Communication methods, devices, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and specifically relates to communication methods, devices, and a storage medium. A method is applied to a network device, and comprises: sending a first message, wherein the first message comprises network energy saving (NES) function information of a cell, and the NES function information is used for indicating to a terminal device whether the cell supports an NES function. In this way, after receiving the first message sent by the network device, the terminal device can accurately make a cell decision on the basis of the NES function information, thereby avoiding unnecessary cell reselection caused by the terminal device accessing an incompatible cell.

Description

Communication method, device and storage medium

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411092924.9, filed on August 8, 2024, and entitled "A communication method, device and storage medium", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a communication method, device and storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0003] In the era of the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5 th Generation mobile communication technology, 5G), we usher in the network energy saving (NES) technology, which can optimize the transmission occasion and frequency of signals and reduce unnecessary signal transmission. For example, when a user equipment (UE) is powered on or searches for a cell and needs a system information block (SIB1), the UE requests the SIB1 from a base station (BS). After the UE receives the SIB1 sent by the BS, the UE can analyze the SIB1 to determine whether it can camp on. At the same time, the UE can store the cell information therein so that the UE can perform cell selection or reselection operation based on the cell information.

[0004] However, the NES technology cannot be applied to all UEs. For UEs that do not support the NES technology (hereinafter referred to as non-NES UEs), when they need to perform cell selection or reselection operation, if they reselect to an NES cell, they cannot request the SIB1 of the NES cell from the BS, and therefore cannot receive the SIB1 sent by the BS, which causes the non-NES UE to be unable to determine whether it can camp on the cell. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application aims to provide a communication method, device and storage medium.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method applied to a network device, comprising: sending a first message, the first message comprising network energy saving (NES) function information of a cell, the NES function information being used to indicate to a terminal device whether the cell supports the NES function.

[0007] That is, in the embodiments of the present application, the network device can send a first message, for example, broadcast the first message to at least one terminal device. It can be understood that the cell can be a cell managed by the network device, or a neighboring cell of the cell managed by the network device. In this way, the network device can provide the terminal device with the NES function information of the cell required for cell selection, so that the terminal device can select a cell compatible with itself according to the NES function of itself and the NES function information of the cell, and camp on the cell, thereby avoiding the reselection caused by the incompatibility between the cell and the terminal device.

[0008] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the cell is a neighboring cell of a current serving cell of the terminal device.

[0009] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a second message sent by the terminal device, the second message including NES capability information of the terminal device, the NES capability information being used to indicate whether the terminal device supports the NES function.

[0010] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the NES function information includes first neighboring cell information corresponding to a terminal device supporting the NES function, and second neighboring cell information corresponding to a terminal device not supporting the NES function.

[0011] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the NES function information includes first neighboring cell information corresponding to a terminal device supporting the NES function, or second neighboring cell information corresponding to a terminal device not supporting the NES function.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first neighboring cell information includes at least one of the following: a first neighboring cell list; a first allowed cell list, cells in the first allowed cell list being compatible with the terminal device supporting the NES function; a first excluded cell list, cells in the first excluded cell list being incompatible with the terminal device supporting the NES function; and a first neighboring cell frequency point priority, the first neighboring cell frequency point priority indicating priority information of different frequency points of the neighboring cell. The second neighboring cell information includes at least one of the following: a second neighboring cell list; a first allowed cell list, cells in the first allowed cell list being compatible with the terminal device not supporting the NES function; a first excluded cell list, cells in the first excluded cell list being incompatible with the terminal device not supporting the NES function; and a second neighboring cell frequency point priority, the second neighboring cell frequency point priority indicating priority information of different frequency points of the neighboring cell.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the cell is a current serving cell of the terminal device.

[0014] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first message further includes forbidden access information, the forbidden access information being used to indicate that the terminal device not supporting the NES function does not camp on the current serving cell.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first message is a system message, and the system message includes at least one of a master information block (MIB), a system information block (SIB) 1, a system information block (SIB) 2, a system information block (SIB) 3, and a system information block (SIB) 4.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method applied to a terminal device, including: receiving a first message sent by a network device, the first message including network energy saving (NES) function information of a cell, the NES function information being used to indicate whether the cell supports the NES function.

[0017] That is, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can receive the NES function information of the cell required for cell selection sent by the network device, so that the terminal device can select a cell compatible with itself for camping according to the NES function of the terminal device and the NES function information of the cell, thereby avoiding the case of reselection caused by the incompatibility between the cell and the terminal device.

[0018] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the cell is a neighbor cell of a current serving cell of the terminal device.

[0019] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending, to the terminal device, a second message including NES capability information of the terminal device, the NES capability information being used to indicate whether the terminal device supports the NES function.

[0020] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the NES function information includes first neighbor cell information corresponding to a terminal device supporting the NES function, and second neighbor cell information corresponding to a terminal device not supporting the NES function.

[0021] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the NES function information includes first neighbor cell information corresponding to a terminal device supporting the NES function, or second neighbor cell information corresponding to a terminal device not supporting the NES function, and determining, based on the NES function information, a campable cell of the terminal device from the cell includes: corresponding to the terminal device supporting the NES function, determining, based on the first neighbor cell information, the campable cell of the terminal device from the cell; or corresponding to the terminal device not supporting the NES function, determining, based on the second neighbor cell information, the campable cell of the terminal device from the cell.

[0022] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the cell is a current serving cell of the terminal device.

[0023] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first message further includes forbidden access information, and the method further includes: corresponding to the terminal device not supporting the NES function, determining, based on the forbidden access information, that the terminal device does not camp in the current serving cell.

[0024] In a third aspect, the present application provides a network device, comprising a transmitter, wherein the transmitter is configured to: transmit a first message, the first message comprising network energy saving, NES, function information of a cell, the NES function information being used to indicate whether the cell supports the NES function.

[0025] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a network device, comprising a receiver and a processor connected to the receiver, wherein the receiver is configured to: receive a first message transmitted by the network device, the first message comprising network energy saving, NES, function information of a cell, the NES function information being used to indicate whether the cell supports the NES function; and the processor is configured to: determine a campable cell of a terminal device from the cell based on the NES function information.

[0026] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides an electronic device, comprising: a memory configured to store instructions executed by one or more processors of the electronic device, and the processor, when executing the instructions in the memory, can cause the electronic device to perform the communication method described above.

