Communication methods, and apparatus

Abstract

Communication methods and an apparatus, relating to the technical field of communications. On the basis of received second information, a first communication apparatus (such as an RAN node or a core network node) may determine whether an activation condition for a measurement reference signal of a cell corresponding to the second information is appropriate, so as to adaptively adjust the activation condition for the measurement reference signal of the cell corresponding to the second information. Thus, a terminal can start measurement earlier, thereby improving the communication quality of the terminal; or the terminal can start measurement later, thereby saving the energy of the terminal and air interface resources. A method comprises: a first communication apparatus sends first information, and a terminal receives the first information, the first information being used for instructing the terminal to record second information, and the second information being related to an activation condition for a terminal measurement reference signal; the terminal records and sends the second information; and, on the basis of the second information, the first communication apparatus determines an updated activation condition for a terminal measurement reference signal.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410572992.9, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on May 9, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] In dynamically changing wireless environments, the signal quality received by a terminal from a cell varies under different conditions (such as different times or different locations). If the terminal still uses the same activation conditions to start measurements, it may result in either starting measurements too early and wasting measurement resources, or starting measurements too late and causing a deterioration in network continuity. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can save resources or improve the communication stability of a terminal.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application provide the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a terminal device, or by a component of the terminal device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device's functions. The method includes: receiving first information, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to record second information; the second information being related to an activation condition for a terminal measurement reference signal; recording the second information; and sending the second information.

[0007] This scheme allows the first communication device to determine whether the activation conditions for the measurement reference signal of the cell corresponding to the received second information are appropriate. It then adaptively adjusts the activation conditions for the measurement reference signal of the cell corresponding to the second information, enabling the terminal to initiate measurements earlier, thereby improving communication quality. Alternatively, it can enable the terminal to initiate measurements later, saving energy and air interface resources.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible design, the method further includes: receiving third information indicating a first configuration, the first configuration being an activation condition for an updated terminal measurement reference signal; the first configuration being determined based on the second information; and activating the measurement reference signal according to the first configuration.

[0009] This scheme enables the terminal to initiate measurements based on the updated activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal, thereby improving the terminal's communication quality and saving terminal energy and air interface resources.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible design, the first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information, including: the first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state or the RRC deactivation state; the recording of the second information includes: recording the second information in the RRC idle state or the RRC deactivation state.

[0011] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first communication device, or by a component of the first communication device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first communication device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first communication device. The first communication device can be a core network node or a radio access network (RAN) node. The method includes: sending first information, the first information being used to instruct a terminal to record second information; the second information being related to the activation conditions of a terminal measurement reference signal; receiving the second information; and determining updated activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal based on the second information.

[0012] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible design, the method further includes: sending third information, the third information indicating a first configuration, the first configuration being the activation condition for the updated terminal measurement reference signal.

[0013] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible design, the first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information, including: the first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state or the RRC deactivation state.

[0014] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the reference point is the reference point corresponding to the serving cell of the terminal.

[0015] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the reference point is located within the serving cell of the terminal.

[0016] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the activation condition for the terminal measurement reference signal includes a first activation condition or a second activation condition, wherein the first activation condition is that the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell is less than a first threshold, and the second activation condition is that the distance between the terminal and the reference point is greater than a second threshold.

[0017] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the second information includes one or more of the following: the activation condition of the terminal measurement reference signal, the terminal's serving cell information, the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the first activation condition is met, the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the second activation condition is met, the first time when the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell meets the first activation condition, the second time when the distance between the terminal and the reference point meets the second activation condition, the time interval between the first and second times, the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the first activation condition is met, or the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the second activation condition is met; the first time corresponds to the time when the terminal triggers the measurement reference signal for the Pth time, and the second time corresponds to the time when the terminal triggers the measurement reference signal for the Qth time, where P and Q are adjacent positive integers.

[0018] By recording the aforementioned second information, the first communication device can determine whether the measurement activation conditions are appropriate based on the second information, thereby indicating activation conditions that are more suitable for the current wireless environment, saving air interface resources and improving the communication effect of the terminal.

[0019] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information, including: the first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information under a first condition, the first condition including one or more of the following: the difference between the signal quality of the reference signal of the terminal's serving cell and the signal quality of the reference signal of the first cell is greater than a third threshold; the terminal measures the reference signal M times consecutively due to a first activation condition; the terminal measures the reference signal N times consecutively due to a second activation condition; or the time interval between the first time and the second time is greater than a fourth threshold; the first cell is a cell other than the terminal's serving cell; M and N are positive integers.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible design, the signal quality of the reference signal of the serving cell of the terminal is measured by the terminal.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible design, the signal quality of the reference signal of the first cell is measured by the terminal.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible design, the method further includes: receiving the updated first condition; and recording the second information based on the updated first condition.

[0023] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible design, the method further includes: determining the updated first condition based on the second information; and sending the updated first condition.

[0024] Through the above scheme, the first communication device can increase the threshold of the first condition when the recording conditions for the second information are lenient, thereby reducing the terminal's recording of the second information and saving the terminal's storage space and air interface resources occupied by transmitting the second information. Alternatively, the first communication device can lower the threshold of the first condition when the recording conditions for the second information are too difficult to meet, thereby increasing the accuracy of the measurement activation condition configuration.

[0025] Thirdly, a communication system is provided, including a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device performs the method as described in the second aspect and any of its implementations, and the second communication device performs the method as described in the first aspect and any of its implementations.

[0026] Fourthly, a chip system is provided, comprising a processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the functions described in the first aspect and any of its implementations, or in implementing the functions described in the second aspect and any of its implementations. In one possible design, the chip system further comprises a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0027] Fifthly, the present application provides a communication device, comprising: a processor configured to execute the method in the first aspect and any of its implementations, or configured to execute the method in the second aspect and any of its implementations.

[0028] Optionally, the device may also include a memory and / or a communication interface.

[0029] The communication interface is used to receive and / or transmit signals. Optionally, the communication interface is coupled to the processor.

[0030] The memory is used to store computer programs, and the processor is configured to perform the method described in the first aspect and any of its implementations, which can be implemented as: executing the computer program stored in the memory to perform the method described in the first aspect and any of its implementations.

[0031] Alternatively, the processor can be a hardware-implemented circuit, such as an artificial intelligence (AI) processor, to improve operating speed. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor.

[0032] Optionally, the communication device can be a complete device or a module within the device, such as a chip.

[0033] Sixthly, a communication device is provided, which has the function of implementing the method described in the first aspect and any of its implementations, or has the function of implementing the method described in the second aspect and any of its implementations. This function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above-described functions.

[0034] A seventh aspect provides a communication device comprising a functional module, unit, or means for performing the method described in the first aspect of this application and any of its implementations, or comprising a functional module, unit, or means for performing the method described in the second aspect of this application and any of its implementations. The module may be implemented in software or hardware, or in a combination of software and hardware. The inclusion of a processing unit and a communication unit is not limited.

[0035] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored therein, which, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in the first aspect and any of its implementations, or, when executed by a processor, implement the method as described in the second aspect and any of its implementations.

[0036] Ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method as described in the first aspect and any of its implementations, or implements the method as described in the second aspect and any of its implementations.

