Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to a communication method and apparatus, and relates to the technical field of communications. In the communication method, a terminal can report, to a first network device and on the basis of an indication from the first network device, at least one of the following: state information of a first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function. In this way, after AI technology is introduced, the continuity of a service corresponding to the first function executed by the terminal is ensured.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411087635.X, filed on August 8, 2024, with the State Intellectual Property Office of China, and the Chinese patent application No. 202411087635.X has the title of “A communication method and apparatus”, 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, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] The services supported by the current mobile network are more and more diverse, and the network needs to support different requirements such as ultra-high rate, ultra-low latency, ultra-high reliability, and ultra-high connection, which makes the network planning, network configuration, and resource scheduling more and more complex. In addition, the communication spectrum used by the mobile network is getting higher and higher, and higher requirements are put forward for base station energy saving. These new requirements, new scenarios, and new features bring unprecedented challenges to mobile network planning, operation and maintenance, and efficient operation. In order to improve the efficiency of network planning, network configuration, and resource scheduling, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is introduced into the mobile network. After the introduction of AI technology, the terminal can execute the service corresponding to the AI function. However, in some scenarios, such as the scenario of terminal movement, it may not be possible to guarantee the continuity of the service. Therefore, after the introduction of AI technology, how to guarantee the continuity of the service has become a problem to be solved at the current stage. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which can guarantee the continuity of the service after the introduction of AI technology.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a terminal, or can be executed by a module (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the terminal, and can also be implemented by a logic node, a logic module, or software that can realize all or part of the terminal function. Taking the method applied to the terminal as an example, in the method, the terminal can receive first information from a first network device, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal to report state information of a first function to the first network device. In this way, the terminal can send second information to the first network device, and the second information includes at least one of the following: the state information of the first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the condition identifier being used to indicate a network condition applicable to the function. The cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function includes at least one cell of the first network device and / or at least one cell of a second network device.

[0006] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the terminal can report at least one of the following to the first network device based on the indication from the first network device: the status information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function. In this way, after introducing the AI technology, the continuity of the terminal performing the service corresponding to the first function is ensured. For example, the cells indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function include at least one cell of the first network device, so that the first network device can learn the information related to the first function in each cell of the first network device, such as the availability of the first function, whether the terminal has the first function, the network conditions applicable to the first function, etc., which helps the first network device to select the first function of the target cell, so that the terminal can quickly perform the service corresponding to the first function in the target cell after switching to the target cell, ensuring the continuity of the terminal performing the service corresponding to the first function, i.e., reducing the problem of interruption of the service corresponding to the first function caused by the terminal reporting the information related to the first function in the target cell to the first network device again after switching to the target cell. Alternatively, the cells indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function include at least one cell of the second network device. The first network device can send the information related to the first function in each cell of the second network device to the second network device. On the one hand, it helps the second network device to select the first function of the target cell, so that the terminal can quickly perform the service corresponding to the first function in the target cell after switching to the target cell, ensuring the continuity of the terminal performing the service corresponding to the first function, i.e., reducing the problem of interruption of the service corresponding to the first function caused by the terminal reporting the information related to the first function in the target cell to the first network device again after switching to the target cell. On the other hand, it helps the second network device to select the first function for the cells in the secondary cell group, so that the terminal can quickly perform the service corresponding to the first function in the cells in the secondary cell group after accessing the second network device, ensuring the continuity of the terminal performing the service corresponding to the first function, i.e., reducing the problem of interruption of the service corresponding to the first function caused by the terminal reporting the information related to the first function in the cells in the secondary cell group to the first network device again after accessing the second network device. Alternatively, the cells indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function include at least one cell of the first network device and at least one cell of the second network device, that is, the terminal can report the information related to the first function in each cell of the first network device and the information related to the first function in each cell of the second network device to the first network device. If the first network device does not perform cell switching, the first network device can still select a suitable first function for the current serving cell based on the content reported by the terminal, so that the terminal can perform the service corresponding to the first function in the current serving cell.If the first network device performs a cell handover, for example, a non-cross-network-device cell handover, the first network device can still select the first function of the target cell in reference to the content reported by the terminal, so that the terminal can quickly perform the service corresponding to the first function in the target cell after switching to the target cell, thereby ensuring the continuity of the service corresponding to the first function performed by the terminal, and reducing the problem of interruption of the service corresponding to the first function caused by the terminal reporting the information related to the first function in the target cell to the first network device again after switching to the target cell. For a cross-network-device cell handover, the first network device can send the information related to the first function in each cell of the second network device to the second network device, which helps the second network device to select the first function of the target cell, so that the terminal can quickly perform the service corresponding to the first function in the target cell after switching to the target cell, thereby ensuring the continuity of the service corresponding to the first function performed by the terminal, and reducing the problem of interruption of the service corresponding to the first function caused by the terminal reporting the information related to the first function in the target cell to the first network device again after switching to the target cell. If the first network device adds or modifies the secondary network device, for example, the second network device, the first network device can send the information related to the first function in each cell of the second network device to the second network device, which helps the second network device to select the first function for the cells in the secondary cell group, so that the terminal can quickly perform the service corresponding to the first function in the cells in the secondary cell group after accessing the second network device, thereby ensuring the continuity of the service corresponding to the first function performed by the terminal, and reducing the problem of interruption of the service corresponding to the first function caused by the terminal reporting the information related to the first function in the cells in the secondary cell group to the first network device again after accessing the second network device.

[0007] In a possible implementation, the first function belongs to a function of interest of the first network device or the second network device. And / or, the first function belongs to a function supported by the first network device or the second network device.

[0008] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the first network device can instruct the terminal to report the function of interest of the first network device or the second network device, and / or the function supported by the first network device or the second network device to the first network device. This can make the function reported by the terminal meet the requirements of the corresponding network device (such as the first network device or the second network device), and reduce the signaling overhead problem caused by multiple reporting of the function reported by the terminal which does not meet the requirements of the network device.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the first information is further used to indicate a cell identifier list, and the cell identifier list includes cell information corresponding to the first function. Or, the at least one cell of the first network device includes a current serving cell and / or a neighboring cell of the terminal.

[0010] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the terminal can learn the indicated cell of the first network device through the first information, i.e., the terminal can report according to the indicated cell of the first network device. In one aspect, the terminal does not need to determine which cells to report by itself, which simplifies the terminal side logic and improves efficiency. In another aspect, it can make the cells reported by the terminal meet the requirements of the corresponding network device (such as the first network device or the second network device), reducing the signaling overhead problem caused by multiple reporting of the cells reported by the terminal that do not meet the requirements of the network device. Alternatively, the terminal can decide by itself which cells to report, for example, the current serving cell and / or the neighbor cell of the terminal. Because the terminal can learn which cells have better signal quality and which cells have worse signal quality, and thus decide which cells to report, this helps the first network device to perform cell selection when performing cell switching, thereby improving the efficiency of cell switching.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the at least one cell of the second network device includes a cell of interest of the second network device.

[0012] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the at least one cell of the second network device includes a cell of interest of the second network device, i.e., the cells reported by the terminal to the first network device include the cell of interest of the second network device, which makes the cells reported by the terminal meet the requirements of the second network device, reducing the signaling overhead problem caused by multiple reporting of the cells reported by the terminal that do not meet the requirements of the second network device.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function includes at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function in the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function. This helps the corresponding network device (such as the first network device or the second network device) to learn at least one network condition applicable to the first function in each cell, thereby helping the network device to select a suitable first function in the corresponding cell.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the first information is further used to indicate the terminal to report at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function to the first network device.

[0015] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the terminal can learn to report at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function through the first information, i.e., the terminal can report according to the indication of the first network device, and the terminal does not need to determine by itself what to report, which simplifies the terminal side logic and improves efficiency.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal receiving third information from the first network device, the third information being used to indicate that the first network device has a continuity requirement for the service of the terminal.

[0017] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the terminal can learn from the third information that the first network device has a service continuity requirement for the terminal, and the terminal can determine that the reported cell includes the neighboring cell based on the third information, which helps the first network device to perform cell selection when performing cell switching, and improves the cell switching efficiency.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal receiving fourth information from the first network device, the fourth information including first configuration information of the first function, the first configuration information corresponding to a target cell, the target cell being a cell in at least one cell of the first network device or the second network device. The terminal switches to the target cell and performs the service of the first function in the target cell based on the first configuration information.

[0019] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the terminal can obtain the first configuration information corresponding to the target cell from the first network device, so that the terminal can perform the service of the first function in the target cell based on the first configuration information when or after switching to the target cell, thereby guaranteeing the continuity of the service corresponding to the first function performed by the terminal. In addition, the target cell is a cell in at least one cell of the first network device or the second network device, which realizes the guarantee of the continuity of the service corresponding to the first function performed by the terminal in the non-cross-network-device cell switching or cross-network-device cell switching scenario.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the fourth information is further used to indicate deactivation of the first function used by the terminal in a source cell and / or activation of the first function in a target cell, the source cell being a cell in at least one cell of the first network device.

[0021] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the terminal can also learn from the first network device that the first function used by the terminal is deactivated in the source cell, which can reduce the power consumption problem caused by running the first function in the source cell, and can also reduce the resource overhead problem caused by running the first function in the source cell. Alternatively, the terminal can also learn from the first network device that the first function is activated in the target cell, which is conducive to the smooth running of the first function in the target cell by the terminal.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the target cell is a cell in at least one cell of the second network device, and after switching to the target cell, the method further includes: the terminal sending fifth information to the second network device, the fifth information including at least one of the following: a second function interested by the second network device, cell information corresponding to the second function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function, the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the second function being a cell interested by the second network device.

[0023] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the terminal can further report corresponding information to the second network device, such as the second function, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function, and the like, which is helpful for the second network device to subsequently select a function in combination with the information reported by the terminal.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the fourth information is further used to instruct the terminal to report at least one of the following to the second network device: the second function, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function.

[0025] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the terminal can learn which content the second network device expects the terminal to report through the fourth information of the first network device. That is, the terminal can monitor the signal of the first network device to obtain which content the second network device expects the terminal to report, thereby reducing the process of the terminal monitoring the signal of the second network device to learn which content the terminal should report to the second network device. In this way, the power consumption of the terminal can be reduced, and the energy saving of the terminal is achieved.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving, by the terminal, sixth information from the first network device, the sixth information including second configuration information of the first function, the second configuration information corresponding to a cell in a secondary cell group, and the secondary cell group including at least one cell of the second network device. In this way, the terminal can access the second network device and perform the service of the first function in the cell in the secondary cell group based on the second configuration information.

[0027] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the terminal can obtain the second configuration information of the first function from the first network device, so that the terminal can perform the service of the first function in the cell in the secondary cell group based on the second configuration information when or after accessing the second network device, thereby guaranteeing the continuity of the terminal performing the service corresponding to the first function.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the sixth information is further used to instruct the cell in the secondary cell group to activate the first function. This is helpful for the terminal to smoothly run the first function in the cell in the secondary cell group.

[0029] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a network device, or by a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the network device, or by a logic node, a logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. Taking the method applied to a first network device as an example, in the method, the first network device can send first information to a terminal, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to report state information of a first function to the first network device, so as to receive second information from the terminal, the second information including at least one of the following: the state information of the first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the condition identifier being used to indicate a network condition to which the function is applicable. The cell information corresponding to the first function indicates at least one cell of the first network device and / or at least one cell of a second network device.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the first function belongs to a function of interest of the first network device or the second network device. And / or, the first function belongs to a function supported by the first network device or the second network device.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the first information is further used to instruct a cell identifier list, the cell identifier list including the cell information corresponding to the first function. Or, the at least one cell of the first network device includes a current serving cell and / or a neighboring cell of the terminal.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the cells indicated by the cell identifier list are determined based on a historical moving track of the terminal. That is, the first network device can predict, in combination with the historical moving track of the terminal, to which cells the terminal can move in the future, so as to instruct the terminal to report these cells, which helps the first network device to perform cell selection when performing cell switching, and improves the efficiency of cell switching.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the at least one cell of the second network device includes a cell of interest of the second network device.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving seventh information from the second network device. The seventh information is used to indicate a cell of interest of the second network device and / or a function of interest of the second network device. Or, the seventh information is used to indicate a function supported by the second network device.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function includes at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function in the cells indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the first information is further used to instruct the terminal to report the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function to the first network device.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the first network device sending third information to the terminal, the third information being used to indicate that the first network device has a continuity requirement for the service of the terminal.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the first network device sending fourth information to the terminal, the fourth information including first configuration information of the first function, the first configuration information corresponding to the target cell, the first configuration information being used for the terminal to perform the service of the first function in the target cell, the target cell being a cell in at least one cell of the first network device or the second network device.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the first network device receiving eighth information from the second network device, the eighth information including the first configuration information.

[0040] It can be seen that, in the above embodiments, the first network device can obtain the first configuration information corresponding to the target cell from the second network device, so that the first network device can send the first configuration information to the terminal. In this way, the service of the first function is performed in the target cell based on the first configuration information when or after switching to the target cell, thereby guaranteeing the continuity of the service corresponding to the first function performed by the terminal.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the fourth information is further used to indicate that the first function used by the terminal is deactivated in the source cell and / or the first function is activated in the target cell, the source cell being a cell in at least one cell of the first network device.

[0042] In a possible implementation, the eighth information is further used to indicate that the first function used by the terminal is deactivated in the source cell and / or the first function is activated in the target cell.

[0043] It can be seen that, in the above embodiments, the first network device can learn from the second network device that the first function used by the terminal is deactivated in the source cell and / or the first function is activated in the target cell, thereby indicating the terminal that the first function used by the terminal is deactivated in the source cell and / or the first function is activated in the target cell. On the one hand, the terminal deactivates the first function used by the terminal in the source cell, which can reduce the power consumption problem caused by running the first function in the source cell, and can also reduce the resource overhead problem caused by running the first function in the source cell. On the other hand, the terminal activates the first function in the target cell, which is conducive to the terminal to run the first function smoothly in the target cell.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the eighth information is further used to instruct the terminal to report at least one of the following to the second network device: the second function in which the second network device is interested, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function, and the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the second function is the cell in which the second network device is interested. The fourth information is further used to instruct the terminal to report at least one of the following to the second network device: the second function in which the second network device is interested, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function.

[0045] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the first network device can learn from the second network device that the terminal reports corresponding content, such as the second function in which the second network device is interested, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function. In this way, the first network device can instruct the terminal to report corresponding content to the second network device. That is, the terminal can monitor the signal of the first network device to obtain which content the second network device expects the terminal to report, reducing the process in which the terminal monitors the signal of the second network device to learn which content should be reported to the second network device. In this way, the power consumption of the terminal can be reduced, and the energy saving of the terminal is realized.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the first network device sends ninth information to the second network device. For example, the first network device sends the ninth information to the second network device based on the second information. The ninth information includes at least one of the following: the capability information of the terminal, the third configuration information of the first function used by the terminal in the source cell, the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, and the capability information of the terminal is used to indicate the function supported by the terminal, and the third configuration information is used for the terminal to perform the service of the first function in the source cell.

[0047] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the first network device can send the ninth information to the second network device, which is conducive to the second network device to select a suitable cell for cell switching, and is also conducive to the second network device to select a corresponding first function in the selected cell.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the first network device sends sixth information to the terminal, and the sixth information includes second configuration information of the first function, the second configuration information corresponding to the cell in the secondary cell group, and the second configuration information being used for the terminal to perform the service of the first function in the cell in the secondary cell group. The secondary cell group includes at least one cell of the second network device.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving, by the first network device, tenth information from the second network device, the tenth information including second configuration information of the first function, the second configuration information corresponding to a cell in the secondary cell group, and the second configuration information being used for the terminal to perform the service of the first function in the cell in the secondary cell group, the secondary cell group including the cell in at least one cell of the second network device.

[0050] It can be seen that, in the above embodiment, the first network device obtains the second configuration information from the second network device, so that the first network device can send the second configuration information to the terminal. In this way, the terminal performs the service of the first function in the cell in the secondary cell group based on the second configuration information when or after accessing the second network device, thereby guaranteeing the continuity of the service corresponding to the first function performed by the terminal.

[0051] In a possible implementation, the tenth information is further used to indicate that the first function is activated in the cell in the secondary cell group.

[0052] It can be seen that, in the above embodiment, the first network device can learn from the second network device that the first function is activated in the cell in the secondary cell group, which is conducive to the smooth running of the first function in the cell in the secondary cell group by the terminal.

[0053] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending, by the first network device, eleventh information to the second network device, the eleventh information including at least one of the following: capability information of the terminal, fourth configuration information of the first function used by the terminal under the first network device, status information of the first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the capability information of the terminal being used to indicate the function supported by the terminal, and the fourth configuration information being used for the terminal to perform the service of the first function under the first network device.

