Communication method, terminal, network device, communication system, medium, and program product

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, a terminal, a network device, a communication system, a medium, and a program product. The communication method can be applied to the terminal. The method comprises: in the case of a connection failure, on the basis of a first rule, using at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key to perform communication connection recovery. In this way, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal and the network device determine, on the basis of the first rule, at least one of the first candidate configuration and the first key used during the communication connection recovery, so that the terminal and the network device have consistent understanding of the at least one of the first candidate configuration and the first key, thereby increasing the probability of communication connection recovery and improving communication connection security.

Description

Communication method, terminal, network device, communication system, medium and program product TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communication, and particularly relates to a communication method, a terminal, a network device, a communication system, a medium and a program product. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the fifth generation mobile communication technology new radio (NR), a network device can control a terminal to change a serving cell of the terminal based on a selected key in multiple candidate cells (or cell groups) based on L1 / L2-triggered mobility (LTM) technology triggered by layer 1 (L1) or layer 2 (L2) or based on a condition-triggered layer 3 mobility technology.

[0003] SUMMARY

[0004] In the process of communication connection failure of the terminal, the network device can not know the candidate cell configuration used by the terminal, and therefore, in the connection recovery process of the terminal, the terminal and the network device cannot reach a consistent understanding about the candidate configuration or the key used in the connection recovery process.

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a terminal, a network device, a communication system, a medium and a program product, which can enable the terminal to perform communication connection recovery without obtaining a key indication.

[0006] According to a first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, performed by a terminal, and the method comprises: in the case of connection failure, performing communication connection recovery using at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key according to a first rule.

[0007] According to a second aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, performed by a network device, and the method comprises: sending third information, wherein the third information is used to indicate a first rule, and the first rule is used for the terminal to perform communication connection recovery using at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key in the case of connection failure.

[0008] According to a third aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising: a processing module configured to perform communication connection recovery using at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key according to a first rule in the case of connection failure.

[0009] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising: a transceiver configured to transmit third information, wherein the third information is used to indicate a first rule, and the first rule is used for the terminal to perform a communication connection recovery using at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key in a case of a connection failure.

[0010] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and wherein the terminal is configured to perform the communication method according to the first aspect.

[0011] According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and wherein the network device is configured to perform the communication method according to the second aspect.

[0012] According to a seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided. The communication system comprises a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the communication method according to the first aspect, and the network device is configured to implement the communication method according to the second aspect.

[0013] According to an eighth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided, which stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device performs the communication method according to the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0014] According to a ninth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a program product is provided, comprising a program and / or instructions, and when the program and / or instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device performs the communication method according to the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0015] According to a tenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program is provided, and when the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer performs the communication method according to the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0016] According to an eleventh aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a chip or chip system is provided, comprising a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to perform the communication method according to the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0017] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal and the network device determine at least one of the first candidate configuration and the first key used in the communication connection recovery process based on the first rule, so that the understanding of the terminal and the network device about the at least one of the first candidate configuration and the first key is consistent, thereby increasing the probability of communication connection recovery and improving the security of communication connection.

[0018] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and do not constitute a limitation of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments are introduced below. The following drawings are only some embodiments of this disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of a first interaction of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of a first interaction of the communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 3A is a schematic flowchart of a terminal execution communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 3B is a schematic flowchart of a network device performing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 4A is another schematic flowchart of a terminal performing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 4B is another schematic flowchart illustrating the network device performing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a chip structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0030] This disclosure provides a communication method, terminal, network device, communication system, medium, and program product.

[0031] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method executed by a terminal, the method comprising: in the event of a connection failure, restoring the communication connection using at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key according to a first rule.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the terminal can determine at least one of the first candidate configuration and the first key used in the communication connection recovery process based on the first rule. Since the first rule is preconfigured, the network device can also obtain the first rule. In this way, the understanding of the terminal and the network device about the at least one of the first candidate configuration and the first key remains consistent, thereby increasing the probability of communication connection recovery and improving the security of the communication connection.

[0033] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first rule comprises one of: using the first candidate configuration for the communication connection recovery, the second key associated with the first candidate configuration being the same as a third key used by the terminal in the handover process; using the first key for the communication connection recovery, the first key being a key in a first key set dedicated for the communication connection recovery.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the terminal uses the first candidate configuration for the communication connection recovery. Since the second key associated with the first candidate configuration is the same as the third key used by the terminal in the handover process, and the network device can obtain the third key, the understanding of the terminal and the network device about the key associated with the first candidate configuration can remain consistent. In addition, the terminal uses the first key for the communication connection recovery. Since the first key is a key in the first key set dedicated for the communication connection recovery, the first key set can be determined through the first rule. In this way, the understanding of the terminal and the network device about the first key can remain consistent.

[0035] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration is associated with the cell used by the terminal for the communication connection recovery; or, the cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration and the cell before the connection failure of the terminal belong to a same cell set; or, the configuration corresponding to the first candidate configuration and the configuration corresponding to the cell before the connection failure of the terminal belong to a same configuration set.

[0036] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first key comprises one of: a key in a first key set, the first key set being a key set associated with the first candidate configuration; a key in a second key set, the second key set being a key set corresponding to the cell before the connection failure of the terminal.

[0037] In some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first key set and the second key set are dedicated for the communication connection recovery of the terminal.

[0038] In some embodiments combined with the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first key is determined by at least one of: the first key set including a plurality of keys, the first key being determined according to an order of the plurality of keys in the first key set; the first key set including a plurality of keys, the first key being determined according to a size of a value of the plurality of keys; the second key set including a plurality of keys, the first key being determined according to an order of the plurality of keys in the second key set; the second key set including a plurality of keys, the first key being determined according to a size of a value of the plurality of keys.

[0039] In some embodiments combined with the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending the first information, the first information being used to indicate the key used by the terminal in the communication connection recovery process.

[0040] In the above embodiments, the terminal can ensure that the understanding of the terminal and the network device about the key is consistent by indicating the key used by the terminal in the communication connection recovery process to the network device.

[0041] In some embodiments combined with the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving the second information, the second information being used to indicate the third key used by the terminal in the handover process.

[0042] In the above embodiments, the network device can ensure that the understanding of the terminal and the network device about the third key is consistent by indicating the third key used by the terminal in the handover process to the terminal, so that the terminal can determine the second key associated with the first candidate configuration according to the third key when the terminal uses the first candidate configuration to perform the communication connection recovery.

[0043] In some embodiments combined with the first aspect, in some embodiments, the connection failure includes at least one of: a radio link failure; a cell handover failure; a cell change failure; a cell group change failure.

[0044] In some embodiments combined with the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving the third information, wherein the third information is used to indicate the first rule.

[0045] In the second aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, performed by a network device, the method including: sending third information, wherein the third information is used to indicate a first rule, and the first rule is used for a terminal to use at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key to perform a communication connection recovery in a case of a connection failure.

[0046] In the above embodiments, the network device can ensure that the understanding of the terminal and the network device about the at least one of the first candidate configuration and the first key is consistent by sending the third information used to indicate the first rule to the terminal, thereby increasing the probability of the communication connection recovery and improving the security of the communication connection.

[0047] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first rule comprises one of: using a first candidate configuration for the communication connection recovery, the first candidate configuration being associated with a second key that is the same as a third key used by the terminal in the handover procedure; using a first key for the communication connection recovery, the first key being a key in a first key set that is dedicated for the communication connection recovery.

[0048] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration is associated with the cell where the terminal performs the communication connection recovery; or, the cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration belongs to a same cell set as the cell where the terminal fails to connect; or, the configuration corresponding to the first candidate configuration belongs to a same configuration set as the configuration corresponding to the cell where the terminal fails to connect.

[0049] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first key comprises one of: a key in a first key set, the first key set being associated with the first candidate configuration; a key in a second key set, the second key set being associated with the cell where the terminal fails to connect.

[0050] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first key set and the second key set are dedicated for the communication connection recovery of the terminal.

[0051] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first key is determined by at least one of: the first key set comprises a plurality of keys, the first key being determined according to an order of the plurality of keys in the first key set; the first key set comprises a plurality of keys, the first key being determined according to a size of a value of the plurality of keys; the second key set comprises a plurality of keys, the first key being determined according to an order of the plurality of keys in the second key set; the second key set comprises a plurality of keys, the first key being determined according to a size of a value of the plurality of keys.

[0052] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving first information, the first information being used to indicate a key used by the terminal in the communication connection recovery procedure.

[0053] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further comprises: sending second information, the second information being used to indicate a third key used by the terminal in the handover procedure.

[0054] In some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the connection failure comprises at least one of: a radio link failure; a cell handover failure; a cell change failure; a cell group change failure.

