276] As shown in (b) of Figure 7 , carrier switching indication information can be sent on the carrier to be switched with better signal quality. Each carrier switching indication information carries switching information for multiple carriers. Specifically, indication information indicating that carrier 0 is switched to carrier 2 and that carrier 1 is switched to carrier 3 is sent by carrier 0.

[0277] It should be understood that after receiving the carrier switching indication information on the corresponding carrier, the T node analyzes it to obtain the switching information and switching time of multiple carriers. The G node and the T node simultaneously switch from the carrier to be switched to the target carrier at the switching time.

[0278] After the switching is completed, carrier 2 and carrier 3 carry the communication between G node and T node; carrier 0 and carrier 1 are non-working carriers, and can also be used as candidate destination carriers. In the subsequent carrier switching process, they can continue to serve as the destination carriers of carrier 2 and carrier 3.

[0279] In order to facilitate understanding of the above embodiments provided in this application, the following explanations are made.

[0280] (1) In the embodiments of the present application, "indication" may include direct indication, indirect indication, explicit indication, or implicit indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0281] In this application, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, the information to be indicated can be directly indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can also be achieved with the help of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, stipulated by the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. In addition, the information to be indicated can be sent together as a whole, or it can be divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different.

[0282] (2) In this application, "sending" and "receiving" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also include indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which can include direct receiving from YY through the air interface, and also include indirect receiving from YY through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, for example, between a network device and a terminal device, or can be carried out within a device, for example, sending or receiving between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within the device through a bus, a line or an interface.

[0283] (3) In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0284] (4) In this application, the terms "first" or "second" are used for convenience of description only to distinguish between objects and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. They are not used to describe the order or precedence of features. It should be understood that the terms described in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate to describe solutions other than the embodiments of this application.

[0285] (5) In this application, “pre-definition” can be achieved by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device. This application does not limit its specific implementation method.

[0286] (6) In this application, the “protocol” referred to may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, such as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, the New Radio (NR) protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and this application does not limit this.

[0287] (7) In this application, words such as “exemplary,” “for example,” “illustratively,” or “as another example” are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as an “exemplary” in this application should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs.

[0288] (8) In this application, the words “include,” “comprising,” “having,” and their variations mean “including but not limited to,” unless otherwise specifically stated. “At least one” means one or more, and “a plurality” means two or more.

[0289] (9) In this application, "and / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the objects before and after the association 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 and c can mean: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c. Where a, b and c can be single or plural, respectively.

[0290] (10) In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0291] (11) In some of the above embodiments, devices in existing network architectures are used as examples for illustration. It should be understood that the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific form of the devices. For example, devices that can achieve the same functions in the future are applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0292] (12) In the above-mentioned various method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by devices (such as the first communication device and the second communication device) may also be implemented by components that can be used in the devices (such as chips or circuits).

[0293] (13) Some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may not depend on other features in certain scenarios, and may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios, without limitation.

[0294] The methods of the embodiments of the present application are described in detail above with reference to Figures 3 to 7 . To implement the various functions of the methods provided herein, both the transmitting device and the receiving device may include hardware structures and / or software modules, and the aforementioned functions may be implemented in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Whether any of the aforementioned functions is implemented in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0295] The communication device according to the embodiment of the present application is described below with reference to FIG8 to FIG10.

[0296] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 800 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0297] The device 800 includes a transceiver unit 810 and a processing unit 820. The transceiver unit 810 can communicate with the outside, and the processing unit 820 is used to process data. The transceiver unit 810 can also be called a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0298] Optionally, the transceiver unit 810 may also be referred to as a communication interface or communication unit, and may include a sending unit and / or a receiving unit. The transceiver unit 810 may be a transceiver (including a transmitter and / or a receiver), an input / output interface (including an input and / or output interface), a pin, or a circuit. The transceiver unit 810 may be configured to perform the sending and / or receiving steps in the above-described method embodiments.

[0299] Optionally, the processing unit 820 may be a processor (may include one or more) or a processing circuit with processor functions, etc., and may be used to execute other steps except sending and receiving in the above method embodiment.

[0300] Optionally, the apparatus 800 further includes a storage unit, which may be a memory, an internal storage unit (e.g., a register or cache), or an external storage unit (e.g., a read-only memory or a random access memory). The storage unit is used to store instructions, and the processing unit 820 executes the instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the communication apparatus to perform the above method.

[0301] In addition, the transceiver unit 810 may also be a transceiver circuit (for example, may include a receiving circuit and a sending circuit), and the processing unit 820 may be a processing circuit.

[0302] It should be noted that the device in FIG8 may also be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on chip (SoC). The transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit may be a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. This application does not limit this.

[0303] The apparatus 800 may be used to execute the actions executed by the first device in the above method embodiment. In this case, the apparatus 800 may be the first device or a component that may be configured in the first device.