[0054] It can be seen that, in the above embodiment, the first network device can send the eleventh information to the second network device, which is conducive to the selection of a suitable cell in the secondary cell group by the second network device, and is also conducive to the selection of a corresponding first function in the selected cell by the second network device.

[0055] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a network device, or by a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the network device, or by a logic node, a logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. Taking the method applied to a second network device as an example, in the method, the second network device receives ninth information from a first network device, the ninth information including at least one of the following: state information of a first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function including at least one cell of the second network device. In this way, the second network device can send eighth information to the first network device, the eighth information including first configuration information of the first function, the first configuration information corresponding to a target cell, the target cell being a cell in the at least one cell of the second network device, and the first configuration information being used for the terminal to perform services of the first function in the target cell.

[0056] In a possible implementation, the ninth information further includes at least one of the following: capability information of the terminal, or third configuration information of the first function used by the terminal in a source cell, the capability information of the terminal being used to indicate a function supported by the terminal, and the third configuration information being used for the terminal to perform services of the first function in the source cell, the source cell being a cell in the at least one cell of the first network device.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the eighth information is further used to indicate deactivation of the first function used by the terminal in the source cell and / or activation of the first function in the target cell.

[0058] In a possible implementation, after the communication connection is established between the target cell and the terminal, the method further includes: receiving, by the second network device, fifth information from the terminal, the fifth information including at least one of the following: a second function of interest to the second network device, cell information corresponding to the second function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function, the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the second function being a cell of interest to the second network device.

[0059] In a possible implementation, the eighth information is further used to instruct the terminal to report, to the second network device, at least one of the following: a second function of interest to the second network device, cell information corresponding to the second function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function, the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the second function being a cell of interest to the second network device.

[0060] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending, by the second network device, seventh information to the first network device. The seventh information is used to indicate a cell of interest to the second network device and / or a function of interest to the second network device. Alternatively, the seventh information is used to indicate a function supported by the second network device.

[0061] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a network device, or by a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the network device, or by a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device. Taking the case that the method is applied to a second network device, in the method, the second network device can receive eleventh information from a first network device, the eleventh information including at least one of the following: state information of a first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function including at least one cell of the second network device. In this way, the second network device can send tenth information to the first network device, the tenth information including second configuration information of the first function, the second configuration information corresponding to a cell in a secondary cell group, the second configuration information being used for the terminal to perform services of the first function in the cell in the secondary cell group, the secondary cell group including the cell in the at least one cell of the second network device.

[0062] In a possible implementation, the eleventh information further includes at least one of the following: capability information of the terminal, or fourth configuration information of the first function used by the terminal under the first network device, the capability information of the terminal being used to indicate the functions supported by the terminal, and the fourth configuration information being used for the terminal to perform services of the first function under the first network device.

[0063] In a possible implementation, the tenth information is further used to indicate that the cell in the secondary cell group activates the first function.

[0064] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes units or modules for implementing any of the methods in any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect. The communication apparatus can be a terminal, or a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) of the terminal, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be a network device (e.g., a first network device or a second network device), or a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) of the network device (e.g., the first network device or the second network device), or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device (e.g., the first network device or the second network device).

[0065] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the method in any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect. The communication apparatus can be a terminal, or a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) of the terminal, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be a network device (e.g., the first network device or the second network device), or a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) of the network device (e.g., the first network device or the second network device), or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device (e.g., the first network device or the second network device). The at least one processor can execute a computer program or instructions in a memory, so that the above method is executed. The memory can be included in the communication apparatus, or located outside the communication apparatus. In addition, the communication apparatus can further comprise an interface.

[0066] In a seventh aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores computer instructions, when the computer instructions are executed, causing a computer to execute the method in any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0067] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which comprises computer program codes, when the computer program codes are run by a computer, causing the computer to execute the method in any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0068] In a ninth aspect, a chip is provided, which comprises at least one processor and an interface, the processor being configured to read and execute instructions stored in a memory, when the instructions are run, causing the chip to execute the method in any of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0069] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which comprises a terminal configured to execute the method in any of the first aspect, and a network device configured to execute the method in any of the fourth aspect.

[0070] It should be understood that the second aspect to the tenth aspect of the present application correspond to the technical solution of the first aspect of the present application, and the beneficial effects obtained by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation manners are similar, which will not be repeated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0071] FIG. 1 is a basic architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a device implementing AI function in the communication system shown in FIG. 1 under the CU-DU separation architecture of an ORAN system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of AI-based beam management;

[0074] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of AI-based CSI compression and decompression;

[0075] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0081] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "system" and "network" can be used interchangeably. Unless otherwise specified, " / " represents an "or" relationship between the objects associated before and after it, for example, A / B can represent A or B; in the present application, "and / or" is only a description of the associated relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which means that there are three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. And in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, and c can be one or more. In addition, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the same items or similar items with basically the same function are distinguished by "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can understand that "first", "second", etc. do not limit the number and execution order, and "first", "second", etc. also do not necessarily mean different.

[0082] Reference to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" or "an embodiment" or "some embodiments" etc. in the present application means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in some embodiments" or "in an embodiments" or "in some embodiments" in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but can refer to different embodiments, although they can be in some cases referring to the same embodiment. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and their variants are meant to be construed as "including but not limited to", unless otherwise noted.

[0083] The following detailed description is provided to provide further understanding of the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application. It should be understood that the following is merely a specific embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

[0084] In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to if there is no special description and logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0085] The method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, can be an internet of things (IoT) system, a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a 5th-generation (5G) communication system, a new radio (NR) system, or a new communication system appearing in future communication development. Among them, the IoT network may, for example, include but is not limited to a vehicle internet. The communication mode in the vehicle internet system can be collectively referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X, X can represent any thing). For example, V2X can include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, or vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, etc. The method provided in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication (also can be referred to as non-terrestrial network communication), or a scenario in which NTN is fused with a terrestrial network (TN).

[0086] The method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, such as Wi-Fi, etc. The method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applicable to institute of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series protocols, for example, 802.11be protocol, 802.11bn protocol, or a next generation protocol of 802.11bn protocol, etc., and will not be listed one by one.

[0087] The method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to two entities in a communication system, for example, one of the two entities can send information to the other entity, or receive information sent by the other entity. In a wireless communication system, communication devices are included, and the communication devices can perform wireless communication by using air interface resources. The air interface resources can include at least one of time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code resources and space resources, which are not limited by the present application. For example, the two entities can include a network device and a terminal, or a chip which can be placed in the network device, and a chip which can be placed in the terminal, and the like. Of course, with the development of standards, other types of entities can also appear in the future, which are not limited by the embodiments of the present application.

[0088] The basic architecture of the communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application is introduced as follows. The communication system provided by the present application can include one or more network devices, and one or more terminals.

[0089] The system architecture shown in FIG. 1 is taken as an example for illustration. In FIG. 1, the communication system includes a network device 10 and a terminal 20 which communicates with the network device 10. The terminal 20 is connected to the network device 10 in a wireless manner, and the network device 10 is connected to a core network 30 in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device in the core network 30 and the network device 10 can be independent and different physical devices, or can be the same physical device which integrates the logical functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the network device. The terminals can be connected to each other in a wired or wireless manner, and the network devices 10 can be connected to each other in a wired or wireless manner.

[0090] It should be noted that the number of network devices and terminals in FIG. 1 is only illustrative, and should not be regarded as a specific limitation of the present application. The various devices involved in the system architecture are described in detail as follows.

[0091] I. Terminal

[0092] A terminal is an entity that receives a signal or transmits a signal or receives a signal and transmits a signal on a user side. The terminal is used to provide one or more of voice services and data connectivity services to a user. The terminal can be a device that includes a wireless transceiving function and can cooperate with a network device to provide communication services to a user. Specifically, the terminal can refer to a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, a user apparatus, or a road side unit (RSU). The terminal can also be a drone, an internet of things (IoT) device, a station (ST) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular phone, a smart phone, a cordless phone, a wireless data card, a tablet computer, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a handheld device with a wireless communication function, a computing device, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device (which can also be referred to as a wearable smart device), a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, and the like. The terminal can also be a terminal in a 5G system or a terminal in a next-generation communication system, and embodiments of the present application do not limit the same.

[0093] Embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal, and the device for implementing the function of the terminal can be the terminal; or can be a device capable of supporting the terminal to implement the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal or used with the terminal. In embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0094] II. Network device

[0095] The network device is an entity for transmitting a signal, or receiving a signal, or transmitting and receiving a signal on the network side. The network device can be a device deployed in a radio access network (RAN) to provide a wireless communication function for a terminal.

[0096] In a possible scenario, the network device can be a device with base station functions, such as an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a non-ground network device, that is, a device that can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or a satellite, and the like. The network device can be a transmission reception point (TRP), a base station, various forms of control nodes. For example, a network controller, a radio controller, and the like. Specifically, the network device can be various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also referred to as small stations) in a heterogeneous network (HetNet) scenario, relay stations, access points (APs), radio network controllers (RNCs), node Bs (NBs), base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), home base stations (for example, home evolved nodeBs, or home node Bs, HNBs), baseband units (BBUs) and remote radio units (RRUs) in a distributed base station scenario, transmitting and receiving points (TRPs), transmitting points (TPs), mobile switching centers, and the like, and can also be an antenna panel of a base station. The control node can connect multiple base stations and configure resources for multiple terminals under the coverage of the multiple base stations. In systems using different wireless access technologies, the names of devices with base station functions can be different. For example, it can be a gNB in 5G, or a network side device in a network after 5G or a network device in a future evolved public land mobile (communication) network (PLMN) network, or a device assuming base station functions in device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and the like. The specific name of the network device is not limited in the present application.The network device can also be a baseband pool (BBU pool) and RRU under an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), and the like.

[0097] In another possible scenario, a terminal is assisted by multiple network devices to implement wireless access, and different network devices respectively implement part of functions of a base station. For example, a network device can include a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), and the like. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can be included in the same network element, for example, a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It can be understood that the network device can be a CU node, or a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into a network device in a RAN, or the CU can be divided into a network device in a core network (CN), which is not limited here.

[0098] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. For the convenience of description, the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU are taken as examples for description in this application. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0099] In the embodiments of this application, the form of the network device is not limited, and the device for implementing the functions of the network device can be the network device; or can be a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the functions, for example, a chip system. The device can be installed in the network device or used in combination with the network device.

[0100] III. Core Network

[0101] The core network can be a 4G core network, such as an evolved packet core (EPC). Alternatively, the core network can be a 5G core network, or a future possible form of core network, etc.

[0102] The core network is mainly used to provide user connection, management of users, and completion of a bearer for a service, and provides an interface to an external network as a bearer network. For example, the core network can include network elements with different functions, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a location management function (LMF) network element, and the like.

[0103] The AMF network element is mainly used for registration, mobility management, and tracking area update procedures of a terminal. In a future communication system, a network element used to implement the registration, mobility management, and tracking area update procedures of a terminal can still be an AMF network element, or can have other names, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0104] The LMF network element is used to provide a corresponding positioning method according to a positioning accuracy requirement, a time delay requirement, and the like, and to select a corresponding communication protocol to complete interaction of information required for positioning, and to provide other information required for a positioning service, or a positioning strategy. In a future communication system, a network element used to implement a positioning-related function can still be an LMF network element, or can have other names, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0105] It can be understood that a network element or function in the core network can be a network element in a hardware device, can be a software function running on a dedicated hardware, or can be a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform), or can be a combination of the above two. In a possible implementation, a network element or function in the core network can be implemented by one device, can be implemented by multiple devices together, or can be a functional module in one device, and the embodiments of the present application do not make a specific limitation thereon. In addition, in the following description, the term “network element” can be omitted for convenience. For example, the LMF network element in the embodiments of the present application has the same meaning as the LMF, and only the term “network element” is omitted for convenience, and the same applies to the rest. It also needs to be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the names of the network elements in the communication system. For example, in different communication systems of different standards, the network elements can have other names. For example, when multiple network elements are integrated in the same physical device, the physical device can also have other names.

[0106] For the convenience of understanding the content of the present scheme, the following will further explain some terms involved in the embodiments of the present application, so as to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art, and this part is only for the convenience of understanding, and cannot be regarded as a specific limitation of the present application.

[0107] I. Dual connectivity (DC)

[0108] In order to improve the rate and reliability of data transmission, the terminal can be connected to multiple network devices at the same time. The multiple network devices include a primary network device and at least one secondary network device. For example, in a dual connectivity scenario, the terminal can be connected to a primary network device and a secondary network device. Among them, the primary network device can also be called a master node (MN), and the secondary network device can also be called a secondary node (SN), and the name of the present application is not limited. For the convenience of description, the primary network device and the secondary network device are described below as an example, which should not be regarded as a limitation of the present application.

[0109] In a possible implementation, the DC can include evolved universal terrestrial radio access and new radio dual connectivity (E-UTRA-new radio dual connectivity, EN-DC), next generation radio access network evolved universal terrestrial radio access and new radio dual connectivity (NG-RAN E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity, NGEN-DC), new radio and evolved universal terrestrial radio access dual connectivity (NR-E-UTRA dual connectivity, NE-DC) or new radio and new radio dual connectivity (NR-NR dual connectivity, NR-DC) and the like. Among them, EN-DC, i.e. LTE-NR DC, the primary network device is an LTE base station connected to the 4G core network, and the secondary network device is an NR base station. NGEN-DC, the primary network device is an LTE base station connected to the 5G core network, and the secondary network device is an NR base station. NE-DC, i.e. NR-LTE DC, the primary network device is an NR base station connected to the 5G core network, and the secondary network device is an LTE base station. NR-DC, i.e. NR-NR DC, the primary network device and the secondary network device are both NR base stations connected to the 5G core network. Here, it is only some possible examples, and the present application does not limit the type of the primary network device and the secondary network device. For example, at least one of the primary network device and the secondary network device can be a base station of other future communication systems, etc.

[0110] Optionally, the master network device and the secondary network device can be co-sited, i.e., the master network device and the secondary network device are the same network device. Or the master network device and the secondary network device can be non-co-sited, i.e., the master network device and the secondary network device are different network devices. The application does not limit the deployment manner of the master network device and the secondary network device.

[0111] In a possible implementation, the master network device can provide one or more cells for the terminal, which form a master cell group (MCG). For example, the master cell group includes a master cell and zero or at least one secondary cell.

[0112] In a possible implementation, the secondary network device can provide one or more cells for the terminal, which form a secondary cell group (SCG). For example, the secondary cell group includes a primary secondary cell (PSCell) and zero or at least one secondary cell. The primary secondary cell refers to a cell in which the terminal initiates a random access procedure in the secondary network device, or a cell in which the terminal initiates data transmission by skipping a random access procedure in the secondary network device during a change procedure, or a cell in which the terminal initiates a random access in a network device during a synchronous reconfiguration procedure.

[0113] II. Carrier aggregation (CA)

[0114] To improve the data transmission rate and reduce the delay, the CA technology is proposed. The CA refers to aggregating multiple continuous or non-continuous carriers into a larger bandwidth. In the CA technology, the terminal can communicate on multiple cells at the same time, thereby supporting high-speed data transmission. The multiple cells can include a master cell and at least one secondary cell.

[0115] The master cell is a cell in which the terminal and the network device perform initial connection establishment, or a cell in which the terminal performs radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment, or a master cell in which a handover procedure is performed. The master cell is used to be responsible for radio resource control (RRC) communication with the terminal, and the CC in the master cell is referred to as a primary component carrier (PCC).

[0116] Compared with the primary cell, the secondary cell can provide additional radio resources. Optionally, multiple secondary cells can be co-site deployment or non-co-site deployment. Among them, co-site deployment can be understood as having two carriers at the same site, for example, the same network device, and the two carriers are co-site deployment carriers. The two carriers can belong to different secondary cells respectively. Non-co-site deployment can be understood as belonging to one secondary cell at one site, for example, the carrier of one network device, and belonging to another secondary cell at another site, for example, the carrier of another network device.

[0117] III. Serving cell

[0118] When a cell provides services for a terminal, or when a cell establishes a communication connection with a terminal, the cell can be referred to as a serving cell.

[0119] Among them, the number of serving cells in the present application can be one or more, that is, the terminal can be configured with at least one serving cell.

[0120] For example, if no CA or DC is configured, the number of serving cells can be one.

[0121] For example, in a DC or CA scenario, at least one serving cell can include a cell in the primary cell group and / or a cell in the secondary cell group. For example, a primary serving cell (i.e., the primary cell is a serving cell), a primary secondary serving cell (i.e., the primary secondary cell is a serving cell), a secondary serving cell (i.e., the secondary cell is a serving cell), etc.

[0122] In a DC or CA scenario, there can be one cell in the primary cell group and the secondary cell group as a serving cell of the terminal device, or there can be multiple cells as a serving cell of the terminal device.