[0055] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a terminal, comprising at least one of a transceiver module and a processing module; wherein the terminal is configured to perform the optional implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0056] In some embodiments of the third aspect, the first rule comprises one of the following: using a first candidate configuration for the communication connection recovery, the second key associated with the first candidate configuration being the same as a third key used by the terminal in the handover process; using a first key for the communication connection recovery, the first key being a key in a first key set dedicated for the communication connection recovery.

[0057] In some embodiments of the third aspect, the cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration is associated with the cell used by the terminal for the communication connection recovery; or, the cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration and the cell used by the terminal before the connection failure belong to a same cell set; or, the configuration corresponding to the first candidate configuration and the configuration corresponding to the cell used by the terminal before the connection failure belong to a same configuration set.

[0058] In some embodiments of the third aspect, the first key comprises one of the following: a key in a first key set associated with the first candidate configuration; a key in a second key set corresponding to the cell used by the terminal before the connection failure.

[0059] In some embodiments of the third aspect, the first key set and the second key set are dedicated for the communication connection recovery of the terminal.

[0060] In some embodiments of the third aspect, the first key is determined by at least one of the following: the first key set comprises a plurality of keys, and the first key is determined according to the order of the plurality of keys in the first key set; the first key set comprises a plurality of keys, and the first key is determined according to the size of the values of the plurality of keys; the second key set comprises a plurality of keys, and the first key is determined according to the order of the plurality of keys in the second key set; the second key set comprises a plurality of keys, and the first key is determined according to the size of the values of the plurality of keys.

[0061] In some embodiments of the third aspect, the terminal further comprises a transceiver module configured to: send first information, the first information being used to indicate the key used by the terminal in the communication connection recovery process.

[0062] In some embodiments of the third aspect, the transceiver module is further configured to: receive second information, the second information being used to indicate the third key used by the terminal in the handover process.

[0063] In some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the connection failure comprises at least one of: a radio link failure; a cell handover failure; a cell change failure; a cell group change failure.

[0064] In some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to receive third information, wherein the third information is used to indicate the first rule.

[0065] In the fourth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a network device, comprising at least one of a transceiver and a processing module; wherein the network device is configured to implement the optional implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0066] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first rule comprises at least one of: using a first candidate configuration for the communication connection recovery, wherein a second key associated with the first candidate configuration is the same as a third key used by the terminal in the handover process; using a first key for the communication connection recovery, wherein the first key is a key in a first key set dedicated for the communication connection recovery.

[0067] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, a cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration is associated with a cell used by the terminal for the communication connection recovery; or, the cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration and a cell used by the terminal before the connection failure belong to a same cell set; or, the first candidate configuration and a configuration corresponding to the cell used by the terminal before the connection failure belong to a same configuration set.

[0068] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first key comprises at least one of: a key in a first key set associated with the first candidate configuration; a key in a second key set corresponding to the cell used by the terminal before the connection failure.

[0069] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first key set and the second key set are dedicated for the communication connection recovery of the terminal.

[0070] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first key is determined by at least one of: the first key set comprises a plurality of keys, and the first key is determined according to an order of the plurality of keys in the first key set; the first key set comprises a plurality of keys, and the first key is determined according to a size of a value of the plurality of keys; the second key set comprises a plurality of keys, and the first key is determined according to an order of the plurality of keys in the second key set; the second key set comprises a plurality of keys, and the first key is determined according to a size of a value of the plurality of keys.

[0071] In some embodiments combining with the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to receive the first information, the first information being used to indicate a key used by the terminal in the communication connection resuming procedure.

[0072] In some embodiments combining with the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the transceiver is further configured to send the second information, the second information being used to indicate a second key used by the terminal in the handover procedure.

[0073] In some embodiments combining with the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the connection failure comprises at least one of: a radio link failure; a cell handover failure; a cell change failure; a cell group change failure.

[0074] In the fifth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a terminal, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the terminal is configured to perform the optional implementation manners of the first aspect.

[0075] In the sixth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a network device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the network device is configured to perform the optional implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0076] In the seventh aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication system, comprising: a terminal, a network device; wherein the terminal is configured to perform the method described in the optional implementation manners of the first aspect, and the network device is configured to perform the method described in the optional implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0077] In the eighth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a storage medium, which stores instructions, when the instructions are run on a communication device, the communication device is caused to perform the method described in the optional implementation manners of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0078] In the ninth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a program product, comprising a program and / or instructions, when the program and / or instructions are executed by a communication device, the communication device is caused to perform the method described in the optional implementation manners of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0079] In the tenth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer program, when it is run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method described in the optional implementation manners of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0080] In the eleventh aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a chip or chip system. The chip or chip system comprises processing circuitry configured to perform the method described in the optional implementation manners of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0081] It can be understood that the terminal, the network device, the communication system, the storage medium, the program product, the computer program, the chip or the chip system are all used to execute the method proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects achieved thereby can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding method, which will not be described here.

[0082] The embodiments of the present disclosure propose a communication method, a terminal, a network device, a communication system, a medium and a program product. In some embodiments, the terms of the communication method, the information processing method, the connection failure processing method, the key determination method in the connection failure process, and the key determination method can be replaced with each other. The terms of the terminal, the network device, the communication device, the information processing device, the connection failure processing device, the key determination device in the connection failure process, and the key determination device can be replaced with each other. The terms of the information processing system, the communication system, the connection failure processing system, the key determination system in the connection failure process, and the key determination system can be replaced with each other.

[0083] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive, but only illustrate some embodiments, and are not specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure. In the case of no contradiction, each step in an embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be combined arbitrarily, for example, the scheme after removing some steps in an embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in an embodiment can be exchanged arbitrarily, in addition, the optional implementation manners in an embodiment can be combined arbitrarily; in addition, the embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, for example, the steps of different embodiments or part or all of the steps of different embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, an embodiment can be combined with the optional implementation manners of other embodiments.

[0084] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent if there is no special description and logical conflict, and can be referred to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment according to the logical relationship between them.

[0085] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and not as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0086] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the elements expressed in singular form, such as "one", "a", "the", "above", "said", "preceding", "this" and the like, can represent "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one" and the like. For example, in the case of using articles such as "a", "an", "the" and the like in English, the noun after the article can be understood as singular expression, or as plural expression.

[0087] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0088] In some embodiments, the terms “at least one of”, “one or more of”, “a plurality of”, “multiple”, and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0089] In some embodiments, the description of “at least one of A, B” “A and / or B”, “in one case A, in another case B”, “in response to a case A, in response to a case B” and the like can include the following technical solutions according to the case: in some embodiments A (A is executed regardless of B); in some embodiments B (B is executed regardless of A); in some embodiments, A and B are selectively executed (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, A and B are executed (A and B are executed). When there are more branches such as A, B, C, and the like, it is similar to the above.

[0090] In some embodiments, the description of “A or B” and the like can include the following technical solutions according to the case: in some embodiments A (A is executed regardless of B); in some embodiments B (B is executed regardless of A); in some embodiments, A and B are selectively executed (A and B are selectively executed). When there are more branches such as A, B, C, and the like, it is similar to the above.

[0091] The prefix words of "first", "second" and the like in the embodiments of the present disclosure are merely used to distinguish different description objects, and do not constitute limitation on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. The description objects are described in the claims or embodiments, and should not be construed as redundant limitation because of the use of the prefix words. For example, the description object is "field", and the ordinal words before "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not limit the position or order between "fields", and "first" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" modified thereby are in the same message or not, nor limit the order of "first field" and "second field". For another example, the description object is "level", and the ordinal words before "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not limit the priority between "levels". For another example, the quantity of the description object is not limited by the ordinal words, and can be one or more. For example, "first device", wherein the quantity of "device" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefix words can be the same or different, for example, the description object is "device", and "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and the types thereof can be the same or different. For another example, the description object is "information", and "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and the contents thereof can be the same or different.

[0092] In some embodiments, "including A", "containing A", "for indicating A", "carrying A" can be interpreted as directly carrying A, or indirectly indicating A.

[0093] In some embodiments, the terms of "in response to", "in response to determining", "in the case of", "when", "when", "if", "if" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0094] In some embodiments, the terms of "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not lower than", "above" and the like can be replaced with each other, and the terms of "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", "below" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0095] In some embodiments, an apparatus and the like can be interpreted as an entity, and can also be interpreted as virtual, and the name thereof is not limited to the name described in the embodiments. The terms "apparatus", "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0096] In some embodiments, a "network" can be interpreted as an apparatus (for example, an access network device, a core network device, and the like) included in the network.

