Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, capable of reducing the occurrence of incorrect configurations, so as to reduce link failures. When reporting a terminal capability on the basis of a request of an access network device, a terminal device can indicate an incompatible change version corresponding to the terminal capability. The incompatible change version corresponding to the terminal capability can be used for determining the explanation of the terminal capability, or used for indicating whether an incompatible change has occurred in the terminal capability or indicating the version of the incompatible change having occurred in the terminal capability or the number of incompatible changes having occurred in the terminal capability. Therefore, on the basis of the indication of the terminal device, the access network device can know whether an incompatible change has occurred in the capability reported by the terminal device or the version of the incompatible change having occurred, so that the access network device can perform rational processing on the basis of the incompatible change version supported by the access network device itself and the incompatible change version indicated by the terminal device, thereby reducing incorrect configurations, avoiding service interruptions caused by link failures as much as possible, and improving user experience.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410699100.1, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on May 30, 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 communications, and more particularly to communication methods and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] When a network makes various decisions, determines various configurations, or executes various algorithms for a specific terminal, it must consider the terminal's capabilities and make appropriate judgments based on those capabilities. Different terminals may have different capabilities; therefore, terminals need to report their capabilities to the network so that the network can understand the terminal's capabilities and ensure the correctness of network decisions and the applicability of configurations.

[0004] However, during network evolution, as protocol versions evolve, the same terminal capability may be interpreted differently in different protocol versions. This can easily lead to inconsistencies in the understanding of the same terminal capability between the terminal and the network, resulting in compatibility issues. These compatibility issues may cause the network to make incorrect configurations or decisions. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can reduce the occurrence of misconfiguration and improve communication efficiency.

[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 from an access network device for requesting terminal device capabilities; and sending second information to the access network device, the second information indicating a first terminal capability and a corresponding incompatible variant version of the first terminal capability.

[0007] Based on this scheme, when a terminal device reports its capabilities, it can indicate the incompatible version of that capability. This allows access network devices, even if they cannot predict how future features will evolve, to know whether the capabilities reported by the terminal device have undergone incompatibility changes or the version of those incompatibility changes, through the incompatible version of the terminal capabilities introduced by the forward compatibility design. This enables access network devices to perform appropriate processing based on the incompatible version they support and the incompatible version reported by the terminal device, thereby reducing misconfigurations, minimizing service interruptions caused by link failures, and improving user experience.

[0008] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by an access network device, or by a component of the access network device, such as its processor, chip, or chip system, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the access network device's functions. The method includes: sending first information to a terminal device to request capabilities of the terminal device; and receiving second information from the terminal device, the second information indicating a first terminal capability and a corresponding incompatible variant version of the first terminal capability. The technical effects of this second aspect are analogous to those of the first aspect described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0009] In one possible design, the method further includes: determining whether to use the first terminal capability to configure parameters for the terminal device based on the incompatible version of the first terminal capability; or, determining whether the first terminal capability is valid based on the incompatible version of the first terminal capability.

[0010] Based on this possible design, access network devices can perform reasonable processing based on the incompatible version they support and the incompatible version reported by terminal devices. For example, if the incompatible version of a terminal capability indicated by a terminal device is higher than the incompatible version it supports, the terminal capability will not be used for configuration, or the terminal capability will be determined to be invalid. This can reduce misconfiguration, minimize service interruption caused by link failure, and improve user experience.

[0011] In one possible design, the method further includes: if the type of the incompatible variation version corresponding to the first terminal capability is a first type, configuring terminal device parameters according to the terminal capability whose incompatible variation version is lower than the incompatible variation version corresponding to the first terminal capability.

[0012] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending third information to the terminal device when the type of the incompatible variation version corresponding to the first terminal capability is a second type. The third information indicates that the terminal device is not allowed to report the first terminal capability; or, the third information is used to request a terminal capability with an incompatible variation version lower than or equal to the first incompatible variation version, where the first incompatible variation version is an incompatible variation version supported by the access network device.

[0013] Based on the two possible designs mentioned above, access network devices can determine whether to use other terminal capabilities reported by the terminal device for configuration by using the type of incompatible version, or to re-request the terminal capabilities reported by the terminal device. This can further improve the accuracy and rationality of access network device configuration, thereby further reducing link failures and improving user experience.

[0014] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the second information includes a non-compliance flag indicating a non-compliance variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability; or, the second information does not include a non-compliance flag, indicating that the non-compliance variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the default version.

[0015] Based on this possible design, by indicating that the incompatible version of the first terminal capability is the default version by not including the incompatibility flag in the second information, signaling overhead can be reduced compared to carrying information in the second information to indicate that the incompatible version of the first terminal capability is the default version.

[0016] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the first terminal capability includes N capability instances, where N is an integer greater than 1; the second information includes N first fields, where the nth first field is used to indicate the incompatible variant version corresponding to the nth capability instance among the N capability instances, n = 1, 2, ..., N; or, the second information includes one first field, which is used to indicate the incompatible variant version corresponding to the N capability instances; or, the second information includes Nx first fields, each first field being used to indicate the incompatible variant version corresponding to Y capability instances among the N capability instances, where X is an integer less than N, and Y is an integer less than N and greater than or equal to 1.

[0017] Based on this possible design, terminal devices can flexibly and accurately indicate the incompatible version of each capability instance independently through fields corresponding to each capability instance, improving the flexibility and accuracy of incompatible version indication. Alternatively, terminal devices can indicate the incompatible version shared by multiple capability instances through a single field, reducing signaling overhead when the incompatible versions of these multiple capability instances are the same. Or, for multiple capability instances with the same compatible version, a shared incompatible information indication can be used, reducing signaling overhead compared to using multiple identical incompatible information indications separately. Furthermore, for capability instances corresponding to different incompatible versions from other capability instances, dedicated incompatible information can be used to indicate the incompatible version of that capability instance, thereby improving the flexibility and accuracy of incompatible version indication.

[0018] In conjunction with either the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the type of the incompatible variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability includes either the first type or the second type. If the type of the incompatible variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the first type, the first terminal capability may be ignored; or, if the type of the incompatible variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the second type, the first terminal capability may not be ignored.

[0019] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the second information also includes type information of the non-compatible variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability; and / or, the type of the non-compatible variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability is predefined.

[0020] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the first information includes first indication information, which indicates that, in the case of a non-incompatible version requested by the access network device, the non-incompatible version corresponding to the first terminal capability is lower than or equal to the non-incompatible version requested by the access network device.

[0021] Based on this possible design, when requesting terminal capabilities, the access network device indicates the incompatible version it requests. This allows the terminal device to report terminal capabilities based on the access network device's request. For example, the terminal device may report a version of the incompatible version that is lower than or equal to the version of the incompatible version requested by the access network device. This avoids the terminal device reporting unusable terminal capabilities and having to re-report, thereby reducing resource overhead and latency in terminal capability reporting.

[0022] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible design, if the type of the incompatible variation version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the second type, the incompatible variation version corresponding to the first terminal capability is lower than or equal to the incompatible variation version requested by the access network device.

[0023] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the second information also includes second indication information that indicates a non-compatible variation version indicated by the access network device.

[0024] Based on this possible design, the terminal device reports a second indication information, enabling the access network device to indicate which incompatible version the terminal capability was reported based on when sending terminal capabilities to other access network devices. This allows other access network devices to determine whether they need to re-request the terminal capability from the terminal device based on the incompatible version they support, avoiding re-requesting when it is not necessary and thus preventing resource waste. In addition, it can prevent configuration errors caused by failure to re-request when it is necessary, improving configuration accuracy and reducing link failures.

[0025] In combination with the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the first terminal capability is: terminal-level capability, frequency band-level capability, frequency band combination (BC)-level capability, frequency band-level capability within BC, or carrier component (CC)-level capability within BC.

[0026] In conjunction with the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the second information also indicates the second terminal capability and the corresponding incompatible variant version of the second terminal capability.

[0027] Thirdly, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the implementation of the methods, wherein the modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0028] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, respectively used to implement the receiving function and the transmitting function in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0029] In some possible designs, the transceiver module can consist of transceiver circuits, transceivers, transceivers, or communication interfaces.