[0123] In a possible implementation, in a DC or CA scenario, the serving cell can include one or more of the following: a primary cell in the primary cell group of the terminal (i.e., the serving cell is a primary serving cell), a secondary cell in the secondary cell group of the terminal (i.e., the serving cell is a secondary serving cell), a primary secondary cell in the secondary cell group of the terminal (i.e., the serving cell is a primary secondary serving cell), and a secondary cell in the primary cell group of the terminal.

[0124] In another possible implementation, the serving cell is the primary cell of the terminal. It should be understood that when the terminal is configured with one serving cell, the serving cell can be referred to as the primary cell of the terminal. When the terminal is configured with multiple serving cells, one of the multiple serving cells can be referred to as the primary cell of the terminal, and the other serving cells can be referred to as the secondary cells of the terminal.

[0125] In another possible implementation, the serving cell is a secondary cell of the terminal. It should be understood that when the terminal is configured with one serving cell, the serving cell can be referred to as a primary cell of the terminal. When the terminal is configured with multiple serving cells, one of the multiple serving cells can be referred to as a primary cell of the terminal, and the other serving cells can be referred to as secondary cells of the terminal.

[0126] In another possible implementation, the serving cell is a primary cell and a secondary cell of the terminal. It should be understood that when the terminal is configured with one serving cell, the serving cell can be referred to as a primary cell of the terminal. When the terminal is configured with multiple serving cells, one of the multiple serving cells can be referred to as a primary cell of the terminal, and the other serving cells can be referred to as secondary cells of the terminal.

[0127] It can be understood from the above description that the application scenarios of the present application are not limited to DC or CA scenarios, but can also be applied in other scenarios.

[0128] Four, channel state information (CSI)

[0129] In wireless communication, CSI refers to known channel properties of a communication link. For example, CSI describes the propagation of a wireless signal between a transmitter and a receiver, including the effects of distance, scattering, fading, etc. on the signal. This method is called channel estimation. CSI makes it possible to adapt the transmission to the current channel conditions, which is essential for achieving reliable communication with high data rates in multi-antenna systems. In the process of implementation and application, the network device can issue a reference signal to the terminal to facilitate the terminal to perform measurement, so as to calculate various values. In one possible way, the terminal can report these values to the network device. In this way, the network device can perform CSI acquisition or beam management (BM). In another possible way, the terminal does not report these values but selects a receiving beam based on these values.

[0130] Five, application of AI in the wireless field

[0131] AI can give machines human intelligence, for example, machines can use computer hardware and software to simulate some intelligent behaviors of humans. In order to realize artificial intelligence, machine learning (ML) methods can be used. In machine learning methods, machines learn (or train) models using training data. The model represents the mapping relationship or function between the input and output of the model. The learned model can be used for inference (or prediction), that is, the model can be used to predict the output corresponding to a given input. The output can also be referred to as an inference result (or prediction result).

[0132] The model can also be referred to as an AI model, an ML model, a rule, or other names, etc. The AI model can be considered as a specific method to implement an AI function. The AI function can also be referred to as an AI (related) operation, or an AI related function. The AI function can be referred to as a function for short. The AI function can include one or more of the following: data collection, model training (or model learning), model information publishing, model inference (or referred to as model inference, inference, or prediction, etc.), model monitoring or model verification, or inference result publishing, etc. In one possible implementation, the model and the AI function can be described interchangeably.

[0133] One model can infer an output including one parameter or multiple parameters. The learning process, the training process, or the inference process of different models can be implemented in different devices or nodes, or can be implemented in the same device or node, which is not limited in the present application.

[0134] Among them, in the case of introducing AI into the wireless field, the devices in the communication system shown in FIG. 1 can have AI capabilities (or referred to as ML capabilities). For example, at least one of the terminal, the network device, the network element in the core network, etc. can have AI capabilities. That is, at least one of the terminal, the network device, the network element in the core network, etc. can include one or more AI modules endogenously for implementing AI functions. The AI module can also be referred to as an AI entity, an AI unit, or other names, mainly for implementing part or all of the AI functions, and the specific name is not limited in the present application. The model of the AI module can implement different functions according to different parameter configurations. The AI module can have one or more models. Therefore, it can also be said that at least one of the terminal, the network device, the network element in the core network, etc. can deploy one or more models.

[0135] Optionally, the AI modules deployed in different network elements can be the same or different. That is, the models deployed in different network elements can be the same or different. Among them, the models are different including at least one of the following: the structure parameters of the model, the input parameters of the model, or the output parameters of the model. The structure parameters of the model can include at least one of the following: the number of neural network layers, the width of neural network, the connection relationship between layers, the weight of neurons, the activation function of neurons, or the bias in the activation function. The input parameters of the model can include at least one of the following: the type of input parameters, or the dimension of input parameters. The output parameters of the model can include at least one of the following: the type of output parameters, or the dimension of output parameters. Among them, the input parameters of the model and / or the output parameters of the model are different can be described as the functions of the models are different.

[0136] The following describes how the devices in the communication system shown in FIG. 1 implement AI functions under the CU-DU separation architecture of the ORAN system in combination with the above description.

[0137] For example, in 2-1 of FIG. 2, one or more AI modules can be deployed in the terminal, the network device, and the network element in the core network. The network device can include a CU and a DU. The CU can deploy one or more AI modules, and the DU can deploy one or more AI modules. Optionally, the CU can be further split into a CU-CP and a CU-UP. One or more AI modules can be deployed in the CU-CP and / or the CU-UP.

[0138] For example, in 2-2 of FIG. 2, the network device can include a CU, a DU, and a RIC. The RIC includes a near-RT RIC and / or a Non-RT RIC. The near-RT RIC or the Non-RT RIC can be used for model training and inference. For example, the near-RT RIC or the Non-RT RIC can be used for training an AI model and performing inference using the AI model. The near-RT RIC or the Non-RT RIC can obtain corresponding information from the network device (for example, at least one of the CU, the CU-CP, the CU-UP, the DU, the RU, etc.) and / or the terminal as training data or inference data. Optionally, the near-RT RIC or the Non-RT RIC can submit the inference result to the network device and / or the terminal. Optionally, the CU and the DU, and / or the DU and the RU can exchange the inference result. For example, the near-RT RIC or the Non-RT RIC submits the inference result to the DU, and the DU sends the inference result to the RU, which is used to implement near-real-time intelligent management of the network device.

[0139] Optionally, the near-RT RIC and the Non-RT RIC can be separately set as a network element, or the near-RT RIC and the Non-RT RIC can be part of other devices. For example, the near-RT RIC is set in the network device, for example, the CU or the DU. The Non-RT RIC is set in the OAM, the cloud server, the network element in the core network, or other devices. Optionally, the RIC in the present application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module, which is not limited in the present application.

[0140] The following describes the application of AI in the wireless field.

[0141] The application of AI in the wireless field can include at least one of the following: AI for beam management, AI for positioning accuracy improvement, AI for CSI feedback enhancement (including CSI compression and CSI prediction), or AI for mobility management.

[0142] 1. AI for beam management

[0143] To reduce the overhead, the AI technology is introduced to predict the beams in SetA based on the measurement results of the beams in SetB. SetB can be a relatively sparse beam set. For example, the number of candidate beams of the transmitting end in FIG. 3 is 64, and SetB can include 16 beams among them. In practice, the number of candidate beams of the transmitting end can also be other possible values, which are not limited here. SetA can be a beam set including SetB, or a beam set different from SetB. For the transmitting end, a precoding matrix corresponding to each beam in SetB can be used to perform beamforming on the reference signal, and the beamformed reference signal is transmitted to the receiving end in time division. The receiving end can receive the reference signal corresponding to each beam in SetB, and obtain the measurement quantity corresponding to each beam in SetB, such as the reference signal received power (RSRP), which can be the Layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP). The receiving end inputs the measurement quantity corresponding to each beam in SetB into the prediction model, and infers the Top-K (optimal K) beams in SetA, that is, the index of the optimal K beams in SetA is predicted. Wherein, K is a positive integer, for example, 1, 3, 4, 6, 8 or other possible values. FIG. 3 shows K = 3, and the box filled with diagonal lines shows.

[0144] Further, the receiving end can send the index of the K beams or the index of the K precoding matrices corresponding to the K beams to the transmitting end. Alternatively, the transmitting end can communicate with the receiving end by using any one of the K beams. Or, when K is greater than 1, the transmitting end can further determine the optimal beam from the K beams.

[0145] It should be noted that FIG. 3 shows the spatial direction of each beam in the horizontal and vertical directions. In practice, the division between beams can be based on two-dimensional plane direction, or can be based on three-dimensional space direction, or can be based on other possible ways, which are not limited here.

[0146] Wherein, the above transmitting end can be a terminal, and the receiving end can be a network device. Conversely, the same can also be true.

[0147] 2. AI for positioning accuracy improvement

[0148] AI-based positioning scenarios can include the following two types of five specific use cases.

[0149] 2.1. Direct AI / ML positioning

[0150] 2.1.1. Case 1: Model in application terminal, direct AI / ML based positioning. For example, the terminal performs signal measurement to obtain measurement results, and predicts the positioning results based on the measurement results. That is, the terminal can input the measurement results into the model to obtain the positioning results. The measurement results can include at least one of the following: relative time of arrival (RTOA) from the terminal to the network device, time of arrival (TOA), angle of arrival (AOA), RSRP, reference signal received path power (RSRPP), path arrival time, path arrival angle, reference signal Doppler component, reference signal path Doppler component, or terminal velocity (UE velocity), etc. The positioning result is the position information of the terminal, such as the geographic position coordinates in a certain position system (e.g., global positioning system (GPS) or Beidou satellite system).

[0151] 2.1.2. Case 2b: Terminal assisted LMF positioning, LMF can receive and process positioning requests, or data requests related to positioning, etc. LMF can also select a positioning method based on the request here. For example, LMF can apply a model to perform positioning based on the terminal's assistance information. That is, LMF can input the terminal's assistance information into the model to obtain the positioning results. The terminal's assistance information includes the measurement results of the reference signals used for positioning. The reference signals used for positioning can be positioning reference signals (PRS) or other reference signals, which are not limited in this application.

[0152] 2.1.3、Case 3b (case3b): Network device assisted LMF positioning. For example, the LMF can apply a model to perform positioning based on the assistance information of the network device. That is, the LMF can input the assistance information of the network device into the model to obtain a positioning result. The assistance information of the network device can include measurement results of reference signals used for positioning and / or an identifier of the network device, etc.

[0153] 2.2, AI / ML assisted positioning

[0154] 2.2.1, Case 2a (case2a): Model assisted LMF positioning in terminal. For example, the terminal performs signal measurement to obtain measurement results, and predicts a prediction result based on the measurement results. That is, the terminal can input the measurement results into a model to obtain a prediction result. In this way, the terminal can send the prediction result to the LMF, so that the LMF obtains a positioning result based on the prediction result. The prediction result here can be position information predicted by the terminal.

[0155] 2.2.2, Case 3a (case3a): Model assisted LMF positioning in network device. For example, the network device performs signal measurement to obtain measurement results, and predicts a prediction result based on the measurement results. That is, the network device can input the measurement results into a model to obtain a prediction result. In this way, the network device can send the prediction result to the LMF, so that the LMF obtains a positioning result based on the prediction result. The prediction result here can be position information predicted by the network device.

[0156] 3, AI for CSI feedback enhancement

[0157] 3.1, CSI compression

[0158] The existing 5G NR system uses codebooks as the basic tool for CSI feedback, and defines multiple schemes such as Type 1 (Type I) and Type 2 (Type II) codebooks for different feedback accuracy. However, the above codebooks are designed for uniformly arranged antenna arrays, and are not optimized for special antennas such as 3D antennas, and have obvious limitations in performance. AI-based CSI feedback can break through the above bottleneck and achieve better feedback performance through optimization for specific channel environments. The basic principle of AI-based CSI feedback is to regard the high-dimensional channel information feedback task as an end-to-end CSI image compression and recovery task. As shown in FIG. 4, the basic signal flow has a structure similar to an autoencoder, specifically:

[0159] A, the encoding end (generally the terminal) uses an encoder to extract features from the complete channel information and compress it into a bit stream of information that meets the feedback requirements.

[0160] B. The bitstream information is fed back to the decoding end (usually a network device) through a feedback link.

[0161] C. The decoding end uses a decoder to decompress and reconstruct the features of the bitstream information, and finally restores the complete channel information.

[0162] The above-mentioned encoder and decoder are jointly optimized in an end-to-end training process to obtain the best CSI reconstruction performance. In actual deployment, the encoder and decoder can be used in pairs according to the training process, that is, the compressed CSI output by a certain encoder can be recovered by the corresponding decoder.

[0163] 3.2, CSI prediction

[0164] For example, based on the existing CSI, the CSI prediction is realized. This is a technology that does not increase the new air interface resource overhead to obtain the CSI corresponding to the unknown time-frequency resource. Although the CSI of different time and / or space dimensions is not exactly the same, there is a certain degree of correlation, which makes CSI prediction possible. The traditional CSI prediction scheme is limited by the prediction accuracy in processing complex data, and it is difficult to be practical. AI-based CSI prediction is expected to significantly improve the prediction accuracy, so as to achieve the goal of obtaining unknown CSI with low overhead in the actual system. According to the category of data correlation, AI-based CSI prediction can be divided into four categories: the first category considers time correlation, that is, according to the CSI in the previous period of time to predict the CSI in the next time or the next period of time, which is mainly applied to channels that change with time or high-speed moving scenarios. The second category considers the correlation from the frequency angle, for example, based on the uplink CSI of the frequency division duplex (FDD) mode to predict and reconstruct the downlink CSI. The third category considers the prediction problem from the spatial angle. The fourth category considers the channel correlation between adjacent users, for example, based on the CSI of terminal 1 to predict the CSI of terminal 2, terminal 1 and terminal 2 are adjacent, or the distance between terminal 1 and terminal 2 is less than or equal to a certain threshold, wherein the threshold can be set according to actual needs, which is not limited here.

[0165] 4. AI for mobility management

[0166] In the mobility management process, the network device configures the terminal to perform measurement reporting, and makes handover decision based on the measurement reporting result. After introducing AI, the network device can make prediction based on the limited measurement results of the terminal (such as configuring a small number of measurement beams, or the terminal reducing the measurement of beams and cells), and select the optimal cell for handover decision.

[0167] It should be understood that after introducing AI technology in the mobile network, there may be the following scenarios that cannot guarantee the continuity of AI services.

[0168] Scenario one, the terminal performs cell handover under a single network device. For example, the terminal performs handover from a source cell of a first network device to a target cell of the first network device. In this case, the actions of the network side in the present scheme are performed by one station, i.e., by one network device. The source cell refers to the cell accessed by the terminal before performing handover, and the target cell refers to the cell accessed by the terminal after performing handover.

[0169] Scenario two, the terminal performs cell handover across network devices. For example, the terminal performs handover from a source cell of a first network device to a target cell of a second network device. In this case, the actions of the network side in the present scheme are performed by two stations, e.g., by the first network device and the second network device.

[0170] In a possible implementation, in the present application, the first network device in scenario two can be referred to as a source network device, and the second network device in scenario two can be referred to as a target network device. The source network device refers to the network device accessed by the terminal before performing handover, or the network device providing service for the terminal before handover. The target network device refers to the network device to which the terminal needs to perform handover, the network device accessed by the terminal after successfully performing handover, or the network device providing service for the terminal after successful handover. In this case, the source cell can be a cell managed by the source network device, a cell under coverage of the source network device, a cell under jurisdiction of the source network device, or the source cell belongs to the source network device. The target cell can be a cell managed by the target network device, a cell under coverage of the target network device, a cell under jurisdiction of the target network device, or the target cell belongs to the target network device.

[0171] Optionally, the first network device and the second network device are the same network device or different network devices.

[0172] Scenario three, adding or modifying a secondary network device among multiple network devices. For example, in a DC scenario, the first network device adds or modifies a secondary network device, e.g., the second network device. In this case, the actions of the network side in the present scheme are performed by two stations, e.g., by the first network device and the second network device.

[0173] In a possible implementation, in the present application, the first network device in scenario three can be referred to as a master network device, and the second network device in scenario three can be referred to as a secondary network device. Wherein, the terminal has a first communication connection with the first network device, and has a second communication connection with the second network device. It should be noted that the communication connection (such as the first communication connection or the second communication connection) mentioned in the present application can be a data connection and / or a radio resource control (RRC) connection. The data connection is used for the terminal and the network device to transmit data, including uplink data and / or downlink data. The RRC connection is used for the terminal and the network device to transmit data and / or signaling. For example, the terminal can perform random access with the first network device, so that the terminal has a first communication connection with the first network device. For example, the terminal can perform random access with the second network device, so that the terminal has a second communication connection with the second network device.