[0037] Understandably, the beneficial effects that the methods, communication systems, communication devices, chip systems, computer-readable storage media, computer program products, etc., provided in the second to ninth aspects above can be referred to the beneficial effects in the first aspect and any possible implementation provided above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the process of activating the measurement reference signal at the terminal;

[0039] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0040] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0041] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0042] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a scenario provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another scenario provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 8 is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 9 is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0049] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B. The "and / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. Furthermore, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The terms "first," "second," etc., do not limit the quantity or order of execution, and "first," "second," etc., do not necessarily imply differences.

[0050] It should be noted that, in this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being described as an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0051] It is understood that the term "embodiment" used throughout the specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It is understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0052] It is understood that in this application, "...when" and "if" both refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require a judgment action to be performed during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0053] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0054] Before introducing the technical solution of this application, the relevant technical terms involved in this application are explained. It is understood that these explanations are intended to make this application easier to understand and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0055] 1. Terminal's Radio Resource Control (RRC) Status

[0056] In 5G NR, the RRC state of a terminal includes idle state, inactive state, and active state.

[0057] In order to communicate with a base station, a terminal needs to establish a wireless connection with a cell controlled by the base station. When the terminal is in the connected state, the cell with which it has established a wireless connection is called the terminal's serving cell. When the terminal is in the deactivated state or the idle / disconnected state, the cell in which the terminal camps can be called the terminal's serving cell.

[0058] 2. Non-terrestrial networks (NTN)

[0059] NTN communication features wide coverage and flexible networking, enabling seamless global network coverage. NTN can supplement existing terrestrial networks or serve as an independent communication system providing users with high-speed global network access. In NTN, terminals can access the core network via non-terrestrial devices (such as satellites, which will be discussed as an example below). Satellites are divided into geostationary orbit (GSO) satellites and non-geosynchronous orbit (NGSO) satellites. GSO satellites are stationary relative to the ground, while NGSO satellites are mobile relative to the ground.

[0060] Terminal movement and dynamic changes in the wireless environment can both affect the continuity of terminal communication. Terminals need to perform frequent measurements to ensure that the serving cell is a cell with good communication quality, thus guaranteeing communication continuity. In NTN scenarios, NGSO relative to the ground causes the wireless environment to change more rapidly, requiring terminals to set more flexible measurement activation conditions to ensure communication continuity.

[0061] 3. Terminal measurement reference signal

[0062] The terminal can measure information (such as reference signals) of its serving cell and neighboring cells (referred to as neighboring cells) and report it to the network side. The network side can determine a suitable serving cell based on the measured cell information reported by the terminal, thereby enabling cell handover and reselection operations. For example, the terminal can measure the reference signals of multiple cells and report the signal quality of these reference signals to the network side (such as the access network or core network). The network side can then select a suitable cell as the terminal's serving cell based on the signal quality, carrying capacity, and other actual conditions of each cell. If the network side determines that a neighboring cell is the new serving cell for the terminal, cell handover will be performed. If the network side determines that the original serving cell should remain the terminal's serving cell, cell handover will not be performed.

[0063] For terminals in the RRC idle or RRC deactivated state under NTN scenarios, the 3GPP TS38.304 protocol provides the conditions for enabling the terminal measurement reference signal. Specifically, the conditions for enabling the terminal measurement reference signal include a first enabling condition and a second enabling condition. The first enabling condition is that the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell is less than a first threshold. The second enabling condition is that the distance between the terminal and the reference point is greater than a second threshold. The first threshold is the signal quality. The second threshold is the distance. The base station can receive the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold (see below), and the fourth threshold (see below) through System Information Blocks (SIB) 19 messages.

[0064] Referring to Figure 1, the terminal can determine whether to perform a measurement of the reference signal through the following steps.

[0065] S1. The terminal determines whether the first activation condition is met. If the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell is less than the first threshold, the first activation condition is met, and the terminal executes S3. If the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the first activation condition is not met, and the terminal executes S2.

[0066] S2. The terminal determines whether the second activation condition is met. If the distance between the terminal and the reference point is greater than the second threshold, the second activation condition is met, and the terminal executes S3. Otherwise, the second activation condition is not met, and the terminal executes S4.

[0067] S3. The terminal activates the measurement reference signal.

[0068] S4. The terminal does not enable the measurement reference signal. In the following text, enabling the measurement reference signal is simply referred to as enabling measurement. Not enabling the measurement reference signal is simply referred to as not enabling measurement.

[0069] Using the above method, the terminal can determine whether to start measurement based on the first and second activation conditions. However, in dynamically changing wireless environments, the signal quality of the cell received by the terminal varies under different conditions (such as different times or different locations). Using the same activation conditions to start measurement will result in either starting measurement too early (e.g., the signal quality of neighboring cells is much lower than that of the serving cell), wasting measurement resources, or starting measurement too late (e.g., the signal quality of neighboring cells is much higher than that of the serving cell), leading to deterioration of network continuity.

[0070] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. In this method, the base station optimizes the conditions for the terminal to enable measurement based on second information reported by the terminal related to the activation conditions of the terminal's measurement reference signal. This allows the terminal to adaptively adjust the measurement activation conditions when the wireless environment of the cell changes. This ensures both the continuity of terminal communication and reduces unnecessary consumption of measurement resources.

[0071] The method provided in this application can be used in various communication systems. For example, the communication system can be an LTE system, a 5G communication system, a WiFi system, a 3GPP-related communication system, a communication system evolved after 5G (such as a 6G communication system), or a system integrating multiple systems, etc., without limitation. Among them, 5G can also be referred to as NR. The method provided in this application is described below using the communication system 1000 shown in Figure 2 as an example. Figure 2 is only a schematic diagram and does not constitute a limitation on the applicable scenarios of the technical solution provided in this application.

[0072] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 1000 used in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the communication system includes a RAN 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 2, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 2, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 2). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110, and the RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network device (or core network node) in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be independent and different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the RAN node. Terminals can be connected to each other, as can RAN nodes, via wired or wireless means.

[0073] RAN100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system as defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). RAN100 can also include two or more of the above-mentioned different radio access systems. RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0074] RAN nodes, also known as radio access network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes, are used to help terminals access communication systems wirelessly. In one application scenario, an RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. RAN nodes can be macro base stations (as shown in Figure 2, 110a), micro base stations or indoor stations (as shown in Figure 2, 110b), and can also be relay nodes or donor nodes.

[0075] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminals achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing different functions of the base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Here, the CU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Resource Control (RRC) and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and can also perform the functions of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP). The DU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Link Control (RANC) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes or integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0076] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN nodes in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. For example, a RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software modules. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the RAN nodes. For ease of description, a base station is used as an example of a RAN node in the following description.

[0077] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from a base station. Terminals can also be called terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal.

[0078] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0079] For example, the embodiments of this application can be applied to an NTN architecture, and the base station can be a base station in the NTN architecture. Referring to Figure 3, Figure 3 shows another architectural schematic diagram of the communication system applied in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 3, the communication system includes a core network, ground stations (also called gateway stations), satellites (satellite 1 and satellite 2), terminals (terminal 1 and terminal 2), and a data network (DN).