[0030] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory being used to store computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the above aspects and any possible design thereof.

[0031] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface being used to communicate with a module outside the communication device; the processor being used to execute computer programs or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the above aspects and any possible designs thereof.

[0032] A sixth aspect provides a communication device comprising: at least one processor; said processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the foregoing aspects and any possible designs thereof. The memory may be coupled to the processor, or may be independent of the processor.

[0033] In a seventh aspect, a communication device (e.g., the communication device may be a chip or a chip system) is provided, the communication device including a processor for implementing the functions involved in any of the preceding aspects.

[0034] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0035] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or contain chips and other discrete components.

[0036] The communication device described in the third to seventh aspects may be the terminal device in the first aspect, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip or chip system; or the communication device may be the access network device in the second aspect, or a device included in the access network device, such as a chip or chip system.

[0037] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, which may be a terminal device, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) in the terminal device that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the terminal device; or, the communication device may be an access network device, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) in the access network device that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the access network device.

[0038] It is understandable that when the communication device provided by any of the third to eighth aspects is a chip, the sending action / function of the communication device can be understood as outputting information, and the receiving action / function of the communication device can be understood as inputting information.

[0039] Ninthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects and any possible designs thereof.

[0040] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a communication device, enables the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the foregoing aspects and any possible design thereof.

[0041] Eleventhly, a communication system is provided, which may include a terminal device and an access network device. The terminal device is used to implement the method described in the first aspect and any of its design embodiments, and the access network device is used to implement the method described in the second aspect and any of its design embodiments.

[0042] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects three through eleven can be found in the technical effects of different design methods in aspects one or two, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a terminal capability reporting process provided in this application;

[0044] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a carrier aggregation method provided in this application;

[0045] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal capability provided in this application;

[0046] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in this application;

[0047] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application;

[0048] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in this application;

[0049] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in this application;

[0050] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in this application;

[0051] Figure 9 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0052] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between the related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0053] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or a plurality of items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0054] Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0055] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] 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.

[0059] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, 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. The following descriptions of the embodiments of this application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0060] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of this application is given below.

[0061] 1. User Equipment (UE) Capability Reporting Process:

[0062] In one possible implementation, the UE capability reporting process is shown in Figure 1. Referring to Figure 1, the UE and the base station first execute the radio resource control (RRC) connection setup procedure to establish an RRC connection.

[0063] After the RRC connection is established, the base station sends an initial UE message to core network equipment, such as access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements. Based on the triggering of this initial UE message, the core network equipment sends a UE context setup request message to the base station.

[0064] If the core network equipment stores the UE's capability information, it can include this information in the UE context establishment request message. The base station can then save this UE capability information and communicate with the UE based on it. For example, the UE capability information indicates the UE's access capability.

[0065] If the core network equipment does not store the UE's capability information, the UE context establishment request message will not include the UE's capability information. The base station needs to send a UE capability enquiry to the UE to request capability reporting. After the UE reports its UE capability information to the base station, the base station can save the UE capability information, communicate with the UE based on this information, and send the UE capability information to the core network equipment for storage. For example, the base station can send the UE capability information to the core network equipment in a UE capability info indication message.

[0066] 2. Carrier aggregation (CA):

[0067] CA can be understood as a technology that aggregates two or more component carriers (CCs) together to support greater transmission bandwidth. Here, CC can also be understood as a carrier.

[0068] To efficiently utilize fragmented spectrum, CA supports aggregation between different carriers (CCs). For example, it supports aggregation of adjacent carriers within the same frequency band (hereinafter referred to as band), as shown in Figure 2(a); it also supports aggregation of non-adjacent carriers within the same frequency band, as shown in Figure 2(b); and it also supports aggregation of carriers within different frequency bands, as shown in Figure 2(c).

[0069] The frequency bands belonging to multiple aggregated carriers (CCs) can form a band combination (BC). That is, the BC can include at least one frequency band, and each of these bands includes a carrier for the carrier interaction (CA). For example, as shown in Figure 2(a), the aggregation of two adjacent carriers in frequency band A results in a BC including frequency band A, which can be represented as BAND_A; as shown in Figure 2(b), the aggregation of two non-adjacent carrier sets in frequency band A results in a BC including frequency band A, which can be represented as BAND_A_A; as shown in Figure 2(c), the aggregation of carriers in frequency band A and carriers in frequency band B results in a BC including both frequency band A and frequency band B, which can be represented as BAND_A_B. Similarly, if the aggregation of carriers in frequency band A, frequency band B, and frequency band C results in a BC including frequency bands A, B, and C, which can be represented as BAND_A_B_C.

[0070] 3. UE capabilities:

[0071] UE capabilities can be categorized into different levels or granularities. For example, in scenarios involving CA (User Ability), UE capabilities can be divided into the following levels:

[0072] 1) UE-level capabilities, also known as per UE capabilities.

[0073] 2) Frequency band level capability, also known as per band capability.

[0074] 3) per BC ability.

[0075] 4) Per band per BC capability, also known as per feature set (FS).

[0076] 5) Per CC capability, also known as per FSPC (feature set per component carrier) or per CC per band per BC.

[0077] For example, per-UE capabilities may include, but are not limited to: general parameters, access layer version, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) parameters, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) parameters, radio link control (RLC) parameters, media access control (MAC) parameters, physical layer (PHY) parameters, measurement and mobility parameters, etc.

[0078] Per-band capabilities may include, but are not limited to: the frequency bands supported by the UE, and the capabilities of each frequency band supported by the UE, such as the bandwidth of the frequency band, sub-carrier space (SCS), power parameters, bandwidth part (BWP) parameters, modulation parameters, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) parameters, etc.

[0079] Per BC capabilities include, but are not limited to: CA-related parameters, multi-RAT dual connectivity (MRDC)-related parameters, etc.

[0080] The per-band per-BC capability refers to the capability of a specific frequency band within a BC. This can include, but is not limited to, parameters related to the dual active protocol stack (DAPS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and blind detection parameters related to the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0081] The per CC capability refers to the capability of a specific CC in a BC. This can include, but is not limited to, the number of MIMO layers and the capability of multiple transmission and receiving points (TRP).

[0082] Based on the above UE capability classification, the structure of the capability information reported by the UE can be shown in Figure 3. Referring to Figure 3, the UE can report per-UE capability information, a band list, and a BC list. The band list includes per-band capabilities, such as the capabilities of band 1, band 2, ..., band X. The BC list includes the capabilities of multiple BCs. Each BC's capabilities include the capabilities of each band within that BC, and each band's capabilities further include the capabilities of each CC within that band.

[0083] Typically, when a network makes various decisions, determines configurations, or executes algorithms for a specific terminal, it must consider the terminal's capabilities and make appropriate judgments based on those capabilities. However, during network evolution, as protocol versions evolve, the meaning of some terminal capabilities changes, leading to inconsistencies in the understanding of the same terminal capability between the terminal and the network, i.e., compatibility issues. These compatibility issues may cause the network to make incorrect configurations or decisions, thereby triggering link failures.

[0084] Regarding compatibility issues, for example, in the CA capability defined in the first protocol version (15.4) of the new radio (NR) release 15, the UE can report the BC it supports. If the UE reports that it supports BC including frequency band A and frequency band B, the primary carrier can be configured in frequency band A or frequency band B. The network can configure the primary carrier as A or B according to its own implementation logic.

[0085] However, as the implementation progressed, some UE manufacturers pointed out that there were certain constraints on the primary carrier configuration on certain BCs. For example, in a BC composed of frequency bands C and D, the primary carrier is only supported on frequency band C and not on frequency band D. Therefore, the R15* (i.e. 15.6) protocol version was promoted, which added a new capability indicator PSCell-placement to indicate the frequency bands that support primary carrier configuration.