[0174] Scenario four, CA scenario. For example, the terminal can access the first network device through multiple carriers. In this case, the actions of the network side in the present solution are performed by one station, that is, by one network device.

[0175] In order to guarantee the continuity of the AI service in the above scenarios, the present application provides an embodiment shown in FIG. 5.

[0176] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below. Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0177] 501, the first network device sends first information to the terminal, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal to report state information of the first function to the first network device.

[0178] Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information from the first network device.

[0179] Optionally, the first information can be used to instruct the terminal to report state information of at least one function to the first network device. Wherein, the at least one function can include the first function. For the convenience of description, the present application takes ‘the first network device instructs the terminal to report the state information of the first function’ as an example for introduction, and the present application is not limited to one function. In actual application, more functions can be involved, and the process involved in the first network device instructing the terminal to report the state information of these functions is similar to the process involved in the first network device instructing the terminal to report the state information of the first function, which is not listed one by one here.

[0180] The first function can be referred to as a first AI function, a first AI (related) operation, or a first AI related function. As an example, the first function can be interchangeably described with at least one model corresponding to the first function, without limitation.

[0181] Optionally, the models used by different cells to implement the first function can be the same or different, without limitation in the present application.

[0182] Optionally, the state information of a certain function (such as the first function or the second function) mentioned in the present application can be used to indicate the availability of the function and / or whether the terminal has the function. For example, the state information of the first function can indicate that the first function is applicable or not available. For example, the state information of the first function can indicate that the terminal does not have the first function or the terminal has the first function. Wherein, the availability of a certain function mentioned in the present application can be understood as at least one of the following: the terminal has the function, or the function is currently available. Conversely, the unavailability of a certain function mentioned in the present application can be understood as at least one of the following: the terminal does not have the function, or the function is currently unavailable.

[0183] The first information is used to indicate that the terminal reports the state information of the first function to the first network device, which can have the following implementation manners, specifically:

[0184] As an example, the first information can include a function identifier of the first function, so that the terminal can know which state information of the function should be reported to the first network device. Wherein, the function identifier of the first function can be assigned by the first network device or assigned by the terminal.

[0185] For example, the first network device can allocate function identifiers of N functions, the function identifiers of the N functions including the function identifier of the first function, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1. In this case, the first network device can indicate the function identifiers of the N functions to the terminal. For example, the first network device can send indication information to the terminal, the indication information being used to request the capability information of the terminal, the indication information including the function identifiers of the N functions, and being used to request the support capability of the terminal for the N functions. Alternatively, the first network device does not allocate the function identifiers of the N functions, and in this case, the indication information can not include the function identifiers of the N functions. Alternatively, the indication information can be carried in an RRC message (such as a protocol-defined terminal capability enquiry (UE capability enquiry) message), a media access control-control element (MAC CE), downlink control information (DCI), or other messages, which are not limited herein.

[0186] For example, the terminal can allocate function identifiers of N functions, the function identifiers of the N functions including function identifiers of functions supported by the terminal, the function identifiers of the functions supported by the terminal including the function identifier of the first function. For example, the terminal can send the capability information of the terminal to the first network device based on the indication information. Alternatively, the terminal does not receive the indication information, and actively sends the capability information of the terminal to the first network device. The capability information is used to indicate the functions supported by the terminal, for example, the capability information is used to indicate that the terminal supports at least one of data collection, model training, model information publishing, model inference, model monitoring, model verification, or inference result publishing corresponding to the function. The capability information includes the function identifiers of the functions supported by the terminal, or the order of the functions supported by the terminal in the capability information indicates the function identifiers of the functions supported by the terminal. In this way, the first network device can obtain the function identifiers of the functions supported by the terminal through the capability information, so as to determine which function identifiers should be included in the first information. Alternatively, the capability information can be carried in an RRC message (such as a terminal capability information (UE capability information) message) or uplink control information (UCI). The uplink RRC message can be generally sent to the network device through the PUSCH. Alternatively, the UCI can be carried in a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0187] It should be noted that in this application, PUCCH and PUSCH are only examples of uplink control channel and uplink data channel respectively, and PDCCH is only an example of downlink control channel. In different systems and different scenarios, data channels and control channels can have different names, and embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0188] As another example, the first information can include M identifiers corresponding to the first function, M being an integer greater than or equal to 1, one of the identifiers indicating an association relationship between the first function and a condition identifier. The condition identifier can be referred to as an associated identifier (associated ID) for indicating a network condition applicable to the function. For example, the condition identifier corresponding to the first function is used to indicate the network condition applicable to the first function. The network condition can also be referred to as a network state, including the power consumption of the network device and / or the number of antennas turned on by the network device, etc. In this case, the identifier indicating the association relationship between the first function and the condition identifier can also be described as: the identifier indicating the first function and the network condition applicable to the first function, or the identifier indicating the first function and the network state applicable to the first function. In this way, the terminal can know through the M identifiers which function state information should be reported to the first network device.

[0189] Optionally, different identifiers indicate the association relationship between the first function and different condition identifiers. For example, in the current serving cell of the terminal, the first function corresponds to two condition identifiers, one of which is used to indicate that the training data applied by the first function is collected under the first power consumption of the first network device, and the other is used to indicate that the training data applied by the first function is collected under the second power consumption of the first network device, and the first power consumption and the second power consumption are different. That is, in the current serving cell of the terminal, the two condition identifiers corresponding to the first function respectively indicate different network conditions applicable to the first function, such as the first function respectively applicable to the first power consumption and the second power consumption of the first network device. In this case, two identifiers can be used to respectively indicate the association relationship between the first function and the first power consumption of the first network device, and the association relationship between the first function and the second power consumption of the first network device.

[0190] The condition identifier is introduced below.

[0191] As an example, the condition identifier is local within a cell, indicating that the condition identifier is a unique identifier within the cell. For example, at least one cell of the first network device includes the current serving cell of the terminal and a neighbor cell, in the serving cell, the first function corresponds to two condition identifiers, which are condition identifier 1 and condition identifier 2 respectively, that is, both condition identifiers are different and have uniqueness. In the neighbor cell, the first function also corresponds to two condition identifiers, which are condition identifier 1 and condition identifier 2 respectively, that is, both condition identifiers are different and have uniqueness.

[0192] As a further example, the conditional identifier is a local identifier within a cell group, indicating that the conditional identifier is a unique identifier within the cell group. For example, the at least one cell of the first network device includes a current serving cell and a neighbor cell of the terminal, the current serving cell and the neighbor cell belong to a same cell group, the serving cell in the cell group, the two conditional identifiers corresponding to the first function are conditional identifier 1 and conditional identifier 2 respectively, and the neighbor cell in the cell group, the two conditional identifiers corresponding to the first function are conditional identifier 3 and conditional identifier 4 respectively. That is, the conditional identifier has uniqueness within the cell group.

[0193] As another example, the conditional identifier is a globally unique identifier, indicating that the conditional identifier is a unique identifier in the network device. For example, the at least one cell of the first network device includes a current serving cell and a neighbor cell of the terminal, the serving cell, the two conditional identifiers corresponding to the first function are conditional identifier 1 and conditional identifier 2 respectively, and the neighbor cell, the two conditional identifiers corresponding to the first function are conditional identifier 3 and conditional identifier 4 respectively. That is, the conditional identifier has uniqueness in the first network device.

[0194] Optionally, the first function can belong to at least one of a function of interest of the first network device, a function of interest of the second network device, a function supported by the first network device, or a function supported by the second network device, etc. Optionally, the function of interest of the first network device belongs to the function supported by the first network device. The function of interest of the second network device belongs to the function supported by the second network device.

[0195] For example, in a scenario of performing cell handover by the terminal under a single network device or a CA scenario, the first function can belong to the function of interest of the first network device and / or the function supported by the first network device. For example, the function of interest of the first network device can include function 1 to function 4, and the first function can be function 1, i.e., the first function belongs to the function of interest of the first network device. Alternatively, the function supported by the first network device can include function 1 to function 6, and the first function can be function 1, i.e., the first function is the function supported by the first network device. Alternatively, the function supported by the first network device can include function 1 to function 6, and the first function can be function 1, i.e., the first function belongs to both the function of interest of the first network device and the function supported by the first network device.

[0196] For example, in a scenario of performing cell handover by the terminal across network devices, or in a scenario of adding or modifying a secondary network device between multiple network devices, the first function can belong to at least one of the function of interest of the first network device, the function of interest of the second network device, the function supported by the first network device, or the function supported by the second network device, etc.

[0197] Optionally, the number of functions of interest of the first network device can be one or more, the number of functions of interest of the second network device can be one or more, the number of functions supported by the first network device can be one or more, the number of functions supported by the second network device can be one or more, and the present application does not limit this.

[0198] Optionally, the first network device and the second network device can interact with the functions supported by themselves and / or the functions of interest through direct or indirect ways.

[0199] For example, the second network device can send the functions of interest of the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device to the first network device based on the request of the first network device (i.e. the request of the first network device is used to obtain the functions of interest of the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device) or the indication of the first network device (i.e. the indication of the first network device is used to indicate that the first network device supports collecting the functions of interest of the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device). Alternatively, the second network device actively sends the functions of interest of the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device to the first network device without receiving the request of the first network device or the indication of the first network device. For example, the second network device sends the seventh information to the first network device, and the seventh information is used to indicate the functions of interest of the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device. Optionally, the request of the first network device can also include the functions supported by the first network device and / or the functions of interest of the first network device.

[0200] For example, the first network device can send the functions supported by the first network device and / or the functions of interest of the first network device to the second network device based on the request of the second network device (i.e. the request of the second network device is used to obtain the functions supported by the first network device and / or the functions of interest of the first network device) or the indication of the second network device (i.e. the indication of the second network device is used to indicate that the second network device supports collecting the functions of interest of the first network device and / or the functions supported by the first network device). Alternatively, the first network device actively sends the functions supported by the first network device and / or the functions of interest of the first network device to the second network device without receiving the request of the second network device or the indication of the second network device. Optionally, the request of the second network device can also include the functions of interest of the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device. For example, the request of the second network device includes the seventh information, and the seventh information is used to indicate the functions of interest of the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device.

[0201] The above enumeration is a process in which the first network device and the second network device interact with the functions supported by themselves and / or the functions interested by themselves based on the XN interface, which can also be extended to the first network device and the second network device interacting with the functions supported by themselves and / or the functions interested by themselves based on the NG interface.

[0202] For example, the AMF can obtain the functions interested by the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device from the second network device based on the request of the first network device (i.e., the request of the first network device is used to obtain the functions supported by the second network device and / or the functions interested by the second network device) or the indication of the first network device (i.e., the indication of the first network device is used to indicate that the first network device supports collecting the functions interested by the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device), and send the seventh information to the first network device, the seventh information being used to indicate the functions interested by the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device. That is, the first network device receives the seventh information through the AMF. Alternatively, the AMF actively obtains the functions interested by the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device from the second network device and sends the seventh information to the first network device without receiving the request of the first network device or the indication of the first network device.

[0203] For example, the AMF can obtain the functions interested by the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device from the second network device based on the request of the first network device (i.e., the request of the first network device is used to obtain the functions supported by the second network device and / or the functions interested by the second network device) or the indication of the first network device (i.e., the indication of the first network device is used to indicate that the first network device supports collecting the functions interested by the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device), and send the seventh information to the first network device, the seventh information being used to indicate the functions interested by the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device. That is, the first network device receives the seventh information through the AMF. Alternatively, the AMF actively obtains the functions interested by the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device from the second network device and sends the seventh information to the first network device without receiving the request of the first network device or the indication of the first network device.

[0204] For example, the AMF can actively request the first network device for the functions of interest of the first network device and / or the functions supported by the first network device, and the first network device can send the functions of interest of the first network device and / or the functions supported by the first network device to the AMF based on the request of the AMF (denoted as request 1, the request 1 is used to obtain the functions of interest of the first network device and / or the functions supported by the first network device). In this way, the AMF can actively send the functions of interest of the first network device and / or the functions supported by the first network device to the second network device. Alternatively, the AMF can send the functions of interest of the first network device and / or the functions supported by the first network device to the second network device based on the request of the second network device (i.e., the request of the second network device is used to obtain the functions supported by the first network device and / or the functions of interest of the first network device).

[0205] For example, the AMF can actively request the second network device for the functions of interest of the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device, and the second network device can send the functions of interest of the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device to the AMF based on the request of the AMF (denoted as request 2, the request 2 is used to obtain the functions of interest of the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device). In this way, the AMF can actively send the functions of interest of the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device to the first network device. Alternatively, the AMF can send the functions of interest of the second network device and / or the functions supported by the second network device to the second network device based on the request of the first network device (i.e., the request of the first network device is used to obtain the functions supported by the second network device and / or the functions of interest of the second network device).

[0206] It should be noted that the above is an example of 'the first network device and the second network device interacting with the functions supported and / or the functions of interest based on the NG interface', and various combinations of the above modes can also be used, which are not listed one by one here.

[0207] Optionally, the first information can also be used to indicate a cell identifier list, and the cell identifier list includes the cell information corresponding to the first function.

[0208] As an example, the cell information corresponding to the first function can be a cell identifier (cell ID). The cell identifier can be used to uniquely identify a cell, such as a physical cell identifier (PCI) or a cell global identifier (CGI), which is not limited here.

[0209] For example, the cell information corresponding to the first function is a cell identifier, which can be a cell identifier of at least one cell of the first network device. For example, in a scenario of performing cell switching by the terminal under a single network device or a CA scenario, the cell information corresponding to the first function can be a cell identifier of at least one cell of the first network device. In a possible implementation, the at least one cell of the first network device can include a current serving cell and / or a neighboring cell of the terminal. Alternatively, the at least one cell of the first network device can include a cell with a signal quality greater than or equal to a threshold. Alternatively, the at least one cell of the first network device can include a cell from which the terminal can receive a system message and / or a synchronization signal. The present application does not limit this. The signal quality herein can include at least one of RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI, or SINR. The threshold herein can be set according to actual needs, which is not limited herein.

[0210] For example, the cell information corresponding to the first function is a cell identifier, which can be a cell identifier of at least one cell of the second network device. For example, in a scenario of performing cell switching by the terminal across network devices or in a scenario of adding or modifying a secondary network device among multiple network devices, the cell information corresponding to the first function can be a cell identifier of at least one cell of the second network device. In a possible implementation, the at least one cell of the second network device includes a cell of interest of the second network device. In this case, the first network device can also obtain the cell of interest of the second network device. The specific process of obtaining the 'cell of interest of the second network device' can refer to the process of 'the process of interacting with the function supported by the first network device and / or the function of interest of the second network device' described above, which is not described herein.

[0211] For example, the cell information corresponding to the first function is a cell identifier, which can include a cell identifier of at least one cell of the first network device and a cell identifier of at least one cell of the second network device. For example, in a scenario of performing cell switching by the terminal across network devices or in a scenario of adding or modifying a secondary network device among multiple network devices, the cell information corresponding to the first function can include a cell identifier of at least one cell of the first network device and a cell identifier of at least one cell of the second network device.

[0212] As another example, the cell information corresponding to the first function can be a group identifier.

[0213] For example, the cell information corresponding to the first function can be a group identifier of at least one cell group to which at least one cell of the first network device belongs. For example, in a scenario in which the terminal performs cell switching under a single network device or a CA scenario, the cell information corresponding to the first function can be a group identifier of at least one cell group to which at least one cell of the first network device belongs.

[0214] The cell group corresponding to the first network device can include one or more cells.

[0215] For example, the cell information corresponding to the first function can be a group identifier of at least one cell group to which at least one cell of the second network device belongs. For example, in a scenario in which the terminal performs cell switching across network devices or a scenario in which a secondary network device is added or modified among multiple network devices, the cell information corresponding to the first function can be a group identifier of at least one cell group to which at least one cell of the second network device belongs.

[0216] The cell group corresponding to the second network device can include one or more cells.

[0217] For example, the cell information corresponding to the first function can include a group identifier of at least one cell group to which at least one cell of the first network device belongs and a group identifier of at least one cell group to which at least one cell of the second network device belongs. For example, in a scenario in which the terminal performs cell switching across network devices or a scenario in which a secondary network device is added or modified among multiple network devices, the cell information corresponding to the first function can include a group identifier of at least one cell group to which at least one cell of the first network device belongs and a group identifier of at least one cell group to which at least one cell of the second network device belongs.

[0218] Optionally, the cells indicated by the cell identifier list can be determined based on a historical moving trajectory of the terminal. For example, in a scenario in which the terminal performs cell switching under a single network device or a scenario in which the terminal performs cell switching across network devices, the cells indicated by the cell identifier list can be determined based on a historical moving trajectory of the terminal. That is, the first network device can generate the cell identifier list based on a prediction of the historical moving trajectory of the terminal.