[0080] The core network comprises a user plane and a control plane. The user plane processes user-related data, while the control plane processes control-related data. The core network may include network functions (or core network nodes) such as the User Plane Function (UPF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Location Management Function (LMF), and Session Management Function (SMF), performing services such as user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, and accounting. For example, the AMF may be responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management. The LMF (not shown in the diagram) may be responsible for managing and controlling location service requests from target terminals and processing location-related information. The UPF may be responsible for managing user plane data transmission and traffic statistics.

[0081] Satellites possess all or part of the functions of base stations; that is, a satellite can also be called a base station. For example, satellite 1 can be called base station 1, and satellite 2 can be called base station 2. Satellite 1 and satellite 2 can be interconnected via the Xn interface to achieve signaling interaction between base stations and transmission of user data. Satellite 1 can connect to the ground station via the NG interface.

[0082] The ground station connects to the core network via the NG interface. The ground station can forward signaling and service data between base stations and between base stations and the core network. This includes, for example, non-access stratum (NAS) signaling interacting with the core network, as well as user service data.

[0083] Terminal 1 can communicate with base station 1 and access the core network via the air interface. Terminal 2 can communicate with base station 2 and access the core network via the air interface.

[0084] The air interface can refer to the wireless link between the terminal and the satellite.

[0085] The Xn interface can refer to the interface between base stations, which can realize signaling interactions such as handover.

[0086] The NG interface can refer to the interface between the base station and the core network, which can realize the interaction of signaling such as NAS of the core network, as well as user service data.

[0087] Referring to Figure 4, which shows another schematic diagram of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application, the communication system includes a core network, a ground station, a satellite 3, a base station 3, a terminal 3, and a data network.

[0088] For details on the core network, please refer to the communication system shown in Figure 3. Ground stations can relay data between satellites and base stations.

[0089] Base station 3 can be located on the ground and connected to a ground station. The ground station is connected to satellite 3. Terminal 3 can connect to satellite 3 via an air interface, thereby accessing the communication network.

[0090] Similar to the communication system shown in Figure 3, in the communication system shown in Figure 4, satellite 3 can also be connected to other satellites to realize data transmission between satellites.

[0091] In some examples, satellite 3 is equipped with all or part of the functions of a base station, enabling signaling interaction and user data transmission between satellites. In other examples, satellite 3 is not equipped with base station functions, but can transparently forward data to terminals or ground stations. Transparent forwarding can also occur between satellites.

[0092] Figures 3 and 4 above illustrate the NTN network using the communication architecture of a 5G system as an example. In 4G systems, the Xn interface can be called the X2 interface, and the NG interface can be called the S1 interface. In other systems, such as 6G systems, these interfaces may use other names.

[0093] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 2 can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 through 120i, terminal 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 2 can be called communication devices with base station functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 2 can be called communication devices with terminal functions.

[0094] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0095] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0096] In this application, the base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal, and the downlink information is carried on the downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on the uplink channel.

[0097] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, PDSCH, PDCCH and PUSCH are just examples of downlink data channel, downlink control channel and uplink data channel, respectively. In different systems and different scenarios, data channel and control channel may have different names, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0098] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application can also be applied to the TN architecture.

[0099] The methods in this application embodiment can be applied to the interaction between a terminal and an access network element. For example, the interaction between a terminal and a base station in any of the communication systems shown in Figures 2 to 4. Alternatively, the methods in this application embodiment can also be applied to the interaction between a terminal and a core network node. For example, the interaction between a terminal and an AMF (Advanced Management Function).

[0100] The following uses communication between a terminal and a base station as an example to introduce the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. Referring to Figure 5, which is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, the method may include the following steps:

[0101] S501, The base station sends the first information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information.

[0102] The first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information.

[0103] The second piece of information is related to the activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal. The activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal (hereinafter referred to as the measurement activation conditions) include a first activation condition and a second activation condition. The first activation condition is that the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell is less than a first threshold, and the second activation condition is that the distance between the terminal and the reference point is greater than a second threshold.

[0104] The signal quality of the serving cell of a terminal can refer to the signal quality of the reference signal of the serving cell measured by the terminal. For example, signal quality can be characterized by one or more of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), or signal-to-interference-noise ratio (SINR). Alternatively, signal quality can be characterized by calculations based on the above information (RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, or SINR) using the S-criterion or R-criterion formulas. The S-criterion and R-criterion can be found in 3GPP TS 38.304 and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0105] Reference points can be represented by geographic coordinates. In some embodiments, the reference point is the reference point corresponding to the serving cell of the terminal. In some embodiments, the reference point is located within the serving cell of the terminal.

[0106] The second information includes one or more of the following: the activation condition of the terminal measurement reference signal, the terminal's serving cell information, the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the first activation condition is met, the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the second activation condition is met, the first time when the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell meets the first activation condition, the second time when the distance between the terminal and the reference point meets the second activation condition, the time interval between the first time and the second time, the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the first activation condition is met, or the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the second activation condition is met; the first time corresponds to the time when the terminal triggers the measurement reference signal for the Pth time, and the second time corresponds to the time when the terminal triggers the measurement reference signal for the Qth time, where P and Q are adjacent positive integers.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the base station can instruct the terminal on the conditions for enabling the measurement reference signal. The terminal receives the conditions for enabling the terminal measurement reference signal from the base station. Referring to Figure 6, cell 1 corresponding to the base station is the serving cell for terminals 4 to 8, and the base station can instruct terminal 4 on the conditions for enabling the measurement reference signal for terminals 4 to 8 through cell 1.

[0108] For example, a base station can instruct one or more terminals in cell 1 to have the same activation condition for the measurement reference signal, such that the activation condition for the measurement reference signal of terminals 4 to 8 is either the first activation condition or the second activation condition described above. As another example, the base station can instruct terminals in different areas of the cell to have different activation conditions for the measurement reference signal. For instance, referring to Figure 6 above, the base station instructs the terminal in area 1 to have the first activation condition or the second activation condition described above. When the terminal meets the first or second activation condition, the terminal initiates measurement. The base station instructs the terminal in area 2 to have both the first and third activation conditions for the measurement reference signal. The third activation condition is that the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell equals a first threshold. When the terminal meets both the first and third activation conditions, the terminal initiates measurement. The base station instructs the terminal in areas 3 and 4 to have either the first or fourth activation condition for the measurement reference signal. The fourth activation condition is that the distance between the terminal and the reference point equals a second threshold. When the terminal meets either the first or fourth activation condition, the terminal initiates measurement.

[0109] The serving cell information of the terminal may include the index of the terminal's serving cell. Referring to Figure 7, the serving cell of terminal 4 at the first moment is cell 1, and the serving cell of terminal 4 at the second moment is cell 2.