[0097] In some embodiments, the terms "network device", "access network device (AN device)", "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station", "fixed station", "node", "access network node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission / reception point (TRP)", "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macro cell", "small cell", "femtocell", "picocell", "sector", "cell group", "serving cell", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0098] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal," "terminal device," "user equipment (UE)," "user terminal," "mobile station (MS)," "mobile terminal (MT)," "subscriber station," "mobile unit," "subscriber unit," "wireless unit," "remote unit," "mobile device," "wireless device," "wireless communication device," "remote device," "mobile subscriber station," "access terminal," "mobile terminal," "wireless terminal," "remote terminal," "handset," "user agent," "mobile client," "client," and so on can be replaced with each other.

[0099] In some embodiments, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device can be replaced with a terminal. For example, the embodiments of the present disclosure can also be applied to a structure in which communication between the access network device, the core network device, or the network device and the terminal is replaced with communication between a plurality of terminals (e.g., device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the terminal can also be configured to have all or part of the functions of the access network device. In addition, the terms "uplink," "downlink," and the like can also be replaced with terms corresponding to the inter-terminal communication (e.g., "side"). For example, the uplink channel, the downlink channel, and the like can be replaced with the side channel, and the uplink, the downlink, and the like can be replaced with the sidelink.

[0100] In some embodiments, the terminal can be replaced with the access network device, the core network device, or the network device. In this case, the access network device, the core network device, or the network device can also be configured to have all or part of the functions of the terminal.

[0101] In some embodiments, the data, information, etc. can be obtained in compliance with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0102] In some embodiments, the data, information, etc. can be obtained after obtaining the consent of the user.

[0103] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0104] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a network device 102. The network device 102 can also be referred to as an access network device.

[0105] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 includes at least one of a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a car with communication function, a smart car, a Pad, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in smart city, a wireless terminal device in smart home, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0106] In some embodiments, the network device 102, for example, is a node or device that accesses a terminal to a wireless network, and the network device 102 can include at least one of an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home node B (HNB), a home evolved node B (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an Open RAN, a Cloud RAN, a base station in other communication systems, an access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0107] In some embodiments, the network device 102 can be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), wherein the CU can also be referred to as a control unit (control unit), and the CU-DU structure can split the protocol layers of the network device 102, and the functions of part of the protocol layers are controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers are distributed in the DU and controlled by the CU, but are not limited thereto.

[0108] In some embodiments, the CU and the DU can be centrally deployed in one network device, or can be distributedly deployed in multiple network devices.

[0109] In some embodiments, one network device 102 can include one CU and at least one DU. One CU can be connected with multiple DUs, and one DU can only be connected with one CU.

[0110] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiments of the present disclosure is for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in the present disclosure. It can be known by those skilled in the art that, with the evolution of system architecture and the appearance of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0111] The following embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1, or part of the subjects, but are not limited thereto. The subjects shown in FIG. 1 are illustrative, and the communication system can include all or part of the subjects in FIG. 1, or other subjects other than those in FIG. 1. The number and form of each subject is arbitrary, each subject can be physical or virtual, the connection relationship between each subject is illustrative, each subject can not be connected or can be connected, and the connection can be in any manner, can be direct connection or indirect connection, can be wired connection or wireless connection.

[0112] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), new radio (NR), new radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wide Band (UWB), Bluetooth (Bluetooth (registered trademark)), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, Device-to-Device (D2D) system, Machine to Machine (M2M) system, Internet of Things (IoT) system, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), system using other communication methods, next-generation system expanded based thereon, and the like. In addition, a plurality of systems can be combined (for example, combination of LTE or LTE-A and 5G, and the like).

[0113] Hereinafter, terms related to the present disclosure are explained and interpreted.

[0114] I. Introduction to dynamic cell (or cell group) change

[0115] In 5G system, network side can provide multiple candidate cells or candidate cell groups to terminal. Network side can control terminal to change in multiple candidate cells or candidate cell groups through layer 1 (L1) (e.g., downlink control information (DCI)) or layer 2 (L2) (e.g., medium access control-control element (MAC-CE)) signaling.

[0116] In an example, the working cell or cell group is changed from “candidate cell or cell group-1” to “candidate cell or cell group-2”.

[0117] In some embodiments, one serving cell or cell group can correspond to one or more “candidate cells or candidate cell groups”.

[0118] In some embodiments, the above process can also be referred to as L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM) handover process. If LTM type of cell change is triggered, the key of terminal is not updated if the network node (e.g., gNB or gNB-CU) to which the target cell belongs and the network node to which the source cell belongs are unchanged. If LTM type of cell change is triggered, the key of terminal needs to be updated if the network node (e.g., gNB or gNB-CU) to which the target cell belongs and the network node to which the source cell belongs are changed.

[0119] In some embodiments, at the same time when LTM type of cell change is triggered, network side can indicate the key (e.g., indicate next hop chaining counter (NCC)) used by the target candidate cell in LTM cell change MAC-CE signaling. Alternatively, before LTM type of cell change is triggered, network side can indicate the key (e.g., indicate NCC) used by the target candidate cell of next LTM cell change through radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0120] II. Introduction to mobility procedure based on condition triggering

[0121] In 5G system, terminal can receive pre-configured conditions and pre-configured cells or cell groups corresponding to the conditions from network. When terminal meets the pre-configured conditions (e.g., specific measurement event), terminal changes the serving cell or cell group to the pre-configured cell or cell group.

[0122] The conditional-based mobility procedure can include at least one of a conditional handover (CHO), a conditional primary secondary cell (or cell group) addition (CPA), and a conditional primary secondary cell (or cell group) change (CPC).

[0123] CHO refers to a handover performed by a UE when one or more handover execution conditions are met. The UE starts evaluating the execution conditions upon receiving a CHO configuration and stops evaluating the execution conditions upon performing a handover (including a legacy handover and a CHO).

[0124] CPA refers to a PSCell addition performed by a UE when an execution condition is met. The UE starts evaluating the execution conditions upon receiving a configuration of the CPA and stops evaluating the execution conditions upon triggering a PCell addition or a PCell change.

[0125] CPC refers to a PSCell change performed by a UE when an execution condition is met. The UE starts evaluating the execution conditions upon receiving a configuration of the CPC and stops evaluating the execution conditions upon triggering a PCell change or a PCell change.

[0126] In some embodiments, the CPA and the CPC can be collectively referred to as a conditional PSCell addition or change (CPAC).

[0127] In some embodiments, the UE can also change a specific cell (or cell group) configuration according to a network indication upon meeting a preconfigured condition.

[0128] In an example, the UE can change a PCell configuration from a candidate cell (or cell group) configuration-1 to a candidate cell (or cell group) configuration-2.

[0129] In some embodiments, the network side can configure a corresponding preconfigured condition for a candidate configuration of the LTM. When the UE meets the preconfigured condition (e.g., a specific measurement event), the UE changes a serving cell configuration or a cell group configuration to the candidate configuration of the LTM. This type of conditional-based mobility procedure can be referred to as a conditional LTM (C-LTM).

[0130] It should be noted that the terms “change”, “alter”, “switch”, “move”, and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0131] III. Introduction to dual connectivity (DC)

[0132] A UE can be configured with two cell groups simultaneously, i.e., a master cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG).

[0133] In some embodiments, the MCG can include at least one PCell and can further include one or more secondary cells (SCells).

[0134] In some embodiments, the SCG can include at least one PSCell and can further include one or more SCells.

[0135] In some embodiments, a network node managing the MCG is a master node (MN) and a network node managing the SCG is a secondary node (SN). The PCell and the PSCell can be collectively referred to as special cells (SpCells).

[0136] IV. Introduction to RRC connection

[0137] An RRC connection is a type of connection in a wireless communication network. The RRC is responsible for broadcasting network system information to user equipment, establishing, re-establishing, maintaining, and releasing a connection between a UE and a radio access network.

[0138] In some embodiments, a communication connection failure of a terminal can include at least one of: a radio link failure, a cell handover failure, a cell change failure, a cell group change failure.

[0139] In some embodiments, a radio link failure can include at least one of: a random access procedure failure, a radio link control (RLC) entity data transmission failure, a physical layer out-of-sync failure.

[0140] In an example, a random access procedure failure can be a failure caused by a number of random access attempts reaching a maximum number. In an example, an RLC entity data transmission failure can be a failure caused by a number of RLC layer data transmissions reaching a maximum number. In an example, a physical layer out-of-sync failure can be a failure caused by a step-out timer expiring.

[0141] In some embodiments, a cell handover failure can include at least one of: a normal handover failure, a conditional handover procedure failure, a handover failure based on dynamic cell (cell group) change.

[0142] In an example, the normal handover failure can be that the terminal starts a timer after receiving a normal handover command, and before the timer expires, the access to the target cell indicated by the normal handover command is not successfully completed. In an example, the condition-based handover procedure failure can be a condition-based L3 mobility procedure failure. In an example, the dynamic cell (cell group) change-based handover failure can be an LTM handover failure.