[0219] Optionally, the first information can also be used to instruct the terminal to report at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function to the first network device. For example, when the first information includes the function identifier of the first function, the first information can also be used to instruct the terminal to report at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function to the first network device.

[0220] Optionally, the first information can be carried in RRC signaling, a media access control-control element (MAC CE), downlink control information (DCI), or other signaling, which is not limited herein.

[0221] 502. The terminal sends second information to the first network device, the second information including at least one of the following: state information of the first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function including at least one cell of the first network device and / or at least one cell of the second network device.

[0222] Correspondingly, the first network device receives the second information from the terminal.

[0223] Optionally, the terminal sending the second information to the first network device can include the terminal sending the second information to the first network device based on the first information. Specifically, the terminal reports which cells based on the first information to the first network device can have the following two implementation manners, specifically:

[0224] 1. The terminal reports which cells to the first network device based on the first information indicated by the first network device. In this case, the first information also includes a cell identifier list. In this way, the terminal can report according to the indication of the first network device. On the one hand, the terminal does not need to determine which content to report by itself, simplifying the terminal side logic and improving the efficiency. On the other hand, it can make the content reported by the terminal meet the requirements of the corresponding network device (such as the first network device or the second network device), reducing the signaling overhead problem caused by multiple reports of the content reported by the terminal not meeting the requirements of the network device.

[0225] 2、The terminal specifically reports which cells to the first network device (i.e. the cells indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function in the second information). As an example, the terminal can perform signal quality measurement, i.e. report the cells with signal quality greater than or equal to a certain threshold to the first network device. That is, the cells indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function, e.g. the at least one cell of the first network device, include the cells with signal quality greater than or equal to a certain threshold. Alternatively, the at least one cell of the first network device includes the current serving cell and / or neighbor cell of the terminal. Alternatively, the at least one cell of the first network device includes the cells from which the terminal can receive system messages and / or synchronization signals. Further, the terminal can also determine which cells to report based on the continuity requirement from the first network device, e.g. the neighbor cell. For example, the terminal can receive the third information from the first network device, the third information being used to indicate that the first network device has continuity requirement for the service of the terminal. In this way, the cells reported by the terminal to the first network device include the neighbor cell, e.g. the at least one cell of the first network device includes the neighbor cell. In one aspect, the terminal specifically reports which function to the first network device, which is indicated by the first network device through the first information, so as to reduce the signaling overhead. In another aspect, the terminal can self-determine which cells to report, e.g. the cells reported by the terminal are the cells with signal quality greater than or equal to a certain threshold, which is helpful for the first network device to perform cell selection when performing cell switching, thereby improving the cell switching efficiency.

[0226] The third information can be carried in the same signaling or different signaling as the first information, which can be RRC signaling, MAC, DCI or other signaling, which is not limited herein. Alternatively, the first network device can have continuity requirement for the service of the terminal by different values of the third information or different values of part of the bits in the third information. For example, 1 bit in the third information can be used to indicate that the first network device has continuity requirement for the service of the terminal. As an example, the bit state is '1', which indicates that the first network device has continuity requirement for the service of the terminal. The bit state is '0', which indicates that the first network device does not have continuity requirement for the service of the terminal. Conversely, the same is true.

[0227] When the first information includes the function identifier of the first function, the second information can have the following implementation manners, specifically:

[0228] 1、The second information can comprise the status information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, and at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function. For example, the condition identifier is local within a cell or a cell group. The second information can comprise the status information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, and at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function. In this way, the first network device can distinguish which function is the function under which cell. The cell information corresponding to the first function in the second information is similar to the cell information corresponding to the first function in the first information, and thus is not described herein again.

[0229] 2、The second information can comprise the status information of the first function and at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function. For example, the condition identifier is a globally unique identifier. The second information can comprise the status information of the first function and at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function. In this way, the signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0230] 3、The second information can comprise the status information of the first function and the cell information corresponding to the first function. For example, the first information does not indicate that the terminal reports at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function to the first network device. The second information can comprise the status information of the first function and the cell information corresponding to the first function.

[0231] In the case that the first information comprises M identifiers corresponding to the first function (one of which indicates the association relationship between the first function and a condition identifier), the second information can comprise the status information of the first function and the M identifiers. Optionally, the second information can further comprise the cell information corresponding to the first function. For example, the condition identifier is local within a cell or a cell group, which causes the network device to be unable to distinguish which cell the condition identifier corresponding to the first function indicates in the association relationship. In this way, the second information can further comprise the cell information corresponding to the first function.

[0232] The at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function in the second information is described below.

[0233] Optionally, the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function in the second information comprises at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function under the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function. For example, the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function is at least one cell of the first network device. The at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function in the second information comprises at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function under different cells of the at least one cell of the first network device. For example, the at least one cell of the first network device comprises a current serving cell of the terminal and a neighbor cell. In the current serving cell of the terminal, the first function corresponds to two condition identifiers. In the neighbor cell, the first function also corresponds to two condition identifiers. That is, the first function under different cells can correspond to at least one condition identifier.

[0234] Optionally, the first function under different cells can correspond to different at least one condition identifier or the same at least one condition identifier. For example, under the current serving cell of the terminal, the first function corresponds to two condition identifiers, which are condition identifier 1 and condition identifier 2 respectively. Under the neighboring cell, the first function also corresponds to two condition identifiers, which are condition identifier 3 and condition identifier 4 respectively. That is, the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function under the current serving cell of the terminal is different from the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function under the neighboring cell. For another example, under the current serving cell of the terminal, the first function corresponds to two condition identifiers, which are condition identifier 1 and condition identifier 2 respectively. Under the neighboring cell, the first function also corresponds to two condition identifiers, which are condition identifier 1 and condition identifier 2 respectively. That is, the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function under the current serving cell of the terminal is the same as the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function under the neighboring cell.

[0235] In combination with the above introduction of the second information, the following introduces the association relationship between each content in the second information.

[0236] 1. The second information can further include an association relationship between at least two of the following: the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, and the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function.

[0237] As an example, in the case where the second information includes the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, and the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, it can be considered that the second information can further include an association relationship between the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, and the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function. Optionally, the association relationship can be in the form of a table, such as any row and / or any column therein.

[0238] For example, the cell information corresponding to the first function is a cell identifier, and the association relationship between the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, and the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function can refer to Table 1 or Table 2. For example, in Table 1 or Table 2, the state information of the first function is available, and the cell identifier of cell 1 and condition identifier 1 are associated. The state information of the first function is unavailable, and the cell identifier of cell 1 and condition identifier 2 are associated, and the rest is similar and will not be described here.

[0239] Table 1

[0240] Table 2

[0241] For example, the cell information corresponding to the first function is a group identifier, and the association relationship between the status information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, and the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function can refer to Table 3 or Table 4. For example, in Table 3 or Table 4, the status information of the first function is available, and the group identifier 1 and the condition identifier 1 are associated. The status information of the first function is unavailable, and the group identifier 1 and the condition identifier 2 are associated, and the rest is similar and will not be repeated here.

[0242] Table 3

[0243] Table 4

[0244] As another example, in a case where the second information includes the status information of the first function and the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, it can be considered that the second information can also include an association relationship between the status information of the first function and the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function. Alternatively, the association relationship can be in the form of a table, such as any row and / or any column therein, etc. For example, the association relationship between the status information of the first function and the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function can refer to Table 5. For example, in Table 5, the status information of the first function is available, and the condition identifier 1 is associated. The status information of the first function is unavailable, and the condition identifier 2 is associated, and the rest is similar and will not be repeated here.

[0245] Table 5

[0246] As another example, in a case where the second information includes the status information of the first function and the cell information corresponding to the first function, it can be considered that the second information can also include an association relationship between the status information of the first function and the cell information corresponding to the first function. Alternatively, the association relationship can be in the form of a table, such as any row and / or any column therein, etc.

[0247] For example, the cell information corresponding to the first function is a cell identifier, and the association relationship between the status information of the first function and the cell information corresponding to the first function can refer to Table 6. For example, in Table 6, the status information of the first function is available, and the cell identifier of cell 1 is associated. The status information of the first function is unavailable, and the cell identifier of cell 2 is associated, and the rest is similar and will not be repeated here.

[0248] Table 6

[0249] For example, the cell information corresponding to the first function is a group identifier, and the association between the state information of the first function and the cell information corresponding to the first function can refer to Table 7. For example, in Table 7, the state information of the first function is available, and the group identifier 1 is associated. The state information of the first function is unavailable, and the group identifier 2 is associated, and the rest is similar and will not be repeated here.

[0250] Table 7

[0251] Optionally, the second information can further include the identifier of the first function. For example, the second information can further include the association between at least two of the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, and the identifier of the first function. For example, the second information can further include the association between the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, and the identifier of the first function. Alternatively, the second information can further include the association between the state information of the first function, the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, and the identifier of the first function. Alternatively, the second information can further include the association between the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, and the identifier of the first function.

[0252] 2. The second information can further include the association between at least two of the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, and the M identifiers.

[0253] For example, the second information includes the association between the state information of the first function and the M identifiers, for example, which can refer to Table 8. In Table 8, identifier 1 indicates the association between the first function and condition identifier 1, and the state information of the first function is associated, and the state information of the first function is available. Identifier 2 indicates the association between the first function and condition identifier 2, and the state information of the first function is associated, and the state information of the first function is unavailable, and the rest is similar and will not be repeated here.

[0254] Table 8

[0255] For example, the second information includes the association between the state information of the first function, the M identifiers, and the cell information corresponding to the first function, for example, which can refer to Table 9. In Table 9, identifier 1 indicates the association between the first function and condition identifier 1, and the cell identifier of cell 1 and the state information of the first function are associated, and the state information of the first function is available. Identifier 2 indicates the association between the first function and condition identifier 2, and the cell identifier of cell 1 and the state information of the first function are associated, and the state information of the first function is unavailable, and the rest is similar and will not be repeated here.

[0256] Table 9

[0257] Optionally, the second information can be carried in RRC signaling, uplink control information (UCI) or other signaling, which is not limited herein.

[0258] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the terminal can report at least one of the following to the first network device based on the indication from the first network device: the status information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function. In this way, after the introduction of AI technology, the continuity of the terminal executing the service corresponding to the first function is ensured. For example, the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function includes at least one cell of the first network device, so that the first network device can learn the information related to the first function in each cell of the first network device, such as the availability of the first function, whether the terminal has the first function, the network conditions applicable to the first function, etc., which helps the first network device to select the first function of the target cell, so that the terminal can quickly execute the service corresponding to the first function in the target cell after switching to the target cell, ensuring the continuity of the terminal executing the service corresponding to the first function, i.e., reducing the problem of interruption of the service corresponding to the first function caused by the terminal reporting the information related to the first function in the target cell to the first network device again after switching to the target cell. Alternatively, the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function includes at least one cell of the second network device. The first network device can send the information related to the first function in each cell of the second network device to the second network device. On the one hand, it helps the second network device to select the first function of the target cell, so that the terminal can quickly execute the service corresponding to the first function in the target cell after switching to the target cell, ensuring the continuity of the terminal executing the service corresponding to the first function, i.e., reducing the problem of interruption of the service corresponding to the first function caused by the terminal reporting the information related to the first function in the target cell to the first network device again after switching to the target cell. On the other hand, it helps the second network device to select the first function for the cells in the secondary cell group, so that the terminal can quickly execute the service corresponding to the first function in the cells in the secondary cell group after accessing the second network device, ensuring the continuity of the terminal executing the service corresponding to the first function, i.e., reducing the problem of interruption of the service corresponding to the first function caused by the terminal reporting the information related to the first function in the cells in the secondary cell group to the first network device again after accessing the second network device. Alternatively, the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function includes at least one cell of the first network device and at least one cell of the second network device, that is, the terminal can report the information related to the first function in each cell of the first network device and the information related to the first function in each cell of the second network device to the first network device. If the first network device does not perform cell switching, the first network device can still select a suitable first function for the current serving cell based on the content reported by the terminal, so that the terminal can execute the service corresponding to the first function in the current serving cell.If the first network device performs cell switching, for example, cell switching without crossing the network device, the first network device can still select the first function of the target cell according to the content reported by the terminal, so that the terminal can quickly perform the service corresponding to the first function in the target cell after switching to the target cell, thereby ensuring the continuity of the service corresponding to the first function of the terminal, i.e., reducing the problem that the service corresponding to the first function is interrupted due to the terminal reporting the information related to the first function in the target cell to the first network device again after switching to the target cell. For cell switching crossing the network device, the first network device can send the information related to the first function in each cell of the second network device to the second network device, which helps the second network device to select the first function of the target cell, so that the terminal can quickly perform the service corresponding to the first function in the target cell after switching to the target cell, thereby ensuring the continuity of the service corresponding to the first function of the terminal, i.e., reducing the problem that the service corresponding to the first function is interrupted due to the terminal reporting the information related to the first function in the target cell to the first network device again after switching to the target cell. If the first network device adds or modifies the secondary network device, for example, the second network device, the first network device can send the information related to the first function in each cell of the second network device to the second network device, which helps the second network device to select the first function for the cells in the secondary cell group, so that the terminal can quickly perform the service corresponding to the first function in the cells in the secondary cell group after accessing the second network device, thereby ensuring the continuity of the service corresponding to the first function of the terminal, i.e., reducing the problem that the service corresponding to the first function is interrupted due to the terminal reporting the information related to the first function in the cells in the secondary cell group to the first network device again after accessing the second network device.

[0259] Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is a process of cell switching of a terminal in a single network device, and the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 can be combined with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, for example, further comprising the following steps based on the embodiment described in FIG. 5:

[0260] 601. The first network device determines the first function used by the terminal in the current serving cell based on the second information, and sends third configuration information of the first function to the terminal.

[0261] Correspondingly, the terminal receives the third configuration information from the first network device.

[0262] For example, for the first function used by the terminal in the current serving cell, the state information of the first function is available, and the network condition indicated by the condition identifier corresponding to the first function matches the power consumption of the first network device and / or the number of antennas turned on by the first network device, and the like. For example, in the current serving cell of the terminal, the first function corresponds to two condition identifiers. For the sake of distinction, one of the two condition identifiers is denoted as function 1, and the other is denoted as function 2. The training data applied by function 1 is collected at the first power consumption of the first network device, and the state information of function 1 is unavailable. The training data applied by function 2 is collected at the second power consumption of the first network device, and the state information of function 2 is available. Assuming that the current power consumption of the first network device is the second power consumption, the first network device can use function 2 as the first function used by the terminal in the current serving cell. The third configuration information is introduced below.

[0263] As an example, the service of the first function performed by the terminal based on the third configuration information is model inference. For example, taking AI-based beam management as an example, the third configuration information is used to configure a reference signal resource, and the terminal can perform measurement on the reference signal resource to obtain measurement quantities corresponding to each beam in SetB, such as RSRP. In this way, the terminal can perform model inference based on the measurement quantities corresponding to each beam in SetB in the current serving cell to perform the service of the first function. For example, the terminal inputs the measurement quantities corresponding to each beam in SetB into a first model corresponding to the first function in the current serving cell, and infers Top-K beams in SetA.

[0264] As another example, the service of the first function performed by the terminal based on the third configuration information is model monitoring. For example, taking CSI prediction as an example, the third configuration information can be used to configure a reference signal resource, and the terminal can perform measurement on the reference signal resource to obtain a currently measured CSI. The terminal can also perform model inference based on the CSI in the previous period of time in the current serving cell to obtain a currently predicted CSI. For example, the terminal inputs the CSI in the previous period of time into a first model corresponding to the first function in the current serving cell, and infers the currently predicted CSI. In this way, the terminal can perform model monitoring based on the currently measured CSI and the currently predicted CSI. For example, the terminal can determine whether to adjust the parameters in the first model based on the similarity between the currently measured CSI and the currently predicted CSI. For example, if the similarity between the currently measured CSI and the currently predicted CSI is greater than a threshold, the terminal can not adjust the parameters in the first model. Conversely, if the similarity between the currently measured CSI and the currently predicted CSI is less than the threshold, the terminal adjusts the parameters in the first model. The threshold can be set according to actual needs, which is not limited here.

[0265] It should be noted that the above is a part of the third configuration information, and other examples can also exist, which are not limited herein.

[0266] The third configuration information can have the following implementation manners, specifically:

[0267] 1. The third configuration information is single configuration information. For example, the number of 'current serving cells' is one, and the third configuration information is single configuration information.

[0268] 2. The third configuration information is one of multiple configuration information. For example, the number of 'current serving cells' is multiple, and the third configuration information is one of multiple configuration information. For example, in the CA scenario, the multiple configuration information can include the configuration information corresponding to the first function of the primary cell and the configuration information corresponding to the first function of the secondary cell.

