Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a terminal device receiving a first configuration, and if the terminal device enters a low power mode when performing data collection, sending first information and then receiving second information, or stopping data collection or retransmitting the first information after a first duration has elapsed, wherein the first configuration is used for the terminal device to perform data collection, the lower power mode indicates that the battery level of the terminal device is lower than a first threshold, the first information is used for instructing the terminal device to enter the low power mode and / or instructing the terminal device to request to stop data collection, and the second information is used for instructing to stop data collection. If a terminal device enters a low power mode when performing data collection, the terminal device can report first information, such that an operation permission of the terminal device to stop data collection is controlled by a network device, further enabling the terminal device to correctly process data collection in the low power mode.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202411401044.5, filed on September 30, 2024, and entitled “A Communication Method and Apparatus”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety; and this application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202411599359.5, filed on November 08, 2024, and entitled “A Communication Method and Apparatus”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0004] Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology that simulates human brain to perform complex calculations. With the improvement of data storage and computing power, AI has been increasingly applied. For example, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) standard proposes to apply AI to a new radio (NR) communication system to improve network performance and user experience through intelligent collection and data analysis.

[0005] At present, for data collection (such as AI data collection) on the terminal device side, after the terminal device receives the data collection configuration from the network side, if the terminal device enters or is in a low power mode, in order to save the power of the terminal device, some adjustments (or processing) need to be made to the data collection. However, the current standard does not specify how the terminal device in the low power mode adjusts the data collection. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus to realize correct processing of data collection.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device or a module (such as a processor, a processing unit, a chip system, a circuit or a chip, etc.) in the terminal device. Optionally, the method can also be implemented by a logic node, a logic module or software which can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal device. Exemplarily, the following takes the terminal device executing the communication method as an example. The method can include the following steps: the terminal device receives a first configuration, if the terminal device enters a low power mode in a data collection process, the terminal device can send first information, then the terminal device can receive second information, or can stop the data collection or resend the first information after a first time period, wherein the first configuration is used for the terminal device to collect data, the low power mode means that the power of the terminal device is lower than a first threshold, the first information is used to indicate that the terminal device enters the low power mode and / or the terminal device requests to stop the data collection, and the second information is used to indicate to stop the data collection.

[0008] In the method, if the terminal device enters the low power mode in the data collection process, the terminal device can report the first information used to indicate that the terminal device enters the low power mode and / or to indicate that the terminal device requests to stop the data collection, so that the operation permission of the terminal device to stop the data collection is controlled by the receiving device (such as a network device). Optionally, the terminal device can receive the second information used to indicate to stop the data collection, so that the receiving device can effectively control the operation permission of the terminal device to stop the data collection, and further make the terminal device correctly process the data collection (or process the received first configuration) in the low power mode. Alternatively, the terminal device can also decide to stop the data collection by itself, i.e. to stop the data collection after the first time period. Therefore, the method realizes the correct processing of the data collection.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner provided in the first aspect, the second information can also be used to indicate to retain the first configuration; or the second information can also be used to indicate to release the first configuration.

[0010] In the above implementation manner, by indicating to retain the first configuration through the second information, the terminal device can be facilitated to quickly recover the data collection subsequently. By indicating to release the first configuration through the second information, the terminal device can be facilitated to accurately release the first configuration according to the actual situation, so that the terminal device releases the first configuration more flexibly.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner provided in the first aspect, the second information indicating to release the first configuration can include:

[0012] The second information indicates to release the first configuration when a first condition is met; or

[0013] The second information indicates to immediately release the first configuration.

[0014] In the implementation manners above, the terminal device can release the first configuration when the first condition is met, or can also release the first configuration immediately, which can facilitate the terminal device to accurately release the first configuration according to actual conditions, so that the terminal device is more flexible in releasing the first configuration and can meet different requirements.

[0015] In a possible implementation manner provided in the first aspect, in the case where the second information indicates that the first configuration is released when the first condition is met, the first condition can include a second time length, where the second time length is a reserved time length of the first configuration.

[0016] The method further includes:

[0017] After the second time length elapses, the terminal device releases the first configuration.

[0018] The implementation manners above can implement delayed release of the first configuration, so that the first configuration is reserved within the first time length, and the first configuration can be released after the first time length elapses, which can enable the terminal device to quickly resume data collection according to the reserved first configuration when the terminal device exits the low power mode within the first time length.

[0019] In a possible implementation manner provided in the first aspect, in the case where the second information indicates that the first configuration is released when the first condition is met, the first condition can include a first area,

[0020] The method further includes:

[0021] After the terminal device exits the first area, the terminal device can release the first configuration. For example, the first area can refer to a serving cell where the terminal device is currently located, or can also be another area.

[0022] The implementation manners above can implement the first configuration valid in a specific area (for example, the first area), and if the terminal device exits the specific area, the first configuration can be released, which can enable the terminal device to quickly resume data collection according to the reserved first configuration when the terminal device exits the low power mode in the specific area.

[0023] In a possible implementation manner provided in the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0024] If the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can send third information, where the third information is used to indicate that the terminal device exits the low power mode; and / or,

[0025] The terminal device can resume data collection according to the first configuration.

[0026] In the implementation manner, after the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can resume data collection in time and effectively according to the first configuration, and / or, the network device can be notified of the situation that the terminal device has exited the low power mode, so that the network device can make corresponding adjustment in time for data collection, thereby the terminal device can correctly process data collection after exiting the low power mode.

[0027] In a possible implementation manner provided in the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0028] The terminal device can receive a second configuration, where the second configuration is used for data collection of the terminal device.

[0029] The implementation manner can facilitate the terminal device to reconfigure the configuration used for data collection, thereby the terminal device can resume data collection in time and effectively.

[0030] In a second aspect, the application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or a module (such as a processor, a processing unit, a chip system, a circuit or a chip, etc.) in the network device. Alternatively, the method can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software which can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. Exemplarily, the following takes the network device executing the communication method as an example. The method can include the following steps: the network device can send a first configuration, then the network device can receive first information, then the network device can send second information or re-receive the first information, where the first configuration is used for data collection of the terminal device, the first information is used for indicating that the terminal device enters a low power mode and / or the terminal device requests to stop data collection, the low power mode indicates that the power of the terminal device is lower than a first threshold, and the second information is used for indicating to stop data collection.

[0031] The technical effects achieved by the second aspect can refer to the technical effects achieved by the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0032] In a possible implementation manner provided in the second aspect, the second information can further be used for indicating to retain the first configuration; or the second information can further be used for indicating to release the first configuration.

[0033] The technical effects achieved by the implementation manner can refer to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding implementation manner provided in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0034] In a possible implementation manner provided in the second aspect, the second information indicating to release the first configuration can include:

[0035] The second information indicates to release the first configuration when a first condition is met; or

[0036] The second information indicates to release the first configuration immediately.

[0037] The technical effects achieved by the above implementation manners can refer to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding implementation manners provided in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0038] In a possible implementation manner provided in the second aspect, in the case where the second information indicates to release the first configuration when the first condition is met, the first condition can include a second time length, where the second time length is a reserved time length of the first configuration.

[0039] The technical effects achieved by the above implementation manners can refer to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding implementation manners provided in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0040] In a possible implementation manner provided in the second aspect, in the case where the second information indicates to release the first configuration when the first condition is met, the first condition can include a first area.

[0041] The technical effects achieved by the above implementation manners can refer to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding implementation manners provided in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0042] In a possible implementation manner provided in the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0043] The network device can receive third information, where the third information can be used to indicate the terminal device to exit the low power mode.

[0044] The technical effects achieved by the above implementation manners can refer to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding implementation manners provided in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0045] In a possible implementation manner provided in the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0046] The network device can send second configuration, where the second configuration can be used for the terminal device to collect data.

[0047] The technical effects achieved by the above implementation manners can refer to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding implementation manners provided in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0048] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, in the case where the first information indicates that the terminal device requests to stop data collection, the first information can further include first indication information, where the first indication information can be used to indicate the terminal device to enter the low power mode.

[0049] In the foregoing implementation, by carrying the first indication information in the first information, the network device can learn the reason why the terminal device requests to stop data collection (or can be understood as learning why the terminal device requests to stop data collection) in a timely and accurate manner, so that the network device can more accurately make the terminal device stop data collection, and the network device can make corresponding data collection adjustment in a timely manner.

[0050] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a terminal device or a module (such as a processor, a processing unit, a chip system, a circuit or a chip, etc.) in the terminal device. Alternatively, the method can also be implemented by a logic node, a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. Exemplarily, the following takes the terminal device as an example to perform the communication method. The method can include the following steps: receiving, by the terminal device, a third configuration, and sending, by the terminal device, fourth information if the terminal device is in a low power mode, wherein the third configuration can be used for data collection of the terminal device, the low power mode indicates that the power of the terminal device is lower than a first threshold, and the fourth information can be used to indicate that the third configuration is configured successfully, or the fourth information can be used to indicate that the third configuration is configured unsuccessfully.

[0051] In the method, after the terminal device receives the third configuration for data collection from the network device in the low power mode, the terminal device feeds back the fourth information to the network device in the case that the third configuration is configured successfully or unsuccessfully, so that the network device can learn the configuration of the third configuration in a timely and effective manner, thereby the network device can make corresponding adjustment for data collection in a timely manner, and the terminal device can correctly process data collection (or process the received third configuration) in the low power mode.

[0052] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, in the case that the fourth information indicates that the third configuration is configured successfully, the method further includes:

[0053] If the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can perform data collection.

[0054] In the foregoing implementation, after the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can perform data collection in a timely and effective manner according to the third configuration.

[0055] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, in the case that the fourth information indicates that the third configuration is configured unsuccessfully, the method further includes:

[0056] If the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can send fifth information, wherein the fifth information is used to indicate that the terminal device exits the low power mode.

[0057] In the implementation mode, after the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can timely feed back to the network device that the terminal device has exited the low power mode, so that the network device can make corresponding adjustment in a timely manner for data collection.

[0058] In a possible implementation mode provided in the third aspect, in the case that the terminal device exits the low power mode, the method further includes:

[0059] When the data reporting condition is met, the terminal device can send the first data; or,

[0060] The terminal device can send the sixth information, wherein the sixth information can be used to indicate that the data collection has been completed.

[0061] The implementation mode can realize that the terminal device notifies the network device in a timely manner that the data collection has been completed after the terminal device exits the low power mode, and the network device determines whether to use the data collected by the terminal device or determines whether to let the terminal device report the collected data, so that the data reporting is effectively controlled by the network device, thereby realizing accurate reporting of collected data and flexible data reporting, and further meeting the data reporting requirements of the network device.

[0062] In the fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or a module (such as a processor, a processing unit, a chip system, a circuit or a chip, etc.) in the network device. Alternatively, the method can also be realized by a logical node, a logical module or software which can realize all or part of the functions of the network device. Exemplarily, the following takes the network device executing the communication method as an example. The method can include the following steps: the network device sends a third configuration, and then the network device can receive fourth information, wherein the third configuration is used for data collection of the terminal device, and the fourth information can be used to indicate that the third configuration is configured successfully, or the fourth information can be used to indicate that the third configuration is configured unsuccessfully.