[0143] In an example, the cell change failure can be an SCell change failure.

[0144] In an example, the cell group change failure can be an MCG change failure or an SCG cell group change failure.

[0145] In some embodiments, when the RRC connection of the terminal fails, such as radio link failure (RLF), handover failure, LTM cell change procedure failure, cross-radio access technology (RAT) handover failure, etc., the terminal can use the candidate cell (or cell group) configuration or the preconfigured cell (or cell group) to perform connection recovery. However, if the key of the candidate cell (or cell group) configuration or the preconfigured cell (or cell group) used for connection recovery is additionally indicated by a MAC-CE or an RRC message, and the terminal does not obtain the key indication when the RRC connection fails, the terminal needs to consider how to handle it, and how the terminal and the network device keep consistent with the handling process, so as to ensure that the RRC state of the terminal is consistent with the network side.

[0146] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a terminal, a network device, a communication system, a medium and a program product. The terminal and the network device determine at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key used in a communication connection recovery process based on a first rule, so as to keep consistent understanding of the at least one of the first candidate configuration and the first key between the terminal and the network device, thereby increasing the probability of communication connection recovery and improving the security of communication connection.

[0147] In some embodiments, the first rule can be specified by a protocol or configured by the network device.

[0148] In some embodiments, the first rule includes one of the following:

[0149] Rule 1: use the first candidate configuration for communication connection recovery, and the second key associated with the first candidate configuration is the same as the third key used by the terminal in the handover process.

[0150] Rule 2: use a first key for the communication connection recovery, the first key is a key in a first key set dedicated for the communication connection recovery.

[0151] In some embodiments, the third key can be indicated by the network device through sending the second information to the terminal.

[0152] In some embodiments, the second information can be an RRC message, DCI, MAC-CE signaling, or other high-layer signaling, etc.

[0153] In an example, the network device can indicate the third key through indicating an NCC value or an NCC label through a MAC-CE, an RRC message, or other signaling.

[0154] In some embodiments, the first key can be determined from at least one of the first key set and the second key set.

[0155] In some embodiments, the first key set and the second key set can be key sets configured by the network device.

[0156] In some embodiments, the first key set can be used to indicate a key set associated with a first candidate configuration (denoted as candidate configuration a). In some embodiments, the first key set can be a key set configured by the network device for the candidate configuration a of the terminal. In some embodiments, the first key set can be used by the terminal when applying the candidate configuration a in the communication connection recovery procedure.

[0157] In some embodiments, the first key set can be associated with the candidate configuration a. In this case, the terminal can select a key from the first key set when using the candidate configuration a, i.e., the first key.

[0158] In some embodiments, the first key set can also be associated with a configuration set to which the candidate configuration a belongs. In this case, the terminal can also select a key corresponding to another candidate configuration from the first key set when using the other candidate configuration in the configuration set to which the candidate configuration a belongs.

[0159] In an example, the first key set can include one or more keys. In an example, the network device can indicate the one or more keys included in the first key set through one or more NCC values.

[0160] In some embodiments, the first key set can be dedicated for the communication connection recovery of the terminal.

[0161] In some embodiments, the second key set can be used to indicate a key set corresponding to a cell before the connection failure of the terminal. In some embodiments, the first key set can be used for cell switching.

[0162] In some embodiments, the second set of keys can also be associated with a candidate configuration (denoted as candidate configuration b) in the communication connection recovery procedure. In some embodiments, the candidate configuration b is used for the communication connection recovery. In this case, the terminal can select a key from the second set of keys when using the candidate configuration b, i.e., the first key.

[0163] In an example, the second set of keys can include one or more keys. In an example, the network device can indicate the one or more keys included in the second set of keys by one or more NCC values.

[0164] In some embodiments, the second set of keys can also be dedicated for the communication connection recovery of the terminal.

[0165] In some embodiments, the second set of keys can be dedicated for a target candidate configuration in the communication connection recovery procedure. In some embodiments, the target candidate configuration can include the candidate configuration a. In some embodiments, the target candidate configuration can include the candidate configuration b.

[0166] In some embodiments, the first set of keys and the second set of keys can be the same or different.

[0167] In some embodiments, the candidate configuration a and the candidate configuration b can be the same or different.

[0168] In some embodiments, the candidate configuration a and the candidate configuration b can belong to different configuration sets.

[0169] In some embodiments, the candidate configuration a and the candidate configuration b can also belong to the same configuration set.

[0170] In an example, the keys described in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be Next Hop (NH) parameters, next hop chaining counter (NCC), K gNB , K gNB* , etc.

[0171] In some embodiments, K gNB may be a key shared between the terminal and the gNB in the communication procedure. In some embodiments, K gNB* may be related to K gNB , which can refer to a subsequent stage or a variant key in the key generation procedure.

[0172] FIG. 2A is a first kind of interaction schematic diagram of a communication method according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2A, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, and the above method includes:

[0173] In some embodiments, the communication connection recovery is performed by using the above rule 1, and the first candidate configuration associated with the second key used for the communication connection recovery is the same as the third key used by the terminal in the handover process, and the key of the terminal does not need to be updated.

[0174] In step S2101, the network device 102 sends the second information to the terminal 101.

[0175] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the second information.

[0176] In some embodiments, the second information is used to indicate the third key used by the terminal in the handover process.

[0177] In some embodiments, the second information is used to indicate the third key. In some embodiments, the third key is used in the handover process of the terminal.

[0178] In some embodiments, the name of the second information is not limited, for example, “key information”, “key configuration information”, etc.

[0179] In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one third key.

[0180] In some embodiments, the network device 102 can send the second information to the terminal 101 by, for example, RRC message, DCI, MAC-CE signaling or other high layer signaling, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited in this regard.

[0181] In an example, the second information can be contained in, for example, RRC connection configuration (RRC connection configuration) message, RRC connection reconfiguration (RRC connection reconfiguration) message, RRC connection complete (RRC connection complete) message, etc.

[0182] In step S2102, the terminal 101 performs handover.

[0183] In some embodiments, after the terminal 101 receives the second information, the terminal 101 performs handover based on the third key indicated by the second information.

[0184] In some embodiments, the handover performed by the terminal 101 can include at least one of the following: wireless link switching, cell switching, cell change, cell group change.

[0185] In some embodiments, the wireless link switching can include at least one of the following: random access process, wireless link control entity data transmission failure, physical layer desynchronization.

[0186] In some embodiments, cell handover may include at least one of the following: normal handover, condition-based handover, and handover based on dynamic cell (cell group) changes.

[0187] In one example, a normal handover might involve the terminal starting a timer after receiving a normal handover command, and completing access to the target cell indicated by the command before the timer expires. In another example, a condition-based handover might be a condition-triggered L3 mobility procedure. In yet another example, a handover based on dynamic cell (cell group) changes might be an LTM handover.

[0188] In one example, a cell change could be a SCell change.

[0189] In one example, a cell group change can be an MCG change or an SCG cell group change.

[0190] Step S2103, Terminal 101 switching failed.

[0191] In some embodiments, a handover failure may result in a connection failure or a communication connection failure. In some embodiments, terminal 101 may experience a connection failure. In some embodiments, terminal 101 may experience a communication connection failure.

[0192] In some embodiments, terms such as “switching failure,” “connection failure,” and “communication connection failure” can be used interchangeably.

[0193] In step S2104, network device 102 sends the first candidate configuration.

[0194] In some embodiments, terminal 101 receives a first candidate configuration.

[0195] In some embodiments, the first candidate configuration may be sent in the form of third information. In some embodiments, the third information is used to indicate a first rule. In some embodiments, the first rule includes instructing the terminal to use the first candidate configuration to restore the communication connection.

[0196] In some embodiments, the name of the third information is not limited, and it may be, for example, "candidate configuration information", "configuration information", etc.

[0197] In some embodiments, the third information may be included in messages such as RRC connection configuration, RRC connection reconfiguration, and RRC connection complete.

[0198] In some embodiments, the first candidate configuration is used for restoring the communication connection of terminal 101.

[0199] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 can determine the second key corresponding to the first candidate configuration, where the second key and the third key are the same. In some embodiments, the terminal can perform the communication connection recovery based on the first candidate configuration and the third key, and the key of the terminal does not need to be updated.

[0200] In step S2105, the terminal 101 performs the communication connection recovery using the first candidate configuration in the case of connection failure.

[0201] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 performs the communication connection recovery according to the received first candidate configuration by rule 1 in the case of connection failure.