[0110] Taking a first threshold of -10dB and a second threshold of 1000 meters as an example. Assume the terminal measures the serving cell's signal quality as -5dB, -8dB, -11dB, and -15dB respectively. When the terminal measures the serving cell's signal quality as -5dB, -8dB, -11dB, and -15dB respectively, the measured distances between the terminal and the reference point are 100 meters, 300 meters, 500 meters, and 800 meters respectively. In this example, the terminal initiates measurement based on the first activation condition. The signal quality of the terminal's serving cell reaches -11dB when the terminal meets the first activation condition. The first time the terminal's serving cell's signal quality reaches the first activation condition is the time when the terminal measures the serving cell's signal quality to be -11dB. When the terminal's serving cell's signal quality reaches the first activation condition, the distance between the terminal and the reference point is 500 meters.

[0111] For example, the first time when the signal quality of the serving cell of the terminal reaches the first activation condition can be the time when the terminal measures the reference signal of the serving cell received when the signal quality of the serving cell reaches the first activation condition. As another example, the time carried in the reference signal of the serving cell received when the signal quality of the serving cell reaches the first activation condition can be measured.

[0112] Taking a first threshold of -10dB and a second threshold of 1000 meters as an example, suppose the terminal measures the serving cell's signal quality as -5dB, -8dB, -9dB, and -12dB respectively. When the terminal measures the serving cell's signal quality as -5dB, -8dB, -9dB, and -12dB respectively, the measured distances between the terminal and the reference point are 100 meters, 600 meters, 1200 meters, and 1800 meters respectively. In this example, the terminal initiates measurement based on the second activation condition. The distance between the terminal and the reference point reaches the second activation condition when the distance between the terminal and the reference point is 1200 meters. The second time when the distance between the terminal and the reference point reaches the second activation condition is the moment when the terminal measures the distance between the terminal and the reference point to be 1200 meters. When the distance between the terminal and the reference point reaches the second activation condition, the terminal's serving cell signal quality is -9dB.

[0113] For example, the second time when the distance between the terminal and the reference point reaches the second opening condition can be the time recorded when the distance between the terminal and the reference point reaches the second opening condition.

[0114] For another example, the second time when the distance between the terminal and the reference point reaches the second activation condition can be the time carried on the reference signal of the serving cell received by the terminal when the signal quality of the serving cell corresponding to the second activation condition reaches the first activation condition. For example, the terminal measures reference signal 1 of the serving cell, the signal quality of reference signal 1 is -9dB, and reference signal 1 carries a timestamp of 10:00. The terminal determines that -9dB is greater than -10dB, and the first activation condition is not met. Subsequently, the terminal determines whether the second activation condition is met. The terminal measures the distance between itself and the reference point and finds that 1200 meters is greater than 1000 meters, thus meeting the second activation condition, and the terminal starts the measurement. The time when the distance between the terminal and the reference point reaches the second activation condition is 10:00.

[0115] Taking a first threshold of -10dB and a second threshold of 1000 meters as an example, suppose the terminal measures the signal quality of the serving cell as -5dB, -8dB, -9dB, and -12dB respectively. When the terminal measures the signal quality of the serving cell as -11dB, -9dB, -11.5dB, and -9dB respectively, the measured distances between the terminal and the reference point are 980 meters, 1100 meters, 1050 meters, and 1020 meters respectively. The terminal measures the signal quality of the serving cell for the first time at a time of -11dB, satisfying the first activation condition, and triggers the measurement for the first time. The terminal measures the signal quality of the serving cell for the second time at a time of -9dB, not satisfying the first activation condition. Subsequently, the terminal measures the distance between itself and the reference point as 1100 meters, satisfying the second activation condition, and triggers the measurement for the second time. Then P = 1 and Q = 2. For example, the first time is 8:00 AM. If the second time is 8:01 AM, then the time interval between the first and second times is 1 minute.

[0116] For example, if a terminal triggers measurement activation 5 times in cell 1, and the terminal meets the first activation condition for the first 3 times, and meets the second activation condition for the 4th and 5th times, then P = 3 and Q = 4. Several examples are given below to illustrate the second information.

[0117] Example 1,

[0118] The second piece of information includes: the terminal's serving cell information.

[0119] Referring to Figure 7, the terminal can record its serving cell information multiple times during movement. The base station can determine the rationality of the measurement activation conditions for each cell based on the number of times the terminal records each serving cell information. In other words, it can determine whether the measurement activation conditions for that cell need adjustment. For example, consider a terminal recording its serving cell information when the activation conditions are met. If the terminal records a cell more than once, it indicates that the signal quality of the neighboring cells of that cell is not as good as the signal quality of that cell after the terminal's measurement, or that the neighboring cells of that cell are unsuitable as the terminal's serving cell, prompting the terminal to perform another measurement. The more times the terminal records information for the same cell, the more it indicates that the terminal started the measurement too early, suggesting that the activation conditions were set too easily. The terminal sends the recorded serving cell information to the base station. The base station can adjust the measurement activation conditions for the corresponding cell based on the number of cell information entries. For example, if the second set of information contains 5 cells 1, 1 cell 2, and 1 cell 3, then the number of cells 1 is too high. The base station can increase the threshold for the measurement activation conditions of cell 1, reducing the number of measurements performed by the terminal in cell 1, thus saving air interface resources and terminal energy consumption.

[0120] Example 2,

[0121] The second piece of information includes the time interval between the first and second times.

[0122] If the time interval between the first and second times is too long, the difficulty of setting the first and second activation conditions becomes too great. The base station can adjust the first threshold of the first activation condition, or adjust the second threshold of the second activation condition, or adjust the first threshold of the first activation condition and the second threshold of the second activation condition. This ensures that the difference between the first and second activation conditions for the terminal to initiate measurements is smaller, making both conditions contribute reasonably to the terminal's measurement initiation, improving the rationality of the measurement activation conditions, and reducing premature or late measurements caused by unreasonable settings of the two activation conditions. For example, the terminal can report the time interval between the first and second times of the current serving cell. This allows the base station to adjust the first and / or second activation conditions of the terminal's current serving cell, thereby saving air interface resources and reducing the terminal's energy consumption within that serving cell.

[0123] Example 3,

[0124] The second information includes: the conditions for enabling the terminal measurement reference signal, the terminal's serving cell information, and the time interval between the first and second times.

[0125] The base station can configure the measurement activation conditions for each cell multiple times. The terminal reports the activation conditions of its measurement reference signal, allowing the base station to determine which activation condition the terminal is using to initiate the measurement. Based on the terminal's feedback, the base station adjusts the cell's measurement activation conditions. For example, referring to Figure 7, assuming the terminal is in cell 1, and the activation condition for the terminal's measurement reference signal is either first activation condition 1 or second activation condition 1, then measurement is initiated. The time interval between the first and second times is 20 seconds. The terminal can then report the cell 1 index, first activation condition 1, second activation condition 1, and 20 seconds. The base station can adjust the first threshold of the first activation condition, or the second threshold of the second activation condition, or vice versa, based on the first activation condition 1, second activation condition 1, and 20 seconds. This ensures that the difference between the terminal initiating measurement under the first and second activation conditions is small, making both conditions contribute reasonably to the measurement initiation, improving the rationality of the measurement activation conditions, and reducing premature or late measurements caused by unreasonable settings of the two activation conditions.

[0126] Example 4,

[0127] The second information includes: the activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal, the terminal's serving cell information, the signal quality of the serving cell of the terminal that meets the first activation condition, and the distance between the terminal and the reference point that meets the second activation condition.