[0063] The technical effects achieved by the fourth aspect can refer to the technical effects achieved by the third aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0064] In a possible implementation mode provided in the fourth aspect, in the case that the fourth information indicates that the third configuration is configured unsuccessfully, the method further includes:

[0065] The network device can receive the fifth information, wherein the fifth information can be used to indicate that the terminal device exits the low power mode.

[0066] The technical effects achieved by the implementation mode can refer to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding implementation mode provided in the third aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0067] In a possible implementation manner provided in the fourth aspect, the method further includes:

[0068] The network device can receive the first data; or

[0069] The network device can receive sixth information, where the sixth information can be used to indicate that the data collection has been completed.

[0070] The technical effects achieved by the above implementation manners can refer to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding implementation manners provided in the third aspect, which will not be described herein.

[0071] Based on the third aspect or the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the fourth information can further include at least one of the following:

[0072] Second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device is in a low power mode, and the low power mode indicates that the power of the terminal device is lower than a first threshold;

[0073] A duration of the low power mode; or

[0074] An expected data amount, where the expected data amount indicates an amount of data that can be collected by the terminal device in the low power mode.

[0075] In the above implementation manner, by carrying the second indication information in the fourth information, the network device can be informed in a timely manner that the terminal device is currently in the low power mode, that is, the network device can be informed in a timely and effective manner that the terminal device can not perform data collection due to the current low power, or the network device can be informed in a timely manner to make corresponding adjustment for data collection. By carrying at least one of the expected data amount or the duration of the low power mode in the fourth information, the network device can be informed in a timely manner about how much data amount of data that can be collected by the terminal device before the terminal device exits the low power mode and / or how long the terminal device can exit the low power mode.

[0076] In the fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device or a module (such as a processor, a processing unit, a chip system, a circuit or a chip, etc.) in the terminal device. Alternatively, the method can also be implemented by a logic node, a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. Exemplarily, the following takes the terminal device executing the communication method as an example. The method can include the following steps: the terminal device can send ninth information, where the ninth information can include at least one first available function supported by the terminal device, and then the terminal device determines that the use state of the first function changes from an available state to an unavailable state, and sends tenth information, where the first function belongs to the at least one first available function, and the tenth information can be used to indicate that the first function is unavailable, or the tenth information can be used to indicate that the use state of the first function is the unavailable state.

[0077] In the method, for the at least one available function for which the terminal device has reported, the terminal device can report function information (such as the tenth information) to the network device when the use state of one or more functions in the at least one available function changes from the available state to the unavailable state, so that the reporting of the function information is more targeted and more accurate, and the terminal device can be helped to avoid frequent reporting of the function information between two times of requesting the function information by the network device.

[0078] In a possible implementation manner provided in the fifth aspect, the terminal device sending the tenth information comprises:

[0079] The terminal device sends the tenth information in a case that the terminal device has reported the information of the first function last time; and in a case that the terminal device has reported the information of the first function last time, the use state of the first function is the available state.

[0080] In the implementation manner, the terminal device can further determine whether the terminal device has reported the information of the first function to the network device when the use state of the first function is the available state last time after determining that the use state of one or more functions in the at least one available function changes from the available state to the unavailable state. If the terminal device has reported the information of the first function to the network device when the use state of the first function is the available state last time, the terminal device can send the tenth information. In this way, the sending of the tenth information is more reasonable and more targeted, meets the current actual demand, and helps to reduce the power consumption (such as power consumption) of the terminal device caused by frequent initiation of the reporting of the function information, so that the signaling overhead can be saved.

[0081] In a possible implementation manner provided in the fifth aspect, the tenth information can comprise one of the following:

[0082] The information of the first function;

[0083] The information of the at least one second available function; or

[0084] The information of part of the at least one second available function.

[0085] The implementation manner can make the content carried by the tenth information more flexible, and can meet different content reporting requirements.

[0086] In a possible implementation manner provided in the fifth aspect, the information of the function can comprise at least one of the following: function description information, identification information.

[0087] In a possible implementation manner provided in the fifth aspect, the method further comprises:

[0088] The terminal device determines the at least one first available function according to at least one of the following: attribute information of the terminal device, a use scenario of the terminal device, or a communication configuration of the terminal device.

[0089] In the implementation manners described above, the terminal device can determine the current available function according to its own relevant information, without relying on the configuration information provided by the network device, so that the available function determined by the terminal device is more in line with the actual applicable conditions (or applicable scenarios) of the terminal device.

[0090] In a possible implementation manner provided in the fifth aspect, the method further includes:

[0091] The terminal device receives a fourth configuration, where the fourth configuration can be used to configure the function reporting related information.

[0092] The implementation manners described above can enable the terminal device to timely and accurately configure the function reporting related information according to the relevant configuration provided by the network device, for example, the terminal device can determine the corresponding available function based on the additional condition configuration provided by the network device.

[0093] In a possible implementation manner provided in the fifth aspect, the fourth configuration can include an additional condition or an identifier of the additional condition.

[0094] The additional condition can be used to determine the at least one first available function.

[0095] In the implementation manners described above, the terminal device can determine the corresponding available function according to the additional condition provided by the network device, so that the available function determined by the terminal device can be well matched with the network device and be in line with the actual situation of the network device.

[0096] In a possible implementation manner provided in the fifth aspect, the additional condition can include at least one of the following: a beam width, a downtilt angle.

[0097] In the implementation manners described above, by including the above content in the additional condition, the terminal device can timely and accurately determine the corresponding (or matched) available function.

[0098] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or a module (such as a processor, a processing unit, a chip system, a circuit or a chip, etc.) in the network device. Alternatively, the method can also be implemented by a logic node, a logic module or software which can realize all or part of the functions of the network device. Exemplarily, the following takes the network device executing the communication method as an example. The method can include the following steps: the network device receives ninth information, wherein the ninth information can include at least one first available function supported by a terminal device, and then the network device can receive tenth information; wherein the tenth information can be used to indicate that the first function is unavailable, or the tenth information can be used to indicate that the use state of the first function is an unavailable state, and the first function belongs to the at least one first available function.

[0099] The technical effects achieved by the sixth aspect can refer to the technical effects achieved by the fifth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0100] In a possible implementation manner provided by the sixth aspect, the network device receives the tenth information, including:

[0101] The network device receives the tenth information in a case that the terminal device has reported the information of the first function last time; wherein the use state of the first function is an available state when the terminal device has reported the information of the first function last time.

[0102] The technical effects achieved by the above implementation manner can refer to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding implementation manner provided by the fifth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0103] In a possible implementation manner provided by the sixth aspect, the tenth information can include one of the following:

[0104] The information of the first function;

[0105] The information of at least one second available function; or

[0106] The information of part of the at least one second available function.

[0107] The technical effects achieved by the above implementation manner can refer to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding implementation manner provided by the fifth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0108] In a possible implementation manner provided by the sixth aspect, the information of the function can include at least one of the following: function description information, identification information.

[0109] In a possible implementation manner provided by the sixth aspect, the method further includes:

[0110] The network device sends a fourth configuration, wherein the fourth configuration can be used to configure the information related to the function reporting.

[0111] The technical effects achieved by the above implementation manners can refer to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding implementation manners provided in the fifth aspect, which will not be described here.

[0112] In a possible implementation manner provided in the sixth aspect, the fourth configuration can include an additional condition or an identification of the additional condition.

[0113] The additional condition can be used to determine the at least one first available function.

[0114] The technical effects achieved by the above implementation manners can refer to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding implementation manners provided in the fifth aspect, which will not be described here.

[0115] In a possible implementation manner provided in the sixth aspect, the additional condition can include at least one of the following: a beam width, a downtilt angle.

[0116] The technical effects achieved by the above implementation manners can refer to the technical effects achieved by the corresponding implementation manners provided in the fifth aspect, which will not be described here.

[0117] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has the functions related to the first aspect to the sixth aspect, for example, the communication apparatus includes modules or units or means corresponding to the operations related to the first aspect to the sixth aspect, and the functions or units or means can be implemented by software or by hardware, or by executing corresponding software by hardware.

[0118] In a possible implementation manner, the communication apparatus includes a transceiver unit (or can be referred to as a communication module or a transceiver module or a communication module, used for transmitting and receiving data). Optionally, the communication apparatus can further include a processing unit (or can be referred to as a processing module), wherein the transceiver unit can be used to transceive signals to realize the communication between the communication apparatus and other apparatuses, for example, the transceiver unit is used to transmit data to other communication apparatuses; the processing unit can be used to perform some internal operations of the communication apparatus. The functions performed by the transceiver unit and the processing unit can correspond to the operations related to the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0119] In a possible implementation manner, the communication apparatus includes a processor, which can be used to be coupled with a memory. The memory can save necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions related to the first aspect to the sixth aspect. The processor can execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, the communication apparatus can implement the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0120] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes a processor and a memory, and the memory can store computer programs or instructions necessary for implementing the functions related to the first aspect to the sixth aspect. The processor can execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, the communication apparatus can implement the method in any possible implementation of any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0121] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes a processor and an interface circuit (or a communication interface), where the processor is configured to communicate with other apparatuses through the interface circuit, and perform the method in any possible implementation of any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect. The interface circuit is configured to enable the communication apparatus to communicate with other apparatuses, for example, to receive signals from other communication apparatuses and transmit the signals to the processor, or transmit signals from the processor of the communication apparatus to other communication apparatuses, for example, transmission or reception of data and / or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface can be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, or another type of communication interface.

[0122] It can be understood that, in the fifth aspect, the processor can be implemented by hardware or software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, or the like. When implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which implements the functions by reading software codes stored in the memory. In addition, the processor can be one or more, and the memory can be one or more. The memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory and the processor can be separately arranged. In a specific implementation process, the memory and the processor can be integrated on the same chip, or can be separately arranged on different chips. The type of the memory and the arrangement manner of the memory and the processor are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0123] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a possible communication system, which can include the terminal device and the network device mentioned in the first aspect or the second aspect or the third aspect or the fourth aspect. The functions of the terminal device or the network device can be implemented as described in the first aspect or the second aspect or the third aspect or the fourth aspect, and details are not repeated here.

[0124] For example, the number of terminal devices or network devices can be one or more.

[0125] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed on a communication apparatus (or a computer), the communication apparatus (or the computer) can perform the method in any possible implementation of any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0126] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions, when the computer program or instructions are executed by a communication device (or a computer), the communication device (or the computer) is caused to perform the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0127] In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a chip, which can include a processor, and can further include a memory (or the chip is coupled with the memory), the chip executes program instructions in the memory, so as to cause the chip to perform the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect. Wherein, the "coupled" means that two components are directly or indirectly combined with each other, such as the coupling can mean that the electrical connection between the two components.

[0128] In a twelfth aspect, the present application further provides a chip system, which includes a processor, and is used for supporting the computer device to implement the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect. In a possible implementation manner, the chip system further includes a memory, which is used for saving the necessary program and data of the computer device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include the chip and other discrete devices.