[0086] However, the introduction of PSCell-placement has led to compatibility issues. For example, suppose the base station supports protocol version 15.4, while the terminal supports protocol version 15.6. When the terminal reports that it supports frequency bands C and D, it also reports a PSCell-placement indicating that the primary carrier can only be configured on frequency band C. However, the base station does not support protocol version 15.6 and cannot parse the PSCell-placement cell. It will still assume, according to protocol version 15.4, that both frequency bands C and D can be configured as the primary carrier. Therefore, the base station may configure the primary carrier on frequency band D, resulting in a misconfiguration, triggering link failure, and causing the terminal to re-establish the connection, leading to service interruption and a degraded user experience.

[0087] Based on this, this application provides a communication method in which a non-compliance flag is proposed through forward compatibility design to indicate whether a corresponding capability has undergone a non-compliance change or a non-compliance version of the corresponding capability. This enables the base station to identify the non-compliance version of the terminal capability based on the non-compliance flag, and thus perform appropriate processing based on its own capabilities and the non-compliance version of the terminal capability, thereby reducing misconfiguration, minimizing link failures, and improving user experience. The specific implementation of this scheme will be described in detail in subsequent embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0088] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be used in various communication systems, including third-generation partnership project (3GPP) communication systems, such as fourth-generation (4G) systems like Long Term Evolution (LTE), fifth-generation (5G) systems like NR, LTE and 5G hybrid networking systems, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, machine-type communication (MTC) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, or other next-generation communication systems, such as sixth-generation (6G) communication systems. The communication system can also be a non-3GPP communication system; there is no limitation on this.

[0089] The communication systems described above are merely illustrative examples, and are not limited to those described herein. The communication systems provided in this application do not impose any limitations on the solutions described herein. This will be explained uniformly here and will not be repeated below.

[0090] Figure 4 illustrates a possible, non-limiting system diagram. As shown in Figure 4, the communication system 40 includes a radio access network (RAN) 400 and a core network (CN) 500. RAN 400 includes at least one access network device (410a and 410b in Figure 4, collectively referred to as 410) and at least one terminal device (420a-420j in Figure 4, collectively referred to as 420). RAN 400 may also include other access network devices, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 4). Terminal device 420 is wirelessly connected to access network device 410. Access network device 410 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 500. The core network device in core network 500 and access network device 410 in RAN 400 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0091] RAN 400 can be a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). RAN 400 can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 400 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0092] Access network equipment 410, sometimes also referred to as RAN node, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminal equipment achieve wireless access. Multiple access network equipment 410 in communication system 40 can be nodes of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of access network equipment 410 and terminal equipment 420 are relative. For example, network element 420i in Figure 4 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal equipment 420j accessing RAN 400 through network element 420i, network element 420i is a base station; but for base station 410a, network element 420i is a terminal equipment. Access network equipment 410 and terminal equipment 420 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 410a and 410b in Figure 4 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 420a-420j can be understood as communication devices with terminal equipment functions.

[0093] In one possible scenario, the access network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a TRP, a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The access network device can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 4, 410a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 4, 410b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the access network device can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network device in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the access network device in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The access network device in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the access network device functions.

[0094] In another possible scenario, multiple access network devices collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with each access network device performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, the access network devices can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and DU can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0095] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0096] Terminal devices can also be referred to as terminals, user interfaces (UEs), mobile stations, mobile terminals, etc. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as D2D, V2X communication, MTC, IoT, virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, intelligent transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminal devices can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal device.

[0097] It should be noted that the communication system described in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0098] The communication method provided in this application embodiment will be described below with reference to the communication system shown in Figure 4, taking the interaction between the terminal device and the access network device as an example. It should be noted that in the following embodiments of this application, the message names, parameter names, or information names between the terminal device and the access network device are just examples, and other names may be used in other embodiments. The method provided in this application does not specifically limit these names.

[0099] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the terminal device and the access network device may execute some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the various steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessarily necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0100] It is understood that this application uses terminal equipment and access network equipment as examples to illustrate the execution of the interaction, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method executed by the access network equipment in this application can also be executed by a module (e.g., chip, chip system, or processor) applied to the access network equipment, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network equipment; similarly, the method executed by the terminal equipment in this application can also be executed by a module (e.g., chip, chip system, or processor) applied to the terminal equipment, or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal equipment.

[0101] Furthermore, in this application, "sending information" can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or it can also be understood as one logical module within a device sending information to another logical module. Similarly, "receiving information" in this application can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or it can also be understood as one logical module within a device receiving information from another logical module. In this application, information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination ends, such as format changes, but the destination end can understand the valid information from the source end. Similar expressions in this application can be interpreted in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0102] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below. As shown in Figure 5, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0103] S501. The access network device sends the first information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information from the access network device.

[0104] The first piece of information is used to request the capabilities of the terminal device. For example, the first piece of information can be carried in a UE capability enquiry message.

[0105] In one possible implementation, terminal capabilities may include multiple levels of capabilities, such as terminal-level capabilities, frequency band-level capabilities, BC-level capabilities, BC mid-band-level capabilities, or BC mid-CC-level capabilities, etc.

[0106] As one possible implementation, each level of terminal capability may include at least one capability instance. For example, terminal-level capabilities may include at least one UE capability instance, such as UE capability instance 1 and UE capability instance 2. Frequency band-level capabilities may include at least one frequency band capability instance. For example, if the frequency band list includes frequency band A and frequency band B, then frequency band A and frequency band B can be understood as two frequency band capability instances at the frequency band level.

[0107] A BC-level capability can include at least one BC capability instance. A BC capability instance can be understood as a BC. For example, a BC-level capability includes BC1 and BC2, and BC1 and BC2 can be understood as two BC capability instances at the BC level.

[0108] The mid-band capability of BC can include at least one per band per BC capability instance. A per band per BC capability instance can be understood as a frequency band in BC. For example, BC1 includes frequency band 1 and frequency band 2. Frequency band 1 and frequency band 2 can be understood as two per band per BC capability instances at the mid-band level of BC. BC2 includes frequency band 3 and frequency band 4. Frequency band 3 and frequency band 4 can also be understood as two per band per BC capability instances.

[0109] The CC-level capabilities in BC can include at least one per CC capability instance. A per CC capability instance can be understood as a CC within a frequency band. For example, frequency band 1 includes CC1 and CC2, and CC1 and CC2 can be understood as two per CC capability instances at the CC level in BC. Frequency band 2 includes CC1, and CC can also be understood as a per CC capability instance. Based on the above example, the capability structure of the terminal device can be represented as follows:

[0110] Per UE:

[0111] UE Capability Example 1

[0112] UE Capability Example 2

[0113] Frequency band list:

[0114] Frequency Band A

[0115] Band B

[0116] BC list:

[0117] As one possible implementation, a capability instance may include at least one capability item (also simply referred to as capability or specific capability). For example, the capability items included in a capability instance of frequency band A may be the bandwidth capability of frequency band A, the transmit capability capability, the subcarrier spacing capability, etc.

[0118] As one possible implementation, before step S501, the access network device may receive a UE context establishment request from the core network device and determine whether the UE context establishment request carries the capability information of the terminal device. If the UE context establishment request does not carry the capability information of the terminal device, the access network device sends first information to the terminal device.

[0119] Of course, the access network device may also send the first information to the terminal device in other circumstances. For example, the access network device may send the first information to the terminal device when it needs to perform configuration, scheduling, or other processing based on the terminal device's capability information. This application does not specifically limit the triggering conditions for the access network device to send the first information.

[0120] As one possible implementation, before step S501, the terminal device and the access network device can execute the RRC connection establishment procedure to establish an RRC connection for the terminal device. After the RRC connection is successfully established, step S501 is executed.

[0121] S502, The terminal device sends the second information to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the second information from the terminal device.

[0122] The second information indicates the first terminal capability and the corresponding non-backward compatible (NBC) variant. For example, the first terminal capability can be a terminal-level capability, a frequency band-level capability, a BC-level capability, a BC mid-band-level capability, or a BC mid-CC-level capability.