[0128] The base station can adjust the first threshold, the second threshold, or both, based on the signal quality of the serving cell of the terminal that meets the first activation condition and the distance between the terminal that meets the second activation condition and the reference point. Thus, the base station can determine whether the first and second thresholds are set reasonably based on the measurement results and directly optimize them to avoid premature or late measurements.

[0129] Example 5,

[0130] The second information includes: the activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal, the terminal's serving cell information, the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the first activation condition is met, the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the second activation condition is met, the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the first activation condition is met, and the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the second activation condition is met.

[0131] The base station can use the aforementioned second information to determine the difference between the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell and the first threshold when the first activation condition is met. It can also determine the difference between the distance between the terminal and the reference point and the second threshold. If the difference between the distance between the terminal and the reference point and the second threshold is too large, such as exceeding the fifth threshold, the second threshold setting can be considered unreasonable. For example, if the distance between the terminal and the reference point is greater than the second threshold, the second threshold can be increased. If the distance between the terminal and the reference point is less than the second threshold, the second threshold can be decreased.

[0132] Example 6,

[0133] The second information includes: the activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal, the terminal's serving cell information, the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell that meets the first activation condition, the distance between the terminal and the reference point that meets the second activation condition, the first time when the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell meets the first activation condition, and the second time when the distance between the terminal and the reference point meets the second activation condition.

[0134] The terminal can record the first time when the signal quality of its serving cell reaches a first activation condition and the second time when the distance between the terminal and a reference point reaches a second activation condition. This allows the base station to determine the time interval between the first and second times based on the first and second times. This allows for the adjustment of a first threshold, a second threshold, or both, thereby saving air interface resources and reducing terminal power consumption.

[0135] Example 7,

[0136] The second information includes: the activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal, the terminal's serving cell information, the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the first activation condition is met, the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the second activation condition is met, the time interval between the first time and the second time, the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the first activation condition is met, and the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the second activation condition is met.

[0137] The above examples are merely illustrations of some cases of the second information. In other examples, the second information may also include other information, such as information related to the third and fourth activation conditions. For example, the signal quality of the serving cell of the terminal that meets the third activation condition, or the distance between the terminal that meets the fourth activation condition and the reference point.

[0138] S502, the terminal records the second information.

[0139] In one possible implementation, the terminal records the second information during the measurement of the second information.

[0140] In another possible implementation, the terminal records the second information by retrieving the measurement result of the second information after measuring it.

[0141] S503: The terminal sends the second information. Correspondingly, the base station receives the second information.

[0142] The first information can instruct the terminal to record the second information once or multiple times. Referring to Figure 7, when the terminal's serving cell is serving cell 1, the second information can be recorded multiple times. Even when the terminal's serving cell switches to serving cell 2, the second information can still be recorded multiple times. Taking Example 7 as an example, referring to Figure 7, assuming terminal 4 is in cell 1, the conditions for the terminal to start measuring the reference signal are either that the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell is less than -10dB (an example of the first start condition), or that the distance between the terminal and the reference point is greater than 1000 meters (an example of the second start condition). For example, if terminal 4 measures the signal quality of the serving cell as -9dB at 8:00 AM and the distance to the reference point is 900 meters, the measurement start condition is not met, so the terminal does not start the measurement. If terminal 4 measures the signal quality of the serving cell as -11dB at 8:01 AM, the measurement start condition is met, so the terminal starts the measurement. At this time, the distance to the reference point is 1050 meters. After starting the measurement, terminal 4 finds that the signal quality of the neighboring cell is less than that of the serving cell. The terminal still uses cell 1 as its serving cell. Subsequently, at 8:02, Terminal 4 measured the signal quality of the serving cell to be -10dB, which did not meet the conditions for starting the measurement. Terminal 4 measured the distance between itself and the reference point to be 1100 meters, which met the conditions for starting the measurement, and Terminal 4 initiated the measurement. After initiating the measurement, Terminal 4 found that the signal quality of the neighboring cell 2 was better than that of cell 1. The terminal switched its serving cell to cell 2.

[0143] Assuming terminal 4 is in cell 2, the conditions for initiating measurement of the reference signal are: measurement is initiated when the signal quality of the serving cell is less than -8dB (first condition), or measurement is initiated when the distance between the terminal and the reference point is greater than 1200 meters (second condition). For example, at 8:10, terminal 4 measures the serving cell's signal quality as -5dB, and the distance to the reference point is 900 meters, not meeting the measurement initiation condition, so the terminal does not initiate measurement. At 8:11, terminal 4 measures the serving cell's signal quality as -9dB, meeting the measurement initiation condition, so the terminal initiates measurement. At this time, the distance to the reference point is 1550 meters. After initiating measurement, terminal 4 finds that the signal quality of neighboring cells is worse than that of the serving cell. The terminal still uses cell 2 as the serving cell. Subsequently, at 8:17, terminal 4 measures the serving cell's signal quality as -7dB, not meeting the measurement initiation condition. Terminal 4 measures the distance to the reference point as 1300 meters, meeting the measurement initiation condition, so terminal 4 initiates measurement. After terminal 4 starts the measurement, it finds that the signal quality of neighboring cell 3 is better than that of cell 2. The terminal then switches its serving cell to cell 3.

[0144] Thus, in the example above, terminal 4 measures the reference signal in two cells. Terminal 4 can report two sets of second information.

[0145] The second set of information is as follows: measurement is initiated when the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell is less than -10dB, or when the distance between the terminal and the reference point is greater than 1000 meters (i.e., the activation condition for the terminal to measure the reference signal corresponding to cell 1), cell 1 (i.e., the terminal's serving cell information), -11dB (i.e., the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the first activation condition is met), 1100 meters (i.e., the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the second activation condition is met), 1 minute (i.e., the time interval between the first time 8:01 and the second time 8:02), 1050 meters (i.e., the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the first activation condition is met), and -10dB (i.e., the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the second activation condition is met).

[0146] The second set of information is as follows: if the signal quality of the serving cell of the terminal is less than -8dB, the measurement will be started; or if the distance between the terminal and the reference point is greater than 1200 meters, the measurement will be started. Cell 2, -9dB, 1300 meters, 6 minutes (i.e., the time interval between the first time 8:11 and the second time 8:17), 1550 meters and -7dB.

[0147] S504. The base station determines the activation conditions of the updated terminal measurement reference signal based on the second information.

[0148] For example, the base station can use a preset algorithm to obtain the updated activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal based on the received second information.

[0149] As another example, the base station can input the received second information, or the second information and related information, into the corresponding artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) model to obtain the updated activation conditions for the terminal measurement reference signal. The related information may include one or more of the following: the carrying capacity of the serving cell, the carrying capacity of neighboring cells, and auxiliary information reported by the terminal related to the measurement results of the serving cell or neighboring cells.

[0150] The base station can adjust the threshold values ​​for measurement activation conditions (e.g., the first threshold value for the first activation condition and the second threshold value for the second activation condition) using the aforementioned preset algorithms and models. For example, the threshold value can be adjusted from the first level (e.g., -5dB) to the second level (e.g., -8dB). This makes the updated activation conditions for the terminal measurement reference signal more suitable for the actual situation of the current cell, thereby improving air interface utilization efficiency and terminal communication quality.