[0129] On the basis of the implementation manners of the aspects provided by the present application, further combinations can be made to provide more implementation manners. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0130] FIG. 1 exemplarily shows an application architecture schematic diagram of an AI model provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0131] FIG. 2a exemplarily shows a possible communication system architecture schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0132] FIG. 2b exemplarily shows an ORAN system architecture schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0133] FIG. 3 exemplarily shows a flow schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0134] FIG. 4 exemplarily shows a flow schematic diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0135] FIG. 5 exemplarily shows a flow schematic diagram of still another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0136] FIG. 6 exemplarily shows a flow schematic diagram of still another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0137] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0138] FIG. 8 shows a structure diagram of a possible communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0139] FIG. 9 shows a structure diagram of another possible communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0140] FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0141] FIG. 11a shows a function reporting diagram according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0142] FIG. 11b shows another function reporting diagram according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0143] Before introducing the technical solutions provided by the present application, first, some terms involved in the present application are explained and described so as to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art.

[0144] (1) AI model: is a specific implementation of AI function, representing the mapping relationship between the input and output of the model. For example, the AI model can be a neural network, a linear regression model, a decision tree model, a support vector machine (SVM), a Bayesian network, a Q-learning model, or other machine learning models, etc. The AI function can include one or more of the following: data collection (collecting training data and / or inference data), data preprocessing, model training (model learning), model information publishing (configuring model information), model verification, model inference, or inference result publishing, etc.

[0145] FIG. 1 shows an application architecture diagram of an AI model according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, a data source is used to store training data and inference data. A model training node obtains an AI model by analyzing or training the training data provided by the data source, and deploys the AI model in a model inference node. Optionally, the model training node can also update the AI model that has been deployed in the model inference node. The model inference node can also feed back relevant information of the deployed AI model to the model training node, so that the model training node optimizes or updates the deployed AI model, etc.

[0146] The AI model is learned by the model training node, which is equivalent to that the model training node learns the mapping relationship between the input and the output of the AI model by using the training data. The model inference node uses the AI model to perform inference based on the inference data provided by the data source to obtain an inference result. The method can also be described as follows: the model inference node inputs the inference data into the AI model, and obtains the output of the AI model, which is the inference result. The inference result can indicate the configuration parameter used (executed) by the execution object and / or the operation executed by the execution object. The inference result can be uniformly planned by an execution (actor) entity and sent to one or more execution objects (for example, network entities) for execution. Optionally, the execution entity or the execution object can feed back the collected parameters or measurement quantities to the data source, and the process can be referred to as performance feedback. The feedback parameters can be used as training data or inference data. Optionally, the execution entity or the execution object can also determine feedback information related to the performance of the AI model according to the inference result output by the model inference node, and feed back the feedback information to the model inference node. The model inference node can feed back the performance information of the AI model to the model training node according to the feedback information, so as to optimize or update the deployed AI model, and the like. The process can be referred to as model feedback.

[0147] In addition, the current 3GPP introduces the discussion of AI application instances (AI use cases), wherein the AI application instances (which can be referred to as AI use cases) mainly include the following:

[0148] Energy saving application instance:

[0149] The network device can predict the load of the network device according to the load, energy consumption, energy efficiency and the like of the network device and the neighboring cell, and the path, measurement result and the like of the terminal device (or referred to as terminal). On the premise of not affecting the network coverage and user access, the network device can timely and appropriately take energy saving measures according to the prediction result. The energy saving measures can include at least one of the following: deactivating a cell, shutting down a carrier, shutting down a channel, shutting down a time slot, reducing transmission power and the like.

[0150] Load balancing application instance:

[0151] The network device can predict the load of the network device according to the load, energy consumption, energy efficiency and the like of the network device and the neighboring cell, and the path, measurement result and the like of the terminal device. The network device can switch part of the terminal devices to the neighboring cell or switch part of the terminal devices served by the neighboring cell to the cell according to the prediction result, so that the loads of the network devices in the network are close, and the situation that part of the network devices are overloaded and affect the service of the terminal device, while the resources of another part of the network devices are idle, is avoided.

[0152] Mobility optimization application instance:

[0153] The network device can predict the future path of the terminal device according to the historical path information of the terminal device and the measurement information of the terminal device. The network device can judge in advance whether the terminal device needs to be switched, configure the information required for switching for the terminal device in advance, and notify the target cell to prepare access resources for the terminal device, so as to reduce the delay of the terminal device in the switching process and improve the success rate of the terminal device switching.

[0154] Channel state information feedback enhancement application instance:

[0155] The channel state information is the channel attribute of the communication link, and the terminal device reports the channel state information to the network device, so that the network device selects a more suitable modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the terminal device, and the MCS is used for transmitting data between the network device and the terminal device. The channel state information feedback application instance can specifically include two application instances of channel state information compression and channel state information prediction.

[0156] The channel state information compression application instance is implemented based on a two-sided AI model (two-sided (AI / ML) model), which includes an encoder and a quantizer on the terminal device side, and a decoder and a dequantizer on the network device side. The input of the encoder is the actual channel state information measured by the terminal device based on the reference signal. The channel state information can be in the form of an original channel matrix, a precoded channel matrix, or a feature vector after channel decomposition. The output of the encoder is a floating-point vector carrying compressed channel state information. Further, the quantizer maps the floating-point vector carrying compressed channel state information to a quantized bit sequence (possible quantization methods include scalar quantization, vector quantization, etc.). The decoder and the dequantizer have opposite functions to the encoder and the quantizer. The channel state information output by the decoder is considered to be the inference channel state information. For example, the encoder or the decoder can be implemented by an AI model such as a convolutional neural network (CNN) or a transformer.

[0157] The channel state information prediction application instance is implemented based on a one-sided AI model (one-sided (AI / ML) model) deployed on the terminal device side. The input of the one-sided AI model (i.e., the channel state information prediction model) is the channel state information at multiple historical time points. The output of the one-sided AI model is the channel state information at the target time point (i.e., the inference channel state information). The one-sided AI model can be a multi-layer perceptron (MLP).

[0158] Beam management (BM) application instance:

[0159] The BM application instance is implemented based on a one-sided AI model (i.e., a beam management model). The beam management model is mainly used to find the strongest transmit / receive beam pair. The beam management model can be deployed on the network side (e.g., in a network device) or on the terminal device.

[0160] When the beam management model is deployed at the terminal device side, it can be used to predict the optimal beam at the network device side, wherein the beam management model can be self-provided by the terminal device or issued by the network side to the terminal device. In the AI model usage process, the terminal device measures the downlink synchronization signal block (SSB) and channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) to obtain the angle domain information of the channel, inputs the angle domain information of the channel into the beam management model, and infers top-k beams (such as the first k beams in the reference signal received power (RSRP) ranking, k is a positive integer) in the multiple beams. The identity of the inferred top-k beams is fed back to the network device (for the second round of scanning and the determination of the optimal beam).

[0161] When the beam management model is deployed at the network side, the beam management model relies on the channel angle domain information measured by the terminal device for beam prediction, such as using the beam RSRP measured by the terminal device for prediction: the network device transmits part of the beams in the full codebook, the terminal device measures the RSRP of the sparse beams, and feeds back the RSRP to the network device. The network device inputs the obtained RSRP into the beam management model, determines top-k beams (such as the first k beams in the RSRP ranking, wherein k is a positive integer), and performs a second round of scanning on the top-k beams. The terminal device measures and reports the optimal beam in the second round.

[0162] Positioning accuracy enhancement application example:

[0163] The positioning accuracy enhancement application example is implemented based on a single-sided AI model (i.e., a positioning accuracy enhancement model). Based on AI, LOS (line of sight) / NLOS (non light of sight) can be identified, thereby improving the positioning accuracy under a small number of TRP (transmission reception point) antennas. For example, in a heavy NLOS scenario, there may not be enough number of LOS paths, and the positioning of the terminal device based on the positioning accuracy enhancement model can improve the positioning accuracy in the indoor scenario.

[0164] (2) Measurement result reporting configuration

[0165] The measurement result reporting configuration is mainly used to configure parameters related to measurement result reporting, such as a measurement result reporting period, a data type (such as a measurement quantity) to be reported, a data size (or data quantity) to be reported, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource used for reporting, and the like.

[0166] For example, the measurement result is a result of measurement based on a signal (such as a synchronization signal and PBCH block (SSB) (or can be referred to as a synchronization signal block) or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS)) or other reference signals. Each reporting configuration has a separate identity (or can be referred to as a measurement reporting configuration identity). The measurement result reporting configuration can be classified into an event-triggered reporting configuration or a periodic-triggered reporting configuration according to a type. The event-triggered reporting configuration includes an event category (or can be referred to as an event type or a measurement event category or a measurement event type), a threshold value, a time to trigger, and a type of a reference signal (such as an SSB or a CSI-RS), and the like. The periodic-triggered reporting configuration includes a reporting period, and the like.

[0167] Exemplarily, the measurement result can include a measurement identity (such as MeasID), a serving cell measurement quantity (such as measResultServingMOList), and a neighbor cell measurement quantity (such as measResultNeighCells). Exemplarily, the serving cell measurement quantity can include at least one of: cell identification information (for example, a serving cell index), a result of a cell measurement quantity (such as RSRP, reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR), and the like), a beam level measurement result (such as SSB-Index or CSI-RS-Index), or a measurement quantity of a reference signal (such as RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, and the like). The neighbor cell measurement quantity can include at least one of: cell identification information (for example, a physical cell identifier (PCI)), a measurement quantity corresponding to a cell (such as RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, and the like), or a cell global identifier (CGI), and the like.

[0168] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0169] The communication system architecture to which the communication method provided by the present application is applicable will be introduced below. It should be noted that the introduction is for the purpose of facilitating understanding by those skilled in the art, and does not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection required by the present application.

[0170] The communication scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as an internet of things (IoT) system, a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) system, a 4th generation (4G) communication system (for example, a long term evolution (LTE) system), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a 5th-generation (5G) communication system (for example, an NR system), and a future mobile communication system, and the like.

[0171] A network element in a communication system can send or receive signals to or from another network element. The signals can include information, signaling, or data, etc. The network element can also be replaced by an entity, a network entity, a device, a communication device, a communication module, a node, a communication node, etc.

[0172] FIG. 2a exemplarily shows a possible communication system architecture to which embodiments of the present application are applicable. As shown in FIG. 2a, the communication system architecture can include a core network (CN) device (or can be referred to as a core network element), an access network (AN) (for example, a radio access network (RAN)) device, and a terminal device (for example, a user equipment (UE)).

[0173] The terminal device has an AI function and is configured to collect corresponding data (for example, AI data or other data) and feed back the collected data to the core network device or the access network device.

[0174] In embodiments of the present application, the terminal device is an entity with signal transmitting and receiving functions on the user side, which can provide video, voice, data connectivity, and other service functions for users. For example, the terminal device is an entrance for a mobile user to interact with a network, which can provide basic computing and storage capabilities, display business windows to users, and receive user operation inputs. The future terminal device (NextGen UE) can use new radio technology to establish a signal connection with the access network device, a data connection, and thus transmit control signals and service data to the mobile network.

[0175] Alternatively, the terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, a user equipment (UE), an access terminal device, a vehicle-mounted terminal, an industrial control terminal, a UE unit, a UE station, a mobile station, a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), a remote station, a remote terminal device, a mobile device, a UE terminal device, a terminal device, a wireless communication device, a UE agent, or a UE apparatus, etc. In embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can be fixed or mobile, and the present application does not limit this. Exemplarily, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable, or vehicle-mounted, or can be deployed on the water surface (such as a ship, etc.), or can also be deployed in the air (such as an airplane, a balloon, or a satellite, etc.).