[0027] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a non-volatile storage medium, characterized in that the storage medium stores instructions, and the instructions, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the communication method described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a communication system architecture according to the present application;

[0029] FIG. 2 shows a scenario in which a NES UE requests SIB1 according to the present application;

[0030] FIG. 3 shows a first flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG. 4 shows a second flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG. 5 shows a third flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG. 6 shows a structure of a terminal device 600 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG. 7 shows a structure of a network device 700 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG. 8 shows a structure of an apparatus 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The illustrative embodiments of the present application include, but are not limited to, a communication method, an electronic device, and a storage medium.

[0037] In order to better understand the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application, the communication system architecture of the embodiments of the present application is described first as follows.

[0038] In order to cope with the challenge of wireless broadband technology, maintain the leading advantage of 3GPP network, the 3GPP standard group formulates the next generation mobile communication network architecture (next generation system), called 5G network architecture. The architecture not only supports the wireless technology (such as LTE) defined by the 3GPP standard group to access the 5G core network (5G core network, 5GC), but also supports non-3GPP access technology to access the 5GC through non-3GPP interworking function (non-3GPP interworking function, N3IWF), trusted non-3GPP gateway function (trusted non-3GPP gateway function, TNGF), trusted WLAN interworking function (trusted WLAN interworking function, TWIF) or next generation packet data gateway (next generation packet data gateway, NG-PDG). Among them, the core network function is divided into user plane function (user plane function, UPF) network element and control plane function (control plane function, CPF) network element. The UPF is mainly responsible for the forwarding of packet data packets, quality of service (quality of service, QoS) control, charging information statistics, etc. The CPF is mainly responsible for user registration authentication, mobility management and sending data packet forwarding strategy, QoS control strategy to UPF, etc., which can be further divided into access and mobility management function (access and mobility management function, AMF) and session management function (session management function, SMF).

[0039] The core network device includes, for example, a mobility management entity (MME), a broadcast multicast service center (BMSC), and the like, or can also include a corresponding functional entity in a 5G system, such as a core network control plane (CP) or user plane (UP) network function, and the like, for example, an SMF, an AMF, and the like. The core network control plane can also be understood as a core network control plane function (CPF) entity.

[0040] The technical scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the system architecture as shown in FIG. 1. The functions of the terminal device and each network entity are as follows.

[0041] Radio access network (RAN): a network composed of multiple 5G-RAN nodes, which implements wireless physical layer functions, resource scheduling and radio resource management, radio access control, and mobility management functions. The 5G-RAN is connected to the UPF through the user plane interface N3 and is used to transmit data of the terminal device; the 5G-RAN establishes a control plane signaling connection through the control plane interface N2 and the AMF, and is used to implement radio access bearer control and the like. The RAN can be any device with wireless transceiver function, including but not limited to a 5G node base (gNB), an evolutional node base (eNB), a wireless access point (WiFi AP), a world interoperability for microwave access base station (WiMAX BS), a transmission receiving point (TRP), a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, and the like.

[0042] The access network device (i.e., the network device of the access network) in the embodiments of the present application can also be a device for communicating with the terminal device. The access network device can be a base transceiver station (BTS) in a global system of mobile communication (GSM) system or a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a base station (nodeB, NB) in a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, an evolutional node base (eNB) in an LTE system, a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or the access network device can be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, an access network device in a future 5G network, or an access network device in a future evolved PLMN network, and the like. The embodiments of the present application are not limited.

[0043] In NR, the functions of a base station are divided into two parts, referred to as centralized unit (CU)-distributed unit (DU) separation. From the perspective of the protocol stack, the CU includes the radio resource control (RRC) layer and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer of the LTE base station, and the DU includes the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer of the LTE base station. In a common 5G base station deployment, the CU and the DU can be connected by an optical fiber in a physical manner, and there is a specially defined F1 interface for communication between the CU and the DU in a logical manner. From the perspective of functions, the CU is mainly responsible for radio resource control and configuration, cross-cell mobility management, bearer management, and the like. The DU is mainly responsible for scheduling, physical signal generation, and transmission.

[0044] The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small station, a relay station, a balloon station, and the like.

[0045] SMF: mainly responsible for the control plane function of terminal device session management, including the selection and control of user plane function (UPF), the allocation of internet protocol (IP) address, the QoS management of session, the acquisition of policy and charging control (PCC) policy (from PCF) and the like.

[0046] UPF: as the anchor point of protocol data unit (PDU) session connection, responsible for the data packet filtering, data transmission / forwarding, rate control, charging information generation and the like of terminal device, and provides the connection with data network (DN).

[0047] PCF: provides configuration policy information for terminal device, and provides policy information for controlling terminal device for the control plane network element (such as SMF) of network; generates terminal device access policy and QoS flow control policy.

[0048] AF: interacts with the network element of core network to provide some services, for example, interacts with PCF to perform service policy control, interacts with NEF to acquire some network capability information or provides some application information to network, and provides some data network access point information to PCF to generate the routing information of corresponding data service.

[0049] The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application is connected with the RAN device in a wireless manner, and the RAN network element is connected with the 5GC device in a wireless or wired manner. The 5GC device and the RAN network element can be independent and different physical devices, can be integrated with the logical functions of the 5GC device and the RAN network element on the same physical device, or can be a physical device integrated with part of the functions of the 5GC device and part of the functions of the RAN network element. The terminal device can be fixed or movable.

[0050] The 5GC device mainly includes the PCF network element, the SMF network element and the UPF network element and the like.

[0051] It should be noted that the above-mentioned "network element" can also be referred to as an entity, device, apparatus or module, and the present application is not particularly limited. In addition, in order to facilitate understanding and description, the description of "network element" is omitted in part of the description, for example, the NEF network element is referred to as NEF, in this case, the "NEF" should be understood as the NEF network element or the NEF entity, and the following description of the same or similar cases is omitted.

[0052] It should be noted that the naming of each network element included in FIG. 1 is only a name, and the name does not constitute a limitation on the function of the network element itself. In the 5G network and future other networks, the above-mentioned each network element can also be other names, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this. For example, in the 6G network, part or all of the above-mentioned each network element can continue to use the terminology in 5G, or can be other names, etc., which are uniformly described here and will not be described below.

[0053] It should be noted that each network element in FIG. 1 does not necessarily exist at the same time, and it can be determined which network elements are needed according to the needs. The connection relationship between each network element in FIG. 1 is also not uniquely determined, and it can be adjusted according to the needs.

[0054] It can be understood that the above-mentioned network element or function can be a network element in a hardware device, or a software function running on a dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform).