[0202] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 sends the RRC reestablishment request (RRC connection resume) message, the RRC setup request (RRC connection resume) message, and the like to the network device 102 based on the first candidate configuration and the third key. Among them, the third key can be carried in the above messages, and the third key can not be carried. After the network device 102 allows the terminal 101 to access, the network device 102 sends the RRC reestablishment message to the terminal 101, the terminal 101 determines the candidate cell corresponding to the candidate first candidate configuration based on the first candidate configuration, and accesses the candidate cell. In the access process, the terminal 101 performs security verification using the third key. After successful access, the terminal 101 sends the RRC reestablishment complete (RRC connection resume) message to the network device 102.

[0203] In some embodiments, when the terminal 101 performs the communication connection recovery using the first candidate configuration, the terminal needs to meet at least one of the following conditions:

[0204] Condition 1: The cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration is associated with the cell in which the terminal 101 performs the communication connection recovery.

[0205] In some embodiments, the cell in which the terminal 101 performs the communication connection recovery can be determined from the set of cells corresponding to the first candidate configuration.

[0206] In some embodiments, the cell in which the terminal 101 performs the communication connection recovery can include the PCell or the SpCell configured in the first candidate configuration.

[0207] In an example, after the connection failure, the terminal 101 selects the cell-1 in the cell reselection process, and the cell-1 is the cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration. Then, the terminal performs the communication connection recovery using the first candidate configuration.

[0208] Condition 2: The cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration belongs to the same cell set as the cell before the connection failure of the terminal.

[0209] In some embodiments, for the cell set in Condition 2, the cells included in the cell set can belong to the same base station.

[0210] In some embodiments, the cells included in the cell set can belong to the same control entity. In an example, the control entity can be gNB-CU.

[0211] In some embodiments, the cells included in the cell set can use the same key or different keys in the same key set.

[0212] Condition 3: The configuration corresponding to the first candidate configuration and the cell before the connection failure of the terminal belongs to the same configuration set.

[0213] In some embodiments, for Condition 3, the key set associated with the configuration set can be sent by the network device 102 before the connection process. In some embodiments, the key set associated with the configuration set can include one or more.

[0214] In some embodiments, for Condition 3, different candidate configurations in the configuration set can correspond to different key sets or the same key set.

[0215] Step S2106, the terminal 101 sends the first information.

[0216] In some embodiments, the network device 102 receives the first information.

[0217] In some embodiments, the first information can be used to indicate the key (e.g., the second key) used by the terminal in the communication connection recovery process. In some embodiments, the first information can be the key label of the key used by the terminal in the communication connection recovery process.

[0218] In some embodiments, the name of the first information is not limited, which is, for example, “key information”, “key indication information”, etc.

[0219] In some embodiments, the first information can be carried in the first message, which can be a connection reestablishment request message, a connection configuration completion message, or a medium access control layer message.

[0220] In some embodiments, step S2106 can be omitted, in which case the network device can determine the key used by the terminal in the communication connection recovery process based on Rule 1.

[0221] In some embodiments, step S2105 and step S2106 can be performed simultaneously.

[0222] In some embodiments, step S2105 and step S2106 can be performed in an exchanged order.

[0223] The communication method related to the embodiments of the present disclosure can include at least one of steps S2101 to S2106. For example, step S2104 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, step S2105 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, a combination of step S2104 and step S2105 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, a combination of step S2105 and step S2106 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, a combination of step S2104, step S2105 and step S2106 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, a combination of step S2101, step S2102, step S2103 and step S2105 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, a combination of step S2103, step S2104 and step S2105 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but not limited thereto.

[0224] In some embodiments, step S2105 and step S2106 can be performed in an exchanged order or simultaneously.

[0225] In some embodiments, step S2101, step S2102, step S2103, step S2105, step S2106 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0226] In some embodiments, step S2101, step S2102, step S2103, step S2104, step S2106 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0227] In some embodiments, step S2101, step S2102, step S2103, step S2106 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0228] In some embodiments, step S2101, step S2102, step S2103, step S2104 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0229] In some embodiments, other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2A can be referred to.

[0230] FIG. 2B is a second interaction diagram of a communication method, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2B, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, and the method comprises:

[0231] In some embodiments, the communication connection recovery is performed according to the above rule 2, and the communication connection recovery is performed using a first key, the first key being a key in a first key set specially used for the communication connection recovery. In this case, the terminal updates the key.

[0232] In step S2201, the network device 102 sends second information to the terminal 101.

[0233] The optional implementation of step S2201 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2101 in FIG. 2A, other associated parts in the embodiments related to FIG. 2A, and the like, which will not be repeated here.

[0234] In step S2202, the terminal 101 performs the handover.

[0235] The optional implementation of step S2202 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2102 in FIG. 2A, other associated parts in the embodiments related to FIG. 2A, and the like, which will not be repeated here.

[0236] In step S2203, the terminal 101 fails in the handover.

[0237] The optional implementation of step S2203 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2103 in FIG. 2A, other associated parts in the embodiments related to FIG. 2A, and the like, which will not be repeated here.

[0238] In step S2204, the network device 102 sends a key set to the terminal 101.

[0239] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the key set.

[0240] In some embodiments, the key set can be sent in third information. In some embodiments, the third information is used to indicate a first rule. In some embodiments, the first rule comprises indicating the terminal to use a first key for the communication connection recovery. In some embodiments, the first key is a key in the key set.

[0241] In some embodiments, the name of the third information is not limited, which is, for example, “key set information”, “rule information”, and the like.

[0242] In some embodiments, the third information can be included in, for example, an RRC connection configuration (RRCconnectionconfiguration) message, an RRC connection reconfiguration (RRCconnectionreconfiguration) message, an RRC connection complete (RRCconnectioncomplete) message, and the like.

[0243] In some embodiments, the key set can include a first key set and / or a second key set.

[0244] In some embodiments, the first key set can be used to indicate a key set associated with the first candidate configuration.

[0245] In some embodiments, the second key set can be used to indicate a key set corresponding to the cell before the connection failure of the terminal.

[0246] In some embodiments, the first key set can be used for the communication connection recovery of the terminal 101. In some embodiments, the second key set can also be used for the communication connection recovery of the terminal 101.

[0247] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 can determine the first key based on the first key set. In some embodiments, the terminal can determine the first key based on the second key set. In some embodiments, the first key can be used for the communication connection recovery of the terminal. In some embodiments, the first key can be dedicated to the communication connection recovery of the terminal.

[0248] In some embodiments, the first key set includes one key, and the key is the first key. In some embodiments, the first key set includes multiple keys, and the first key can be determined in multiple ways. In an embodiment, the multiple ways can include, but are not limited to, the following two ways:

[0249] Way 1: determining the first key according to the order of the multiple keys in the first key set.

[0250] Way 2: determining the first key according to the value of the multiple keys.

[0251] In some embodiments, in Way 1, the multiple keys in the first key set can be arranged according to the key configuration order (i.e., the order of the multiple keys in the first key set), and then the first key can be determined according to the arrangement order of the keys.

[0252] In an example, in the manner 1, the first key set includes 3 key values (e.g., 3 NCCs), and the 3 key values are arranged in the first key set in sequence. When determining the first key, the terminal selects the key arranged in the first sequence (e.g., the first NCC) in the first time, the key arranged in the second sequence (e.g., the second NCC) in the second time, and the key arranged in the third sequence (e.g., the third NCC) in the third time according to the arrangement order of the 3 key values.

[0253] In some embodiments, in the manner 2, the key values of the multiple keys in the first key set can be arranged according to the size, and then the first key is determined according to the arrangement order of the key values.

[0254] In an example, in the manner 2, the first key set includes 3 key values (e.g., 3 NCCs), and the 3 key values (e.g., NCC=1, NCC=2, and NCC=3) are all different. When determining the first key, the terminal can select the key arranged in the first sequence (e.g., NCC=1) in the first time, the key arranged in the second sequence (e.g., NCC=2) in the second time, and the key arranged in the third sequence (e.g., NCC=3) in the third time according to the order of the 3 key values from small to large.

[0255] In an example, in the manner 2, the first key set includes 3 key values (e.g., 3 NCCs), and the 3 key values (e.g., NCC=1, NCC=2, and NCC=3) are all different. When determining the first key, the terminal can select the key arranged in the first sequence (e.g., NCC=3) in the first time, the key arranged in the second sequence (e.g., NCC=2) in the second time, and the key arranged in the third sequence (e.g., NCC=1) in the third time according to the order of the 3 key values from large to small.

[0256] In some embodiments, the second key set includes one key, and the key is the first key. In some embodiments, the second key set includes multiple keys, and the first key can be determined in multiple manners. In an embodiment, the multiple manners can be, but are not limited to, the following two manners:

[0257] Manner 3: determining the first key according to the order of the multiple keys in the second key set.

[0258] Manner 4: determining the second key according to the size of the key values.

[0259] In some embodiments, in the manner 3, the multiple keys in the second key set can be arranged according to the key configuration order (i.e., the order of the multiple keys in the second key set), and then the first key is determined according to the arrangement order of the keys.