[0176] Exemplarily, the terminal device can be a mobile phone, a Pad, a subscriber unit, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wireless data card, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) computer, a wireless modem, a handset, a laptop computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a head mounted display (HMD), a wireless terminal in industrial control, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment, 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, a wearable terminal device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a factory machine / device, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) terminal, a ship or a robot, etc. For example, the vehicle can include, but is not limited to, a smart car or an intelligent car, a digital car, an unmanned car or a driverless car or a pilotless car or an automobile, a self-driving car or an autonomous car, a pure EV or a Battery EV, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a range extended EV (REEV), a plug-in HEV (PHEV), a new energy vehicle, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the terminal device.

[0177] The access network device has an AI function, is configured to perform access management and handover management on the terminal device, and can communicate with the core network device.

[0178] In the embodiments of the present application, the access network device is a device for accessing a terminal device to a wireless network. The access network device can also be referred to as an access network apparatus or a radio access network device or a (R)AN entity or a network device or an access node or a (R)AN node or a (R)AN device, etc. For example, the access network device can provide access network functions for authorized users in a specific area, and can determine transmission tunnels of different qualities to transmit user data according to the levels of users, the requirements of services, etc. The access network device can manage its own resources, rationally utilize, provide access services for terminal devices on demand, and be responsible for forwarding control signals and user data between the terminal device and the core network device.

[0179] Exemplarily, the access network device can include, but is not limited to: a future base station (next generation NodeB, gNB) in a 5G communication system, a future base station in a 6th generation (6G) communication system, a base station in a future communication system, a transmission reception point (TRP), an evolved Node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (for example, a home evolved Node B, or a home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), etc.

[0180] Optionally, in a network structure, the access network device can include a CU or a DU. This structure can split the protocol layers of the access network device, with part of the functions of the protocol layers being centrally controlled in the CU, and the rest of the functions of the protocol layers being distributed in the DU, with the CU centrally controlling the DU. For example, the functions of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and the protocol layers above the PDCP layer can be arranged in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the radio link control (RLC) layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer) can be arranged in the DU. It should be noted that this division of the protocol layers is merely an example, and other protocol layer divisions are also possible. The radio frequency device can be remote from the DU or integrated in the DU, or partially remote and partially integrated in the DU, and the embodiments of the present application do not make any limitation. In addition, in some embodiments, the control plane (CP) and the user plane (UP) of the CU can be separated and implemented by different entities, namely a control plane CU entity (CU-CP entity) and a user plane CU entity (CU-UP entity).

[0181] 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. 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. It can be understood that in the ORAN system architecture, the CU can also be referred to as O-CU, the DU can also be referred to as O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as O-RU. For example, in an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) system, the access network device can be a combination of an open distributed unit (O-DU) and an open radio unit (O-RU) (or can be referred to as an open radio frequency unit), or can also be a combination of an open centralized unit (O-CU), an O-DU and an O-RU, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. For example, in the ORAN system architecture as shown in FIG. 2b, the access network device is a combination of an O-DU and an O-RU. Among them, the O-DU has baseband processing function and complete protocol layer function, and is mainly used to be responsible for data encryption and integrity protection and other high-layer protocol functions, and also has physical layer high-layer processing function. The O-RU has physical layer bottom layer signal processing function, and is mainly used to be responsible for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals.

[0182] In the embodiments of the present application, the access network device can adopt a CU-DU separation architecture, which can also be referred to as a distributed deployment architecture, or can also adopt a CU-DU-RU separation architecture. For example, the access network device can logically include a CU and one or more DUs, each DU can be connected with the CU through an F1 interface, and information interaction between different DUs can be completed based on forwarding of the CU. The CU and the DU can be physically arranged together or physically separated, which is not limited. The CU can support functions of radio resource control (RRC) layer protocol, PDCP layer protocol, and service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer protocol; the DU can support RLC layer protocol, MAC layer protocol, and part of physical (PHY) layer or all PHY layer functions. For specific descriptions of the above-mentioned protocol layers, reference can be made to relevant technical specifications of 3GPP. For another example, the access network device can logically include a CU, a DU, and an RU. The CU and the DU can be physically arranged together or physically separated, which is not limited. The CU can support functions of RRC layer protocol, PDCP protocol, and SDAP protocol; the DU can support functions of RLC layer protocol and MAC layer protocol, and can also support part of PHY layer protocol; the RU can support part of PHY layer or all PHY layer functions. For example, the DU is mainly responsible for high-layer protocol functions such as data encryption and integrity protection, and the RU is mainly responsible for transmission and reception of radio frequency signals. It can be understood that in the CU-DU-RU separation architecture, the interface between the DU and the RU can be referred to as front transmission, the interface between the CU and the DU can be referred to as middle transmission, and the interface between the CU and the core network device can be referred to as back transmission.

[0183] For example, the access network device is a base station, the base station can communicate with the terminal device, or can communicate with the terminal device through a relay station. The terminal device can communicate with multiple base stations in different access technologies.

[0184] In the embodiments of the present application, the access network device can be a macro base station, a micro base station, or an indoor station, and can also be a relay node or a donor node. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the wireless access network device.

[0185] The core network device has an AI function and is used for managing the network.

[0186] In the embodiments of the present application, the core network device can be configured to be responsible for maintaining the subscription data of the mobile network, managing the network elements of the mobile network, and providing the terminal device with functions such as session management, mobility management, policy management, and security authentication. When the terminal device is attached, the core network device provides the terminal device with network access authentication; when the terminal device has a service request, the core network device allocates network resources for the terminal device; when the terminal device moves, the core network device updates the network resources for the terminal device; when the terminal device is idle, the core network device provides the terminal device with a fast recovery mechanism; when the terminal device is detached, the core network device releases the network resources for the terminal device; when the terminal device has service data, the core network device provides the terminal device with a data routing function, such as forwarding uplink data to a data network; or receiving downlink data of the terminal device from the data network and forwarding the downlink data to the network device, so that the network device sends the downlink data to the terminal device. Optionally, in terms of functional logic, the network elements of the core network can be divided into two parts: a user plane network element and a control plane network element. The user plane network element is responsible for the transmission of service data, and the control plane network element is responsible for the management of the mobile network.

[0187] It can be understood that the network device and the terminal device can communicate through a licensed spectrum, or through an unlicensed spectrum, or through both the licensed spectrum and the unlicensed spectrum. The network device and the terminal device can communicate through a spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), or through a spectrum above 6 GHz, or through both the spectrum below 6 GHz and the spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used between the network device and the terminal device.

[0188] It can be understood that the network device, the terminal device, and the like can be referred to as a communication apparatus. For example, the network device can be understood as a communication apparatus having the function of a network device. The terminal device can be understood as a communication apparatus having the function of a terminal.

[0189] It should be noted that the communication system and the service scenario described in the embodiments of the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that, with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0190] The specific implementation of the communication method in the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It can be understood that the network device (such as a base station) and the terminal device (such as a UE) are taken as an example to illustrate the execution subject of the interaction in each of the following embodiments, but the present application is not limited to the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method performed by the network device in the embodiments of the present application can also be performed by a module (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor) applied to the network device, and can also be implemented by a logic node, a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device; the method performed by the terminal device in the present application can also be performed by a module (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor) applied to the terminal device, and can also be implemented by a logic node, a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. For example, in an ORAN system, the access network device can be a combination of O-DU and O-RU, or a combination of O-CU, O-DU and O-RU, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. Optionally, when the O-CU and the O-DU are not deployed separately, the O-CU and the O-DU are an integral whole; when the O-CU and the O-DU are deployed separately, the O-CU and the O-DU communicate through the F1 interface.

[0191] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method can be applied to the communication system architecture illustrated in FIG. 2a, or can also be applied to the ORAN system architecture illustrated in FIG. 2b. The specific implementation process of the communication method can include:

[0192] Step 301: The network device sends a first configuration. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first configuration from the network device.

[0193] The first configuration can be used for the terminal device to collect data. Optionally, the first configuration can be used for the terminal device to collect data can also be described as “the first configuration can be used for the related configuration of the terminal device to collect data” or “the first configuration can be used for configuring the parameters of the terminal device to collect data”.

[0194] For example, the first configuration can include data reporting configuration (such as measurement result reporting configuration) and / or data logging configuration, etc.

[0195] For example, the data reporting configuration can be used to configure, but not limited to, the following: data reporting condition (also referred to as reporting condition), data type reported, data volume reported, or data reporting period, etc. Among them, the data reporting condition can include at least one of the following: reporting data when greater than or equal to a buffer threshold, reporting data when greater than or equal to a data volume threshold, reporting data when greater than or equal to a collection duration threshold, reporting data when data is greater than or equal to (or exceeds) the upper limit of the buffer, etc. The data type reported can include multiple types, for example, it can be the measurement result of the terminal device for the reference signal (such as CSI-RS or SSB, etc.), the privacy data on the terminal device side, the model training data or the analysis data (or the collected raw data), etc. For example, the measurement result for the reference signal defined by the protocol is one type, the privacy data on the terminal device side is one type, the model training data is one type, and the analysis data is one type. Among them, the model training data can be used for model training, or can also be used for other purposes (such as data analysis). It can be understood that the measurement result or the model training data, etc. can be understood as the underlying data on the terminal device side.

[0196] It can be understood that the measurement result can refer to a cell-level measurement result, or can also refer to a beam-level measurement result (such as layer 1 (L1) -beam-level measurement result or layer 3 (L3) -beam-level measurement result), etc. For example, the measurement result can include RSRP, RSRQ or SINR, etc. Taking the beam-level measurement result as an example, when the beam-level measurement result includes RSRP, the beam-level measurement result can include L1-RSRP or L3-RSRP, etc.

[0197] For example, the measurement result, the model training data or the analysis data (or the collected raw data) can include at least one of the following: layer 1 -reference signal receiving power (L1-RSRP) of the reference signal, phase information, time information, power information, location information, or paired information of time and power, etc. The privacy data on the terminal device side can include the antenna pattern of the terminal device, the antenna parameter, etc.

[0198] The data accumulation configuration can be used to configure, but not limited to, the following: how much data volume of data collected by the terminal device is reported, or how long data collected by the terminal device is reported, etc.

[0199] Optionally, the first configuration can also comprise a power-based data collection configuration. For example, the power-based data collection configuration can be used to configure, but not limited to, the following: if the power of the terminal device is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the terminal device starts data collection; if the power of the terminal device is less than (or lower than) the first threshold, the terminal device stops data collection.

[0200] The first threshold can be a product of the full power of the terminal device and a preset ratio, or can also be a predefined (or preconfigured) minimum power for the terminal device to collect data (or for the terminal device to work). For example, the minimum power can be 20% of the power, or can also be 30% of the power, etc., which can be set according to actual needs. The preset ratio can be set according to experience, or can also be set according to actual application scenarios, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the first threshold can be configured by the network device, or can also be implemented by the terminal device itself.

[0201] In the embodiments of the present application, after receiving the first configuration from the network device, the terminal device can configure the first configuration. Then, the terminal device can collect data according to the first configuration.