[0269] Optionally, in the cell switching scenario, the 'current serving cell' in step 601 can be regarded as a source cell, and the third configuration information corresponds to the source cell. That is, the terminal can perform the first function service in the source cell based on the third configuration information.

[0270] Optionally, the third configuration information can be carried in RRC signaling, MAC CE, DCI or other signaling, which is not limited herein.

[0271] The step 601 is an optional step.

[0272] 602. The terminal performs the first function service in the current serving cell based on the third configuration information.

[0273] The process that the terminal performs the first function service in the current serving cell based on the third configuration information can refer to the description of the third configuration information in step 601, which is not described herein.

[0274] The step 602 is an optional step.

[0275] 603. The first network device sends fourth information to the terminal, and the fourth information includes the first configuration information of the first function. The first configuration information corresponds to a target cell, and the target cell is a cell in at least one cell of the first network device.

[0276] Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fourth information from the first network device.

[0277] Optionally, the sending, by the first network device, of the fourth information to the terminal can comprise: determining, by the first network device, to switch to the target cell, and sending the fourth information to the terminal. For example, the signal quality of the target cell is greater than a certain threshold, the state information of the first function in the target cell is available, and the network condition indicated by the condition identifier corresponding to the first function matches the power consumption of the first network device and / or the number of antennas turned on by the first network device. For example, the at least one cell of the first network device includes cell 1 to cell 3, the signal quality of cell 1 and cell 2 is greater than a certain threshold, and the signal quality of cell 3 is less than a certain threshold. The first network device can select the target cell from cell 1 and cell 2. In cell 1, the first function corresponds to two condition identifiers. For ease of distinction, one of the condition identifiers corresponding to the first function is denoted as function 1, and the other condition identifier corresponding to the first function is denoted as function 2. The training data applied by function 1 is collected under power consumption 1 of the first network device, and the state information of function 1 is unavailable. The training data applied by function 2 is collected under power consumption 2 of the first network device, and the state information of function 2 is available. In cell 2, the first function corresponds to two condition identifiers. For ease of distinction, one of the condition identifiers corresponding to the first function is denoted as function 3, and the other condition identifier corresponding to the first function is denoted as function 4. The training data applied by function 3 is collected under power consumption 3 of the first network device, and the state information of function 3 is unavailable. The training data applied by function 4 is collected under power consumption 4 of the first network device, and the state information of function 4 is available. Assuming that the current power consumption of the first network device is power consumption 4, the first network device can select cell 2 as the target cell.

[0278] The fourth information comprises first configuration information of the first function, and the first configuration information corresponds to the target cell. It can be understood that the fourth information comprises first configuration information corresponding to a model used to implement the first function in the target cell. For ease of description, a model used to implement the first function in the source cell is denoted as a first model, and a model used to implement the first function in the target cell is denoted as a second model.

[0279] As an example, the first model and the second model are the same. For example, the terminal performs model inference for the service of the first function in the source cell and the target cell, and the first model and the second model are used to implement AI-based beam management.

[0280] As another example, the first model and the second model are different. For example, the service of the terminal performing the first function in the source cell and the target cell is model inference, the first model is used to implement AI-based beam management, and the second model is used to implement CSI prediction. In this case, the fourth information is further used to indicate that the first function used by the terminal is deactivated in the source cell and / or the first function is activated in the target cell. In this way, the terminal can deactivate the first function used by the terminal in the source cell and / or activate the first function in the target cell.

[0281] Optionally, the fourth information can also be used to indicate that the terminal is switched from the source cell to the target cell.

[0282] Optionally, the fourth information can be carried in RRC signaling (such as handover configuration signaling, etc.), MAC CE, DCI or other signaling, which is not limited here.

[0283] The first configuration information is introduced below.

[0284] As an example, the service of the terminal performing the first function based on the first configuration information is model inference. For example, taking AI-based beam management as an example, the first configuration information is used to configure reference signal resources, and the terminal can perform measurement on the reference signal resources to obtain measurement quantities corresponding to each beam in SetB, such as RSRP. In this way, the terminal can perform model inference based on the measurement quantities corresponding to each beam in SetB in the target cell to perform the service of the first function. For example, the terminal inputs the measurement quantities corresponding to each beam in SetB into the first model corresponding to the first function in the target cell, and infers the Top-K beams in SetA.

[0285] As another example, the service of the terminal performing the first function based on the first configuration information is model monitoring. For example, taking CSI prediction as an example, the first configuration information can be used to configure reference signal resources, and the terminal can perform measurement on the reference signal resources to obtain the currently measured CSI. The terminal can also perform model inference based on the CSI in the previous period of time in the target cell to obtain the currently predicted CSI. For example, the terminal inputs the CSI in the previous period of time into the first model corresponding to the first function in the target cell, and infers the currently predicted CSI. In this way, the terminal can perform model monitoring based on the currently measured CSI and the currently predicted CSI. For example, the terminal can determine whether to adjust the parameters in the first model based on the similarity between the currently measured CSI and the currently predicted CSI. For example, if the similarity between the currently measured CSI and the currently predicted CSI is greater than a threshold, the terminal can not adjust the parameters in the first model. Conversely, if the similarity between the currently measured CSI and the currently predicted CSI is less than the threshold, the terminal adjusts the parameters in the first model.

[0286] It should be noted that the above is a part of the example of the first configuration information, and there can be other examples, which are not limited herein.

[0287] 604、The terminal switches to the target cell and performs the service of the first function in the target cell based on the first configuration information.

[0288] Optionally, the terminal can perform the service of the first function in the target cell based on the first configuration information when or after switching to the target cell. The process of the terminal performing the service of the first function in the target cell based on the first configuration information can refer to the description of the first configuration information in step 601, which is not described here.

[0289] As an example, steps 601 and 602 can be combined as a separate embodiment with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, for example, steps 601 and 602 can be performed after step 502 in FIG. 5. As another example, steps 603 and 604 can be combined as a separate embodiment with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, for example, steps 603 and 604 can be performed after step 502 in FIG. 5. As another example, steps 601 to 604 can be combined as a separate embodiment with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, for example, steps 601 to 604 can be performed after step 502 in FIG. 5.

[0290] It can be seen that in the above embodiment, the first network device can select a suitable first function for the current serving cell based on the information reported by the terminal, so that the terminal can perform the service corresponding to the first function in the current serving cell. Further, the first network device determines to switch to the target cell, and can also select a suitable first function for the target cell based on the information reported by the terminal, so that the terminal switches to the target cell and performs the service corresponding to the first function in the target cell, thereby guaranteeing the continuity of the terminal performing the service corresponding to the first function.

[0291] Referring to FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is a process of cell switching based on XN interface, and the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 can be combined with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, for example, further comprising the following steps based on the embodiment described in FIG. 5:

[0292] 701、The first network device determines the first function used by the terminal in the current serving cell based on the second information, and sends third configuration information of the first function to the terminal.

[0293] Correspondingly, the terminal receives the third configuration information from the first network device.

[0294] The step 701 is similar to the step 601 in FIG. 6, which is not described here.

[0295] 702、the terminal performs the service of the first function based on the third configuration information.

[0296] The step 702 is similar to the step 602 in FIG. 6, and thus no further description is given here.

[0297] 703、the first network device sends, to the second network device, ninth information based on the second information, the ninth information including at least one of: the status information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function including at least one cell of the second network device.

[0298] Correspondingly, the second network device receives the ninth information from the first network device.

[0299] The ninth information specifically includes which contents are similar to the second information in FIG. 5, and thus no further description is given here. For example, the ninth information at least includes the status information of the first function. Alternatively, the ninth information can further include the cell information corresponding to the first function and / or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function. Alternatively, the ninth information can further include the cell information corresponding to the first function and / or the M identifiers corresponding to the first function. Alternatively, the cell information corresponding to the first function in the ninth information can further include at least one cell of the first network device.

[0300] The first network device and the second network device can understand the meaning of the condition identifier. For example, the first network device and the second network device belong to the same manufacturer, or the first network device and the second network device sign a sharing function, such as the first function. In this way, the first network device and the second network device can understand the ninth information consistently.

[0301] Alternatively, the cell information corresponding to the first function is a group identifier, and the first network device and the second network device can interact with each other the group identifier, or the first network device and the second network device can interact with each other the information of the cell group, including the group identifier and / or the cells in the cell group identified by the group identifier. The specific interaction process can refer to the process of the first network device and the second network device interacting with each other the functions supported by themselves and / or the functions interested in in the step 501 in FIG. 5, and thus no further description is given here.

[0302] Alternatively, the ninth information further includes at least one of: the capability information of the terminal, or the third configuration information of the first function used by the terminal in the source cell.

[0303] The capability information of the terminal is used to indicate the functions supported by the terminal. For example, the capability information is used to indicate that the terminal supports at least one of: data collection, model training, model information publishing, model inference, model monitoring, model verification, or inference result publishing corresponding to the function.

[0304] The third configuration information is used for the terminal to perform the service of the first function in the source cell. The description of the third configuration information in step 601 of FIG. 6 can be referred to, and details are not described herein. The source cell is a cell in at least one cell of the first network device.

[0305] Optionally, in the ninth information, at least one of the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the capability information of the terminal, or the third configuration information can belong to the context of the terminal. Alternatively, at least one of the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the capability information of the terminal, or the third configuration information can be associated with the context of the terminal.

[0306] Optionally, the third configuration information can be referred to as AI or ML configuration, or AI or ML context, and the name thereof is not limited in the present application.

[0307] Optionally, the context of the terminal can include a next generation application protocol (NGAP) identifier and / or an access stratum (AS) security context, and details can be referred to an existing scheme, such as an existing version of a communication standard. Alternatively, a future communication standard, which is not listed herein.

[0308] Optionally, the ninth information can be carried in a handover request (HO request) message or other messages, which are not limited herein.

[0309] 704、The second network device sends eighth information to the first network device, and the eighth information includes first configuration information of the first function. The first configuration information corresponds to a target cell, and the target cell is a cell in at least one cell of the second network device.

[0310] Correspondingly, the first network device receives the eighth information from the second network device.

[0311] Optionally, the second network device sending the eighth information to the first network device can comprise: the second network device determining to switch to a target cell, and sending the eighth information to the first network device. For example, the signal quality of the target cell is greater than a certain threshold, the state information of the first function in the target cell is available, and the network condition indicated by the condition identifier corresponding to the first function matches the power consumption of the second network device and / or the number of antennas opened by the second network device. For example, the at least one cell of the second network device comprises cell 1 to cell 3, the signal quality of cell 1 and cell 2 is greater than a certain threshold, and the signal quality of cell 3 is less than a certain threshold. The second network device can select a target cell from cell 1 and cell 2. In cell 1, the first function corresponds to two condition identifiers, for the sake of distinction, one of the condition identifiers corresponding to the first function is recorded as function 1, and the other is recorded as function 2. The training data applied by function 1 is collected under the power consumption 1 of the second network device, and the state information of function 1 is unavailable. The training data applied by function 2 is collected under the power consumption 2 of the second network device, and the state information of function 2 is available. In cell 2, the first function corresponds to two condition identifiers, for the sake of distinction, one of the condition identifiers corresponding to the first function is recorded as function 3, and the other is recorded as function 4. The training data applied by function 3 is collected under the power consumption 3 of the second network device, and the state information of function 3 is unavailable. The training data applied by function 4 is collected under the power consumption 4 of the second network device, and the state information of function 4 is available. Assuming that the current power consumption of the second network device is power consumption 4, the second network device can select cell 2 as the target cell.

[0312] Optionally, the eighth information can also be used to indicate deactivating the first function used by the terminal in the source cell and / or activating the first function in the target cell. For example, the first function used by the terminal in the source cell and the first function used by the terminal in the target cell are different, and the eighth information can also be used to indicate deactivating the first function used by the terminal in the source cell and / or activating the first function in the target cell. Conversely, the terminal uses the first function in the source cell, and the terminal continues to use the first function in the target cell, and the eighth information can not indicate deactivating the first function used by the terminal in the source cell and / or activating the first function in the target cell.

[0313] Optionally, the eighth information is further used to instruct the terminal to report at least one of the following to the second network device: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function, wherein the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the second function is the cell of interest to the second network device. Alternatively, the eighth information is further used to instruct the terminal to report at least one of the following to the second network device: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or K identifiers corresponding to the second function. One of the identifiers indicates an association between the second function and a condition identifier. K is a positive integer.

[0314] The second function is a function implemented by at least one model, which can be referred to as a second AI function, a second AI (related) operation, or a second AI-related function. As an example, the second function and the at least one model corresponding to the second function can be interchangeably described, which is not limited herein.

[0315] Optionally, the number of functions of interest to the first network device can be one or more, which is not limited herein.

[0316] Optionally, the cell information corresponding to the second function is a cell identifier, which can be a cell identifier of a cell of interest to the second network device. Alternatively, the cell information corresponding to the second function is a group identifier, which can be a group identifier of at least one cell group to which a cell of interest to the second network device belongs. Optionally, the eighth information can be carried in a handover request acknowledgment (HO request ACK) message or other messages, which is not limited herein.

[0317] 705. The first network device sends fourth information to the terminal, wherein the fourth information comprises the first configuration information.

[0318] Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fourth information from the first network device.

[0319] Optionally, the fourth information is further used to instruct the terminal to report at least one of the following to the second network device: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function. Alternatively, the fourth information is further used to instruct the terminal to report at least one of the following to the second network device: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or K identifiers corresponding to the second function.

[0320] For example, in a case that the eighth information is further used to instruct the terminal to report, to the second network device, at least one of the following: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function, the fourth information can be further used to instruct the terminal to report, to the second network device, at least one of the following: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function.

[0321] For example, in a case that the eighth information is further used to instruct the terminal to report, to the second network device, at least one of the following: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the K identifiers corresponding to the second function, the fourth information can be further used to instruct the terminal to report, to the second network device, at least one of the following: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the K identifiers corresponding to the second function.

[0322] 706、The terminal switches to the target cell and performs the service of the first function in the target cell based on the first configuration information.

[0323] The step 706 is similar to the step 604 in FIG. 6, and thus no further description is given here.

[0324] The fifth information can be further sent by the terminal to the second network device when or after the terminal switches to the target cell.

[0325] Optionally, the fifth information includes at least one of the following: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function. For example, the fourth information can be further used to instruct the terminal to report, to the second network device, at least one of the following: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function, and the fifth information includes at least one of the following: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function.

[0326] Alternatively, the fifth information includes at least one of the following: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the K identifiers corresponding to the second function. For example, the fourth information can be further used to instruct the terminal to report, to the second network device, at least one of the following: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the K identifiers corresponding to the second function. The fifth information includes at least one of the following: the second function of interest to the second network device, the cell information corresponding to the second function, or the K identifiers corresponding to the second function.

[0327] The specific content of the fifth information is similar to that of the second information in FIG. 5, and thus no further description is given here.

[0328] Optionally, in the fifth information, the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function comprises at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function in a cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the second function. For example, the cells of interest of the second network device comprise cell 1 and cell 2, in the cell 1, the second function corresponds to two condition identifiers, and in the cell 2, the second function corresponds to two condition identifiers. That is, the second function can correspond to at least one condition identifier in different cells.

[0329] Optionally, the second function can correspond to different at least one condition identifier or the same at least one condition identifier in different cells.

[0330] As an example, the above steps 701 and 702 can be combined as a separate embodiment with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, for example, steps 701 and 702 can be executed after step 502 of FIG. 5. As another example, the above steps 703 to 706 can be combined as a separate embodiment with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, for example, steps 703 to 706 can be executed after step 502 of FIG. 5. As another example, steps 701 to 706 can be combined as a separate embodiment with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, for example, steps 701 to 706 can be executed after step 502 of FIG. 5.

[0331] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the first network device can select a suitable first function for the current serving cell based on the information reported by the terminal, such as the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, etc., so that the terminal can perform the service corresponding to the first function in the current serving cell. Further, the first network device can also send the information reported by the terminal to the second network device, so as to determine to switch to the target cell by the second network device, and select a suitable first function for the target cell based on the information reported by the terminal, so that the terminal switches to the target cell and performs the service corresponding to the first function in the target cell, thereby guaranteeing the continuity of the terminal performing the service corresponding to the first function.

[0332] Optionally, the embodiment described in FIG. 7 can also be applied to the process of cell switching based on the NG interface. That is, in FIG. 7, steps 703 and 704 are replaced by the following content, and the rest are similar. For example, step 703 of FIG. 7 can be understood as: the first network device sends the ninth information to the second network device through a network element in the core network, such as AMF. For example, the first network device sends the ninth information to the AMF, at this time the ninth information is carried in the handover required (HO required) message. The AMF sends the ninth information to the second network device, at this time the ninth information is carried in the handover request (HO request) message.