[0151] In one possible implementation, the base station can determine the updated activation conditions for the terminal measurement reference signal based on the second information reported by one terminal. Continuing with the example in S503 above, the base station can determine the measurement activation conditions for cell 1 and cell 2 based on the received first and second sets of second information. For example, if the time interval of 6 minutes between the first time 8:11 and the second time 8:17 in the second set of second information is too long, it can be considered that the difficulty of triggering measurement based on the first threshold and the second threshold differs significantly. Furthermore, if after terminal 4 triggers measurement using the first activation condition, the signal quality of neighboring cells is inferior to that of the serving cell (i.e., cell 2), it can be considered that the first activation condition is set too easily to be met. The base station can lower the first threshold of the first activation condition in cell 2, making the triggering difficulty of the first and second thresholds similar, reducing the number of times the terminal activates measurement due to meeting the first activation condition, thereby saving terminal energy and air interface resources.

[0152] The base station can also improve the service quality of the serving cell by adjusting the measurement activation conditions based on the second information. For example, if the signal quality of neighboring cells is better than that of the serving cell every time terminal 4 activates measurement, it indicates that the measurement activation conditions are too difficult to meet. The base station can reduce the difficulty of triggering the measurement activation conditions of that cell, for example, by increasing the first threshold or decreasing the second threshold. This allows the base station to quickly switch the serving cell to a neighboring cell when the service quality of the terminal's current serving cell is inferior to that of the neighboring cells, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal's serving cell.

[0153] In one possible implementation, the base station can determine the updated activation conditions for the terminal measurement reference signal based on the second information reported by multiple terminals. For example, referring to Figure 6, the serving cell information reported by terminals 4 to 8 is the second information of cell 1. The base station can adjust the activation conditions for the terminal measurement reference signal in cell 1 based on the second information of cell 1. For instance, if the distance between the terminals meeting the first activation condition and the reference point in the second information fed back by terminals 4 to 8 is significantly greater than the second threshold of the second activation condition, then the second threshold can be considered too small, and the base station can increase the second threshold of cell 1.

[0154] In one possible implementation, the base station can determine the activation conditions of the updated terminal measurement reference signal for each area based on the second information of each area in the cell. For example, referring to FIG6, the base station can adjust the activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal in area 1 based on the second information of area 1 reported by the terminal. Similarly, the base station can adjust the activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal in area 2 based on the second information of area 2 reported by the terminal. The base station can adjust the activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal in area 3 based on the second information of area 3 reported by the terminal. Terminals 4 to 8 can store the second information of areas 1 to 4.

[0155] In some embodiments, the base station can send adjusted measurement activation conditions, enabling the terminal's measurement activation conditions to adapt to dynamic changes in the environment. This saves terminal energy consumption, conserves air interface resources, and improves the cell's service quality. Referring to Figure 8, after S504, S801 and S802 may also be included.

[0156] S801, the base station sends third information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the third information.

[0157] The third information indicates the first configuration, which is the activation condition for the updated terminal measurement reference signal. The first configuration is determined based on the second information.

[0158] In some examples, the first configuration can be the enabling condition for the terminal measurement reference signal after one or more cell updates.

[0159] Following the example in S504 above, the first configuration can be the first threshold of the first activation condition in the reduced cell 2. Alternatively, the first configuration can be the triggering difficulty of the measurement activation condition of the reduced cell, for example, an increased first threshold or a reduced second threshold.

[0160] In other examples, the first configuration can be the enabling condition for the terminal measurement reference signal after area update in one or more cells.

[0161] S802, The terminal activates the measurement reference signal according to the first configuration.

[0162] For example, suppose that in the terminal measurement reference signal activation conditions being executed, the first threshold of the first activation condition is -5dB and the second threshold of the second activation condition is 1000 meters. The terminal receives a first configuration where the first threshold of the first activation condition is -6dB and the second threshold of the second activation condition is 800 meters. Then, the terminal activates the measurement reference signal based on the -6dB and 800-meter thresholds.

[0163] The above embodiments illustrate that the terminal can record and transmit second information. The base station receives the second information and determines the activation conditions for the updated measurement reference signal based on the second information. In other embodiments, the first information instructs the terminal to record the second information under a first condition. By setting the first condition, the amount of second information recorded by the terminal is reduced, thereby saving the terminal's storage space and reducing the air interface resources occupied by transmitting the second information.

[0164] The first condition includes one or more of the following: the difference between the signal quality of the reference signal of the terminal's serving cell and the signal quality of the reference signal of the first cell is greater than a third threshold; the terminal measures the reference signal M times consecutively due to the first activation condition; the terminal measures the reference signal N times consecutively due to the second activation condition; or the time interval between the first time and the second time is greater than a fourth threshold. Where M and N are positive integers. The first cell is a cell other than the terminal's serving cell.

[0165] The base station can instruct the terminal to record the second information under the first condition by indicating one or more of the third threshold, N, M, N minus 1, M minus 1, or the fourth threshold in the first condition. M and N can be the same or different positive integers.

[0166] The first cell can be a neighboring cell of the terminal's serving cell. The terminal can receive the reference signal from the first cell and measure it. After the terminal initiates the measurement, if the difference between the signal quality of the serving cell's reference signal and the first cell's reference signal is greater than a third threshold—that is, the serving cell's signal quality is significantly better than the first cell's reference signal—it indicates that the measurement was initiated too early. The terminal records and sends second information in this scenario. The base station can adjust this second information to increase the difficulty of triggering the measurement initiation condition for that cell, thereby saving terminal power consumption.

[0167] If the difference between the signal quality of the reference signal of the first cell and the reference signal of the serving cell exceeds a third threshold, meaning the signal quality of the serving cell is significantly worse than that of the reference signal of the first cell, it indicates that the measurement was initiated too late. The terminal records and transmits second information for this scenario. The base station can adjust this second information to reduce the difficulty of triggering the cell measurement initiation condition, thereby enabling the terminal to perform cell reselection more promptly and improving the terminal's communication quality.

[0168] In some embodiments, the first cell is the cell with the highest signal quality of the reference signal among the neighboring cells. For example, taking cell 1 as the serving cell of the terminal, and cells 2, 3, and 4 as the first cell. Assume the signal qualities of the reference signals measured by the terminal for cells 1 to 4 are -5dB, -15dB, 0dB, and -10dB, respectively. Then the first cell is cell 3. If the third threshold is 4dBm, then the signal quality of the reference signal in cell 3 is 5dBm higher than that in cell 1, and 5dBm is greater than 4dBm. The terminal records the second information.

[0169] For another example, let's take cell 1 as the serving cell of the terminal, and cells 2, 3, and 4 as the first cells. Assume the signal quality of the reference signals measured by the terminal for cells 1 to 4 is -5dB, -15dB, -10dB, and -10dB respectively. Then the first cell is either cell 3 or cell 4. If the third threshold is 4dBm, the signal quality of the reference signal in cell 3 (or cell 4) is 5dBm lower than the signal quality of the reference signal in cell 1, and 5dBm is greater than 4dBm. The terminal records the second information.