[0260] In an example, in the manner 3, the second key set includes 3 key values (e.g., 3 NCCs), the 3 key values are arranged in sequence in the second key set, and the terminal determines the first key by selecting the first key in the first sequence, the second key in the second sequence, and the third key in the third sequence according to the sequence of the 3 key values.

[0261] In some embodiments, in the manner 4, the values of the multiple keys in the second key set can be arranged in sequence according to the size, and then the first key is determined according to the sequence of the keys.

[0262] In an example, in the manner 4, the second key set includes 3 key values (e.g., 3 NCCs), the 3 key values (e.g., NCC=1, NCC=2, and NCC=3) are different from each other, and the terminal determines the first key by selecting the first key in the first sequence, the second key in the second sequence, and the third key in the third sequence according to the order of the 3 key values from small to large.

[0263] In an example, in the manner 4, the second key set includes 3 key values (e.g., 3 NCCs), the 3 key values (e.g., NCC=1, NCC=2, and NCC=3) are different from each other, and the terminal determines the first key by selecting the first key in the first sequence, the second key in the second sequence, and the third key in the third sequence according to the order of the 3 key values from large to small.

[0264] In step S2205, the terminal 101 performs communication connection recovery using the first key in the case of connection failure.

[0265] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 determines the first key according to the received key set in the case of connection failure, and performs communication connection recovery by rule 2.

[0266] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 sends, to the network device 102, an RRC reestablishment request (RRC connection resume) message, an RRC connection resume message, an RRC setup request message, etc. based on the first key. Among them, the first key can be carried in the above messages, and the first key can not be carried. After the network device 102 allows the terminal 101 to access, the network device 102 sends an RRC reestablishment message to the terminal 101, and the terminal 101 determines a candidate cell corresponding to a candidate first candidate configuration based on the first candidate configuration, and accesses the candidate cell. In the access process, the terminal 101 performs security verification using the second key. After successful access, the terminal 101 sends an RRC reestablishment complete (RRC connection resume complete) message to the network device 102.

[0267] In step S2206, the terminal 101 sends first information to the network device 102.

[0268] In some embodiments, step S2206 can be omitted, in which case the network device can determine the key used by the terminal in the communication connection resume process based on rule 2.

[0269] Other optional implementations of step S2206 can refer to the optional implementations of step S2106 of FIG. 2A and other associated parts of the embodiments involved in FIG. 2A, which will not be described here.

[0270] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can include at least one of steps S2201 to S2206. For example, step S2204 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, step S2205 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, the combination of step S2204 and step S2205 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, the combination of step S2205 and step S2206 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, the combination of step S2204, step S2205 and step S2206 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, the combination of step S2201, step S2202, step S2203 and step S2205 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, the combination of step S2203, step S2204 and step S2205 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but not limited thereto.

[0271] In some embodiments, step S2205 and step S2206 can be exchanged in order or executed simultaneously.

[0272] In some embodiments, steps S2201, S2202, S2203, S2205, S2206 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0273] In some embodiments, steps S2201, S2202, S2203, S2204, S2206 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0274] In some embodiments, steps S2201, S2202, S2203, S2206 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0275] In some embodiments, steps S2201, S2202, S2203, S2204 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0276] In some embodiments, other optional implementations can be found in the descriptions before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2B.

[0277] In some embodiments, the terms “candidate cell configuration”, “candidate cell group configuration”, “candidate configuration”, “cell configuration”, and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0278] In some embodiments, the names of information and the like are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and the terms “information”, “message”, “signal”, “signaling”, “report”, “configuration”, “indication”, “instruction”, “command”, “channel”, “parameter”, “domain”, “field”, “symbol”, “symbol”, “codebook”, “codeword”, “codepoint”, “bit”, “data”, “program”, “chip”, and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0279] In some embodiments, the terms “downlink control information (DCI),” “downlink (DL) assignment,” “DL DCI,” “uplink (UL) grant,” “UL DCI,” and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0280] In some embodiments, the terms “radio,” “wireless,” “radio access network (RAN),” “access network (AN),” “RAN-based,” and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0281] In some embodiments, the terms “acquire,” “obtain,” “get,” “receive,” “transmit,” “bidirectional transmission,” “send and / or receive,” and the like can be replaced with each other, and can be interpreted as receiving from other subjects, acquiring from a protocol, obtaining from a higher layer, obtaining by self-processing, implementing autonomously, and the like. The protocol, for example, includes at least one of a 3GPP protocol, a Wi-Fi protocol, an audio and / or video protocol.

[0282] In some embodiments, the terms “send,” “transmit,” “report,” “issue,” “transmit,” “bidirectional transmission,” “send and / or receive,” and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0283] In some embodiments, the terms “certain,” “preseted,” “preset,” “set,” “indicated,” “a certain,” “any,” “first,” and the like can be replaced with each other, and “certain A,” “preset A,” “preset A,” “set A,” “indicated A,” “a certain A,” “any A,” “first A” can be interpreted as A specified in advance in a protocol or the like, can be interpreted as A obtained by setting, configuring, or indicating, or the like, can be interpreted as certain A, a certain A, any A, or first A, and the like, but are not limited thereto.

[0284] In some embodiments, determination or judgment can be made by a value (0 or 1) represented by 1 bit, can be made by a true or false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, can be made by comparison of a numerical value (for example, comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0285] FIG. 3A is a flow diagram illustrating a communication method performed by a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3A, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, performed by a terminal. The communication method includes steps S3101-S3106.

[0286] In step S3101, second information is acquired.

[0287] Optional implementation of step S3101 can refer to optional implementation of step S2101 in FIG. 2A, optional implementation of step S2201 in FIG. 2B, and other associated parts in the embodiments related to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0288] In step S3102, switching is performed.

[0289] Optional implementation of step S3102 can refer to optional implementation of step S2102 in FIG. 2A, optional implementation of step S2202 in FIG. 2B, and other associated parts in the embodiments related to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0290] In step S3103, switching fails.

[0291] Optional implementation of step S3103 can refer to optional implementation of step S2103 in FIG. 2A, optional implementation of step S2203 in FIG. 2B, and other associated parts in the embodiments related to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0292] In step S3104, third information is acquired.

[0293] Optional implementation of step S3104 can refer to optional implementation of step S2104 in FIG. 2A, optional implementation of step S2204 in FIG. 2B, and other associated parts in the embodiments related to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0294] In step S3105, in the case of connection failure, at least one of the first candidate configuration and the first key is used for communication connection recovery.

[0295] Optional implementation of step S3105 can refer to optional implementation of step S2105 in FIG. 2A, optional implementation of step S2205 in FIG. 2B, and other associated parts in the embodiments related to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0296] In step S3106, the first information is sent.

[0297] The optional implementation of step S3106 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2106 in FIG. 2A, the optional implementation of step S2206 in FIG. 2B, and other associated parts in the embodiments related to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0298] The communication method related to the embodiments of the present disclosure can include at least one of steps S3101 to S3106. For example, step S3104 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, step S3105 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, the combination of step S3104 and step S3105 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, the combination of step S3105 and step S3106 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, the combination of step S3104, step S3105 and step S3106 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, the combination of step S3101, step S3102, step S3103 and step S3105 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, the combination of step S3103, step S3104 and step S3105 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0299] In some embodiments, step S3105 and step S3106 can exchange order or be executed simultaneously.

[0300] In some embodiments, step S3101, step S3102, step S3103, step S3105, step S3106 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0301] In some embodiments, step S3101, step S3102, step S3103, step S3104, step S3106 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0302] In some embodiments, step S3101, step S3102, step S3103, step S3106 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0303] In some embodiments, step S3101, step S3102, step S3103, step S3104 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0304] FIG. 3B is a flow diagram of a communication method performed by a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3B, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, which is performed by a network device. The above-mentioned communication method includes steps S3201 to S3203.

[0305] Step S3201, transmitting second information.

[0306] The optional implementation of step S3201 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2101 in FIG. 2A, the optional implementation of step S2201 in FIG. 2B, and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, which are not described here again.

[0307] Step S3202, transmitting third information.

[0308] The optional implementation of step S3201 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2104 in FIG. 2A, the optional implementation of step S2204 in FIG. 2B, and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, which are not described here again.

[0309] Step S3203, obtaining first information.

[0310] The optional implementation of step S3201 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2106 in FIG. 2A, the optional implementation of step S2206 in FIG. 2B, and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, which are not described here again.

[0311] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can include at least one of steps S3101 to S3103. For example, step S3201 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, step S3202 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, the combination of step S3201 and step S3302 can be implemented as an independent embodiment. For example, the combination of step S3201, step S3202 and step S3203 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited to this.