[0055] In order to facilitate the understanding of the communication method of the embodiments of the present application, the technical problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present application are analyzed and described below.

[0056] As mentioned earlier, in the 5G network, the UE needs to use the SIB1 issued by the BS to make a cell camping decision. However, for a cell in NES mode, the transmission occasion of its SIB1 is different from that of a cell in non-NES mode. For example, the network device will send SIB1 to the terminal device in response to the request of the terminal device. Otherwise, the base station will not broadcast SIB1 or will broadcast SIB1 based on a longer time interval, or will only broadcast SIB1 when the SIB1 of the NES cell changes.

[0057] Therefore, since the non-NES UE does not have NES function, the non-NES UE cannot request SIB1 from the BS. That is, in the communication system shown in FIG. 1, if the UE is a non-NES UE and the RAN is a 5G NES network base station, gNB, then the non-NES UE cannot request SIB1 from the gNB. That is, the non-NES UE cannot immediately obtain SIB1 when it needs SIB1 to make a cell camping decision.

[0058] It can be understood that the NES function in the embodiments of the present application refers to the function of the network device issuing SIB1 on demand or the terminal device requesting to obtain SIB1. In the communication field, NES can also refer to other energy-saving features. For the convenience of description, the above-mentioned function of transmitting or requesting SIB1 on demand is referred to as NES function.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 2, in some embodiments, an exemplary flow of NES UE 201 requesting SIB1 for cell camping decision is as follows.

[0060] S201: NES UE 201 receives uplink wake up signaling (UL WUS) configuration information sent by BS 202 in cell A.

[0061] It can be understood that the UL WUS is a signal sent in the UL channel, which is used to request SIB1 of the NES cell from the network device. The UL WUS configuration information includes parameters such as time-frequency resource allocation information of the WUS.

[0062] It can be understood that cell A is not a NES cell, and the corresponding SIB1 is configured to be periodically sent to the UE. In contrast, the NES cell, i.e., cell B, corresponds to the on demand system information block 1 (OD-SIB1) configured to be sent to the UE upon request of the UE.

[0063] S202: NES UE 201 sends UL WUS to BS 202 in cell B.

[0064] It can be understood that when NES UE 201 needs to obtain SIB1 of cell B, UL WUS can be sent to BS 202 to request BS 202 to issue SIB1 corresponding to the NES cell.

[0065] In an optional embodiment, SIB1 of cell A and cell B are issued by the same BS 202. In other optional embodiments, cell A and cell B can be managed by different BSs, i.e., NES UE 201 sends UL WUS to another BS different from BS 202 in cell B.

[0066] S203: NES UE 201 receives SIB1 sent by BS 202 in cell B.

[0067] It can be understood that after BS 202 receives the UL-WUS, it can send SIB1 to NES UE 201. The SIB1 includes cell information of the NES cell, such as cell information, cell reselection parameters, etc.

[0068] After NES UE 201 receives SIB1 of the NES cell, it can determine whether it can camp in the NES cell based on the content of SIB1.

[0069] The above embodiment introduced in combination with FIG. 2 is an example of NES UE making cell camping decision. However, if the UE does not support NES, i.e. the UE is a non-NES UE, the UE does not have the function of requesting SIB1 from the BS, resulting in that the UE cannot immediately receive the SIB1 issued by the BS when the SIB1 is needed, and thus cannot timely receive the information related to cell camping. If the non-NES UE accidentally acquires the SIB1 and accesses the NES cell, the communication service will be limited due to the incompatibility between the cell and the non-UE, for example, the SIB1 cannot be acquired again, therefore, the non-NES UE can only perform reselection to other compatible cells, for example, reselect to a non-NES cell by relying on the existing cell information.

[0070] To solve the above technical problem, the present application provides a communication method, comprising: sending, by a network device, a first message to a terminal device, wherein the first message comprises function information of NES of a cell. For example, information that the cell supports NES function, and / or information that the cell does not support NES function. In this way, whether the UE is a NES UE supporting NES function or a non-NES UE not supporting NES function, the UE can determine a compatible cell according to the first message, so that the UE can accurately make cell decision, and avoid the reselection caused by the non-NES UE camping in error.

[0071] In an optional embodiment, the first message can be a network device system message, such as MIB, SIB1, SIB2, SIB3, SIB4. In this embodiment, the cell contained in the first message is the neighboring cell information of the current serving cell of the UE.

[0072] In an optional embodiment, the first message comprises first neighboring cell information for a terminal supporting NES function and second neighboring cell information for a terminal not supporting NES function. For example, the first neighboring cell information can comprise a list of neighboring cells adapted for NES UE, and the second neighboring cell information can comprise a list of neighboring cells adapted for non-NES UE. In this embodiment, after receiving the first message, the NES UE can determine a target cell based on the first neighboring cell information in the first message and then make a cell camping decision; after receiving the first message, the non-NES UE can determine a target cell based on the second neighboring cell information in the first message and then make a cell camping decision. In this way, whether it is a NES UE supporting NES function or a non-NES UE not supporting NES function, the corresponding neighboring cell information can be used for cell reselection according to the function of the UE. In an optional embodiment, before the network device sends the first message, the UE sends NES capability information. For example, the UE can send a second message to the network device, wherein the second message is used to indicate the NES capability information of the UE. If the second message received by the network device indicates that the UE supports NES capability, the first message sent by the network device comprises first neighboring cell information for a terminal supporting NES function. If the second message received by the network device indicates that the UE does not support NES capability or does not contain NES capability information of the UE, the first message comprises second neighboring cell information for a terminal not supporting NES function.

[0073] In an optional embodiment, the first message is a MIB, and the cell corresponding to the first message is a target cell of the UE. For example, the UE ranks detected physical broadcast channels (PBCH) according to signal strength and quality to determine a target cell with the best signal, and then decodes the PBCH to obtain a MIB, wherein the MIB contains basic information of the target cell. In the embodiment of the application, the MIB further comprises NES function information of the cell. For example, information that the cell is adapted for NES UE or information that the cell is not adapted for NES UE. In this way, the UE can determine the compatibility between the UE and the target cell according to the MIB, so that the UE can make a decision whether to camp in the target cell. If the UE determines that the target cell can be camped and camps in the target cell, the target cell becomes the current serving cell.

[0074] For example, the bar in the MIB can also be set to barred, so that the non-NES UE can avoid camping in the current cell after recognizing the barred.

[0075] In some embodiments, the first message can be dedicated RRC signaling, e.g., RRC Connection Release, in addition to SIBs.