[0123] As one possible implementation, the first terminal capability can be a capability that has undergone incompatible changes during the development of the 3GPP protocol, or at least one capability item included in the first terminal capability has undergone incompatible changes during the development of the 3GPP protocol. An incompatible change in a terminal capability can be understood as follows: in a previous protocol version, capability item 1 of the terminal capability was defined, and the interpretation of capability item 1 was a first interpretation; in a later version, the terminal capability includes capability item 1, but the interpretation of capability item 1 changes to a second interpretation. Under the second interpretation, the capability corresponding to capability item 1 may become weaker or stronger. For example, the change in the interpretation of the capability item can be indicated by introducing new information elements; of course, it can also be implemented in other ways, without limitation.

[0124] For example, taking BC as including frequency band A and frequency band B, and the capability item being the main carrier configuration capability, in the 3GPP R15.4 protocol, this capability item is interpreted as the main carrier can be configured in either frequency band A or frequency band B; in the 3GPP R15.4 protocol, this capability item is interpreted as only supporting the configuration of the main carrier in one of the frequency bands A and B. In addition, the frequency band that can be configured with the main carrier can be indicated by PSCell-placement.

[0125] Incompatibility changes can cause alignment (or understanding) issues between different versions of terminal devices and access network devices regarding the same capability item. For example, when a later version of a terminal device connects to an earlier version of an access network device, the access network device's understanding of certain capability items of the terminal device may differ from the terminal device's understanding of those capability items, leading to access failures and other problems.

[0126] Furthermore, the interpretation of a capability may change continuously during protocol development. For example, a capability might be interpreted as interpretation 1 in protocol version 1, as interpretation 2 in protocol version 2, and as interpretation 3 in subsequent protocol version 3. Additionally, if a terminal capability 1 was defined in a previous protocol version, and a terminal capability 2 was added in a later protocol version, and the interpretation of terminal capability 1 remained unchanged, then terminal capability 1 can be understood as a capability that has not undergone incompatibility changes.

[0127] As one possible implementation, the incompatible version of a terminal capability can be used to determine the interpretation of that terminal capability, or to indicate whether an incompatible change has occurred, or to indicate the version or number of incompatible changes that have occurred. There can be a correspondence between incompatible versions and protocol versions; therefore, the incompatible version of a terminal capability can also be used to determine (or indicate) the latest protocol version supported by the terminal device.

[0128] For example, each protocol version update may introduce incompatible changes. A single incompatible change version can be assigned to proposals that introduce incompatible terminal capabilities in one or more protocol versions. As shown in Table 1, RP-xxx represents a proposal to update protocol capabilities, and CR represents a change request (CR). A unified incompatible change version 1 is assigned to the two incompatible capabilities introduced in protocol version 15.7 (denoted as NBC cap1 and NBC cap2), and a unified incompatible change version 2 is assigned to the two incompatible capabilities introduced in protocol version 15.8 (denoted as NBC cap3 and NBC cap4), and so on.

[0129] Table 1

[0130] Optionally, the incompatible variant version in the embodiments of this application may also have other names, such as incompatible variant process, etc., and this application does not specifically limit it.

[0131] One possible implementation is to use incompatibility change information corresponding to the terminal capability to indicate the incompatibility version of that terminal capability. Alternatively, the incompatibility information can be considered as used to verify whether the incompatibility versions supported by the terminal device and the access network device are consistent, or the incompatibility information can be understood as verification information for the incompatibility version.

[0132] For example, incompatibility information may be an incompatibility change flag (NBC flag), an incompatibility change indicator, or other implementations, without limitation.

[0133] For example, taking the incompatibility information as the NBC flag, the second information may include an incompatibility flag corresponding to the first terminal capability. This incompatibility flag indicates an incompatible version of the first terminal capability. Specifically, the value of the NBC flag can indicate the incompatible version of the terminal capability; for instance, the value of the NBC flag is the incompatible version of the terminal capability. For example, for the initial version or initial interpretation of a terminal capability, the NBC flag corresponding to that terminal capability can be set to 0, and each subsequent incompatibility change to that terminal capability increments the NBC flag by 1. Alternatively, for the initial version or initial interpretation of a terminal capability, the NBC flag corresponding to that terminal capability can be set to a preset value, and each subsequent incompatibility change to that terminal capability decrements the NBC flag by 1.

[0134] In this example, if the NBC flag corresponding to a terminal capability is 0 or a preset value, the incompatible variant version corresponding to that terminal capability can be considered the default or initial version. Furthermore, if the incompatible variant version corresponding to a terminal capability is the default or initial version, or in other words, the NBC flag corresponding to that terminal capability is 0 or a preset value, the terminal device may not report the NBC flag corresponding to that terminal capability. For example, if the second information does not include the incompatibility flag corresponding to the first terminal capability, the second information indicates that the incompatible variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the default version. That is, the terminal device can indicate that the incompatible variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the default version by not including the incompatibility flag corresponding to the first terminal capability in the second information.

[0135] Optionally, in one possible implementation, after step S502, the access network device may further perform the following step S503:

[0136] S503. The access network device determines whether to use or whether it can use the first terminal capability to configure parameters for the terminal device, or determines whether the first terminal capability is valid, based on the non-incompatible version corresponding to the first terminal capability.

[0137] As one possible implementation, if the incompatible version of the first terminal capability is lower than or equal to the incompatible version supported by the access network device, the access network device can determine that the first terminal capability is valid and can be used to configure parameters for the terminal device. If the incompatible version of the first terminal capability is higher than the incompatible version supported by the access network device, the access network device can determine that the first terminal capability is invalid and will not use the first terminal capability to configure parameters for the terminal device.

[0138] For example, assuming that the NBC flag corresponding to the interpretation of BC capability in protocol version 15.4 is 2, that is, the primary carrier can be configured on any frequency band of BC reported by the terminal device, when PSCell-placement is introduced in protocol version 15.6, the NBC flag corresponding to the interpretation of BC capability is 3, that is, the primary carrier must be configured on the frequency band indicated by PSCell-placement. If the terminal device reports BC2 and reports the NBC flag corresponding to BC2 as 3, if the access network device supports NBC flag=2 at this time, the access network device will not use BC2 to configure parameters for the terminal device.

[0139] As one possible implementation, if the incompatible version of the first terminal capability is higher than the incompatible version supported by the access network device, the access network device can use other capabilities with incompatible versions lower than or equal to those supported by the access network device to configure parameters for the terminal device. Alternatively, the access network device can instruct the terminal device to re-report the terminal capability with a lower incompatible version so that the terminal capability can be used to configure parameters for the terminal device.

[0140] Based on the above scheme, when a terminal device reports its capabilities, it can indicate the incompatible version of that capability. This allows access network devices, even if they cannot predict how future features will evolve, to know whether the capability reported by the terminal device has undergone incompatible changes or the version of those incompatible changes, through the incompatibility information introduced by the forward compatibility design. This enables access network devices to make appropriate decisions based on their own supported incompatible versions and the incompatible versions reported by the terminal device. For example, if the incompatible version of a terminal capability indicated by the terminal device is higher than the version it supports, the terminal capability can be disregarded for configuration. This reduces misconfigurations, minimizes service interruptions caused by link failures, and improves user experience.

[0141] In one possible implementation, each level of terminal capability reported by the terminal device can be configured with its own corresponding incompatibility change information. The incompatibility change information for each level can be independent of each other. For example, if the second information further indicates a second terminal capability, and the second terminal capability is one of the following: a terminal-level capability, a frequency band-level capability, a BC-level capability, a BC mid-frequency band-level capability, or a BC mid-CC-level capability, and the second terminal capability is at a different level than the first terminal capability, then the second information can also indicate the incompatibility change version corresponding to the second terminal capability. For instance, the second information can include incompatibility change information corresponding to the first terminal capability to indicate the incompatibility change version corresponding to the first terminal capability, and it can also include incompatibility change information corresponding to the second terminal capability to indicate the incompatibility change version corresponding to the second terminal device capability.

[0142] For example, if the second information includes terminal-level capabilities, frequency band-level capabilities, BC-level capabilities, BC mid-band-level capabilities, and BC mid-CC-level capabilities, and the non-compatibility change information is the NBC flag, then the second information may include terminal-level capabilities and the corresponding NBC flag, frequency band-level capabilities and the corresponding NBC flag, BC-level capabilities and the corresponding NBC flag, BC mid-band-level capabilities and the corresponding NBC flag, and BC mid-CC-level capabilities and the corresponding NBC flag.