[0312] In some embodiments, step S3202 and step S3203 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0313] In some embodiments, step S3201 and step S3203 are optional, and one or more of these steps can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0314] FIG. 4A is a flow diagram of a communication method performed by a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4A, the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is performed by a terminal. The above-mentioned communication method includes step S4101.

[0315] Step S4101, in the case of connection failure, using at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key for communication connection recovery.

[0316] The optional implementation of step S4101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2105 in FIG. 2A, the optional implementation of step S2205 in FIG. 2B, and other associated parts in the embodiments related to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0317] FIG. 4B is a flow diagram of a method for performing communication on a network device side according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4B, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is applied to the network device, and the method includes step S4201.

[0318] In step S4201, third information is sent.

[0319] The optional implementation of step S4201 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2104 in FIG. 2A, the optional implementation of step S2204 in FIG. 2B, and other associated parts in the embodiments related to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0320] In the following, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure are exemplarily described through specific implementation manners.

[0321] In some embodiments, the network side sends the terminal "candidate configuration" information, which is used for subsequent handover (or, cell change. Or, cell group change) process.

[0322] In some embodiments, the key corresponding to the "candidate configuration" can be indicated through additional control signaling, such as medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) signaling or radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0323] In some embodiments, after the terminal connection fails, the terminal uses the specified "candidate configuration" and / or the specified "key" to perform connection recovery according to the rules agreed by the protocol or configured by the network.

[0324] In an example, when the terminal connection fails, the target cell selected by the terminal is the cell associated with the "candidate configuration", and the terminal uses the "candidate configuration" to perform connection recovery.

[0325] In some embodiments, the "connection failure type" includes any one of the following:

[0326] Radio link failure;

[0327] Handover failure;

[0328] Cell change failure: e.g., SCell change failure;

[0329] Cell group change failure: e.g., MCG cell group change failure, or SCG cell group change failure.

[0330] In some embodiments, the radio link failure type includes any one of the following:

[0331] Random access procedure failure: e.g., the number of random access attempts reaches a maximum number;

[0332] RLC entity data transmission failure: e.g., the number of RLC layer data transmissions (or retransmissions) reaches a maximum number;

[0333] Physical layer out-of-sync failure: e.g., the out-of-sync timer t310 expires, which is started after the number of out-of-sync indications reaches a maximum number.

[0334] In some embodiments, the handover failure type includes any one of the following:

[0335] Normal handover failure: e.g., the terminal does not successfully complete the access to the target cell indicated by the normal handover command before the T304 timer expires, which is started after the terminal receives the normal handover command;

[0336] Conditional handover procedure failure: e.g., “conditional mobility procedure”;

[0337] Dynamic cell (or cell group) change based handover failure: e.g., LTM handover procedure.

[0338] In some embodiments, when the terminal applies the specified “candidate configuration”, the terminal needs to satisfy at least one of the following rules:

[0339] The cell associated with the “candidate configuration” is the same as the cell selected by the terminal in the connection resumption procedure;

[0340] The terminal’s key is not updated when the terminal applies the “candidate configuration”;

[0341] The cell associated with the “candidate configuration” and the cell (or cell configuration) before the failure belongs to the same cell set when the terminal applies the “candidate configuration”: e.g., the cells in the cell set belong to the same base station, or the cells in the cell set belong to the same control entity (e.g., gNB-CU (Centralized Unit)), or the cells in the cell set use the same key.

[0342] In an example, after a connection failure occurs, the terminal performs a cell reselection procedure to select a cell-1, which is a cell configured by the "candidate configuration-1", and then the terminal applies the "candidate configuration".

[0343] In some embodiments, the PCell (or, SpCell) configured in the "candidate configuration" can be the same as the cell selected by the terminal in the connection recovery procedure.

[0344] In some embodiments, when the terminal uses the specified "key", the method used by the terminal to select the key includes any of the following:

[0345] Method 1: The terminal selects one key from the "key set" associated with the "candidate configuration". The "key set" can be used only for the connection recovery procedure.

[0346] In an example, in the handover procedure, the key corresponding to the target candidate configuration is indicated by additional control signaling (such as, a MAC CE or an RRC message indicating an NCC (or an NCC label), and the network side has previously configured the "key set" (such as, one or more NCC values) for the "candidate configuration" of the terminal, which is used by the terminal when applying the "candidate configuration" in the connection recovery.

[0347] In some embodiments, when the "key set" contains multiple keys, the method used by the terminal to select the key includes any of the following:

[0348] 1. The terminal selects the keys in the key set in the order of the key configuration arrangement in the key set.

[0349] In an example, the key set contains three key values (such as, three NCCs), which are arranged in the key set in order, and the terminal selects the key in the order of arrangement, and selects the key arranged first (such as, the first NCC) in the first time.

[0350] 2. The terminal selects the keys in the key set in the order of the key values from small to large in the key set.

[0351] In an example, the key set contains three key values (such as, three NCCs), and the three key values (such as, NCC=1 / 2 / 3) are all different, and the terminal selects the key in the order of the key values from small to large, and selects NCC=1 in the first time, selects NCC=2 in the second time, and so on.

[0352] Method 2: The terminal selects one key from the "key set" corresponding to the cell before the failure occurs. The "key set" can be used only for the target "candidate configuration" in the connection recovery procedure.

[0353] In an example, the serving cell of the terminal configures a set of keys (e.g., one or more NCC values) for the terminal to use when applying the "candidate configuration" at connection resumption.

[0354] In some embodiments, when the "set of keys" contains multiple keys, the terminal selects the key in Method 1.

[0355] In some embodiments, the terminal can indicate its selected key (e.g., the NCC value) to the network side.

[0356] In an example, the terminal indicates its selected key (e.g., the selected NCC value) by a connection configuration complete message (or a connection reestablishment request message, or a MAC CE) during the connection resumption procedure.

[0357] Embodiments of the present disclosure also propose an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods, for example, an apparatus comprising units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is proposed, comprising units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the network device (e.g., an access network device) in any of the above methods.

[0358] It should be understood that the division of each unit or module in the above apparatus is only a logical function division, and all or part of them can be integrated into a physical entity or physically separated in actual implementation. In addition, the units or modules in the apparatus can be implemented in the form of processor calling software: for example, the apparatus includes a processor, the processor is connected with a memory, the memory stores instructions, and the processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to realize the functions of any of the above methods or the units or modules of the above apparatus, wherein the processor is a general processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory in the apparatus or a memory outside the apparatus. Alternatively, the units or modules in the apparatus can be implemented in the form of hardware circuit, and the functions of part or all of the units or modules can be realized by the design of the hardware circuit. The above hardware circuit can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the functions of part or all of the units or modules are realized by the design of the logical relationship between the elements in the circuit; for another example, in another implementation, the above hardware circuit is a programmable logic device (PLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) is taken as an example, which can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by a configuration file, so as to realize the functions of part or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above apparatus can be all implemented in the form of processor calling software, or all implemented in the form of hardware circuit, or part implemented in the form of processor calling software and the remaining part implemented in the form of hardware circuit.

[0359] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capability. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and running capability, such as a CPU, a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can also be understood as a microprocessor), a digital signal processor (DSP), or the like. In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through a logical relationship of a hardware circuit, and the logical relationship of the hardware circuit is fixed or can be reconfigured. For example, the processor is an ASIC or a PLD implemented hardware circuit, such as an FPGA. In the reconfigurable hardware circuit, the processor loads a configuration document to implement the hardware circuit configuration. It can be understood that the processor loads instructions to implement the functions of the above part or all units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), and the like.

[0360] FIG. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device can be a terminal or a network device. As shown in FIG. 5, the communication device 5100 can include a processing module 5101. In some embodiments, in the case of the communication device being a terminal, the processing module 5101 is configured to perform communication connection recovery using at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key according to a first rule in the case of connection failure.

[0361] In some embodiments, the communication device further includes a transceiver module 5102. In some embodiments, in a case that the communication device is a terminal, the transceiver module 5102 is configured to send the second information, the second information being used to indicate the key used by the terminal in the communication connection recovery process. In some embodiments, the transceiver module is further configured to perform at least one of the communication steps (for example, step S3101, step S3104, step S3106, but not limited thereto) of sending and / or receiving performed by the terminal in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here. In some embodiments, in a case that the communication device is a network device, the transceiver module 5102 is configured to send the third information, wherein the third information is used to indicate the first rule, the first rule being used by the terminal to perform the communication connection recovery using at least one of the first candidate configuration and the first key in a case of connection failure. In some embodiments, the transceiver module is further configured to perform at least one of the communication steps (for example, step S3201, step S3202, step S3203, but not limited thereto) of sending and / or receiving performed by the network device in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here.