[0076] In the following, a communication method provided by embodiments of the present application is introduced in combination with different NES function information.

[0077] Firstly, a technical solution of NES function information as neighbor information is introduced.

[0078] In some embodiments, the network device can send neighbor information to the terminal device. The neighbor information includes first neighbor information for assisting NES UE in cell selection or reselection, and also includes second neighbor information for assisting non-NES UE in cell selection or reselection. In the case that the first neighbor information or the second neighbor information is insufficient, e.g., one of the first neighbor information and the second neighbor information does not explicitly indicate which cells allow UE access, the NES UE or the non-NES UE can also determine the neighbor cell by using the first neighbor information and the second neighbor information at the same time.

[0079] Exemplarily, the first message can be a message broadcasted by the network device. In the following, an exemplary flow of a communication method is introduced in combination with FIG. 3.

[0080] S301: The BS sends a first message to the UE, and the first message includes neighbor information.

[0081] In an optional embodiment, the first message is a system message of the BS, e.g., the first message is one of MIB, SIB1, SIB2, SIB3, and SIB4 broadcasted through a PBCH channel.

[0082] It can be understood that the neighbor information included in the first message can include information of all neighbor cells, and information of whether each of the all neighbor cells supports NES function.

[0083] In an optional embodiment, the neighbor information includes first neighbor information and second neighbor information. The first neighbor information is information of neighbor cells supporting NES function, and the second neighbor information is information of neighbor cells not supporting NES function.

[0084] For example, the first neighbor information includes at least one of a first neighbor cell list, a first excluded cell list, a first allowed cell list, and a first neighbor cell frequency point priority.

[0085] The first neighbor cell list is a list of neighbor cells of a current serving cell of the UE. Optionally, the first neighbor cell list includes at least one of a cell identifier of a neighbor cell, a physical layer parameter, a reselection and handover parameter, frequency information, and equal cell parameters.

[0086] The first allowed cell list is a list of allowed neighbor cells for NES UEs. It can be understood that the cells in the first allowed cell list are suitable for NES UEs. For example, the cells in the list can include cells supporting NES functions or cells not supporting NES functions.

[0087] The first excluded cell list is a list of excluded neighbor cells for NES UEs. It can be understood that the cells in the first excluded cell list are not suitable for NES UEs.

[0088] The first neighbor cell frequency priority is priority information based on different frequency points, for example, the stronger the frequency point characteristics of a neighbor cell, the higher the priority. It can be understood that the frequency point characteristics can include coverage, capacity, network policy, signal strength, signal quality, and the like.

[0089] For example, the second neighbor cell information includes at least one of a second neighbor cell list, a second excluded cell list, a second allowed cell list, and a second neighbor cell frequency priority.

[0090] The second neighbor cell list is a list of neighbor cells of the current serving cell of the UE. Optionally, the second neighbor cell list includes at least one of a cell identifier, a physical layer parameter, a reselection and handover parameter, a frequency information, and the like of a cell.

[0091] The second allowed cell list is a list of allowed neighbor cells for non-NES UEs. It can be understood that the cells in the second allowed cell list are suitable for non-NES UEs. For example, the cells in the list can include cells not supporting NES functions.

[0092] The second excluded cell list is a list of excluded neighbor cells for non-NES UEs. It can be understood that the cells in the second allowed cell list are not suitable for non-NES UEs. For example, the cells in the list can include cells supporting NES functions.

[0093] The second neighbor cell frequency priority is priority information based on different frequency points, for example, the stronger the frequency point characteristics of a neighbor cell, the higher the priority.

[0094] S302: The UE performs cell reselection or selection according to the neighbor cell information in the first message.

[0095] It can be understood that the neighbor cell information received by the UE includes the first neighbor cell information and the second neighbor cell information.

[0096] It can be understood that first, the UE screens all the neighboring cells according to the first neighboring cell information to obtain the cells that the UE can possibly camp on. Then, the UE measures or evaluates the cells that the UE can possibly camp on to further obtain the target cell. Finally, the UE selects the cell that can be camped on from the target cell as the reselection result or selection result of the cell in combination with the system information.

[0097] In some optional embodiments, in the case that the UE is a NES UE, the NES UE performs cell measurement or evaluation according to the first neighboring cell information. For example, the NES UE first determines the cells that can be possibly camped on according to the first neighboring cell information, i.e., determines the neighboring cells that support the NES function, and then determines the target cell from the cells that can be possibly camped on through measurement or evaluation. For example, finally, the NES UE determines the cell that can be camped on from the cells that can be possibly camped on or the target cell according to the contents of the MIB and SIB1.

[0098] The following describes several optional embodiments of the NES UE determining the cell that can be camped on.

[0099] Optionally, in the case that the first neighboring cell information includes the first allowed cell list, the NES UE can determine the neighboring cells included in the first allowed cell list as the cells that can be possibly camped on.

[0100] Optionally, in the case that the first neighboring cell information includes the first neighboring cell list and the first excluded cell list, the NES UE can exclude the neighboring cells in the first neighboring cell list based on the first excluded cell list, and determine the remaining neighboring cells as the cells that can be possibly camped on.

[0101] Optionally, in the case that the first neighboring cell information includes the first neighboring cell list, the NES UE can evaluate the communication quality and network performance of each cell based on the parameters of each neighboring cell included in the first neighboring cell list, and determine the cell that can be possibly camped on with the optimal evaluation result as the target cell.

[0102] Optionally, in the case that the first neighboring cell information includes the first neighboring cell frequency point priority, the NES UE can select the frequency point based on the first neighboring cell frequency point priority, and then select the target cell from the cells that can be possibly camped on.

[0103] In some embodiments, after obtaining the target cell, the UE can further determine whether the target cell is the cell that can be camped on according to the contents of the MIB and SIB1.

[0104] In some alternative embodiments, in case the UE is a non-NES UE, the non-NES UE performs cell measurement or evaluation according to the second neighbor information. For example, the non-NES UE first determines possible campable cells according to the second neighbor information, i.e., determines the neighbor cells that do not support NES function, and then determines a target cell from the possible campable cells by measurement or evaluation. For example, finally, the non-NES UE determines a campable cell from the possible campable cells or the target cell according to the content of the MIB and SIB1.

[0105] The following describes several alternative embodiments of the non-NES UE determining the campable cell.

[0106] Optionally, in case the second neighbor information comprises a second allowed cell list, the non-NES UE can determine the neighbor cells comprised in the second allowed cell list as the possible campable cells.