[0143] When a terminal capability at a certain level includes at least one capability instance, the incompatible version of that terminal capability includes the incompatible version of each capability instance. The incompatibility information for that terminal capability can indicate the incompatible version of each capability instance. Specifically, if a capability instance contains multiple capability items, the incompatible version of that capability instance is determined based on the incompatible versions of all its contained capability items. For example, the latest version among all the incompatible versions of the capability items is set as the incompatible version of that capability instance.

[0144] For example, taking a capability instance containing capability item 1, capability item 2, and capability item 3 as an example, if capability item 1 has not undergone any incompatible changes, the incompatible change version corresponding to capability item 2 is 1, and the incompatible change version corresponding to capability item 3 is 2, then the incompatible change version corresponding to this capability instance is 2. When the terminal capability at this level includes multiple capability instances:

[0145] As a first possible implementation, the incompatibility information corresponding to the terminal capability at this level includes the incompatibility information corresponding to multiple capability instances at this level. The incompatibility information corresponding to the multiple capability instances is independent of each other and indicates the incompatibility variation version corresponding to each capability instance.

[0146] For example, taking the first terminal capability as including N capability instances, the second information may include N first fields, each of which corresponds one-to-one with one of the N capability instances of the first terminal capability. That is, the nth first field among the N first fields is used to indicate the non-compatible variant version corresponding to the nth capability instance among the N capability instances, where n = 1, 2, ..., N. Here, N is an integer greater than 1.

[0147] For example, taking a terminal capability at the BC level as the first terminal capability, the BC list includes BC1, BC2, and BC3, and the incompatibility information is represented by NBC flags. The first field can carry NBC flag 1 to indicate the incompatibility variant corresponding to BC1, the second field can carry NBC flag 2 to indicate the incompatibility variant corresponding to BC2, and the third field can carry NBC flag 3 to indicate the incompatibility variant corresponding to BC3. The incompatibility variants corresponding to BC1, BC2, and BC3 may be the same or different.

[0148] Based on this possible implementation, the terminal device can flexibly and accurately indicate the incompatible version of each capability instance independently through the fields corresponding to each capability instance, thereby improving the flexibility and accuracy of indicating incompatible versions.

[0149] As a second possible implementation, the incompatibility information corresponding to this level of terminal capability includes incompatibility information shared by multiple capability instances at this level, indicating the incompatibility variants shared by these multiple capability instances. In this case, it can be assumed that the incompatibility variants corresponding to these multiple capability instances are the same.

[0150] For example, taking the first terminal capability as including N capability instances, the second information may include a first field, which can be used to carry incompatibility information shared by the N capability instances, indicating the incompatibility variants corresponding to the N capability instances.

[0151] For example, taking a terminal capability with the first terminal capability as BC level, where the BC list includes BC1, BC2, and BC3, and the incompatibility information is represented by the NBC flag, this first field can carry NBC flag 4 to indicate the incompatibility variant version shared by BC1, BC2, and BC3. Specifically, the incompatibility variant versions corresponding to BC1, BC2, and BC3 are the same.

[0152] Based on this possible implementation, the terminal device can indicate the incompatible version shared by multiple capability instances through a single field. When the incompatible versions corresponding to these multiple capability instances are the same, signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0153] As a third possible implementation, the incompatibility information corresponding to this level of terminal capability can include multiple incompatibility information entries. Each incompatibility information entry can be the incompatibility information for a portion of the capability instances at this level, indicating the incompatibility variant version corresponding to that portion of the capability instances. Different capability instances correspond to different incompatibility information entries. Multiple capability instances corresponding to the same incompatibility information entries have the same incompatibility variant version.

[0154] For example, taking a first terminal capability comprising N capability instances as an example, the second information may include N first fields, where each first field carries incompatibility information corresponding to Y capability instances among the N capability instances, indicating the incompatibility variants corresponding to the Y capability instances. Different first fields correspond to different capability instances. Here, X is a positive integer less than N, and Y is an integer less than N and greater than or equal to 1.

[0155] For example, taking a terminal capability with the first terminal capability as BC level, the BC list includes BC1, BC2 and BC3, and the incompatibility information is the NBC flag. Taking the case where the incompatibility variant versions corresponding to BC2 and BC3 are the same, the second information can include two first fields. The first first field can carry NBC flag 5 to indicate the incompatibility variant version corresponding to BC1, and the second first field can carry NBC flag 6 to indicate the incompatibility variant version shared by BC2 and BC3.

[0156] For example, taking a terminal capability with the first terminal capability as BC level, and the BC list including BC1, BC2, BC3, BC4, BC5, BC6, BC7 and BC8 as an example, the second information can include three first fields. The first first field can carry NBC flag1 to indicate the non-compatible variant versions corresponding to BC1, BC2 and BC5. The second first field can carry NBC flag2 to indicate the non-compatible variant versions corresponding to BC3 and BC8. The third first field can carry NBC flag3 to indicate the non-compatible variant versions corresponding to BC4, BC6 and BC7.

[0157] Optionally, in a third possible implementation, the terminal device may also indicate the capability instance associated with each incompatible information. For example, based on the example above, the terminal device may report NBC flag1 and indicate its associated BC indices as BC1, BC2, and BC5; report NBC flag2 and indicate its associated BC indices as BC3 and BC8; and report NBC flag3 and indicate its associated BC indices as BC4, BC6, and BC7.

[0158] Based on this possible implementation, for multiple capability instances with the same compatibility change version, a common incompatibility information indication can be used among these multiple capability instances. Compared to using multiple identical incompatibility information indications separately, this can reduce signaling overhead. Furthermore, for capability instances corresponding to different incompatibility change versions from other capability instances, dedicated incompatibility information can be used to indicate the corresponding incompatibility change version of that capability instance, thereby improving the flexibility and accuracy of incompatibility change version indication.

[0159] Optionally, the terminal device can flexibly choose one of the three methods mentioned above for reporting. Furthermore, in the second and third possible implementations, the incompatibility information shared by multiple capability instances can be reported within the UE-level information cell. That is, multiple capability instances of a certain level of terminal capability can be reported in the UE-level information cell, along with their corresponding shared (or default) incompatibility information, indicating the shared (or default) incompatibility variation version. If the incompatibility variation version corresponding to a certain capability instance differs from the shared incompatibility variation version, an additional indication of the incompatibility variation version corresponding to that capability instance can be provided; this additional indication can be carried in the information cell corresponding to that capability instance. If the incompatibility variation version corresponding to a certain capability is the same as the shared incompatibility variation version, no additional indication is required.

[0160] Furthermore, the three possible implementations mentioned above are only illustrative examples of BC-level terminal capabilities. For the indications of non-compatible variants of BC mid-band capabilities and BC CC-level capabilities, as well as the indication types of non-compatible variants of BC-level capabilities, please refer to the aforementioned related descriptions, which will not be repeated here.

[0161] In one possible implementation, where each level of terminal capability may include at least one capability instance, in step S503 above, the access network device determines whether to use the capability instance to configure parameters for the terminal device, or determines whether the capability is valid, based on the non-compatible variant version corresponding to each capability instance of the first terminal capability.

[0162] For example, taking the first terminal capability as the BC level terminal capability, the terminal capability includes three capability instances: BC1, BC2, and BC3. Taking the non-compatibility information as the NBC flag as an example, the access network device determines whether to use BC1 as the terminal device configuration parameter based on the NBC flag a corresponding to BC1, whether to use BC2 as the terminal device configuration parameter based on the NBC flag b corresponding to BC2, and whether to use BC3 as the terminal device configuration parameter based on the NBC flag c corresponding to BC3.

[0163] Taking NBC flag a=2, NBC flag b=3, and NBC flag c=2 as an example, if the NBC flag corresponding to the BC-level terminal capability supported by the access network device is 2, the access network device can use BC1 and / or BC3 to configure parameters for the terminal device, but not BC2; or, the access network device can instruct the terminal device to re-report the BC-level terminal capability.