[0202] Step 302: If the terminal device enters a low power mode during data collection, the terminal device sends first information. Correspondingly, the network device receives the first information from the terminal device.

[0203] In the embodiments of the present application, if the terminal device enters a low power mode during data collection, the terminal device can notify the network device of the situation that the terminal device enters the low power mode. For example, the terminal device can send first information to the network device.

[0204] The low power mode means that the power of the terminal device is lower than the first threshold. Optionally, the "low power mode" can also replace the description of "low power state" or "low power scenario". Optionally, the "first threshold" can also be described as "power threshold". For the related description of the first threshold, please refer to the related introduction in the above step 301, which will not be repeated here.

[0205] The first information will be introduced below through the following possible examples.

[0206] Example a1: The first information can be used to indicate that the terminal device enters a low power mode, or can also be used to indicate that the power of the terminal device is lower than the first threshold.

[0207] In one example, the first information described in example a1 is used to indicate the terminal device to enter the low power mode. In another example, the first information described in example a1 carries an indication information p1 (such as 1 bit indication information). The indication information p1 is used to indicate the terminal device to enter the low power mode, or can also be used to indicate that the power of the terminal device is lower than a first threshold.

[0208] The indication content described in example a1 can facilitate the network device to timely and effectively know that the current power of the terminal device is low and the terminal device can not continue data collection. Then, the network device can timely send second information to the terminal device. Then, the terminal device can receive the second information from the network device. In this way, if the terminal device enters the low power mode in the data collection process, the operation of stopping data collection (or the right of stopping data collection or the right of stopping data collection operation) is controlled by the network device, so that the terminal device can correctly process data collection in the low power mode. The related description of the second information can be referred to the related description of step 303a below, which will not be described here.

[0209] Example a2: The first information can be used to indicate that the terminal device requests to stop data collection.

[0210] In the embodiment of the present application, when the terminal device enters the low power mode in the data collection process, the terminal device can request the network device to stop data collection, so that the right of stopping data collection is controlled or decided or approved by the network device. It can be understood that the request to stop described in the embodiment of the present application can include a request to temporarily stop. For example, the request of the terminal device to stop data collection can mean that the terminal device requests to temporarily stop data collection. Alternatively, the request to stop here can also include a request to stop for a long time.

[0211] In one example, the first information described in example a2 is used to indicate the terminal device to request to stop data collection. In another example, the first information described in example a2 carries an indication information p2 (such as 1 bit indication information). The indication information p2 is used to indicate the terminal device to request to stop data collection.

[0212] The indication content described in example a2 can facilitate the network device to timely and effectively know the request of the terminal device to stop data collection. Then, the network device can approve the request of the terminal device, for example, the network device can send second information to the terminal device. Then, the terminal device can receive the second information from the network device. In this way, if the terminal device enters the low power mode in the data collection process, the operation of stopping data collection (or the right of stopping data collection) is controlled or decided or approved by the network device, so that the terminal device can correctly process data collection in the low power mode.

[0213] Optionally, in a case that the first information indicates that the terminal device requests to stop data collection, the first information can further comprise first indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device enters a low power mode. When the first information comprises the first indication information, the network device can timely and accurately learn the reason why the terminal device requests to stop data collection (or can be understood as the reason why the terminal device requests to stop data collection) according to the first indication information comprised by the first information. In this way, the network device can more accurately make the terminal device stop data collection, and can timely make corresponding data collection adjustment.

[0214] For example, the first indication information can be 1 bit indication information, or can be a reason value.

[0215] It can be understood that the above example a1 or example a2 can be implemented separately or in combination.

[0216] Example a3: The first information can be used to indicate that data collection has stopped.

[0217] In the embodiment of the present application, if the terminal device judges that it enters a low power mode, the terminal device can stop data collection. Then, the terminal device can notify the network device of the situation of stopping data collection, such as the terminal device sending the first information described in the above example a3 to the network device. It can be understood that the stop described in the embodiment of the present application can include temporary stop. For example, the terminal device stopping data collection can mean that the terminal device temporarily stops data collection. Optionally, the stop here can also include long-time stop.

[0218] In one example, the first information described in the above example a3 is used to indicate that data collection has stopped. In another example, the first information described in the above example a3 carries indication information p3 (such as 1 bit indication information). The indication information p3 is used to indicate that data collection has stopped.

[0219] The indication content described in the above example a3 can facilitate the network device to timely and effectively learn that the data collection at the terminal device side has stopped, thereby facilitating the network device to timely make corresponding data collection adjustment. For example, the network device can select to stop the corresponding data collection operation. For another example, the network device can select to let the terminal device report the collected data, such as the network device can send information q1 to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the information q1 from the network device. The information q1 is used to instruct the terminal device to report the collected data. For example, the information q1 can be sent alone or can be carried in the first information. Alternatively, after the network device selects to let the terminal device report the collected data, if the terminal device exits the low power mode (or is not in the low power mode or leaves the low power mode), the terminal device can continue to let the terminal device perform data collection. For another example, the network device can also select to continue to let the terminal device perform data collection, so that the network device can wait for the terminal device to exit the low power mode. For another example, the network device can also select to let other terminal devices perform data collection.

[0220] Alternatively, after step 302 is performed, the embodiment of the present application can further perform step 303a or step 303b. By performing step 303a, the terminal device in the low power mode can timely stop data collection, thereby realizing correct processing of data collection by the terminal device in the low power mode. By performing step 303b, the terminal device in the low power mode can make a self-determination to stop data collection, or the retransmission of the first information can also be triggered.

[0221] Step 303a: The network device sends second information. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second information from the network device.

[0222] The second information can be used to instruct to stop data collection.

[0223] Alternatively, in the case that the second information instructs to stop data collection, the second information can also be used to instruct to retain the first configuration, or the second information can also be used to instruct to release the first configuration. The retention of the first configuration can be used for the terminal device to quickly resume data collection. For example, if the terminal device does not receive a new configuration for data collection, the terminal device can resume data collection according to the first configuration.

[0224] In a possible implementation, the retention of the first configuration or the release of the first configuration can also be indicated separately. For example, the network device can send indication information p4 (such as 1-bit indication information) to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the indication information p4 from the network device. The indication information p4 can be used to instruct to retain the first configuration, or can also be used to instruct to release the first configuration.

[0225] Optionally, in the case that the second information is further used to indicate releasing the first configuration, the second information indicating releasing the first configuration can include one of the following: the second information indicating releasing the first configuration when a first condition is met, and the second information indicating releasing the first configuration immediately.

[0226] For example, the terminal device receiving the second information and processing the second information is introduced below through the following possible implementation manners.

[0227] Manner A1: In the case that the second information is used to indicate stopping data collection only, after receiving the second information from the network device, the terminal device can stop data collection according to the second information.

[0228] Manner A2: In the case that the second information is used to indicate stopping data collection, if the second information is further used to indicate retaining the first configuration, after receiving the second information from the network device, the terminal device can stop data collection and retain the first configuration according to the second information.

[0229] The implementation process of the terminal device retaining the first configuration in the manner A2 is introduced below through the following possible examples.

[0230] Example b1: The second information includes a retention time length (such as a third time length) of the first configuration. After receiving the second information, the terminal device can obtain the retention time length of the first configuration from the second information. Then, if within the retention time length of the first configuration, the terminal device can retain the first configuration. If the retention time length of the first configuration is expired (or overdue), the terminal device can delete (or release) the first configuration.

[0231] Optionally, in order to better perform the retention operation of the first configuration, the terminal device can configure a timer (or a timer). After learning that the second information indicates retaining the first configuration, the terminal device can start the timer. The timer has a third time length. When the timer is expired, the terminal device can delete the first configuration. When the timer is not expired, the terminal device retains the first configuration.

[0232] Example b2: The second information does not include the retention time length of the first configuration. After receiving the second information, the terminal device can set (or configure) a retention time length of the first configuration by itself, such as a fourth time length. Then, if within the retention time length of the first configuration, the terminal device can retain the first configuration. If the retention time length of the first configuration is expired, the terminal device can delete the first configuration.

[0233] Optionally, in order to better perform the reserved operation of the first configuration, the terminal device can configure a timer. The terminal device can start the timer when it learns that the second information indicates to reserve the first configuration. The timer has a fourth time length. When the timer expires, the terminal device can delete the first configuration. When the timer does not expire, the terminal device reserves the first configuration.

[0234] Optionally, in order to better perform the reserved operation of the first configuration, the terminal device can configure a timer. The terminal device can start the timer when it learns that the second information indicates to reserve the first configuration. The timer has a fourth time length. When the timer expires, the terminal device can delete the first configuration. When the timer does not expire, the terminal device reserves the first configuration.

[0235] Optionally, the release operation of the first configuration can include, but is not limited to, releasing the first configuration when the first condition is met, releasing the first configuration immediately, and the like. Optionally, the first condition can include a second time length or a first area, and the like. For example, when the first condition includes the second time length, releasing the first configuration when the first condition is met can mean releasing the first configuration when the second time length is met, or can also mean releasing the first configuration after the second time length elapses. When the first condition includes the first area, releasing the first configuration when the first condition is met can mean releasing the first configuration when the terminal device leaves the first area. For example, the first area can refer to a specific area or a set area. For example, the first area can refer to a serving cell where the terminal device is currently located, or the first area can also refer to a coverage area of the network device, or the first area can also refer to a special area (such as a subway station, a train station, or a shopping mall, etc.) where the terminal device is located.

[0236] The following describes the implementation process of the terminal device performing the release operation of the first configuration according to the second information in the manner A3 through the following possible examples.

[0237] Example c1: If the second information is used to indicate to release the first configuration when the first condition is met, the terminal device can release the first configuration when the first condition is met.

[0238] In one example, taking the first condition including the second time length as an example, the terminal device can release the first configuration after the second time length elapses (or when the first time length is met or the first time length arrives). The second time length is a reserved time length (or a saved time length or a validity period) of the first configuration.

[0239] It can be understood that the terminal device reserves the first configuration within the second time length.

[0240] In a possible implementation, to better perform the releasing operation of the first configuration, the terminal device can configure a timer. The terminal device can start the timer when it learns that the second information indicates that the second time length is met for releasing the first configuration. The timer has a time length of the second time length. When the timer expires, the terminal device can release the first configuration. When the timer does not expire, the terminal device retains the first configuration.

[0241] In another example, taking the first condition including the first area as an example, the terminal device can release the first configuration after leaving the first area.

[0242] It can be understood that, in the first area, the terminal device always retains the first configuration.

[0243] In a possible implementation, to better perform the releasing operation of the first configuration, the terminal device can identify (or detect) the location of the terminal device in real time. For example, when the terminal device detects that the location of the terminal device does not belong to the first area, the terminal device can release the first configuration. When the terminal device detects that the location of the terminal device belongs to the first area, the terminal device retains the first configuration.

[0244] Example c2: If the second information is used to indicate that the first configuration is released immediately, the terminal device can release the first configuration immediately after receiving the second information.

[0245] Optionally, if the terminal device exits the low-power mode after the terminal device sends the first information, or after the terminal device receives the second information from the network device, the terminal device can perform a related operation, which is described in the following manner b1 and manner b2.

[0246] Manner b1: The terminal device resumes data collection according to the first configuration. That is, the terminal device can resume the operation of data collection (or continue data collection) according to the first configuration.