[0107] Optionally, in case the second neighbor information comprises a second neighbor cell list and a second excluded cell list, the non-NES UE can exclude the neighbor cells in the second neighbor cell list based on the second excluded cell list, and determine the remaining neighbor cells as the possible campable cells.

[0108] Optionally, in case the second neighbor information comprises a second neighbor cell list, the non-NES UE can evaluate the communication quality and network performance of the possible campable cells based on the cell parameters of each neighbor cell comprised in the second neighbor cell list, and determine the neighbor cell with the best evaluation result as the target cell.

[0109] Optionally, in case the second neighbor information comprises a second neighbor cell frequency priority, the non-NES UE can select a cell as the target cell from the possible campable cells based on the selected frequency according to the second neighbor cell frequency priority.

[0110] In some embodiments, after obtaining the target cell, the UE can further determine whether the target cell is a campable cell according to the content of the MIB and SIB1.

[0111] In some alternative embodiments, the UE can perform cell selection based on the first neighbor information and the second neighbor information. Thus, even if the first neighbor information only contains one or two of the first neighbor cell list, the first excluded cell list, the first allowed cell list, and the first neighbor cell frequency priority, or the second neighbor information only contains one or two of the second neighbor cell list, the second excluded cell list, the second allowed cell list, and the second neighbor cell frequency priority, the UE can still perform accurate cell selection based on the neighbor information.

[0112] For example, the first neighboring cell information includes a first neighboring cell list, a first excluded cell list and a first frequency priority, and the second neighboring cell information includes a second excluded cell list. The NES UE can determine a neighboring cell according to the first neighboring cell list, the first frequency priority and the first excluded cell list. Specifically, the NES UE determines the cells in the first excluded cell list as cells that cannot be camped on, and then determines a target cell from the cells that can be camped on according to the cell parameters of the neighboring cells in the first neighboring cell list and the priority information of different frequencies in the first frequency priority.

[0113] For example, the second neighboring cell information includes a second neighboring cell list, a second excluded cell list and a second frequency priority, and the first neighboring cell information includes a first excluded cell list. The NES UE can determine a neighboring cell according to the second neighboring cell list, the second frequency priority and the first excluded cell list. Specifically, the NES UE determines the cells in the first excluded cell list as cells that cannot be camped on, and then determines a target cell from the cells that can be camped on according to the cell parameters of the neighboring cells in the second neighboring cell list and the priority information of different frequencies in the second frequency priority.

[0114] For example, the first neighboring cell information includes a first allowed cell list, and the second neighboring cell information includes a second neighboring cell list. The non-NES UE can perform cell selection according to the first allowed cell list and the second neighboring cell list. Specifically, the non-NES UE excludes the cells in the first allowed cell list from the cells in the second neighboring cell list, and determines the remaining cells as cells that can be camped on. Then, the non-NES UE determines a target cell from the cells that can be camped on based on the cell parameters of the neighboring cells in the second neighboring cell list.

[0115] According to the embodiments, the network device can send the neighboring cell information to the terminal device through a system message, where the neighboring cell information includes information about whether the neighboring cell supports the NES function. For example, the neighboring cell information includes first neighboring cell information corresponding to the NES UE and second neighboring cell information corresponding to the non-NES UE, so that the network device can provide all the information required for cell selection / reselection to the NES UE and the non-NES UE without knowing the NES function of the UE. In this way, the terminal device can select a cell compatible with itself according to the NES function of the terminal device and the neighboring cell information, thereby avoiding the case of reselection.

[0116] The following describes the technical solutions in which the NES function information is the first neighboring cell information or the second neighboring cell information.

[0117] In some embodiments, the terminal device can report its NES function to the network device, and the network device sends the first neighboring cell information or the second neighboring cell information to the terminal device according to the NES function of the terminal device.

[0118] Exemplarily, the first message can be a point-to-point message or a unicast message sent by the network device. An exemplary flow of a communication method is described below in combination with FIG. 4.

[0119] S401: The UE reports NES capability information of the UE to the BS.

[0120] It can be understood that the UE can report the NES capability information of the UE to the BS through an uplink channel, and the capability information is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports the NES function. For example, the uplink channel can be one of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0121] It can be understood that, in the case that the UE is a NES UE, the NES capability information can be first capability information. The first capability information indicates that the UE supports the NES function. In the case that the UE is a non-NES UE, the NES capability information can be second capability information. The second capability information indicates that the UE does not support the NES function.

[0122] S402: The BS sends a connection release command (RRC connection release) to the UE, where the connection release command includes first neighbor information or second neighbor information.

[0123] It can be understood that the BS can send the connection release command to the UE through a downlink channel. For example, the downlink channel can be one of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0124] It can be understood that, after the BS receives the NES capability information, whether the first neighbor information or the second neighbor information is included in the connection release command to be sent to the UE can be determined according to the NES capability information.

[0125] If the NES capability information is the first capability information, indicating that the UE is a NES UE, the connection release command includes the first neighbor information corresponding to the NES UE.

[0126] For example, the first neighboring cell information includes at least one of a first neighboring cell list, a first excluded cell list, a first allowed cell list, and a first neighboring cell frequency point priority.

[0127] The first neighboring cell list is a list of neighboring cells of the current serving cell of the UE. Optionally, the first neighboring cell list includes at least one of a cell identity, a physical layer parameter, a reselection and handover parameter, frequency information, and the like of a cell.

[0128] The first allowed cell list is an allowed neighboring cell list for the NES UE. It can be understood that the cells in the first allowed cell list are adapted to the NES UE. For example, the cells in the list can include cells supporting NES functions or cells not supporting NES functions.

[0129] The first excluded cell list is an excluded neighboring cell list for the NES UE. It can be understood that the cells in the first excluded cell list are not adapted to the NES UE.

[0130] The first neighboring cell frequency point priority is priority information based on different frequency points. For example, the stronger the frequency point characteristics of a neighboring cell, the higher the priority. It can be understood that the frequency point characteristics can include coverage, capacity, network policy, signal strength, signal quality, and the like.

[0131] If the NES capability information is the second capability information, indicating that the UE is a non-NES UE, the connection release command includes second neighboring cell information corresponding to the non-NES UE.

[0132] For example, the second neighboring cell information includes at least one of a second neighboring cell list, a second excluded cell list, a second allowed cell list, and a second neighboring cell frequency point priority.

[0133] The second neighboring cell list is a list of neighboring cells of the current serving cell of the UE. Optionally, the second neighboring cell list includes at least one of a cell identity, a physical layer parameter, a reselection and handover parameter, frequency information, and the like of a cell.