[0304] The transceiver unit 810 is configured to perform the transceiver-related operations on the first device side in the above method embodiment, for example, to send the first information on a third carrier, where the third carrier is different from the first carrier.

[0305] The processing unit 820 is configured to execute operations related to the processing on the first device side in the above method embodiment, for example, to generate first information, where the first information is used to instruct the first carrier to switch to the second carrier.

[0306] Alternatively, the apparatus 800 may be used to execute the actions executed by the second device in the above method embodiment. In this case, the apparatus 800 may be the second device or a component that can be configured in the second device.

[0307] The transceiver unit 810 is used to perform the transceiver-related operations on the second device side in the above method embodiment, for example, to receive first information on the third carrier, where the first information is used to instruct the first carrier to switch to the second carrier.

[0308] The processing unit 820 is configured to execute operations related to the processing on the second device side in the above method embodiment, for example, to switch from the first carrier to the second carrier according to the first information.

[0309] It should be understood that the apparatus 800 herein is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" herein may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a dedicated processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, combined logic circuits, and / or other suitable components that support the described functionality.

[0310] The apparatus 800 of each of the above-mentioned solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the communication device (such as the first device, and the second device) in the above-mentioned method. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or the corresponding software can be implemented by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the sending unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing unit, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the sending and receiving operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0311] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 900 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0312] As shown in Figure 9, the device 900 includes a processor 910 and a transceiver 920. The processor 910 and the transceiver 920 communicate with each other via an internal connection path. The processor 910 is used to execute instructions to control the transceiver 920 to send and / or receive signals.

[0313] Optionally, the apparatus 900 may further include a memory 930, which communicates with the processor 910 and the transceiver 920 via an internal connection path. The memory 930 is used to store instructions, and the processor 910 may execute the instructions stored in the memory 930.

[0314] In a possible implementation, the apparatus 900 is used to implement various processes and steps corresponding to the second device in the above method embodiment.

[0315] It should be understood that the apparatus 900 can be specifically the second device in the above-mentioned embodiment, or it can be a chip or chip system. Correspondingly, the transceiver 920 can be the transceiver circuit of the chip, which is not limited here. For example, the apparatus 900 can be used to execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the second device in the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0316] In a possible implementation, the apparatus 900 is used to implement various processes and steps corresponding to the first device in the above method embodiment.

[0317] It should be understood that the apparatus 900 can be specifically the first device in the above-mentioned embodiment, or it can be a chip or chip system. Correspondingly, the transceiver 920 can be the transceiver circuit of the chip, which is not limited here. For example, the apparatus 900 can be used to execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the first device in the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0318] Optionally, the memory 930 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include a non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may also store device type information. The processor 910 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor 910 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 910 is configured to perform the various steps and / or processes of the aforementioned method embodiment corresponding to the second device.

[0319] During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor or an instruction in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, or an electrically erasable programmable memory or a register. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0320] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above-mentioned method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or by software instructions. The above-mentioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The processor in the embodiments of the present application can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented and executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium well-known in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above-mentioned method.

[0321] It will be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory, dynamic random access memory, synchronous dynamic random access memory, double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory, enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory, synchronous linked dynamic random access memory, and direct memory bus random access memory. It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0322] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip system 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0323] As shown in FIG. 10 , the chip system 1000 (or may also be referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 1010 and an input / output interface 1020 .

[0324] The logic circuit 1010 may be a processing circuit in the chip system 1000. The logic circuit 1010 may be coupled to a storage unit and call instructions in the storage unit so that the chip system 1000 can implement the methods and functions of the various embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 1020 may be an input / output circuit in the chip system 1000, outputting information processed by the chip system 1000 or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 1000 for processing.

[0325] As a solution, the chip system 1000 is used to implement the operations performed by the first device in each of the above method embodiments.

[0326] As a solution, the chip system 1000 is used to implement the operations performed by the second device in each of the above method embodiments.

[0327] The present application also provides a computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0328] The present application also provides a computer program product, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0329] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, or microwave) method. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0330] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software 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 beyond the scope of this application.