[0247] It should be understood that, when manner b1 is performed, the first configuration is still retained and has not been deleted or released.

[0248] Manner b2: The terminal device notifies the network device that the terminal device exits the low-power mode. For example, the terminal device can send third information to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the third information from the terminal device. The third information is used to indicate that the terminal device exits the low-power mode.

[0249] It can be understood that, the above manner b1 or manner b2 can be implemented separately or in combination.

[0250] Optionally, the network device can also send seventh information, such as information q2, to the terminal device after receiving the first information from the terminal device. The seventh information is used to request to obtain collected data. For example, the seventh information can be carried in the second information, or can be sent separately, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. After receiving the seventh information from the network device, the terminal device can send the collected data to the network device according to the seventh information. Then, the network device can receive the collected data from the terminal device.

[0251] Optionally, the network device can also send the seventh information to the terminal device before or when the terminal device sends the first information. The seventh information is used to request to obtain collected data. After receiving the seventh information from the network device, the terminal device can send the collected data to the network device according to the seventh information. Then, the network device can receive the collected data from the terminal device.

[0252] For example, the data collected by the terminal device can include at least one of the following: measurement results of the terminal device for reference signals (such as CSI-RS or SSB, etc.), privacy data on the terminal device side, model training data or analysis data (or collected raw data), etc. Optionally, the data collected by the terminal device can also include vendor information (such as vendor ID). The vendor information can be used to indicate the manufacturer to which the terminal device belongs.

[0253] Optionally, after sending the third information to the network device, the terminal device can also receive relevant response information from the network device. For example, the network device can send second configuration to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second configuration from the network device. The second configuration is used for the terminal device to collect data. For example, the second configuration can be a new configuration for data collection, which can facilitate the terminal device to reconfigure the configuration for data collection, so that the terminal device can timely and effectively re-collect data.

[0254] Step 303b: The terminal device stops data collection or re-sends the first information after the first time period. Correspondingly, the network device can re-receive the first information from the terminal device.

[0255] For example, the first time length can refer to a response time length of the first information. That is, after the terminal device sends the first information to the network device, the network device needs to respond to the terminal device within a set time length (such as the first time length). If the network device responds to the terminal device within the first time length, the network device can send a response information (such as the second information described in step 303a) to the terminal device. If the network device does not respond to the terminal device within the first time length, the terminal device can stop data collection or resend the first information after the first time length (or when the first time length is met or arrives). It can be understood that, for the terminal device to resend the first information, if the terminal device has not received a response from the network device, the terminal device can resend the first information every first time length.

[0256] For example, the first time length is l1, and the sending time of the first information is t1. After the terminal device sends the first information, if the terminal device has not received a response information from the network device at time (t1+l1), the terminal device can stop data collection or resend the first information. For example, the terminal device can configure a timer. After the terminal device sends the first information, the terminal device can start the timer. The timer has a timing length of l1. When the timer times out, the terminal device can stop data collection or resend the first information.

[0257] Optionally, after the terminal device stops data collection or resends the first information, if the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can resume data collection according to the first configuration and / or can notify the network device of the situation that the terminal device exits the low power mode. For details, please refer to the related descriptions of the manners b1 to b2, which will not be described here.

[0258] As can be seen from the communication method shown in FIG. 3, during the data collection process of the terminal device, if the terminal device enters the low power mode, the terminal device can report the first information for indicating that the terminal device enters the low power mode and / or indicating that the terminal device requests to stop data collection, so that the data collection stop operation permission of the terminal device is controlled by the receiving device (such as the network device). Optionally, the terminal device can receive the second information for indicating to stop data collection, so that the receiving device can effectively control the data collection stop operation permission of the terminal device, and further enable the terminal device to correctly process data collection (or process the received first configuration) in the low power mode. Alternatively, the terminal device can also decide to stop data collection by itself, that is, to stop data collection after the first time length. Therefore, the method realizes correct processing of data collection.

[0259] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method can be applicable to the communication system architecture shown in FIG. 2a, or can also be applicable to the ORAN system architecture shown in FIG. 2b. The specific implementation process of the communication method can include the following steps:

[0260] Step 401: The network device sends a first configuration. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first configuration from the network device.

[0261] Optionally, step 401 is an optional step.

[0262] The implementation process of step 401 can refer to the related description of step 301 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0263] Optionally, for step 401, in the ORAN system, if the network device includes an O-RU and an O-DU, the first configuration can be determined (or generated) by the O-DU. Then, the O-DU can send the first configuration to the O-RU through a fronthaul interface, and then the O-RU sends the first configuration externally. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first configuration from the O-RU.

[0264] If the network device includes an O-RU, an O-DU, and an O-CU, the first configuration can be determined by the O-CU. Then, the O-CU can send the first configuration to the O-DU, and the O-DU sends the first configuration to the O-RU through a fronthaul interface, and then the O-RU sends the first configuration externally. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first configuration from the O-RU.

[0265] Optionally, after step 401 is performed, the embodiment of the present application can further perform step 402a and / or step 402b. When both step 402a and step 402b are performed, step 402a and step 402b can be performed in parallel (or together or in parallel), or step 402a can be performed first, and step 402b can be performed later, or step 402b can be performed first, and step 402a can be performed later, which is not limited by the embodiment of the present application. By performing step 402a, the network device can timely learn that the terminal device has exited the low power mode, so that the network device can make corresponding adjustments for data collection in a timely manner, such as the network device can choose to continue receiving data collected from the terminal device, or the network device can provide a new configuration to the terminal device for data collection by the terminal device, or the network device can instruct the terminal device to continue data collection according to the original configuration (such as the first configuration). By performing step 402b, the terminal device can timely (or quickly) and effectively resume data collection according to the first configuration.

[0266] Step 402a: If the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device sends third information. Correspondingly, the network device receives the third information from the terminal device.

[0267] The third information can be used to indicate that the terminal device exits the low power mode.

[0268] In the embodiments of the present application, after the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can report to the network device that the terminal device has exited the low power mode, which can facilitate the network device to learn in time that the terminal device has exited the low power mode, so that the network device can make corresponding adjustments in time for data collection. For example, the network device can select to continue to receive the data collected from the terminal device, so that the network device can instruct the terminal device to continue to report the collected data, for example, the network device sends indication information h1 to the terminal device. The indication information h1 is used to instruct to continue to report the collected data, which can implicitly instruct the terminal device to continue to collect data according to the first configuration. For another example, the network device can provide a new configuration for the terminal device to collect data, for example, the network device can send a new configuration to the terminal device. For another example, the network device can instruct the terminal device to continue to collect data according to the original configuration (such as the first configuration), for example, the network device sends indication information h2 to the terminal device. The indication information h2 is used to instruct to continue to collect data according to the first configuration.

[0269] Optionally, for step 402a, in the ORAN system, if the network device includes O-RU and O-DU, the terminal device can send the third information to the O-RU. After receiving the third information, the O-RU can send the third information to the O-DU through the front-haul interface, and the O-DU processes the third information. If the network device includes O-RU, O-DU and O-CU, the terminal device can send the third information to the O-RU. After receiving the third information, the O-RU can send the third information to the O-DU through the front-haul interface, and then the O-DU can send the third information to the O-CU, and the O-DU processes the third information.

[0270] Step 402b: The terminal device resumes data collection according to the first configuration.

[0271] In a possible implementation, in the case that the terminal device does not receive a new configuration (such as a second configuration) for the terminal device to collect data, the terminal device can resume data collection according to the retained first configuration.

[0272] It can be understood that the communication method shown in the above Figure 3 or Figure 4 can be implemented separately, or the communication method shown in the above Figure 3 can be implemented in combination with the communication method shown in Figure 4, and the present application does not limit this. For example, the communication method shown in the above Figure 3 is combined with the communication method shown in Figure 4 as an example, part of the steps of the communication method shown in Figure 3 can be implemented in combination with part of the steps of the communication method shown in Figure 4, for example, part of the steps of the communication method shown in Figure 4 is executed after part of the steps of the communication method shown in Figure 3 (for example, step 402a is executed after step 303a or 303b, or step 402b is executed after step 303a or 303b). Similarly, part of the steps of the communication method shown in Figure 3 can also be executed after part of the steps of the communication method shown in Figure 4 (for example, step 302 is executed after step 402a or step 402b), and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. In addition, the step numbers of each flowchart described above in Figure 3 or Figure 4 are only one example of the execution flow, and do not constitute a limitation on the execution order of the steps, and the steps in each implementation of the present application have no time sequence dependency relationship and no strict execution order. In addition, the steps shown in each flowchart are not all steps that must be executed, and part of the steps can be added or deleted based on each flowchart as needed.

[0273] As can be seen from the communication method shown in the above Figure 4, after the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can timely and effectively resume data collection according to the first configuration, and / or can notify the network device that the terminal device has exited the low power mode, so that the network device can make corresponding adjustments in a timely manner for data collection, so that the terminal device can correctly process data collection after exiting the low power mode. Therefore, this method realizes the correct processing of data collection.

[0274] Based on the implementation of the communication method shown in the above Figure 3, the communication method shown in the above Figure 3 will be described in detail below through a specific example shown in Figure 5. In the specific example shown in Figure 5, the terminal device is a UE, and the network device is a gNB. The communication method shown in Figure 5 is described by taking the combination of gNB as O-DU and O-RU under the ORAN system architecture as an example. It can be understood that under the RAN system architecture, "O-DU" can be replaced by "DU", and "O-RU" can be replaced by "RU". The related implementation process of DU and RU can be referred to the related description of O-DU and O-RU, which will not be repeated here. Alternatively, if the gNB under the ORAN system architecture also includes O-CU, then under the RAN system architecture, "O-CU" can be replaced by "CU", and the related implementation process of O-CU can be referred to the related description of O-CU, which will not be repeated here.

[0275] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the specific flow of the method can include the following steps.

[0276] Step 501: The O-DU sends a first configuration to the O-RU. Accordingly, the O-RU receives the first configuration from the O-DU.

[0277] In the embodiments of the present application, the first configuration can be determined by the O-DU. Then, the O-DU can send the first configuration to the O-RU through the fronthaul interface, and then the O-RU sends the first configuration to the outside. Accordingly, the UE receives the first configuration from the O-RU.

[0278] Alternatively, when the gNB also includes an O-CU, the first configuration can also be determined by the O-CU. Then, the O-CU can send the first configuration to the O-DU, and the O-DU sends the first configuration to the O-RU through the fronthaul interface, and then the O-RU sends the first configuration to the outside. Accordingly, the UE receives the first configuration from the O-RU.

[0279] Alternatively, when the gNB also includes an O-CU, the first configuration can also be determined by the O-CU. Then, the O-CU can send the first configuration to the O-DU, and the O-DU sends the first configuration to the O-RU through the fronthaul interface, and then the O-RU sends the first configuration to the outside. Accordingly, the UE receives the first configuration from the O-RU.

[0280] Step 502: The O-RU sends the first configuration. Accordingly, the UE receives the first configuration from the O-RU.

[0281] Step 503: If the UE enters a low power mode during the data collection process, the UE sends first information. Accordingly, the O-RU receives the first information from the UE.

[0282] In the embodiments of the present application, the first configuration can be determined by the O-DU. Then, the O-DU can send the first configuration to the O-RU through the fronthaul interface, and then the O-RU sends the first configuration to the outside. Accordingly, the UE receives the first configuration from the O-RU.