[0134] The second allowed cell list is an allowed neighboring cell list for the non-NES UE. It can be understood that the cells in the second allowed cell list are adapted to the non-NES UE. For example, the cells in the list can include cells not supporting NES functions.

[0135] The second excluded cell list is an excluded neighboring cell list for the non-NES UE. It can be understood that the cells in the second allowed cell list are not adapted to the non-NES UE. For example, the cells in the list can include cells supporting NES functions.

[0136] The second neighboring cell frequency priority is priority information of different frequency points, for example, the stronger the frequency point characteristics of a neighboring cell, the higher the priority.

[0137] S403: The UE performs cell reselection or selection according to the neighboring cell information in the connection release command.

[0138] It can be understood that after the UE receives the connection release command, the connection release command can be parsed to obtain the neighboring cell information (first neighboring cell information or second neighboring cell information) therein, and cell selection is performed according to the neighboring cell information.

[0139] For example, in the case of NES UE, the connection release command contains first neighboring cell information, and the UE performs cell selection / reselection based on the first neighboring cell information.

[0140] For another example, in the case of non-NES UE, the connection release command contains second neighboring cell information, and the UE performs cell selection / reselection based on the second neighboring cell information.

[0141] It can be understood that first, the UE can screen all neighboring cells according to the first neighboring cell information or the second neighboring cell information to obtain cells that the UE can possibly camp on. Then, the UE measures or evaluates these cells that the UE can possibly camp on to further obtain a target cell. Finally, a campable cell is selected from the target cell in combination with system information as a cell reselection result or a selection result.

[0142] In some optional embodiments, the connection release command contains first neighboring cell information, in which case the UE is NES UE. The NES UE can perform cell measurement or evaluation according to the first neighboring cell information, and then perform cell reselection or selection according to the measurement or evaluation result. For example, the NES UE first determines possible campable cells according to the first neighboring cell information, i.e., determines neighboring cells that support NES function, and then determines a target cell from the above possible campable cells through measurement or evaluation. For example, finally, a campable cell is determined from the possible campable cells or the target cell according to the contents of MIB and SIB1.

[0143] The following describes several optional embodiments of NES UE determining a campable cell.

[0144] Optionally, in the case where the first neighboring cell information includes a first allowed cell list, the NES UE can determine the neighboring cells included in the first allowed cell list as possible campable cells.

[0145] Optionally, in the case that the first neighboring cell information includes a first neighboring cell list and a first excluded cell list, the NES UE can exclude the neighboring cells in the first neighboring cell list based on the first excluded cell list, and determine the remaining neighboring cells as the possible campable cells.

[0146] Optionally, in the case that the first neighboring cell information includes a first neighboring cell list, the NES UE can evaluate the communication quality and network performance of each cell based on the parameters of each neighboring cell included in the first neighboring cell list, and determine the possible campable cell with the best evaluation result as the target cell.

[0147] Optionally, in the case that the first neighboring cell information includes a first neighboring cell frequency point priority, the NES UE can select a frequency point based on the first neighboring cell frequency point priority, and then select a target cell from the possible campable cells.

[0148] In some embodiments, after obtaining the target cell, the UE can further determine whether the target cell is a campable cell according to the contents of the MIB and the SIB1.

[0149] The following describes several optional implementations of the non-NES UE determining the campable cell.

[0150] Optionally, in the case that the second neighboring cell information includes a second allowed cell list, the non-NES UE can determine the neighboring cells included in the second allowed cell list as the possible campable cells.

[0151] Optionally, in the case that the second neighboring cell information includes a second neighboring cell list and a second excluded cell list, the non-NES UE can exclude the neighboring cells in the second neighboring cell list based on the second excluded cell list, and determine the remaining neighboring cells as the possible campable cells.

[0152] Optionally, in the case that the second neighboring cell information includes a second neighboring cell list, the non-NES UE can evaluate the communication quality and network performance of the possible campable cells based on the cell parameters of each neighboring cell included in the second neighboring cell list, and determine the neighboring cell with the best evaluation result as the target cell.

[0153] Optionally, in the case that the second neighboring cell information includes a second neighboring cell frequency point priority, the non-NES UE can select a frequency point based on the second neighboring cell frequency point priority, and then select a cell from the possible campable cells as the target cell.

[0154] In some embodiments, after obtaining the target cell, the UE can further determine whether the target cell is a campable cell according to the contents of the MIB and the SIB1.

[0155] In another alternative embodiment, the UE can determine the neighbor cell, perform cell selection or reselection according to the connection release command and the first neighbor cell information and / or the second neighbor cell information in the system information. Alternatively, if the UE receives the connection release command carrying insufficient neighbor cell information to assist the UE to perform cell selection. For example, the first neighbor cell information received by the NES only contains the first neighbor cell list without any information indicating the NES function of the cell. Then the UE can make the decision of cell camping according to the neighbor cell information in the system information and the neighbor cell information in the connection release command after receiving the system information subsequently.

[0156] For example, when the connection release command includes the first neighbor cell information, the first neighbor cell information only contains one of the first neighbor cell list, the first excluded cell list, the first allowed cell list and the first neighbor cell frequency priority, resulting in that the NES UE is insufficient to select the target cell using the first neighbor cell information; for another example, when the connection release command includes the second neighbor cell information, the second neighbor cell information only contains one of the second neighbor cell list, the second excluded cell list, the second allowed cell list and the second neighbor cell frequency priority, resulting in that the non-NES is insufficient to select the target cell using the second neighbor cell information. At this time, the UE can wait for the system information broadcasted by the BS, i.e. the system information in the embodiment introduced above in combination with Fig. 3, wherein the system information includes both the first neighbor cell information corresponding to the NES UE and the second neighbor cell information corresponding to the non-NES UE. Thus the UE can accurately determine the target cell based on sufficient information.

[0157] Taking the NES UE as an example, the first neighbor cell information included in the connection release command received by the NES UE only includes the first neighbor cell list, then the NES UE can further receive the system information and parse the system information to obtain the second neighbor cell information, wherein the second neighbor cell information includes the second excluded cell list, then the NES UE can perform cell reselection or selection according to the first neighbor cell list and the second excluded cell list. Specifically, the NES UE determines the cells in the second excluded cell list as possible cells that can be camped, and then determines the target cell from the possible cells that can be camped according to the cell parameters of the neighbor cells in the first neighbor cell list. Finally, the information in the MIB and the SIB1 is combined to determine the campable cell based on the target cell, so as to make the UE reselect or select to the campable cell.