[0333] For example, step 704 in FIG. 7 can be understood as that the second network device sends the eighth information to the first network device through a network element in the core network, such as an AMF. For example, the second network device sends the eighth information to the AMF, and at this time the eighth information is carried in a handover request acknowledgement (HO request ACK) message. The AMF sends the eighth information to the first network device, and at this time the eighth information is carried in a handover command (HO command) message.

[0334] Referring to FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is a process of adding or modifying a secondary network device between multiple network devices, and the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 can be combined with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, for example, further comprising the following steps on the basis of the embodiment described in FIG. 5:

[0335] 801. The first network device sends eleventh information to the second network device, and the eleventh information includes at least one of the following: state information of the first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, and the cell information corresponding to the first function includes at least one cell of the second network device.

[0336] Correspondingly, the second network device receives the eleventh information from the first network device.

[0337] The contents of the eleventh information are similar to those of the second information in FIG. 5, and are not described here. For example, the eleventh information includes at least the state information of the first function. Alternatively, the eleventh information can further include the cell information corresponding to the first function and / or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function. Alternatively, the eleventh information can further include the cell information corresponding to the first function and / or the M identifiers corresponding to the first function.

[0338] The first network device and the second network device can understand the meaning of the condition identifier. For example, the first network device and the second network device belong to the same manufacturer, or the first network device and the second network device have signed a shared function, such as the first function.

[0339] Alternatively, the cell information corresponding to the first function is a group identifier, and the first network device and the second network device can interact with each other the group identifier, or the first network device and the second network device can interact with each other the information of the cell group, including the group identifier and / or the cells in the cell group identified by the group identifier. The specific interaction process can refer to the process of the first network device and the second network device interacting with each other the functions supported by themselves and / or the functions of interest in step 501 in FIG. 5, and is not described here.

[0340] Optionally, the eleventh information further comprises at least one of: capability information of the terminal, or fourth configuration information of a first function used by the terminal under the first network device.

[0341] The capability information of the terminal is used to indicate a function supported by the terminal. For example, the capability information is used to indicate that the terminal supports at least one of data collection, model training, model information publishing, model inference, model monitoring, model verification, or inference result publishing of the corresponding function.

[0342] The fourth configuration information is used for the terminal to perform a service of the first function under the first network device.

[0343] As an example, the service of the first function performed by the terminal based on the fourth configuration information is model inference. For example, taking AI-based beam management as an example, the fourth configuration information is used to configure a reference signal resource, and the terminal can perform measurement on the reference signal resource to obtain a measurement quantity corresponding to each beam in SetB, such as RSRP. In this way, the terminal can perform model inference based on the measurement quantity corresponding to each beam in SetB under the first network device to perform the service of the first function. For example, the terminal inputs the measurement quantity corresponding to each beam in SetB into a first model corresponding to the first function to infer Top-K beams in SetA.

[0344] As another example, the service of the first function performed by the terminal based on the fourth configuration information is model monitoring. For example, taking CSI prediction as an example, the fourth configuration information can be used to configure a reference signal resource, and the terminal can perform measurement on the reference signal resource to obtain a currently measured CSI. The terminal can also perform model inference based on the CSI in the previous period of time under the first network device to obtain a currently predicted CSI. For example, the terminal inputs the CSI in the previous period of time into a first model corresponding to the first function under the first network device to infer the currently predicted CSI. In this way, the terminal can perform model monitoring based on the currently measured CSI and the currently predicted CSI. For example, the terminal can determine whether to adjust the parameters in the first model based on the similarity between the currently measured CSI and the currently predicted CSI. For example, if the similarity between the currently measured CSI and the currently predicted CSI is greater than a threshold, the terminal can not adjust the parameters in the first model. Conversely, if the similarity between the currently measured CSI and the currently predicted CSI is less than the threshold, the terminal adjusts the parameters in the first model.

[0345] It should be noted that the above examples of the fourth configuration information can also have other examples, which are not limited in the present application.

[0346] Optionally, the fourth configuration information can be referred to as AI or ML configuration, or AI or ML context, and the name thereof is not limited in the present application.

[0347] Optionally, the eleventh information can be carried in a secondary station addition request message, a secondary station modification request message or other messages, which are not limited herein. Optionally, before step 801, the first network device and the plurality of secondary network devices (including the second network device) can interact their supported functions. The specific interaction process can refer to the process of the first network device and the second network device interacting their supported functions and / or interested functions based on the XN interface in step 501 of FIG. 5, which is not described herein. In one aspect, the first network device can select a secondary network device as the second network device based on the functions supported by the plurality of secondary network devices. For example, the first network device can select a secondary network device that can support functions as the second network device. In another aspect, the first network device can instruct the terminal to report the state information of the functions supported by the second network device.

[0348] 802、The second network device sends tenth information to the first network device, and the tenth information includes second configuration information of the first function, and the second configuration information corresponds to a cell in a secondary cell group, and the secondary cell group includes at least one cell of the second network device.

[0349] Correspondingly, the first network device receives the tenth information from the second network device.

[0350] As an example, the service of the first function performed by the terminal based on the second configuration information is model inference. For example, taking AI-based beam management as an example, the second configuration information is used to configure a reference signal resource, and the terminal can perform measurement on the reference signal resource to obtain a measurement quantity corresponding to each beam in SetB, such as RSRP. In this way, the terminal can perform model inference on the cells in the secondary cell group based on the measurement quantity corresponding to each beam in SetB to perform the service of the first function. For example, the terminal inputs the measurement quantity corresponding to each beam in SetB into a first model corresponding to the first function on the cells in the secondary cell group to infer Top-K beams in SetA.

[0351] As another example, the service of the first function performed by the terminal based on the second configuration information is model monitoring. For example, taking CSI prediction as an example, the second configuration information can be used to configure a reference signal resource, and the terminal can perform measurement on the reference signal resource to obtain a current measured CSI. The terminal can also perform model inference on the CSI in the previous period of time based on the CSI in the cells in the secondary cell group to obtain a current predicted CSI. For example, the terminal inputs the CSI in the previous period of time into a first model corresponding to the first function in the cells in the secondary cell group to infer a current predicted CSI. In this way, the terminal can perform model monitoring based on the current measured CSI and the current predicted CSI. For example, the terminal can determine whether to adjust the parameters in the first model based on the similarity between the current measured CSI and the current predicted CSI. For example, if the similarity between the current measured CSI and the current predicted CSI is greater than a threshold, the terminal can not adjust the parameters in the first model. Conversely, if the similarity between the current measured CSI and the current predicted CSI is less than the threshold, the terminal adjusts the parameters in the first model. The threshold can be set according to actual needs, which is not limited here.

[0352] It should be noted that the above examples of the second configuration information can also have other examples, which are not limited herein.

[0353] The cells in the secondary cell group can be primary secondary cells or secondary cells.

[0354] Optionally, the tenth information is further used to indicate that the first function is activated in the cells in the secondary cell group.

[0355] Optionally, the tenth information can be carried in a secondary station addition response message, a secondary station modification response message, or other messages, which are not described here. When the eleventh information is carried in a secondary station addition request message, the tenth information can be carried in a secondary station addition response message. When the eleventh information is carried in a secondary station modification request message, the tenth information can be carried in a secondary station modification response message.

[0356] 803、The first network device sends sixth information to the terminal, and the sixth information includes the second configuration information.

[0357] Correspondingly, the terminal receives the sixth information from the first network device.

[0358] Optionally, the sixth information can be carried in an RRC message, a MAC CE, a DCI, or other messages, which are not described here.

[0359] Optionally, the sixth information is further used to indicate that the first function is activated in the cells in the secondary cell group.

[0360] 804、The terminal accesses the second network device, and performs the service of the first function based on the second configuration information on the cells in the secondary cell group.

[0361] Optionally, when or after accessing the second network device, the terminal can perform the service of the first function based on the second configuration information on the cells in the secondary cell group. Optionally, the terminal accessing the second network device can be described as: the terminal accessing the cells in the secondary cell group. Wherein, the process that the terminal performs the service of the first function based on the second configuration information on the cells in the secondary cell group can refer to the description of the second configuration information in step 802, which is not described here.

[0362] Optionally, steps 801 to 804 can be executed after step 502 in FIG. 5.

[0363] It can be seen that in the above embodiments, the first network device can send the information reported by the terminal, such as the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, to the second network device, so that the second network device selects a suitable first function for the cells in the secondary cell group based on the information reported by the terminal, so that the terminal accesses the cells in the secondary cell group and performs the service corresponding to the first function in the cells in the secondary cell group, thereby guaranteeing the continuity of the terminal performing the service corresponding to the first function.

[0364] Optionally, the processing performed by a single execution subject (terminal or network device (such as the first network device or the second network device)) shown in any of the above embodiments can also be divided into processing executed by multiple execution subjects, which can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, the processing performed by the network device (such as the first network device or the second network device) can be divided into processing executed by at least one of the CU, the DU, the RU, and the RIC (such as the near-real-time RIC or the non-real-time RIC).

[0365] Case one, the condition identifier can be allocated by the CU and sent to the terminal together with the training data, so that the terminal can perform function training using the training data. In this case, the processing performed by the first network device can be performed by the CU in the first network device.

[0366] For example, the first network device sending the first information to the terminal in step 501 can be understood as: the CU in the first network device sending the first information to the terminal.

[0367] For example, the terminal sending the second information to the first network device in step 502 can be understood as: the terminal sending the second information to the CU in the first network device.

[0368] Optionally, in the scenario of no cell switching, the CU can further send third configuration information of the first function to the DU in the first network device, the third configuration information corresponding to the current serving cell. In this way, the DU processes the information after inference from the terminal accordingly. For example, the service of the first function performed by the terminal based on the third configuration information is model inference. Taking AI-based beam management as an example, the third configuration information is used to configure reference signal resources, and the terminal can perform measurement on the reference signal resources to obtain measurement quantities corresponding to each beam in SetB, such as RSRP. In this way, the terminal can perform model inference based on the measurement quantities corresponding to each beam in SetB in the current serving cell to perform the service of the first function. For example, the terminal inputs the measurement quantities corresponding to each beam in SetB into a first model corresponding to the first function in the current serving cell, and infers to obtain Top-K beams in SetA. The terminal can report the Top-K beams to the DU, and the DU can perform beam management based on the Top-K beams.

[0369] Optionally, in the scenario of non-cross-network-device cell switching, the CU can further send first configuration information of the first function to the DU, the first configuration information corresponding to the target cell, which is a cell in the at least one cell of the first network device. In this way, the DU processes the information after inference from the terminal accordingly. For example, the service of the first function performed by the terminal based on the first configuration information is model inference. Taking AI-based beam management as an example, the first configuration information is used to configure reference signal resources, and the terminal can perform measurement on the reference signal resources to obtain measurement quantities corresponding to each beam in SetB, such as RSRP. In this way, the terminal can perform model inference based on the measurement quantities corresponding to each beam in SetB in the target cell to perform the service of the first function. For example, the terminal inputs the measurement quantities corresponding to each beam in SetB into a first model corresponding to the first function in the target cell, and infers to obtain Top-K beams in SetA. The terminal can report the Top-K beams to the DU, and the DU can perform beam management based on the Top-K beams.

[0370] Case two, the condition identifier can be allocated by the DU of the first network device, and the condition identifier and the training data are sent to the CU, and then the CU sends the condition identifier and the training data to the terminal together, so that the terminal can use the training data to perform function training. Optionally, the DU can also send the condition identifier and the training data to the application server corresponding to the terminal. In this case, the processing performed by the first network device described above can be performed by the DU and / or the CU in the first network device.

[0371] For example, the first network device sending the first information to the terminal in step 501 can be understood as that a DU in the first network device sending the first information to the terminal. For example, the DU indicates the function of interest and / or the cell of interest to the CU, the CU generates the first information based on the indication of the DU, and the first information can be an RRC configuration. Alternatively, the DU generates the first information, and the first information can be an RRC container, and the DU sends the first information to the CU.

[0372] For example, the terminal sending the second information to the first network device in step 502 can be understood as that the terminal sending the second information to the CU in the first network device. The CU can send the second information to the DU. For example, the CU can send the information related to the DU in the second information to the DU. For example, the second information includes at least one of the following: the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, and the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function in the second information includes at least one cell of the first network device. That is, the CU indicates the state information of the first function and / or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function in at least one cell of the first network device to the DU.

[0373] Alternatively, the DU can also decide to activate the corresponding function and indicate the assistance information to the CU. For example, the function identifier of the first function, and the indication that the terminal reports the inference result to the first network device. In this way, the CU can generate the corresponding configuration information based on the assistance information. For example, in the scenario of no cell switching, the CU can send the third configuration information of the first function to the terminal and the DU, and the third configuration information corresponds to the current serving cell. In this way, the DU performs corresponding processing on the information after inference from the terminal. For example, the service of the first function performed by the terminal based on the third configuration information is model inference. Taking AI-based beam management as an example, the third configuration information is used to configure reference signal resources, and the terminal can perform measurement on the reference signal resources to obtain the measurement quantity corresponding to each beam in SetB, such as RSRP. In this way, the terminal can perform model inference based on the measurement quantity corresponding to each beam in SetB in the current serving cell to perform the service of the first function. For example, the terminal inputs the measurement quantity corresponding to each beam in SetB into the first model corresponding to the first function in the current serving cell, and infers to obtain the Top-K beams in SetA. The terminal can report the Top-K beams to the DU, and the DU can perform beam management based on the Top-K beams.

[0374] It should be noted that the method shown in any of the embodiments of FIGS. 5 to 8 is described by taking the first function as an example, and in actual application, a larger number of functions can be involved. That is, after the first network device instructs the terminal to report the state information of any function, the steps performed by the terminal, the steps performed by the first network device, the steps performed by the second network device, etc. can all refer to the method shown in any of the embodiments of FIGS. 5 to 8, and will not be described here.

[0375] Wherein, when or after the first network device obtains the content reported by the terminal, the cell switching can not be performed, for example, the steps 601 and 602 can be combined with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 as a separate embodiment. At this time, the first network device can select the function used by the terminal in the current serving cell, for example, in step 601, the first function is described as an example, and other functions such as the third function can also be used. Wherein, the third function is different from the first function. For example, the service of the terminal executing the first function is model inference, and the service of the terminal executing the third function is model monitoring. Conversely, the same can also be true.

[0376] Or, when or after the first network device obtains the content reported by the terminal, the non-cross-network-device cell switching can be performed, for example, the steps 603 and 604 can be combined with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 as a separate embodiment, or for example, the steps 601 to 604 can be combined with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 as a separate embodiment. At this time, the first network device can select the function used by the terminal in the target cell based on the second information, for example, in step 603, the first function is described as an example, and other functions such as the third function can also be used. That is, the function used by the terminal in the source cell and the function used by the terminal in the target cell can be the same or different. For example, the terminal uses the first function in the source cell, and the terminal also uses the first function in the target cell. Or, the terminal uses the first function in the source cell, and the terminal uses the third function in the target cell. Conversely, the same can also be true.

[0377] Alternatively, the cross-network device cell handover can be performed when or after the first network device obtains the content reported by the terminal, for example, the steps 703 to 706 described above can be combined with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 as a separate embodiment, or for example, the steps 701 to 706 described above can be combined with the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 as a separate embodiment. At this time, the first network device can send the ninth information to the second network device based on the second information. The functions involved in the ninth information can include the functions involved in the second information. For example, assuming that the second information includes the state information of the first function and the state information of the third function, the ninth information also includes the state information of the first function and the state information of the third function. Alternatively, assuming that the second information includes the state information of the first function and the state information of the third function, the cell information of the first function includes at least one cell of the first network device, and the cell information of the third function includes at least one cell of the second network device, the ninth information can include the state information of the third function, that is, the ninth information can include the state information of the function in at least one cell of the second network device. That is, the functions involved in the ninth information can be the same as or different from the functions involved in the second information.

[0378] Alternatively, the function used by the terminal for the target cell can be selected when or after the second network device obtains the ninth information, for example, the first function is described in the step 704, and other functions such as the third function can also be used. That is, the function used by the terminal in the source cell and the function used by the terminal in the target cell can be the same or different. For example, the terminal uses the first function in the source cell, and the terminal also uses the first function in the target cell. Alternatively, the terminal uses the first function in the source cell, and the terminal uses the third function in the target cell. Conversely, the same is true.

[0379] It can be understood that the above devices include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function in order to achieve the above functions. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in hardware or computer software driven hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0380] The embodiments of the present application can divide the functional modules of the terminal or the network device (such as the first network device or the second network device) according to the above method examples. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one processing module. The above integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module. It should be noted that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division mode can be used.