[0283] Step 504: The O-RU sends the first information to the O-DU. Accordingly, the O-DU receives the first information from the O-RU.

[0284] For example, the O-RU can send the first information to the O-DU through the fronthaul interface. Then, the O-DU can receive the first information from the O-RU through the fronthaul interface.

[0285] Optionally, after step 504 is performed, the embodiment of the present application can further perform step 505 to step 507 or step 508. By performing step 505 to step 507, the UE in the low power mode can stop data collection in time, so that the terminal device can correctly process data collection in the low power mode. By performing step 508, the UE in the low power mode can make a self-determination to stop data collection, or the retransmission of the first information can also be triggered.

[0286] Step 505: The O-DU sends the second information to the O-RU. Correspondingly, the O-RU receives the second information from the O-DU.

[0287] In step 505, the related description of the second information can refer to the related description of step 303a described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0288] In one example, when the gNB is a combination of the O-DU and the O-RU, after the O-DU receives the first information from the O-RU through the fronthaul interface, the O-DU can process the first information accordingly. Then, the O-DU can send the second information to the O-RU through the fronthaul interface according to the processing result, and the O-RU can send the second information to the outside.

[0289] In another example, when the gNB is a combination of the O-CU, the O-DU and the O-RU, after the O-DU receives the first information from the O-RU through the fronthaul interface, the O-DU can send (or forward) the first information to the O-CU, and the O-CU can process the first information accordingly. Then, the O-CU can send the second information to the O-DU according to the processing result. Then, the O-DU sends the second information to the O-RU through the fronthaul interface, and the O-RU sends the second information to the outside.

[0290] Step 506: The O-RU sends the second information. Correspondingly, the UE receives the second information from the O-RU.

[0291] Step 507: The UE stops data collection according to the second information.

[0292] The above steps 505 to 507 are optional steps.

[0293] In one example, if the second information is only used to indicate to stop data collection, the UE can stop data collection (or stop the operation of data collection) according to the second information.

[0294] In another example, in the case that the second information is used to indicate to stop data collection, if the second information is also used to indicate to retain the first configuration, the UE, after receiving the second information, can stop data collection and retain the first configuration according to the second information. The related implementation of the UE retaining the first configuration can refer to the above-mentioned example b1 or example b2, which will not be described here again.

[0295] In yet another example, in the case that the second information is used to indicate to stop data collection, if the second information is also used to indicate to release the first configuration, the UE, after receiving the second information, can stop data collection and perform a release operation of the first configuration according to the second information. The related implementation of the UE performing the release operation of the first configuration can refer to the above-mentioned example c1 or example c2, which will not be described here again.

[0296] Step 508: The UE stops data collection or re-sends the first information after the first time duration. Correspondingly, the O-RU can re-receive the first information from the UE.

[0297] The above-mentioned step 508 is an optional step.

[0298] The implementation process of step 508 can refer to the related description of the above-mentioned step 303b, which will not be described here again.

[0299] Optionally, if the UE exits the low power mode after the UE sends the first information, or after the UE receives the second information from the O-RU, the UE can perform at least one of the following:

[0300] (1) The UE resumes data collection according to the first configuration.

[0301] (2) The UE sends third information. Correspondingly, the O-RU receives the third information from the UE. The third information is used to indicate that the UE exits the low power mode.

[0302] In the ORAN system, if the gNB includes the O-RU and the O-DU, the UE can send the third information to the O-RU. The O-RU, after receiving the third information, can send the third information to the O-DU through the fronthaul interface, and the O-DU processes the third information. If the gNB includes the O-RU, the O-DU and the O-CU, the UE can send the third information to the O-RU. The O-RU, after receiving the third information, can send the third information to the O-DU through the fronthaul interface, and then the O-DU can send the third information to the O-CU, and the O-DU processes the third information.

[0303] Optionally, after the O-DU or the O-CU processes the first information from the UE, the seventh information can also be generated, and the seventh information can be sent to the UE through the O-RU. The seventh information is used to request to obtain the collected data. After receiving the seventh information, the UE can send the collected data according to the seventh information. Then, the O-RU can receive the collected data from the UE. The O-RU can send the collected data to the O-DU through the front-haul interface. The O-DU can process the collected data by itself, or if the gNB also includes the O-CU, the O-DU can also send the collected data to the O-CU, and the O-CU processes the collected data.

[0304] Optionally, after the UE sends the third information, the UE can also receive the relevant response information from the gNB. After the O-DU or the O-CU processes the third information from the UE, the second configuration can also be generated, and the second configuration can be sent to the UE through the O-RU. The second configuration is used for the UE to collect data. After receiving the second configuration, the UE can collect data according to the second configuration.

[0305] As can be seen from the communication method shown in FIG. 5, during the data collection process of the UE, if the UE enters the low power mode, the UE can report the first information for indicating that the UE enters the low power mode and / or indicating that the UE requests to stop data collection, so that the data collection stop operation authority of the UE is controlled by the O-DU or the O-CU. Then, the UE can receive the second information for indicating to stop data collection, so that the O-DU or the O-CU can effectively control the data collection stop operation authority of the UE, and further make the UE correctly process the data collection in the low power mode.

[0306] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of another communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The method can be applied to the communication system architecture shown in FIG. 2a, or can also be applied to the ORAN system architecture shown in FIG. 2b. The specific implementation process of the communication method can include:

[0307] Step 601: The network device sends the third configuration. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third configuration from the network device.

[0308] The third configuration is used for the terminal device to collect data. The related description of the third configuration in step 601 can refer to the related introduction of the first configuration in step 301 described above, and the first configuration is replaced by the third configuration, which will not be described here.

[0309] Step 602: If the terminal device is in the low power mode, the terminal device sends the fourth information. Correspondingly, the network device receives the fourth information from the terminal device.

[0310] The description of the low power mode in step 602 can refer to the description of step 301.

[0311] The fourth information can be described as follows.

[0312] Example d1: The fourth information can be used to indicate that the third configuration is successfully configured.

[0313] Optionally, in the case that the fourth information indicates that the third configuration is successfully configured, the fourth information can include at least one of the following contents:

[0314] Content e1: second indication information. The second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device is in the low power mode.

[0315] By carrying the content e1 in the fourth information, the network device can learn in time that the terminal device is currently in the low power mode, that is, the network device can learn in time and effectively that the terminal device can not collect data due to the low current. Optionally, by carrying the content e1 in the fourth information, the network device can also make corresponding adjustments in time for data collection. For example, the network device can choose to stop the corresponding data collection operation. For another example, the network device can also choose to continue to collect data from the terminal device, so that the network device can wait for the terminal device to exit the low power mode. For another example, the network device can also choose to collect data from other terminal devices.

[0316] Content e2: at least one of the expected data amount or the duration of the low power mode. The expected data amount represents the amount of data that the terminal device can collect in the low power mode. The duration of the low power mode can be understood as how long the terminal device will be in the low power mode from the current low power mode to the exit of the low power mode, or can also be understood as how long the terminal device will be in the low power mode.

[0317] By carrying the above content e2 in the fourth information, the network device can be facilitated to learn how much data the terminal device expects to collect before exiting the low power mode and / or how long the terminal device expects to exit the low power mode. For example, when the fourth information further includes the expected data amount, the network device can select whether to let the terminal device report the collected data subsequently or can select whether to continue to let the terminal device collect data (i.e., whether to continue to wait for the terminal device to exit the low power mode to collect data) according to the expected data amount of the terminal device before exiting the low power mode. When the fourth information further includes the duration of the low power mode, the network device can select whether to continue to let the terminal device collect data (i.e., whether to continue to wait for the terminal device to exit the low power mode to collect data) according to the duration of the low power mode.

[0318] In a possible implementation, in a case where the fourth information indicates that the third configuration is configured successfully, if the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can collect data according to the third configuration.

[0319] For example, if the terminal device exits the low power mode subsequently, the terminal device can collect data according to the third configuration.

[0320] Optionally, in example d1, after the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can also send eighth information to the network device. Then, the network device can receive the eighth information from the terminal device. The eighth information is used to indicate that the terminal device exits the low power mode. After receiving the eighth information, the network device can make corresponding adjustment in a timely manner for data collection according to the eighth information. For example, the network device can select to continue to receive data collected by the terminal device, so that the network device can instruct the terminal device to continue to report the collected data, for example, the network device sends indication information r1 to the terminal device. The indication information r1 is used to instruct to continue to report the collected data, so as to implicitly instruct the terminal device to continue to collect data according to the third configuration. For another example, the network device can instruct the terminal device to continue to collect data according to the original configuration (e.g., the third configuration), for example, the network device sends indication information r2 to the terminal device. The indication information r2 is used to instruct to continue to collect data according to the third configuration.

[0321] Example d2: The fourth information can be used to indicate that the third configuration is configured unsuccessfully.

[0322] Optionally, in a case where the fourth information indicates that the third configuration is configured unsuccessfully, the fourth information can include at least one of the following contents:

[0323] Content f1: second indication information. The second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device is in the low power mode.

[0324] By carrying the above content f1 in the fourth information, the network device can be facilitated to learn that the terminal device is currently in the low power mode in time, that is, the network device can be facilitated to learn in time and effectively that the third configuration fails to be configured due to the current low power of the terminal device, and further that the terminal device cannot perform data collection. Alternatively, by carrying the above content f1 in the fourth information, the network device can also be facilitated to make corresponding adjustment in time for data collection. For example, the network device can select to stop corresponding data collection operation. For another example, the network device can also select to continue to let the terminal device perform data collection, so that the network device can wait for the terminal device to exit the low power mode. For yet another example, the network device can also select to let other terminal devices perform data collection.

[0325] Content f2: at least one of an expected data amount or a duration of the low power mode.

[0326] By carrying the above content f2 in the fourth information, the network device can be facilitated to learn in time how much data amount the terminal device is expected to collect before exiting the low power mode and / or how long the terminal device is expected to exit the low power mode. For example, when the fourth information further includes the expected data amount, the network device can select whether to let the terminal device report collected data subsequently or whether to continue to let the terminal device perform data collection according to the expected data amount of the terminal device before exiting the low power mode. When the fourth information further includes the duration of the low power mode, the network device can select whether to continue to let the terminal device perform data collection according to the duration of the low power mode.

[0327] In a possible implementation, in a case where the fourth information indicates that the third configuration fails to be configured, if the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can notify the network device of the case that the terminal device exits the low power mode. For example, the terminal device can send fifth information to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the fifth information from the terminal device. The fifth information is used to indicate that the terminal device exits the low power mode.

[0328] In another possible implementation, in a case where the fourth information indicates that the third configuration fails to be configured, if the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can perform data collection by using (or applying) the third configuration. It should be understood that in this case, the third configuration fails to be configured but is not deleted and is still reserved.