[0158] Through the embodiments of the present application, the network device can send different connection release commands for UEs with different NES functions through the mode of dedicated signaling, so that less content is carried in the first message to save communication resources.

[0159] The following introduces a technical solution in which the function information of the NES is NES cell indication information.

[0160] In some embodiments, the network device can send the NES cell indication information to the terminal device, where the NES cell indication information can indicate whether the current cell supports the NES function. In this way, the UE can determine whether to camp on the current cell according to its own NES function condition.

[0161] Exemplarily, the first message can be a system message of the network device. An exemplary flow of a communication method is described below in connection with FIG. 5.

[0162] S501: The BS sends a first message to the UE, where the first message includes NES cell indication information.

[0163] In an optional embodiment, the first message is a system message of the BS, for example, the first message is MIB broadcast through the PBCH channel.

[0164] In an optional embodiment, the NES cell indication information is used to indicate the NES function of the current cell.

[0165] For example, the NES cell indication information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the cell is an NES cell.

[0166] For another example, the NES cell indication information includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the cell is a non-NES cell.

[0167] In the embodiment where the first message is MIB, if the cell is a cell supporting the NES function, the bar in the MIB can be set as barred to prevent non-NES UEs from accessing the non-adapted cell. It can be understood that for NES UEs, the NES UE continues to identify the NES cell indication after identifying barred, and if the current cell is a non-NES cell, the NES UE does not camp on the current cell and starts the cell selection or reselection process. The NES UE can request the SIB1 of the NES cell from the BS based on the flow shown in FIG. 2 to complete the cell selection or reselection of the NES UE.

[0168] S502: The UE determines whether to camp on the current cell according to the NES cell indication information.

[0169] It can be understood that after the UE receives the first message sent by the BS, the UE can determine whether to camp on the current cell according to the NES cell indication information.

[0170] For example, the UE is an NES UE, and the NES cell indication information is the first indication information, then the UE and the current cell both support the NES function, and the UE determines that the current cell can be camped on.

[0171] For another example, the UE is a NES UE, the NES cell indication information is the second indication information, the UE supports the NES function, and the current cell does not support the NES function, and the UE determines that the current cell can be camped.

[0172] Optionally, in this case, the NES UE can further acquire the neighboring cell information to find a neighboring cell supporting the NES function based on the neighboring cell information. Optionally, the method further includes the step S301 as described above, and the NES UE can acquire the neighboring cell information from the system message of the BS. Optionally, the method further includes the step S401 as described above, and the NES UE can report the NES function to the BS to request the BS to return the first neighboring cell information corresponding to the NES function.

[0173] For another example, the UE is a non-NES UE, the NES cell indication information is the first indication information, the UE does not support the NES function, and the current cell supports the NES function, and the UE determines that the current cell cannot be camped.

[0174] Optionally, in this case, the non-NES UE can further acquire the neighboring cell information to determine a campable cell based on the neighboring cell information. Optionally, the method further includes the step S301 as described above, and the non-NES UE can acquire the neighboring cell information from the system message of the BS. Optionally, the method further includes the step S401 as described above, and the non-NES UE can report the NES function to the BS to request the BS to return the second neighboring cell information corresponding to the non-NES UE.

[0175] For another example, the UE is a non-NES UE, the NES cell indication information is the second indication information, the UE does not support the NES function, and the current cell does not support the NES function, and the UE determines that the current cell can be camped.

[0176] By the embodiments of the present application, the network device directly indicates the NES cell or the non-NES cell, which can avoid the network device from sending the neighboring cell information, can effectively avoid the unnecessary camping of the non-NES UE in the NES cell, further avoid cell reselection, and can reduce the signaling content and the communication process.

[0177] The embodiments of the present application further provide a terminal device.

[0178] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the logical structure of a terminal device 600 provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0179] As shown in FIG. 6, in an optional embodiment, the terminal device 600 includes a receiver 601, a processor 602 and a transmitter 603. The receiver 601 can be configured to perform S301 in FIG. 3 and / or perform other steps described in the present application.

[0180] In another optional embodiment, the transmitter 603 can be configured to perform S401 in FIG. 4 and / or perform other steps described in the present application. The receiver 601 can be configured to perform S402 in FIG. 4 and / or perform other steps described in the present application. The processor 602 can be configured to perform S403 in FIG. 4 and / or perform other steps described in the present application.

[0181] In another optional embodiment, the receiver 601 can be configured to perform S501 in FIG. 5 and / or perform other steps described in the present application. The processor 602 can be configured to perform S502 in FIG. 5 and / or perform other steps described in the present application.

[0182] The embodiments of the present application further provide a network device.

[0183] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a logical structure of a network device 700 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0184] In an optional embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the network device 700 includes a receiver 701 and a transmitter 702. The transmitter 702 can be configured to perform S301 in FIG. 3 and / or perform other steps described in the present application.

[0185] In another optional embodiment, the receiver 701 can be configured to perform S401 in FIG. 4 and / or perform other steps described in the present application. The transmitter 702 can be configured to perform S402 in FIG. 4 and / or perform other steps described in the present application.

[0186] In another optional embodiment, the transmitter 701 can be configured to perform S501 in FIG. 5 and / or perform other steps described in the present application.

[0187] It can be understood that the network device 700 can further include a receiver and a processor not shown in FIG. 6, and the processor can be connected to the receiver and the transmitter 701 respectively.

[0188] The above method embodiments involve all relevant contents of the steps, which can be cited from the function description of the corresponding function modules, and will not be repeated here.

[0189] In this embodiment, the terminal device 600 or the network device 700 can be presented in the form of dividing various functional modules in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, a circuit, a processor and a storage device executing one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0190] In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can conceive that the terminal device 600 or the network device 700 adopts the form shown in FIG. 8.

[0191] As shown in FIG. 8, the apparatus 800 can include a memory 801, a processor 802, and a communication interface 803. The memory 802 is configured to store computer-executable instructions. When the apparatus 800 runs, the processor 801 executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 802, so that the apparatus 800 executes the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The memory 801, the processor 802, and the communication interface 803 are communicatively connected through a bus 804. The specific communication method can refer to the related description in the above and the accompanying drawings, which will not be described here. It should be noted that in the specific implementation process, the apparatus 800 can also include other hardware devices, which will not be listed one by one herein.