[0362] In some embodiments, the above transceiver module can include a sending module and / or a receiving module. The sending module and the receiving module can be separate or integrated together. Alternatively, the above transceiver module can be mutually replaced with a transceiver.

[0363] FIG. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device 6100 can be a terminal or a network device, or can be a chip, a chip system, or a processor supporting the terminal or the network device to implement any of the above methods. The communication device 6100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments, and specific reference can be made to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0364] As shown in FIG. 6, the communication device 6100 includes one or more processors 6101. The processor 6101 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processor. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processor can be used to control the communication device (for example, a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute programs, and process data of the programs. Optionally, the communication device 6100 is configured to implement any of the above methods. Optionally, the one or more processors 6101 are configured to invoke instructions to cause the communication device 6100 to implement any of the above methods.

[0365] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more transceivers 6102. When the communication device 6100 includes one or more transceivers 6102, the transceiver 6102 performs at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps S3101, steps S3104, steps S3106, steps S3201, steps S3202, steps S3203, but not limited to) in the above-described methods, and the processor 6101 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., steps S3102, steps S3103, steps S3105, but not limited to). In optional embodiments, the transceiver 6102 can include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which can be separate or integrated together. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiving unit, transceiver, transceiving circuit, interface circuit, interface, etc. can be replaced with each other, and the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, transmitting circuit, etc. can be replaced with each other, and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc. can be replaced with each other.

[0366] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more memories 6103 for storing data. Optionally, all or part of the memory 6103 can also be outside the communication device 6100. In optional embodiments, the communication device 6100 can include one or more interface circuits 6104. Optionally, the interface circuit 6104 is connected to the memory 6103, and the interface circuit 6104 can be used to receive data from the memory 6103 or other devices, and can be used to send data to the memory 6103 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 6104 can read the data stored in the memory 6103 and send the data to the processor 6101.

[0367] The communication device 6100 described in the above embodiments can be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 6100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 6100 can not be limited by Figure 6. The communication device can be a standalone device or can be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device can be: 1) a standalone integrated circuit (IC), or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a set of one or more ICs, optionally, the above-mentioned IC set can also include a storage component for storing data, programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a Modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, a smart terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handset, a mobile unit, a vehicle-mounted device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0368] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the case that the communication device 6100 can be a chip or a chip system, reference can be made to the structural schematic diagram of a chip 7100 shown in FIG. 7, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0369] The chip 7100 comprises one or more processors 7101. The chip 7100 is configured to perform any of the above methods.

[0370] In some embodiments, the chip 7100 further comprises one or more interface circuits 7102. Optionally, the terms interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, etc. can be replaced by each other. In some embodiments, the chip 7100 further comprises one or more memories 7103 for storing data. Optionally, all or part of the memory 7103 can be outside the chip 7100. Optionally, the interface circuit 7102 is connected with the memory 7103, the interface circuit 7102 can be configured to receive data from the memory 7103 or other devices, and the interface circuit 7102 can be configured to send data to the memory 7103 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 7102 can read the data stored in the memory 7103 and send the data to the processor 7101.

[0371] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 7102 performs at least one of the communication steps (for example, step S3101, step S3104, step S3106, step S3201, step S3202, step S3203, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto) of transmitting and / or receiving in the above methods. The interface circuit 7102 performing the communication steps such as transmitting and / or receiving in the above methods means that the interface circuit 7102 performs data interaction between the processor 7101, the chip 7100, the memory 7103 or the transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 7101 performs at least one of the other steps (for example, step S3102, step S3103, step S3105, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto).

[0372] The modules and / or devices described in each of the embodiments of the virtual device, the physical device, the chip, etc. can be combined or separated as appropriate. Optionally, part or all of the steps can also be performed by multiple modules and / or devices in cooperation, which is not limited herein.

[0373] The present disclosure further provides a storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed on the communication device 6100, causes the communication device 6100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and it can also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium can be a non-transitory storage medium, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and it can also be a transitory storage medium.

[0374] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a program product comprising programs and / or instructions, which, when executed by the communication device 6100, enable the communication device 6100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product. Optionally, the program product is stored on the storage medium.

[0375] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a computer program which, when running on a computer, enables the computer to perform any of the above methods.

[0376] Other embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the embodiments disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present disclosure following, in general, the principles of the present disclosure and including such

[0377] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise structures herein described and illustrated in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A communication method, performed by a terminal, the method comprising: in a case of connection failure, performing communication connection recovery using at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key according to a first rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the first rule comprises one of: performing the communication connection recovery using the first candidate configuration, the first candidate configuration being associated with a second key that is the same as a third key used by the terminal in a handover procedure; and performing the communication connection recovery using the first key, the first key being a key in a first key set that is dedicated for the communication connection recovery.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, a cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration is associated with a cell in which the terminal performs the communication connection recovery, or a cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration belongs to a same cell set as a cell in which the terminal is connected before the connection failure, or a configuration corresponding to the first candidate configuration belongs to a same configuration set as a configuration corresponding to the cell in which the terminal is connected before the connection failure.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, the first key comprises one of: a key in a first key set associated with the first candidate configuration; and a key in a second key set corresponding to the cell in which the terminal is connected before the connection failure.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, the first key set and the second key set are dedicated for the communication connection recovery of the terminal.

6. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein, the first key is determined according to at least one of: a plurality of keys in the first key set, the first key being determined according to an order of the plurality of keys in the first key set; and a plurality of keys in the first key set, the first key being determined according to a size of values of the plurality of keys. a plurality of keys in the second key set, the first key being determined according to an order of the plurality of keys in the second key set; and a plurality of keys in the second key set, the first key being determined according to a size of values of the plurality of keys.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, the method further comprises: sending first information, the first information being used to indicate a key used by the terminal in a communication connection recovery procedure.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, the method further comprises: receiving second information, the second information being used to indicate a third key used by the terminal in a handover procedure.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, the connection failure comprises at least one of: a radio link failure; a cell handover failure; a cell change failure; and a cell group change failure.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, the method further comprises: receiving third information, the third information being used to indicate the first rule. 11.A communication method, performed by a network device, the method comprising: sending third information, the third information being used to indicate a first rule, the first rule being used by a terminal to perform communication connection recovery using at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key in a case of connection failure.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, the first rule comprises one of: performing the communication connection recovery using the first candidate configuration, the first candidate configuration being associated with a second key that is the same as a third key used by the terminal in a handover procedure; and performing the communication connection recovery using the first key, the first key being a key in a first key set that is dedicated for the communication connection recovery.

13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein, The cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration is associated with the cell through which the terminal resumes the communication connection; or, the cell corresponding to the first candidate configuration belongs to the same cell set as the cell before the terminal connection failure; or, the first candidate configuration belongs to the same configuration set as the configuration corresponding to the cell before the terminal connection failure.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein, The first key comprises one of the following: one key in a first key set, the first key set being a key set associated with the first candidate configuration; one key in a second key set, the second key set being a key set corresponding to the cell before the terminal connection failure.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The first key set and the second key set are dedicated to the communication connection recovery of the terminal.

16. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein, The first key is determined by at least one of the following: The first key set comprises a plurality of keys, and the first key is determined according to the order of the plurality of keys in the first key set; The first key set comprises a plurality of keys, and the first key is determined according to the size of the values of the plurality of keys; The second key set comprises a plurality of keys, and the first key is determined according to the order of the plurality of keys in the second key set; The second key set comprises a plurality of keys, and the second key is determined according to the size of the values of the plurality of keys.

17. The method of any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving first information, the first information being used to indicate the key used by the terminal in the communication connection recovery process.

18. The method of any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein, The method further comprises: sending second information, the second information being used to indicate the third key used by the terminal in the handover process.

19. The method of any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein, The connection failure comprises at least one of the following: radio link failure; cell handover failure; cell change failure; cell group change failure.

20. A terminal comprising: a processing module configured to, in the case of connection failure, use at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key for communication connection recovery according to a first rule.

21. A network device comprising: a transceiver module configured to send third information, wherein the third information is used to indicate a first rule for a terminal to use at least one of a first candidate configuration and a first key for communication connection recovery in the case of connection failure.

22. A terminal comprising: one or more processors; wherein the terminal is configured to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1 to 10.

23. A network device comprising: one or more processors; wherein the network device is configured to perform the communication method of any one of claims 11 to 19.

24. A communication system comprising: A terminal, a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the communication method of any one of claims 1 to 10, and the network device is configured to implement the communication method of any one of claims 11 to 19.

25. A storage medium, the storage medium storing instructions, wherein, When the instructions run on a communication device, the communication device is caused to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1 to 10, 11 to 19.

26. A program product comprising a program and / or instructions, characterized in that The program and / or instructions implement the communication method of any one of claims 1 to 10, 11 to 19 when executed by a communication device.

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