[0381] Referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 900 can be applied to the method shown in any of the embodiments of FIGS. 5 to 8. As shown in FIG. 9, the communication apparatus 900 includes a processing module 901 and a transceiver module 902. The processing module 901 can be one or more processors, and the transceiver module 902 can be a transceiver or a communication interface. The communication apparatus can be used to implement the functions of the terminal or the network device (such as the first network device or the second network device) involved in any of the above method embodiments, or to implement the functions of the network element involved in any of the above method embodiments. The network element or network function can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on a special hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform). Optionally, the communication apparatus 900 can further include a storage module 903 for storing the program code and data of the communication apparatus 900.

[0382] An example is that the communication apparatus serves as a terminal or a chip applied to a terminal, that is, a chip for a terminal, and performs the steps performed by the terminal in the above method embodiments. The transceiver module 902 is configured to specifically perform the sending and / or receiving actions performed by the terminal in any of the embodiments of FIGS. 5 to 8, for example, to support the terminal to perform other processes of the technologies described herein. The processing module 901 can be configured to support the communication apparatus 900 to perform the processing actions in the above method embodiments, for example, to support the terminal to perform other processes of the technologies described herein.

[0383] For example, the transceiver module 902 is configured to: receive first information from the first network device, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to report state information of a first function to the first network device; and send second information to the first network device, the second information including at least one of the following: the state information of the first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the condition identifier being used to indicate a network condition to which the function is applicable. The cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function includes at least one cell of the first network device and / or at least one cell of the second network device.

[0384] Optionally, the transceiver 902 is further configured to receive third information from the first network device, the third information being used to indicate that the first network device has a continuity requirement for the service of the terminal.

[0385] Optionally, the transceiver 902 is further configured to receive fourth information from the first network device, the fourth information comprising first configuration information of the first function, the first configuration information corresponding to a target cell, the target cell being a cell in at least one cell of the first network device or the second network device. The processing module 901 is further configured to switch to the target cell and perform the service of the first function in the target cell based on the first configuration information.

[0386] Optionally, the target cell is a cell in at least one cell of the second network device, and after switching to the target cell, the transceiver 902 is further configured to send fifth information to the second network device, the fifth information comprising at least one of the following: a second function of interest to the second network device, cell information corresponding to the second function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function, the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the second function being a cell of interest to the second network device.

[0387] Optionally, the transceiver 902 is further configured to receive sixth information from the first network device, the sixth information comprising second configuration information of the first function, the second configuration information corresponding to a cell in a secondary cell group, the cell in the secondary cell group comprising at least one cell of the second network device. The processing module 901 is further configured to access the second network device and perform the service of the first function in the cell in the secondary cell group based on the second configuration information.

[0388] An example, when the communication device is used as a network device or is applied to a chip in a network device (such as the first network device or the second network device), i.e., a chip for the network device (such as the first network device or the second network device), and performs the steps performed by the network device (such as the first network device or the second network device) in the above method embodiments. The transceiver 902 is used to specifically perform the sending and / or receiving actions performed by the network device (such as the first network device or the second network device) in any embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, for example, supporting the network device to perform other processes of the technology described herein. The processing module 901 can be used to support the communication device 900 to perform the processing actions in the above method embodiments, for example, supporting the network device to perform other processes of the technology described herein.

[0389] The transceiver module 902 is configured to send first information to the terminal, where the first information is used to instruct the terminal to report state information of the first function to the first network device; and receive second information from the terminal, where the second information includes at least one of the following: the state information of the first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the condition identifier being used to indicate a network condition to which the function is applicable. The cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function includes at least one cell of the first network device and / or at least one cell of the second network device.

[0390] Optionally, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to receive seventh information from the second network device, where the seventh information is used to indicate a cell of interest of the second network device and / or a function of interest of the second network device. Alternatively, the seventh information is used to indicate a function supported by the second network device.

[0391] Optionally, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to send third information to the terminal, where the third information is used to indicate that the first network device has a continuity requirement for a service of the terminal.

[0392] Optionally, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to send fourth information to the terminal, where the fourth information includes first configuration information of the first function, the first configuration information corresponding to a target cell, and the first configuration information being used for the terminal to perform a service of the first function in the target cell, the target cell being a cell in at least one cell of the first network device or the second network device.

[0393] Optionally, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to receive eighth information from the second network device, where the eighth information includes the first configuration information.

[0394] Optionally, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to send ninth information to the second network device, where the ninth information includes at least one of the following: capability information of the terminal, third configuration information of the first function used by the terminal in a source cell, the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the capability information of the terminal being used to indicate a function supported by the terminal, and the third configuration information being used for the terminal to perform a service of the first function in the source cell.

[0395] Optionally, the transceiver module 902 is further configured to send sixth information to the terminal, where the sixth information includes second configuration information of the first function, the second configuration information corresponding to a cell in a secondary cell group, the cell in the secondary cell group including at least one cell of the second network device, and the second configuration information being used for the terminal to perform a service of the first function in the cell in the secondary cell group.

[0396] Optionally, the transceiver 902 is further configured to receive tenth information from the second network device, the tenth information comprising second configuration information of the first function, the second configuration information corresponding to cells in the secondary cell group, the cells in the secondary cell group comprising at least one cell of the second network device, and the second configuration information being used for the terminal to perform service of the first function on the cells in the secondary cell group.

[0397] Optionally, the transceiver 902 is further configured to send eleventh information to the second network device, the eleventh information comprising at least one of the following: capability information of the terminal, fourth configuration information of the first function used by the terminal under the first network device, status information of the first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the capability information of the terminal being used to indicate a function supported by the terminal, and the fourth configuration information being used for the terminal to perform service of the first function under the first network device.

[0398] Optionally, the transceiver 902 is configured to: receive ninth information from the first network device, the ninth information comprising at least one of the following: status information of the first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, and the cell information corresponding to the first function comprising at least one cell of the second network device; and send eighth information to the first network device, the eighth information comprising first configuration information of the first function, the first configuration information corresponding to a target cell, the target cell being a cell in the at least one cell of the second network device, and the first configuration information being used for the terminal to perform service of the first function on the target cell.

[0399] Optionally, after the target cell establishes a communication connection with the terminal, the transceiver 902 is further configured to receive fifth information from the terminal, the fifth information comprising at least one of the following: a second function of interest of the second network device, cell information corresponding to the second function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function, and the cell information corresponding to the second function indicating a cell of interest of the second network device.

[0400] Optionally, the transceiver 902 is further configured to send seventh information to the first network device, wherein the seventh information is used to indicate a cell of interest of the second network device and / or a function of interest of the second network device, or the seventh information is used to indicate a function supported by the second network device.

[0401] The transceiving module 902 is configured to receive the eleventh information from the first network device, the eleventh information comprising at least one of the following: the state information of the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function, or the at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the cell information corresponding to the first function comprising at least one cell of the second network device; and send the tenth information to the first network device, the tenth information comprising the second configuration information of the first function, the second configuration information corresponding to a secondary cell, the secondary cell being a cell in the at least one cell of the second network device, and the second configuration information being used for the terminal to perform the service of the first function on the secondary cell.

[0402] In a possible implementation, when the apparatus is a chip, the transceiving module 902 can be a communication interface, a pin, a circuit, or the like. The communication interface can be configured to input data to be processed to the processor, and output the processing result of the processor to the outside. In a specific implementation, the communication interface can be a general purpose input output (GPIO) interface, and can be connected with a plurality of peripheral devices, such as a display (LCD), a camera, a radio frequency (RF) module, an antenna, and the like. The communication interface is connected with the processor through a bus.

[0403] The processing module 901 can be a processing circuit, which can be one or more processors, or all or part of circuitry in the one or more processors for control and / or processing. The processing circuit or the processor can execute computer-executed instructions stored in the storage module to enable the chip to perform the methods related to any of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 to 8. Further, the processor can include a controller, an arithmetic unit, and a register. For example, the controller is mainly responsible for instruction decoding and sending control signals for corresponding operations of instructions. The arithmetic unit is mainly responsible for performing fixed-point or floating-point arithmetic operations, shift operations, and logic operations, etc., and can also perform address operations and conversion. The register is mainly responsible for saving the register operands and intermediate operation results temporarily stored during the instruction execution process, etc. In a specific implementation, the hardware architecture of the processor can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) architecture, a microprocessor without interlocked piped stages architecture (MIPS) architecture, an advanced RISC machines (ARM) architecture, or a network processor (NP) architecture, etc. The processor can be single-core or multi-core. The storage module can be a storage module within the chip, such as a register, a cache, etc. The storage module can also be a storage module located outside the chip, such as a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0404] It should be noted that the functions of the processor and the interface corresponding to each other can be implemented by hardware design, software design, or a combination of software and hardware, which is not limited here.

[0405] FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application. It can be understood that the communication apparatus 1010 includes necessary means such as modules, units, elements, circuits or interfaces, etc., which are properly configured together to perform the present solution. The communication apparatus 1010 can be the terminal or the network device (such as the first network device or the second network device) described above, or can be a component (such as a chip) of the terminal or the network device, to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. The communication apparatus 1010 includes one or more processors 1011. The processor 1011 can be a general purpose processor or a special purpose processor, etc. For example, it can be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication apparatus (such as the terminal, the network device (such as the first network device or the second network device), or the chip, etc.), execute software programs, and process data of the software programs.

[0406] Optionally, in one design, the processor 1011 can include a program 1013 (which can also be referred to as code or instructions at times) that can be run on the processor 1011, so that the communication apparatus 1010 performs the methods described in the above embodiments. In another possible design, the communication apparatus 1010 includes a circuit (not shown in FIG. 10) for implementing the functions of the terminal, the network device (such as the first network device or the second network device), etc. in the above embodiments.

[0407] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1010 can include one or more memories 1012 having a program 1014 (which can also be referred to as code or instructions at times) stored thereon, which can be run on the processor 1011, so that the communication apparatus 1010 performs the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0408] Optionally, the processor 1011 and / or the memory 1012 can also store data. The processor and the memory can be separately arranged, or can be integrated together.

[0409] Optionally, the processor 1011 and / or the memory 1012 can include an AI module 1017, an AI module 1018, which is used to implement AI-related functions. The AI module can be implemented in a software, hardware, or software-hardware combined manner. For example, the AI module can include a RIC module. For example, the AI module can be a near-real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0410] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1010 is a terminal or a network device (e.g., the first network device or the second network device), and further includes a transceiver 1015 and / or an antenna 1016. The processor 1011 can also be referred to as a processing unit, and controls the communication apparatus (e.g., the terminal or the network device (e.g., the first network device or the second network device)). The transceiver 1015 can also be referred to as a transceiving unit, a transceiver, a transceiving circuit, or a transceiver, and is configured to perform the transceiving function of the communication apparatus via the antenna 1016.

[0411] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1010 is a chip for a terminal or a network device (e.g., the first network device or the second network device), and further includes a transceiving circuit, such as an input / output interface or a transceiving interface.

[0412] The embodiments of the present application further provide a communication apparatus, which includes at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform the method described in any of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 to 8.

[0413] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed, the computer performs the method described in any of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 to 8.

[0414] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, which includes computer program codes, and when the computer program codes are run by a computer, the computer performs the method described in any of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 to 8.

[0415] The embodiments of the present application further provide a chip, which includes at least one processor and an interface, and the processor is configured to read and execute instructions stored in a memory, and when the instructions are run, the chip performs the method described in any of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 to 8.

[0416] In addition, the embodiments of the present application are only described by way of example with all the steps included therein, and should not be regarded as a specific limitation of the present application. For example, the order between the steps in the embodiments can be simply changed according to the functions and the inherent logic; for another example, the steps in the embodiments can be executed in whole or in part, as long as the same functions as in the embodiments of the present application can be achieved.

[0417] In the present application, "sending" and "receiving" represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to a network device" can be understood as that the destination of the information is the network device, which can include direct transmission through the air interface, and also includes indirect transmission through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from a network device" can be understood as that the source of the information is the network device, which can include direct reception from the network device through the air interface, and also includes indirect reception from the network device through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0418] In other words, sending and receiving can be between devices, for example, between a network device and a terminal; or can be within a device, for example, between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within the device through a bus, wire or interface.

[0419] In the embodiments of the present application, "when", "if", "whether" and "in the case of" all refer to the objective situation that the device will make corresponding processing, and are not limited to time, and do not require the device to have a judgment action when implemented, nor mean that there are other limitations.

[0420] In the present application, the words "example", "exemplary", "for example", or "for instance" are used to indicate that the related concept is an example, illustration or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "example", "exemplary", "for example" or "for instance" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the words "example", "exemplary", "for example" or "for instance" are intended to present the related concept in a specific manner.

[0421] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive first information from a first network device, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to report the status information of a first function to the first network device; Send second information to the first network device, the second information including at least one of the following: status information of the first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, the condition identifier being used to indicate the network conditions applicable to the function; The cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function includes at least one cell of the first network device and / or at least one cell of the second network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first function is a function of interest to either the first network device or the second network device; and / or, The first function is a function supported by the first network device or the second network device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate a cell identifier list, the cell identifier list including cell information corresponding to the first function; or, At least one cell of the first network device includes the terminal’s current serving cell and / or neighboring cells.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, At least one cell of the second network device includes a cell of interest to the second network device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first function includes at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function in the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The first information is also used to instruct the terminal to report at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function to the first network device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives third information from the first network device, the third information indicating that the first network device has a service continuity requirement for the terminal.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive fourth information from the first network device, the fourth information including first configuration information of the first function, the first configuration information corresponding to a target cell, the target cell being a cell in at least one of the cells of the first network device or the second network device; Switch to the target cell and perform the first function service in the target cell based on the first configuration information.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The fourth information is also used to indicate deactivating the first function used by the terminal in the source cell and / or activating the first function in the target cell, wherein the source cell is a cell in at least one of the cells of the first network device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 8 or 9, characterized in that, The target cell is a cell in at least one of the cells of the second network device. After switching to the target cell, the method further includes: Send a fifth message to the second network device, the fifth message including at least one of the following: a second function of interest to the second network device, cell information corresponding to the second function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function, wherein the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the second function is a cell of interest to the second network device.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The fourth information is also used to instruct the terminal to report at least one of the following to the second network device: the second function, cell information corresponding to the second function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive sixth information from the first network device, the sixth information including second configuration information of the first function, the second configuration information corresponding to a cell in a secondary cell group, the cells in the secondary cell group including at least one cell of the second network device; The second network device is accessed, and the first function is performed in the cell of the secondary cell group based on the second configuration information.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The sixth piece of information is also used to indicate the activation of the first function in the secondary cell.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send first information to the terminal, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to report the status information of the first function to the first network device; The terminal receives second information, which includes at least one of the following: status information of the first function, cell information corresponding to the first function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function, wherein the condition identifier is used to indicate the network conditions applicable to the function. The cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function includes at least one cell of the first network device and / or at least one cell of the second network device.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first function is a function of interest to either the first network device or the second network device; and / or, The first function is a function supported by the first network device or the second network device.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate a cell identifier list, the cell identifier list including cell information corresponding to the first function; or, At least one cell of the first network device includes the terminal’s current serving cell and / or neighboring cells.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The cells indicated by the cell identifier list are determined based on the historical movement trajectory of the terminal.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14-17, characterized in that, At least one cell of the second network device includes a cell of interest to the second network device.

19. The method according to claim 15 or 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the seventh message from the second network device; The seventh piece of information is used to indicate the cells and / or functions that the second network device is interested in; or, The seventh piece of information is used to indicate the functions supported by the second network device.

20. The method according to any one of claims 15-19, characterized in that, The first function includes at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function in the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the first function.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first information is also used to instruct the terminal to report at least one condition identifier corresponding to the first function to the first network device.

22. The method according to any one of claims 15-21, characterized in that, The method further includes: A third message is sent to the terminal, the third message being used to indicate that the first network device has a service continuity requirement for the terminal.

23. The method according to any one of claims 15-22, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send fourth information to the terminal, the fourth information including first configuration information of the first function, the first configuration information corresponding to a target cell, the first configuration information being used by the terminal to perform the service of the first function in the target cell, the target cell being a cell in at least one of the cells of the first network device or the second network device.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The fourth information is also used to instruct the deactivation of the first function used by the terminal in the source cell and / or the activation of the first function in the target cell, wherein the source cell is a cell in at least one of the cells of the first network device.

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that, The fourth information is also used to instruct the terminal to report at least one of the following to the second network device: a second function of interest to the second network device, cell information corresponding to the second function, or at least one condition identifier corresponding to the second function, wherein the cell indicated by the cell information corresponding to the second function is a cell of interest to the second network device.

26. The method according to any one of claims 15-22, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal sends a sixth message, which includes second configuration information for the first function. The second configuration information corresponds to a cell in the secondary cell group. The second configuration information is used by the terminal to perform the service of the first function in the cell in the secondary cell group. The cell in the secondary cell group includes at least one cell of the second network device.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes units or modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 26.

29. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes at least one processor and an interface, the processor being configured to read and execute instructions stored in a memory, which, when executed, cause the chip to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

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