[0192] In one example of the present application, the receiver 601 in FIG. 6 and the receiver 701 in FIG. 7 can be implemented by the communication interface 803.

[0193] In another example of the present application, the processor 602 in FIG. 6 can be implemented by the processor 802.

[0194] In another example of the present application, the transmitter 603 in FIG. 6 and the transmitter 702 in FIG. 7 can be implemented by the communication interface 803.

[0195] The communication interface 803 can be a transceiver or a transceiver circuit. The processor 802 can be a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a micro controller unit (MCU), and can also be a programmable logic device (PLD) or other integrated chip.

[0196] The device provided by the embodiments of the present application can be used to execute the communication method described above, and the technical effects that can be obtained thereby can refer to the method embodiments described above, and will not be described herein again.

[0197] A person of ordinary skill in the art can know that all or part of the steps in the above method can be completed by program instruction related hardware, and the program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium such as ROM, RAM, and optical disc. The embodiments of the present application also provide a storage medium, which can include the memory 801.

[0198] The explanations and beneficial effects of the related content in any of the devices provided above can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be described herein again.

[0199] In the embodiments described above, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or data storage device including one or more servers, data centers, etc. integrated with the medium. The available medium can be magnetic medium (such as floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical medium (such as DVD), or semiconductor medium (such as solid state disk (SSD)) and the like.

[0200] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, it is understood that other variations of the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed application, from an inspection of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps not listed in the claims, "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can fulfill the functions of several means recited in the claims. Means plus function claims are understood not to limit the claimed application to the exact function recited since functions in means plus function claims are set forth in terms of means for or step for performing the recited functions rather than recited functions themselves. The reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0201] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, it is understood that other variations of the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed application, from an inspection of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps not listed in the claims, "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can fulfill the functions of several means recited in the claims. Means plus function claims are understood not to limit the claimed application to the exact function recited since functions in means plus function claims are set forth in terms of means for or step for performing the recited functions rather than recited functions themselves. The reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, it is understood that other variations of the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed application, from an inspection of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps not listed in the claims, "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can fulfill the functions of several means recited in the claims. Means plus function claims are understood not to limit the claimed application to the exact function recited since functions in means plus function claims are set forth in terms of means for or step for performing the recited functions rather than recited functions themselves. The reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The application is applied to a network device, comprising: sending a first message, wherein the first message comprises network energy saving (NES) function information of a cell, and the NES function information is used to indicate whether the cell supports the NES function to a terminal device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The cell is a neighbor cell of a current serving cell of the terminal device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving a second message sent by the terminal device, wherein the second message comprises NES capability information of the terminal device, and the NES capability information is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports the NES function.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The NES function information comprises first neighbor cell information corresponding to a terminal device supporting the NES function and second neighbor cell information corresponding to a terminal device not supporting the NES function.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, The NES function information comprises first neighbor cell information corresponding to a terminal device supporting the NES function or second neighbor cell information corresponding to a terminal device not supporting the NES function.

6. The method according to any of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that, The first neighbor cell information comprises at least one of the following: a first neighbor cell list; a first allowed cell list, wherein cells in the first allowed cell list are suitable for a terminal device supporting the NES function; a first excluded cell list, wherein cells in the first excluded cell list are unsuitable for a terminal device supporting the NES function; first neighbor cell frequency point priorities, wherein the first neighbor cell frequency point priorities represent priority information of different frequency points of the neighbor cell. The second neighbor cell information comprises at least one of the following: a second neighbor cell list; a first allowed cell list, wherein cells in the first allowed cell list are suitable for a terminal device not supporting the NES function; a first excluded cell list, wherein cells in the first excluded cell list are unsuitable for a terminal device not supporting the NES function; second neighbor cell frequency point priorities, wherein the second neighbor cell frequency point priorities represent priority information of different frequency points of the neighbor cell.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The cell is a current serving cell of the terminal device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first message further comprises forbidden access information, wherein the forbidden access information is used to indicate that a terminal device not supporting the NES function does not camp on the current serving cell.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The first message is a radio resource control (RRC) message, and the RRC message comprises at least one of the following: a master information block (MIB), a system information block (SIB1), a system information block (SIB2), a system information block (SIB3), a system information block (SIB4) and an RRC connection release command.

10. A communication method characterized by comprising: The application is applied to a terminal device, comprising: receiving a first message sent by a network device, wherein the first message comprises cell network energy saving (NES) function information of a cell, and the NES function information is used to indicate whether the cell or a neighbor cell supports the NES function; determining a campable cell of the terminal device from the cell based on the NES function information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The cell is a neighbor cell of a current serving cell of the terminal device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The method further comprises: sending a second message to a terminal device, wherein the second message comprises NES capability information of the terminal device, and the NES capability information is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports the NES function.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The NES function information includes first neighboring cell information corresponding to a terminal device supporting the NES function, and second neighboring cell information corresponding to a terminal device not supporting the NES function.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The NES function information includes first neighboring cell information corresponding to a terminal device supporting the NES function, or second neighboring cell information corresponding to a terminal device not supporting the NES function, and The determining of the residable cell of the terminal device from the cell based on the NES function information includes: corresponding to the terminal device supporting the NES function, determining the residable cell of the terminal device from the cell based on the first neighboring cell information; or corresponding to the terminal device not supporting the NES function, determining the residable cell of the terminal device from the cell based on the second neighboring cell information.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein, The cell is a current serving cell of the terminal device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The first message further includes access barring information, The method further includes: corresponding to the terminal device not supporting the NES function, determining that the terminal device does not camp on the current serving cell based on the access barring information.

17. A network device, comprising: The apparatus includes a transmitter, wherein The transmitter is configured to transmit a first message, the first message including network energy saving, NES, function information of the cell, the NES function information being used to indicate whether the cell supports the NES function.

18. A terminal device, comprising: The apparatus includes a receiver and a processor connected to the receiver, wherein The receiver is configured to receive a first message transmitted by a network device, the first message including NES function information of the cell, the NES function information being used to indicate whether the cell supports the NES function. The processor is configured to determine a residable cell of the terminal device from the cell based on the NES function information.

19. An electronic device, comprising: The apparatus includes: a memory configured to store instructions for execution by one or more processors of an electronic device, and a processor, when the processor executes the instructions in the memory, can cause the electronic device to perform the method of any one of claims 1-9 or 10-16.

20. A non-volatile storage medium, comprising: The storage medium has instructions stored thereon, and the instructions, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method of any one of claims 1-9 or 10-16.

Images