[0164] In one possible implementation, the type of the incompatible variant version corresponding to the terminal capability includes a first type and a second type. The type of incompatible variant version can also be understood as the type indicating the incompatibility information of that incompatible variant version, for example, it can be understood as the type of the NBC flag.

[0165] If the type of the incompatible version corresponding to a terminal capability is Type 1, the terminal capability may be ignored. If the type of the incompatible version corresponding to a terminal capability is Type 2, the terminal capability may not be ignored.

[0166] As one possible implementation, ignoring terminal capabilities can be understood as: not using the terminal capability (e.g., no longer using the related capability for RRC configuration and scheduling), or the terminal capability being invalid. When the type of the incompatible version corresponding to the first terminal capability is type one, in step S503 above, after the access network device determines that it will not use the first terminal capability to configure parameters for the terminal device, or determines that the first terminal capability is invalid, it can configure parameters for the terminal device based on a terminal capability whose incompatible version is lower than the incompatible version corresponding to the first terminal capability.

[0167] If the first terminal capability includes multiple capability instances, the access network device may configure the terminal device parameters based on other capability instances (such as the second capability instance of the first terminal capability) whose incompatible version is lower than the incompatible version corresponding to the first capability instance after determining that the first capability instance is invalid.

[0168] For example, taking a terminal capability at the BC level as the first terminal capability, which includes three capability instances: BC1, BC2, and BC3, and the non-compliance information as the NBC flag, where NBC flag a=2 for BC1, NBC flag b=3 for BC2, and NBC flag c=2 for BC3, if the NBC flag corresponding to the BC level terminal capability supported by the access network device is 2, then the access network device can use the capability instance with an NBC flag less than or equal to 2 (such as BC1 and / or BC3) to configure parameters for the terminal device, and will not use BC2 to configure parameters for the terminal device.

[0169] As one possible implementation, not allowing the ignoring of terminal capabilities can also be understood as not allowing the ignoring of incompatible changes corresponding to the terminal capability, or requiring the access network device to re-request the terminal capability. When the type of the incompatible change version corresponding to the terminal capability is Type II, the incompatible change may be a terminal-level change, meaning that all capability instances of the terminal capability have experienced the incompatible change. If the incompatible change is ignored, configuration may fail, causing the access network device and terminal device to malfunction.

[0170] For example, consider the following incompatible change introduced in a certain protocol version: The relationships between frequency bands within all frequency bands (BCs) have been updated. For instance, in the original protocol version, multiple frequency bands within a BC could support concurrent transmission; however, in the version introducing the incompatible change, switching transmission between multiple frequency bands within a BC is supported, but parallel transmission is not. Access network devices cannot ignore this incompatible change. For example, if all BCs reported by a terminal device do not support concurrent transmission, the access network device will be unable to obtain BCs that support concurrent transmission based on this report, and thus may not function properly.

[0171] Optionally, if the type of the incompatible variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the second type, in step S503 above, after the access network device determines that it will not use the first terminal capability to configure parameters for the terminal device, or determines that the first terminal capability is invalid, it may send third information to the terminal device. This third information may indicate that the terminal device is not allowed to report the first terminal capability, or it may be used to request a terminal capability with an incompatible variant version lower than or equal to the first incompatible variant version, where the first incompatible variant version is an incompatible variant version supported by the access network device. After receiving the third information, the terminal device may report a terminal capability with an incompatible variant version lower than or equal to the first incompatible variant version to the access network device.

[0172] As one possible implementation, the terminal device can report the type of the incompatible version corresponding to the terminal capability. For example, the second information sent by the terminal device may also include the type information of the incompatible version corresponding to the first terminal capability, so as to indicate the type of the incompatible version.

[0173] For example, this type information can be a 1-bit indicator. When this bit is set to a first value, it indicates that the type of the incompatible version of the terminal capability is a first type; when this bit is set to a second value, it indicates that the type of the incompatible version of the terminal capability is a second type. The first value can be "0" and the corresponding second value can be "1", or the first value can be "1" and the corresponding second value can be "0".

[0174] As another possible implementation, the type of the incompatible variant corresponding to the terminal capability is predefined, or the type of the NBC flag corresponding to the terminal capability is predefined. For example, the protocol can predefine that if the value of the NBC flag belongs to a first set of values, the type of the incompatible variant indicated by the NBC flag is type one, and if the value of the NBC flag belongs to a second set of values, the type of the incompatible variant indicated by the NBC flag is type two.

[0175] For example, the first set of values ​​and the second set of values ​​each include at least one value, and the first set of values ​​and the second set of values ​​have no intersection. For example, the first set of values ​​includes the value 1, and the second set of values ​​includes the values ​​2 and 3, etc. Based on the example shown in Table 1, taking the non-compliance variant version indicated by the NBC flag, where the first set of values ​​includes the value 1 and the second set of values ​​includes the values ​​2 and 3 as an example, the protocol version, NBC flag, and type of non-compliance variant version can be shown in Table 2 below.

[0176] Table 2

[0177] Based on the above possible implementations, access network devices can determine the terminal capabilities reported by the terminal device in this configuration based on the type of incompatible version changes, or re-request the terminal device to report terminal capabilities. This can further improve the accuracy and rationality of access network device configuration, thereby further reducing link failures and improving user experience.

[0178] In one possible implementation, as shown in FIG6, in step S501 above, the first information sent by the access network device to the terminal device may include first indication information, which indicates a non-incompatible version (denoted as non-incompatible version B) requested by the access network device. For example, the non-incompatible version requested by the access network device may be a non-incompatible version supported by the access network device, or it may be a lower version than the non-incompatible version supported by the access network device. Furthermore, the non-incompatible version B may be a non-incompatible version corresponding to a certain level (denoted as first level) of terminal capability.

[0179] After receiving the first instruction information, the terminal device reports a terminal capability whose corresponding incompatible version is lower than or equal to incompatible version B. Furthermore, the terminal capability reported by the terminal device is a first-level terminal capability. For example, the incompatible version corresponding to the first terminal capability reported by the terminal device is lower than or equal to incompatible version B. If the first terminal capability includes multiple capability instances, the incompatible versions corresponding to all multiple capability instances of the first terminal capability are lower than incompatible version B. Additionally, the first terminal capability can be a first-level terminal capability.

[0180] Furthermore, after receiving the first instruction information, the terminal device, for terminal capabilities with a non-incompatible version type of 2, reports capability instances where the non-incompatible version is lower than or equal to non-incompatible version B. For example, when the type of the non-incompatible version corresponding to the first terminal capability is 2, the non-incompatible version corresponding to the first terminal capability is lower than or equal to non-incompatible version B. For terminal capabilities with a non-incompatible version type of 1, while reporting capability instances where the non-incompatible version is lower than or equal to non-incompatible version B, it can also report capability instances where the non-incompatible version is higher than non-incompatible version B. For example, among the multiple capability instances included in the first terminal capability, it can include capability instances where the non-incompatible version is lower than or equal to non-incompatible version B, and it can also include capability instances where the non-incompatible version is higher than non-incompatible version B.

[0181] As one possible implementation, when the access network device sends the first indication information, as shown in Figure 6, the second information sent by the terminal device to the access network device in step S502 may further include the second indication information. This second indication information indicates the incompatible version indicated by the access network device. The incompatible version indicated by the access network device can be understood as the incompatible version requested by the access network device (i.e., incompatible version B). After receiving the second indication information, the access network device can know that this terminal capability reporting is based on the incompatible version it indicated.

[0182] As one possible implementation, as shown in Figure 6, after step S502, the access network device receiving the second information (denoted as access network device 1) can send the terminal device's capability information to other access network devices (denoted as access network device 2). This capability information may include the terminal's capabilities and the incompatible version (such as incompatible version B) indicated by access network device 1 to the terminal device. After receiving this capability information, access network device 2 can know that the current terminal capabilities are reported based on the incompatible version indicated by access network device 1.