[0170] If a terminal measures the reference signal M times consecutively due to the first activation condition, or N times consecutively due to the second activation condition, meaning the terminal continuously meets a single triggering condition, it indicates that the triggering difficulty of the first and second activation conditions differs significantly. Similarly, if the time interval between the first and second activation times exceeds a fourth threshold, it means the triggering difficulty of the first and second activation conditions differs significantly. The base station can adjust the triggering difficulty of the first and second activation conditions based on the second information, thereby ensuring a more even distribution of activation measurements, conserving air interface resources, and improving the terminal's communication quality.

[0171] The above embodiments describe a terminal recording second information under a first condition. In some embodiments, the base station can determine the updated first condition based on the second information, thereby allowing the terminal to adjust the timing of recording the second information. For example, if more second information needs to be recorded, the second information can be recorded earlier, providing the base station with more second information so that the base station can better adjust the measurement activation conditions. If less second information needs to be recorded, the recording of the second information can be postponed, thereby saving the terminal's storage resources and air interface resources occupied by transmitting the second information. Referring to FIG9, the method of this embodiment includes the following steps.

[0172] S901, The base station sends the first information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information.

[0173] The first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information under the first condition.

[0174] The second piece of information relates to the activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal. The activation conditions for the terminal measurement reference signal include a first activation condition and a second activation condition. The first activation condition is that the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell is less than a first threshold, and the second activation condition is that the distance between the terminal and the reference point is greater than a second threshold.

[0175] S901 can be found in S501 and the description of the terminal recording the second information under the first condition in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0176] S902, The terminal records the second information under the first condition.

[0177] The terminal can determine whether the first condition is met. If the first condition is met, the second information is recorded. The method by which the terminal records the second information is similar to that described in S502 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0178] S903, the terminal sends the second information. Correspondingly, the base station receives the second information.

[0179] S904. The base station determines the activation conditions of the updated terminal measurement reference signal based on the second information.

[0180] The above S903 and S904 can be found in the relevant descriptions of S503 and S504, and will not be repeated here.

[0181] S905, the base station determines the updated first condition based on the second information.

[0182] For example, if the base station determines that the proportion of the second information recorded by the terminal under normal measurement conditions is greater than the first proportion, meaning that there are fewer cases of measurement starting too early or too late, it indicates that the recording conditions of the second information are too lenient, and many normal cases have been recorded. The base station can instruct the terminal to increase the threshold of the first condition, such as increasing one or more of the third threshold, M, N, or fourth threshold. For example, the first proportion could be 40%, 60%, or 80%. For example, taking Example 4 in S501 above, the second information includes: the terminal's measurement reference signal activation condition, the terminal's serving cell information, the signal quality of the serving cell of the terminal that meets the first activation condition, and the distance between the terminal that meets the second activation condition and the reference point. If the signal quality of the serving cell of the terminal that meets the first activation condition differs from the first threshold by less than 2 dBm, and the distance between the terminal that meets the second activation condition and the reference point differs from the second threshold by less than 50 meters, the measurement situation recorded in the second information can be considered as the terminal normally activating measurement.

[0183] For another example, if the base station determines that the proportion of the second information recorded by the terminal under normal measurement conditions is less than the first proportion, meaning there are many cases of measurement starting too early or too late, it indicates that the recording conditions for the second information are too difficult to meet, resulting in fewer records of abnormal situations. The base station can instruct the terminal to lower the threshold of the first condition, such as lowering one or more of the third, M, N, or fourth thresholds. For example, the first proportion could be 5%, 6%, etc.

[0184] S906, The base station sends the updated first condition. Correspondingly, the updated first condition is received.

[0185] S907, The terminal records the second information based on the updated first condition.

[0186] For example, the terminal records the second information based on the enhanced third threshold, M, N, or fourth threshold.

[0187] Using the above scheme, the base station can increase the threshold of the first condition when the recording conditions for the second information are lenient, thereby reducing the terminal's recording of the second information and saving the terminal's storage space and air interface resources occupied by transmitting the second information. Alternatively, the base station can lower the threshold of the first condition when the recording conditions for the second information are too difficult to meet, thereby increasing the accuracy of the measurement activation condition configuration.

[0188] The above embodiments describe how a base station instructs a terminal to record second information using first information. In some embodiments, the first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information in an RRC idle state or an RRC deactivation state. The terminal records the second information in an RRC idle state or an RRC deactivation state. Therefore, the above-mentioned terminal recording the second information under the first condition can be implemented as the terminal recording the second information in an RRC idle state or an RRC deactivation state under the first condition.

[0189] In some embodiments, the terminal recording the second information can be implemented using minimum drive test (MDT) technology. For example, using logged MDT technology, the terminal records the second information in log form and reports the second information after entering connected state.

[0190] In some embodiments, before sending the second information, the terminal first indicates to the base station whether the second information has been recorded, or in other words, the terminal first indicates to the base station whether the second information can be sent. For example, after entering the connected state, the terminal indicates to the base station whether the second information has been recorded. If the network device requests the second information, the network device sends a request to the terminal. After receiving the request, the terminal sends the second information.

[0191] It should be noted that the above examples illustrating the interaction between the base station and the terminal have described the embodiments of this application. In other embodiments, all or part of the steps performed by the base station can be performed by the core network node. For example, S504 and S904 described above. After receiving the second information, the base station can send the second information to the core network node, and the core network node determines the updated activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal based on the second information. Then, the core network node sends the updated activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal. As another example, S905 and S906 described above can also be performed by the core network node, which determines the updated first condition based on the second information and then sends the updated first condition.

[0192] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referenced. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. For example, the above-mentioned multiple embodiments can be combined, and the combined solution can be implemented. Optionally, some operations in the process of each method embodiment may be arbitrarily combined, and / or the order of some operations may be arbitrarily changed. Furthermore, the execution order between the steps of each process is merely exemplary and does not constitute a limitation on the execution order between steps; other execution orders are also possible. It is not intended to indicate that the execution order is the only possible order in which these operations can be performed. Those skilled in the art will conceive of various ways to reorder the operations described herein. Additionally, it should be noted that the process details involved in a certain embodiment of this document are similarly applicable to other embodiments, or different embodiments can be combined.

[0193] For example, referring to FIG9, S801 and S802 may be included after S904. It is understood that S906 may be located before S801 or after S804, and the execution order between S906 and S801 is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0194] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the base station and terminal include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0195] Figures 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in the embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of terminals, base stations, or core network nodes in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device may be terminal 120 as shown in Figure 2, terminal 1 or terminal 2 as shown in Figure 3, or terminal 3 as shown in Figure 4; it may also be base station 110 as shown in Figure 2, base station 1 or base station 2 as shown in Figure 3, or base station 3 as shown in Figure 4; or a core network node in the core network 200 shown in Figure 2; or an AMF, SMF, or UPF as shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4; or it may be a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal or base station.

[0196] As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1300 includes a processing unit 1310 and a transceiver unit 1320. The communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of a terminal, base station, or core network node in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5, 8, or 9 above.

[0197] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 8: the transceiver unit 1320 is used to receive the first information and send the second information; the processing unit 1310 is used to record the second information.