[0331] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0332] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0333] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0334] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0335] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0336] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: generating first information, where the first information is used to instruct the first carrier to switch to the second carrier; The first information is sent on a third carrier, where the third carrier is different from the first carrier.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Second information is sent on the third carrier, where the second information is used to instruct the third carrier to switch to a fourth carrier.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The method further includes: sending the first information and second information on the first carrier, where the second information is used to instruct the third carrier to switch to a fourth carrier.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The first information and the second information are included in a first message.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The signal quality of the third carrier is greater than a first threshold.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: The signal quality of the third carrier is related to the measurement result of the first indicator; The first indicator includes at least one of the following: Received signal strength indicator RSSI, modulation and coding strategy MCS, packet loss rate, reference signal received power RSRP, reference signal received quality RSRQ.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first information includes information about the first carrier and information about the second carrier.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first information is N bits, where N is an integer greater than 1; N1 bit in the N bits indicates the first carrier, N2 bit in the N bits indicates the second carrier, and N1 and N2 are integers greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N; or A first bit in the N bits indicates that switching of the first carrier occurs, a position of at least one second bit in the N bits in the N bits indicates the first carrier, and a value of the at least one second bit indicates the second carrier; or, The first bit in the N bits indicates that the first carrier is switched, the position of at least one second bit in the N bits in the N bits indicates the second carrier, and the value of the at least one second bit indicates the first carrier.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first information is used to instruct the first carrier to switch to the second carrier, including: The first information includes a first index, where the first index is used to indicate a first switching relationship in a first configuration table, where the first switching relationship indicates switching the first carrier to the second carrier.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The first configuration table is related to information about the first carrier, information about the second carrier, information about the third carrier, and / or information about the fourth carrier.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The information of the first carrier includes an identifier of the first carrier and / or a measurement result of a first indicator of the first carrier; The information of the second carrier includes an identifier of the second carrier and / or a measurement result of a first indicator of the second carrier; The information of the third carrier includes an identifier of the third carrier and / or a measurement result of the first indicator of the third carrier; The information of the fourth carrier includes an identifier of the fourth carrier and / or a measurement result of the first indicator of the fourth carrier.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that Before generating the first information, the method further includes: determining that the first carrier is switched to the second carrier.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that The method also includes switching from the first carrier to the second carrier.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that The method is executed by a management node that supports Star Flash basic SLB access technology.

15. A communication method, characterized in that: include: generating first information, where the first information is used to instruct the first carrier to switch to the second carrier; The first information includes a first index, where the first index is used to indicate a first switching relationship in the first configuration table, where the first switching relationship indicates switching the first carrier to the second carrier; The first information is sent on the first carrier.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The first configuration table is related to information about the first carrier, information about the second carrier, and information about the third carrier.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that The information of the first carrier includes an identifier of the first carrier and / or a measurement result of a first indicator of the first carrier; The information of the second carrier includes an identifier of the second carrier and / or a measurement result of a first indicator of the second carrier; The information of the third carrier includes an identifier of the third carrier and / or a measurement result of the first indicator of the third carrier.

18. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving first information on a third carrier, where the first information is used to instruct the first carrier to switch to the second carrier; Switch from the first carrier to the second carrier according to the first information.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The method further comprises: Second information is received on the third carrier, where the second information is used to instruct the third carrier to switch to a fourth carrier.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that The method further includes receiving the first information and the second information on the first carrier, where the second information is used to instruct the third carrier to switch to a fourth carrier.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The first information and the second information are included in a first message.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that The signal quality of the third carrier is greater than a first threshold.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The method further comprises: The signal quality of the third carrier is related to the measurement result of the first indicator; The first indicator includes at least one of the following: Received signal strength indicator RSSI, modulation and coding strategy MCS, packet loss rate, reference signal received power RSRP, reference signal received quality RSRQ.

24. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 23, characterized in that The first information includes information about the first carrier and information about the second carrier.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The first information is N bits, where N is an integer greater than 1; N1 bit in the N bits indicates the first carrier, N2 bit in the N bits indicates the second carrier, and N1 and N2 are integers greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N; or A first bit in the N bits indicates that switching of the first carrier occurs, a position of at least one second bit in the N bits in the N bits indicates the first carrier, and a value of the at least one second bit indicates the second carrier; or, The first bit in the N bits indicates that the first carrier is switched, the position of at least one second bit in the N bits in the N bits indicates the second carrier, and the value of the at least one second bit indicates the first carrier.

26. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 23, characterized in that The first information is used to instruct the first carrier to switch to the second carrier, including: The first information includes a first index, where the first index is used to indicate a first switching relationship in a first configuration table, where the first switching relationship indicates switching the first carrier to the second carrier.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that The first configuration table is related to information about the first carrier, information about the second carrier, information about the third carrier, and / or information about the fourth carrier.

28. The method according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that The information of the first carrier includes an identifier of the first carrier and / or a measurement result of a first indicator of the first carrier; The information of the second carrier includes an identifier of the second carrier and / or a measurement result of a first indicator of the second carrier; The information of the third carrier includes an identifier of the third carrier and / or a measurement result of the first indicator of the third carrier; The information of the fourth carrier includes an identifier of the fourth carrier and / or a measurement result of the first indicator of the fourth carrier.

29. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 28, characterized in that The method is executed by a terminal node supporting the Star Flash basic SLB access technology.

30. A communication device, characterized in that: The apparatus comprises a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor being used to execute the computer programs or instructions in the memory, so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 29.

31. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 29.

32. A chip or a chip system, characterized in that: include: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip system executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 29.

33. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 29.

Images