[0183] Subsequently, if the incompatible version supported by access network device 2 is higher than the incompatible version indicated by access network device 1, then as shown in Figure 6, access network device 2 can send a fourth message to the terminal device to re-request the terminal device's capabilities. This fourth message may include the incompatible version requested by access network device 2 (denoted as incompatible version C). After receiving the fourth message, the terminal device can report its capabilities based on the incompatible version requested by access network device 2, for example, reporting terminal capabilities with an incompatible version lower than or equal to incompatible version C.

[0184] If the incompatible version supported by access network device 2 is the same as the incompatible version indicated by access network device 1, that is, the incompatible version C and the incompatible version B are the same, then access network device 2 may not send the fourth information and may use the terminal capabilities received from access network device 1 for relevant configuration.

[0185] Based on the above scheme, when the access network device requests terminal capabilities, it indicates the incompatible version it requests. This allows the terminal device to report terminal capabilities based on the access network device's request. For example, it can report terminal capabilities with incompatible versions that are lower than or equal to the incompatible versions requested by the access network device. This avoids the terminal device reporting unusable terminal capabilities and having to re-report, thereby reducing resource overhead and latency in terminal capability reporting.

[0186] Furthermore, when sending terminal capabilities to other access network devices, access network devices can indicate which incompatible version the terminal capability was reported based on. This allows other access network devices to determine whether they need to re-request the terminal capability from the terminal device based on the incompatible version they support, avoiding re-requesting when it is not necessary and thus preventing resource waste. In addition, it can prevent configuration errors caused by failure to re-request when it is necessary, improving configuration accuracy and reducing link failures.

[0187] In one possible implementation, for the above method embodiments, in a CU-DU architecture or ORAN system, the interaction function between the access network device and the terminal device can be implemented by a DU or an O-DU. The information sent by the access network device to the terminal device can be generated by a DU or an O-DU, or it can be generated by a CU or an O-CU and sent to a DU or an O-DU. The processing function of the access network device can be implemented by a CU or an O-CU, or by a DU or an O-DU, or by a combination of CU and DU (or O-CU and O-DU), without limitation.

[0188] The method provided in this application has been described above. In addition, this application also provides a communication device for implementing the functions described in the above method embodiments.

[0189] It is understood that, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, 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 and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0190] This application embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0191] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of a communication device 70. The communication device 70 includes a processing module 701 and a transceiver module 702. This communication device 70 can be used to implement the functions of the aforementioned terminal equipment or access network equipment.

[0192] In some embodiments, the communication device 70 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 7) for storing program instructions and data.

[0193] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 702, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 702 may consist of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

[0194] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 702 may include a receiving module and a sending module, respectively configured to perform the receiving and sending steps performed by the terminal device or access network device in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes to support the technology described herein; the processing module 701 may be configured to perform the processing steps performed by the terminal device or access network device in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes to support the technology described herein.

[0195] When the communication device 70 is used to implement the functions of a terminal device:

[0196] The transceiver module 702 is used to receive first information from the access network device, the first information being used to request the capabilities of the terminal device; the transceiver module 702 is also used to send second information to the access network device, the second information indicating the first terminal capability and the corresponding incompatible version of the first terminal capability.

[0197] When the communication device 70 is used to implement the functions of an access network device:

[0198] The transceiver module 702 is used to send first information to the terminal device, the first information being used to request the capabilities of the terminal device; the transceiver module 702 is also used to receive second information from the terminal device, the second information indicating the first terminal capability and the corresponding incompatible version of the first terminal capability.

[0199] Optionally, the processing module 701 is used to determine whether to use the first terminal capability to configure parameters for the terminal device based on the incompatible version of the first terminal capability; or, the processing module 701 is used to determine whether the first terminal capability is valid based on the incompatible version of the first terminal capability.

[0200] Optionally, if the type of the incompatible version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the first type, the processing module 701 is further configured to configure parameters for the terminal device based on the terminal capability whose incompatible version is lower than the incompatible version corresponding to the first terminal capability.

[0201] Optionally, if the type of the incompatible version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the second type, the transceiver module 702 is further configured to send third information to the terminal device. The third information indicates that the terminal device is not allowed to report the first terminal capability; or, the third information is used to request a terminal capability with an incompatible version lower than or equal to the first incompatible version, where the first incompatible version is an incompatible version supported by the access network device.

[0202] When the communication device 70 is used to implement the functions of a terminal device or an access network device:

[0203] Optionally, the second information includes a non-compliance flag, which indicates a non-compliance variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability; or, the second information does not include a non-compliance flag, and the second information indicates that the non-compliance variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the default version.

[0204] Optionally, the first terminal capability includes N capability instances, where N is an integer greater than 1; the second information includes N first fields, where the nth first field is used to indicate the incompatible version corresponding to the nth capability instance among the N capability instances, n = 1, 2, ..., N; or, the second information includes one first field, which is used to indicate the incompatible version corresponding to the N capability instances; or, the second information includes Nx first fields, each first field is used to indicate the incompatible version corresponding to Y capability instances among the N capability instances, where X is an integer less than N, and Y is an integer less than N and greater than or equal to 1.

[0205] Optionally, the type of the incompatible variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability includes either type one or type two. If the type of the incompatible variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability is type one, the first terminal capability may be ignored; or, if the type of the incompatible variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability is type two, the first terminal capability may not be ignored.

[0206] Optionally, the second information may also include type information of the incompatible variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability; and / or, the type of the incompatible variant version corresponding to the first terminal capability is predefined.

[0207] Optionally, the first information includes first indication information, which indicates that if the access network device requests an incompatible version, the incompatible version corresponding to the first terminal capability is lower than or equal to the incompatible version requested by the access network device.

[0208] Optionally, if the type of the incompatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the second type, the incompatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is lower than or equal to the incompatible change version requested by the access network device.

[0209] Optionally, the second information may also include second indication information, which indicates a non-compatible variant version indicated by the access network device.

[0210] Optionally, the first terminal capability can be: terminal-level capability, frequency band-level capability, frequency band combination (BC)-level capability, frequency band-level capability within BC, or carrier component (CC)-level capability within BC.

[0211] Optionally, the second information may also indicate the second terminal capability and the corresponding incompatible variant version of the second terminal capability.

[0212] All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0213] In this application, the communication device 70 can be presented in an integrated manner by dividing it into various functional modules. Here, "module" can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuits, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0214] In some embodiments, when the communication device 70 in FIG7 is a chip or chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 702 can be implemented through the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 701 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0215] Since the communication device 70 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects it can achieve can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0216] As a possible product form, the terminal device or access network device described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout this application.

[0217] As another possible product form, the terminal device or access network device described in this application embodiment can be implemented using a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, refer to Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 800 provided in this application embodiment. The communication device 800 includes a processor 801 and a transceiver 802. The communication device 800 can be a terminal device, or a chip or chip system therein; or, the communication device 800 can be an access network device, or a chip or module therein; or, the communication device 800 can be [specific component name missing], or a chip or module therein. Figure 8 only shows the main components of the communication device 800. In addition to the processor 801 and transceiver 802, the communication device may further include a memory 803 and input / output devices (not shown in the figure).

[0218] Optionally, the processor 801 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs, thereby implementing the methods provided in the above-described method embodiments. The memory 803 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 802 may include a radio frequency (RF) circuit and an antenna. The RF circuit is mainly used for converting baseband signals to RF signals and processing RF signals. The antenna is mainly used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touch screens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0219] Optionally, the processor 801, transceiver 802, and memory 803 can be connected via a communication bus.

[0220] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 801 can read the software program in the memory 803, execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 801 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 801. The processor 801 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0221] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0222] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the above-described communication device 70 can take the form of the communication device 800 shown in FIG8 in terms of hardware implementation.

[0223] As an example, the function / implementation process of the processing module 701 in Figure 7 can be implemented by the processor 801 in the communication device 800 shown in Figure 8 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 803. The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 702 in Figure 7 can be implemented by the transceiver 802 in the communication device 800 shown in Figure 8.