[0198] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the base station or core network node in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 8: the transceiver unit 1320 is used to send first information and receive second information; the processing unit 1310 is used to determine the activation conditions of the updated terminal measurement reference signal based on the second information.

[0199] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiment shown in FIG9: the transceiver unit 1320 is used to receive first information, send second information, and receive the updated first condition; the processing unit 1310 is used to record the second information under the first condition and record the second information according to the updated first condition.

[0200] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the base station or core network node in the method embodiment shown in FIG9: the transceiver unit 1320 is used to send first information, receive second information, and send the updated first condition; the processing unit 1310 is used to determine the updated terminal measurement reference signal activation condition according to the second information and determine the updated first condition according to the second information.

[0201] In other embodiments, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiments shown in FIG8 and FIG9: the transceiver unit 1320 is further used to receive third information, and the processing unit 1310 is further used to enable the measurement reference signal according to the first configuration.

[0202] In some other embodiments, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of a base station or core network node in the method embodiments shown in FIG8 and FIG9: the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to send third information.

[0203] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 1310 and the transceiver unit 1320, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5, 8 or 9.

[0204] As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 1400 includes a processor 1410 and an interface circuit 1420. The processor 1410 and the interface circuit 1420 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1420 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may also include a memory 1430 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1410, or storing input data required by the processor 1410 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1410 executes instructions. Optionally, the memory 1430 and the processor 1410 are integrated together.

[0205] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the method shown in FIG5, FIG8 or FIG9, the processor 1410 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 1310, and the interface circuit 1420 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 1320.

[0206] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from the base station, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules in the terminal (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. The terminal chip sends information to the base station, which can be understood as the information being first sent to other modules in the terminal (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the base station by these modules.

[0207] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a base station, the base station chip implements the functions of the base station in the above method embodiments. The base station chip receives information from the terminal, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules in the base station (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the base station chip by these modules. The base station chip sends information to the terminal, which can be understood as the information being sent down to other modules in the base station (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the terminal by these modules.

[0208] In this application, entity A sends information to entity B, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Similarly, entity B receives information from entity A, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Entities A and B can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within RAN nodes or terminals. Information transmission and reception can be between RAN nodes and terminals, such as between a base station and a terminal; between two RAN nodes, such as between a CU and a DU; or between different modules within a single device, such as between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or between a base station chip and other modules of the base station.

[0209] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0210] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a base station or terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a base station or terminal.

[0211] Optionally, this application also provides a computer program product. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be executed by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in the above computer program product, and when executed, it can include the processes described in the above method embodiments.

[0212] Optionally, this application also provides computer instructions. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be executed by computer instructions instructing related hardware (such as a computer, processor, wireless relay device, terminal, or RAN node). The program can be stored in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium or the aforementioned computer program product.

[0213] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive first information, which instructs the terminal to record second information; The second piece of information is related to the activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal; Record the second piece of information; Send the second message.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The activation conditions for the terminal measurement reference signal include a first activation condition or a second activation condition. The first activation condition is that the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell is less than a first threshold, and the second activation condition is that the distance between the terminal and the reference point is greater than a second threshold.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The second information includes one or more of the following: the activation condition of the terminal measurement reference signal, the terminal's serving cell information, the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the first activation condition is met, the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the second activation condition is met, the first time when the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell meets the first activation condition, the second time when the distance between the terminal and the reference point meets the second activation condition, the time interval between the first time and the second time, the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the first activation condition is met, or the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the second activation condition is met; the first time corresponds to the time when the terminal triggers the measurement reference signal for the Pth time, and the second time corresponds to the time when the terminal triggers the measurement reference signal for the Qth time, where P and Q are adjacent positive integers.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information, including: the first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information under a first condition, the first condition including one or more of the following: the difference between the signal quality of the reference signal of the terminal's serving cell and the signal quality of the reference signal of the first cell is greater than a third threshold, the terminal measures the reference signal M times consecutively due to a first activation condition, the terminal measures the reference signal N times consecutively due to a second activation condition, or the time interval between the first time and the second time is greater than a fourth threshold; the first cell is a cell other than the terminal's serving cell; M and N are positive integers.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive the updated first condition; Record the second information according to the updated first condition.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive third information, the third information indicating a first configuration, the first configuration being the activation condition for the updated terminal measurement reference signal; The first configuration is determined based on the second information; The measurement reference signal is activated according to the first configuration.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information, including: the first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state or the RRC deactivation state; Recording the second information includes recording the second information in the RRC idle state or the RRC deactivation state.

8. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send a first message, which instructs the terminal to record a second message; The second piece of information is related to the activation conditions of the terminal measurement reference signal; Receive the second information; The activation conditions for the updated terminal measurement reference signal are determined based on the second information.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The activation conditions for the terminal measurement reference signal include a first activation condition or a second activation condition. The first activation condition is that the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell is less than a first threshold, and the second activation condition is that the distance between the terminal and the reference point is greater than a second threshold.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The second information includes one or more of the following: the activation condition of the terminal measurement reference signal, the terminal's serving cell information, the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the first activation condition is met, the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the second activation condition is met, the first time when the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell meets the first activation condition, the second time when the distance between the terminal and the reference point meets the second activation condition, the time interval between the first time and the second time, the distance between the terminal and the reference point when the first activation condition is met, or the signal quality of the terminal's serving cell when the second activation condition is met; the first time corresponds to the time when the terminal triggers the measurement reference signal for the Pth time, and the second time corresponds to the time when the terminal triggers the measurement reference signal for the Qth time, where P and Q are adjacent positive integers.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information, including: the first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information under a first condition, the first condition including one or more of the following: the difference between the signal quality of the reference signal of the terminal's serving cell and the signal quality of the reference signal of the first cell is greater than a third threshold, the terminal measures the reference signal M times consecutively due to a first activation condition, the terminal measures the reference signal N times consecutively due to a second activation condition, or the time interval between the first time and the second time is greater than a fourth threshold; the first cell is a cell other than the terminal's serving cell; M and N are positive integers.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, Also includes: The updated first condition is determined based on the second information; Send the updated first condition.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8-12, characterized in that, Also includes: Send a third message, the third message indicating a first configuration, the first configuration being the activation condition for the updated terminal measurement reference signal.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8-12, characterized in that, The first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information, including: the first information is used to instruct the terminal to record the second information in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state or the RRC deactivation state.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a unit or module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or includes a unit or module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 8 to 14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A communication interface and at least one processor, the communication interface being used to receive and / or transmit signals, the processor being configured to enable the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 to be executed, or the processor being configured to enable the method of any one of claims 8 to 14 to be executed.

17. The communication device according to claim 16, characterized in that, Also includes: A memory for storing a computer program, the processor configured to enable the execution of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising: the processor being configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7; the processor being configured to enable the execution of the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14, comprising: the processor being configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

18. The communication device according to any one of claims 15-17, characterized in that, The communication device is a chip.

19. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instructions are executed by the processor, they implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or when the instructions are executed by the processor, they implement the method as described in any one of claims 8 to 14.

20. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or when the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method as described in any one of claims 8 to 14.

Images