[0224] As another possible product form, the terminal device or access network device in this application may adopt the composition structure shown in FIG9, or include the components shown in FIG9. FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 900 provided in this application. The communication device 900 may be a terminal device or a chip or system-on-a-chip in a terminal device; or, it may be an access network device or a chip or system-on-a-chip in an access network device.

[0225] As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 900 includes at least one processor 901 and at least one communication interface (Figure 9 is only an example illustrating the inclusion of a communication interface 904 and a processor 901). Optionally, the communication device 900 may also include a communication bus 902 and a memory 903.

[0226] Processor 901 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a PLD, or any combination thereof. Processor 901 can also be other devices with processing functions, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0227] The communication bus 902 is used to connect different components in the communication device 900, enabling communication between them. The communication bus 902 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 9, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0228] Communication interface 904 is used for communicating with other devices or communication networks. For example, communication interface 904 can be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any device capable of communication. Optionally, communication interface 904 can also be an input / output interface located within processor 901, used to implement signal input and signal output for the processor.

[0229] The memory 903 may be a device with storage function, used to store instructions and / or data. The instructions may be computer programs.

[0230] For example, the memory 903 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and / or instructions; it may also be a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and / or instructions; it may also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0231] It should be noted that the memory 903 can exist independently of the processor 901, or it can be integrated with the processor 901. The memory 903 can be located inside or outside the communication device 900, without limitation. The processor 901 can be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 903 to implement the methods provided in the following embodiments of this application.

[0232] Optionally, the processor 901 and / or memory 903 may include an artificial intelligence (AI) module, which is used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​module can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the AI ​​module may include a radio network intelligent controller (RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module can be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0233] As an optional implementation, the communication device 900 may also include an output device 905 and an input device 906. The output device 905 communicates with the processor 901 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 905 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 906 communicates with the processor 901 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 906 may be a mouse, keyboard, touchscreen device, or sensing device, etc.

[0234] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication device 70 shown in FIG7 can take the form of the communication device 900 shown in FIG9 in terms of hardware implementation.

[0235] As an example, the function / implementation process of the processing module 701 in Figure 7 can be implemented by the processor 901 in the communication device 900 shown in Figure 9 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 903. The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 702 in Figure 7 can be implemented by the communication interface 904 in the communication device 900 shown in Figure 9.

[0236] It should be noted that the structure shown in Figure 9 does not constitute a specific limitation on the terminal device or access network device. For example, in other embodiments of this application, the terminal device or access network device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0237] In some embodiments, this application also provides a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the methods in any of the above method embodiments.

[0238] As one possible implementation, the communication device also includes a memory. This memory stores necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, which a processor can invoke to instruct the communication device to execute the methods described in any of the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the memory may not be present in the communication device.

[0239] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, used to receive computer execution instructions (which are stored in memory and may be read directly from memory or may be transmitted through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0240] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes a communication interface for communicating with modules outside the communication device.

[0241] It is understood that the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0242] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0243] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0244] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0245] It is understood that the systems, apparatuses, and methods described in this application can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the couplings or direct couplings or communication connections shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0246] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0247] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0248] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device containing one or more servers, data centers, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state drive (SSD)). In this embodiment, the computer may include the aforementioned apparatus.

[0249] Although this application has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings, disclosure, and appended claims, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed application. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0250] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely illustrative descriptions of the application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Thus, if such modifications and modifications of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving first information from an access network device, the first information being used for requesting a terminal device capability; sending second information to the access network device, the second information indicating a first terminal capability and a non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The second information comprises a non-compatible flag, and the non-compatible flag indicates the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability. Or, The second information does not comprise a non-compatible flag, and the second information indicates that the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is a default version.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first terminal capability comprises N capability instances, and N is an integer greater than 1. The second information comprises N first fields, and an nth first field in the N first fields is used for indicating a non-compatible change version corresponding to an nth capability instance in the N capability instances, n = 1, 2, …, N; or The second information comprises one first field, and the first field is used for indicating the non-compatible change version corresponding to the N capability instances; or The second information comprises N-X first fields, and each first field is used for indicating a non-compatible change version corresponding to Y capability instances in the N capability instances, wherein X is an integer less than N, and Y is an integer less than N and greater than or equal to 1.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The type of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability comprises a first type or a second type; In a case where the type of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the first type, the first terminal capability is allowed to be ignored; or In a case where the type of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the second type, the first terminal capability is not allowed to be ignored.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The second information further comprises type information of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability; and / or The type of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is predefined.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The first information comprises first indication information, and the first indication information indicates a non-compatible change version requested by the access network device; The non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is lower than or equal to the non-compatible change version requested by the access network device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, In a case where the type of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the second type, the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is lower than or equal to the non-compatible change version requested by the access network device.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The second information further comprises second indication information, and the second indication information indicates a non-compatible change version indicated by the access network device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The first terminal capability is a terminal-level capability, a frequency band-level capability, a band combination (BC)-level capability, a frequency band-level capability in a BC, or a carrier component (CC)-level capability in a BC.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The second information further indicates a second terminal capability and a non-compatible change version corresponding to the second terminal capability.

11. A communication method, comprising: The method comprises: sending first information to a terminal device, the first information being used for requesting a capability of the terminal device; receiving second information from the terminal device, the second information indicating a first terminal capability and a non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The method further comprises: determining whether to configure a parameter for the terminal device using the first terminal capability according to the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability; or determining whether the first terminal capability is valid according to the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The second information comprises a non-compatible flag, the non-compatible flag indicating the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability. Or, The second information does not comprise a non-compatible flag, and the second information indicates that the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is a default version.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11-13, characterized in that, The first terminal capability comprises N capability instances, N being an integer greater than 1; The second information comprises N first fields, an nth first field in the N first fields being used to indicate a non-compatible change version corresponding to an nth capability instance in the N capability instances, n = 1, 2, …, N; or The second information comprises one first field, the first field being used to indicate the non-compatible change version corresponding to the N capability instances; or The second information comprises N-X first fields, each of the first fields being used to indicate a non-compatible change version corresponding to Y capability instances in the N capability instances, X being an integer less than N, and Y being an integer less than N and greater than or equal to 1.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11-14, characterized in that, The type of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability comprises a first type or a second type; In a case where the type of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the first type, the first terminal capability is allowed to be ignored; or In a case where the type of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the second type, the first terminal capability is not allowed to be ignored.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The second information further comprises type information of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability; and / or The type of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is predefined.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that In a case where the type of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the first type, the method further comprises: configuring a parameter for the terminal device according to a terminal capability with a non-compatible change version lower than the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability.

18. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein, In a case where the type of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is the second type, the method further comprises: sending third information to the terminal device; The third information indicates that the terminal device is not allowed to report the first terminal capability; or The third information is used to request a terminal capability with a non-compatible change version lower than or equal to a first non-compatible change version, the first non-compatible change version being a non-compatible change version supported by an access network device.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11-18, characterized in that, The first information comprises first indication information, the first indication information indicating a non-compatible change version requested by an access network device; The non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is lower than or equal to the non-compatible change version requested by the access network device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, In a case where the type of the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is a second type, the non-compatible change version corresponding to the first terminal capability is lower than or equal to the non-compatible change version requested by the access network device.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that, The second information further comprises second indication information, and the second indication information indicates the non-compatible change version indicated by the access network device.

22. The method of any one of claims 11-21, wherein, The first terminal capability is a terminal-level capability, a frequency band-level capability, a band combination (BC)-level capability, a frequency band-level capability in a BC, or a carrier component (CC)-level capability in a BC.

23. The method according to any one of claims 11-22, characterized in that, The second information further indicates a second terminal capability and a non-compatible change version corresponding to the second terminal capability.

24. A communications device, characterized by The communication apparatus comprises a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or an instruction, so that the communication apparatus performs the method in any one of claims 1-10, or so that the communication apparatus performs the method in any one of claims 11-23.

25. A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs, when the computer instructions or programs are run on a computer, so that the method in any one of claims 1-10 is performed, or so that the method in any one of claims 11-23 is performed.

26. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer instructions; when part or all of the computer instructions are run on a computer, so that the method in any one of claims 1-10 is performed, or so that the method in any one of claims 11-23 is performed.

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