[0329] Optionally, after receiving the fifth information, the network device can make corresponding adjustment in time for data collection according to the fifth information. For example, the network device can select to continue to configure the terminal device with the third configuration, so as to make the terminal device perform data collection according to the third configuration, for example, the network device sends indication information g1 to the terminal device. The indication information g1 is used to instruct to continue to configure the third configuration, or the indication information g1 is used to instruct to configure the third configuration and perform data collection according to the third configuration. For another example, the network device can select to continue to receive data collected from the terminal device, so that the network device can instruct the terminal device to continue to report collected data, for example, the network device sends indication information g2 to the terminal device. The indication information g2 is used to instruct to continue to report collected data, so as to implicitly instruct the terminal device to continue to perform data collection according to the third configuration. For another example, the network device can provide a new configuration to the terminal device for data collection, for example, the network device can send the new configuration to the terminal device. For another example, the network device can instruct the terminal device to continue to perform data collection according to the original configuration (such as the third configuration), for example, the network device sends indication information g3 to the terminal device. The indication information g3 is used to instruct to continue to perform data collection according to the third configuration.

[0330] For example, the following describes the implementation process of the terminal device performing related operations in the case of exiting the low power mode through the following possible implementation manners.

[0331] Manner B1: When the data reporting condition is met, the terminal device can send first data. Correspondingly, the network device can receive the first data from the terminal device.

[0332] For example, the following describes the above manner B1 through the following possible examples, taking the data reporting condition as an example of reporting data when the buffer threshold is greater than or equal to the buffer threshold, reporting data when the data amount threshold is greater than or equal to the data amount threshold, or reporting data when the collection time threshold is greater than or equal to the collection time threshold.

[0333] Example k1: When the used buffer of the buffer area for storing data is greater than or equal to the buffer threshold, the terminal device can send the first data stored in the buffer area to the network device. Then, the network device can receive the first data from the terminal device. For example, the first data can be the collected data or part of the collected data stored in the buffer area.

[0334] Exemplarily, the first data can comprise at least one of the following: a measurement result of the terminal device for a reference signal (e.g., the reference signal can be a CSI-RS or an SSB, etc.), privacy data at the terminal device side, model training data or analysis data (or collected raw data), etc. Optionally, the first data can further comprise vendor information (e.g., a vendor ID). The vendor information can be used to indicate a vendor to which the terminal device belongs.

[0335] Example k2: When the data amount of the data collected by the terminal device is greater than or equal to a data amount threshold, the terminal device can send the first data to the network device. Subsequently, the network device can receive the first data from the terminal device.

[0336] For example, the first data can be the data collected by the terminal device, or can also be part of the data collected by the terminal device.

[0337] Example k3: When a first collection duration of the data collected by the terminal device is greater than or equal to a collection duration threshold, the terminal device can send the first data to the network device. Subsequently, the network device can receive the first data from the terminal device. The first collection duration can refer to the duration (or time duration) of the data collected by the terminal device.

[0338] For example, the first data can refer to the data collected by the terminal device within the first collection duration, or can also refer to part of the data collected by the terminal device within the first collection duration.

[0339] Example k4: When the data collected by the terminal device is greater than or equal to an upper limit of the buffer, the terminal device can send the first data to the network device. Subsequently, the network device can receive the first data from the terminal device.

[0340] For example, the first data can be the data collected by the terminal device, or can also be part of the data collected by the terminal device.

[0341] Method B2: When the data reporting condition is met, the terminal device can send the sixth information. Correspondingly, the network device can receive the sixth information from the terminal device.

[0342] The sixth information can be used to indicate that the data collection is completed, or the sixth information can be used to indicate that the collected data is available.

[0343] For example, the following takes the data reporting condition as an example, i.e., reporting data when greater than or equal to a buffer threshold, reporting data when greater than or equal to a data amount threshold, or reporting data when greater than or equal to a collection duration threshold, and the following introduces the above method B2 through the following possible examples.

[0344] Example k1': When the used cache of the cache area for caching data is greater than or equal to the cache threshold, the terminal device can send the sixth information to the network device. After that, the network device can receive the sixth information from the terminal device. Then, the network device can determine whether to use the data collected by the terminal device or determine whether to let the terminal device report the collected data according to the sixth information. If it is determined to use the data collected by the terminal device or to let the terminal device report the collected data, the network device can send a first request to the terminal device. The first request is used to request to obtain the data collected by the terminal device. Optionally, the first request can further include at least one of the following: a data amount of the requested data, a data type of the requested data, a collection time period of the requested data, a collection location of the requested data, or a collection duration of the requested data, etc. After that, the terminal device can send corresponding data to the network device according to the first request after receiving the first request from the network device.

[0345] Example k2': When the data amount of the data collected by the terminal device is greater than or equal to the data amount threshold, the terminal device can send the sixth information to the network device. After that, the network device can receive the sixth information from the terminal device. Then, the network device can determine whether to use the data collected by the terminal device or determine whether to let the terminal device report the collected data according to the sixth information. If it is determined to use the data collected by the terminal device or to let the terminal device report the collected data, the network device can send a second request to the terminal device. The second request is used to request to obtain the data collected by the terminal device. Optionally, the second request can further include at least one of the following: a data amount of the requested data, a data type of the requested data, a collection time period of the requested data, a collection location of the requested data, or a collection duration of the requested data, etc. After that, the terminal device can send corresponding data to the network device according to the second request after receiving the second request from the network device.

[0346] Example k3': When the first collection duration of the data collected by the terminal device is greater than or equal to the collection duration threshold, the terminal device can send the sixth information to the network device. Then, the network device can receive the sixth information from the terminal device. Then, the network device can determine whether to use the data collected by the terminal device or determine whether to let the terminal device report the collected data according to the sixth information. If it is determined to use the data collected by the terminal device or to let the terminal device report the collected data, the network device can send a third request to the terminal device. The third request is used to request to obtain the data collected by the terminal device. Optionally, the third request can further include at least one of the following: a data amount of the requested data, a data type of the requested data, a collection time period of the requested data, a collection location of the requested data, or a collection duration of the requested data, etc. Then, the terminal device can send corresponding data to the network device according to the third request after receiving the third request from the network device.

[0347] Example k4': When the data collected by the terminal device is greater than or equal to the upper limit of the cache, the terminal device can send the sixth information to the network device. Then, the network device can receive the sixth information from the terminal device. Then, the network device can determine whether to use the data collected by the terminal device or determine whether to let the terminal device report the collected data according to the sixth information. If it is determined to use the data collected by the terminal device or to let the terminal device report the collected data, the network device can send a fourth request to the terminal device. The fourth request is used to request to obtain the data collected by the terminal device. Optionally, the fourth request can further include at least one of the following: a data amount of the requested data, a data type of the requested data, a collection time period of the requested data, a collection location of the requested data, or a collection duration of the requested data, etc. Then, the terminal device can send corresponding data to the network device according to the fourth request after receiving the fourth request from the network device.

[0348] As can be seen from the communication method shown in FIG. 6, the terminal device receives the third configuration for data collection from the network device in the low power mode, and feeds back the fourth information to the network device in the case of successful configuration or failed configuration of the third configuration, so that the network device can timely and effectively know the configuration of the third configuration, thereby facilitating the network device to make corresponding adjustment in a timely manner for data collection, and thus the terminal device can correctly process data collection (or process the received third configuration) in the low power mode, so that the method realizes correct processing of data collection. In addition, after the terminal device exits the low power mode, the terminal device can collect data according to the third configuration, or can send the fifth information to the network device, so that the network device can make corresponding adjustment in a timely manner for data collection.

[0349] Based on the implementation of the communication method shown in Figure 6, the communication method shown in Figure 6 is described in detail below through a specific example shown in Figure 7. In the specific example shown in Figure 7, the terminal device is a UE, and the network device is a gNB. The communication method shown in Figure 7 is described by taking the combination of the gNB as the O-DU and the O-RU under the ORAN system architecture as an example. It can be understood that under the RAN system architecture, the "O-DU" can be replaced by "DU", and the "O-RU" can be replaced by "RU". The related implementation process of the DU and the RU can be referred to the related description of the O-DU and the O-RU, which is not described here. Alternatively, if the gNB under the ORAN system architecture also includes an O-CU, then under the RAN system architecture, the "O-CU" can be replaced by "CU", and the related implementation process of the O-CU can be referred to the related description of the O-CU, which is not described here.

[0350] Figure 7 is a flowchart of another communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 7, the specific process of the method can include:

[0351] Step 701: The O-DU sends a third configuration to the O-RU. Correspondingly, the O-RU receives the third configuration from the O-DU.

[0352] The related description of the third configuration in step 701 can be referred to the related description of step 601 described above, which is not described here.

[0353] In the embodiments of the present application, the third configuration can be determined by the O-DU. Then, the O-DU can send the third configuration to the O-RU through the front interface, and then the O-RU sends the third configuration to the outside. Correspondingly, the UE receives the third configuration from the O-RU.

[0354] Alternatively, when the gNB also includes an O-CU, the third configuration can also be determined by the O-CU. Then, the O-CU can send the third configuration to the O-DU, and the O-DU sends the third configuration to the O-RU through the front interface, and then the O-RU sends the third configuration to the outside. Correspondingly, the UE receives the third configuration from the O-RU.

[0355] Step 702: The O-RU sends the third configuration. Correspondingly, the UE receives the third configuration from the O-RU.

[0356] Step 703: If the UE is in a low power mode, the UE sends fourth information. Correspondingly, the O-RU receives the fourth information from the UE.

[0357] The related description of the fourth information in step 703 can be referred to the related description of step 602 described above, which is not described here.

[0358] Step 704: The O-RU sends the fourth information to the O-DU. Correspondingly, the O-DU receives the fourth information from the O-RU.

[0359] For example, the O-RU can send the fourth information to the O-DU through the front-haul interface. Then, the O-DU can receive the fourth information from the O-RU through the front-haul interface.

[0360] Optionally, after step 704 is performed, the embodiment of the present application can further perform step 705, step 706a and step 707a, or perform step 705, step 706b and step 707b. By performing step 705, step 706a and step 707a, the UE can accurately report the collected data after exiting the low power mode. By performing step 705, step 706b and step 707b, the UE can notify the O-DU or the O-CU in the gNB of the situation that the data collection is completed after exiting the low power mode, and the O-DU or the O-CU determines whether to use the data collected by the UE or determines whether to let the UE report the collected data, so that the data reporting is effectively controlled by the O-DU or the O-CU, thereby realizing accurate reporting of the collected data, and the data reporting is more flexible, and thus the data reporting requirements of the O-DU or the O-CU are met.

[0361] Step 705: If the UE exits the low power mode, the UE performs data collection.

[0362] In one example, if the UE exits the low power mode, the UE can perform data collection according to the third configuration in the case that the third configuration is successfully configured.

[0363] In another example, if the UE exits the low power mode, the UE can notify the O-DU or the O-CU in the gNB of the situation that the UE exits the low power mode through the O-RU in the gNB, and the O-DU or the O-CU in the gNB instructs the UE to perform data collection according to the third configuration or provides a new configuration for data collection to the UE in the case that the third configuration fails to be configured. Then, the UE can perform data collection based on the indication of the O-DU or the O-CU.

[0364] Step 706a: When the data reporting condition is met, the UE sends the first data. Correspondingly, the O-RU receives the first data from the UE.

[0365] The implementation process of step 706a can refer to the implementation process of mode B1 in step 602 described above, which will not be described here.

[0366] Step 707a: The O-RU sends the first data to the O-DU. Accordingly, the O-DU receives the first data from the O-RU.

[0367] For example, the O-RU can send the first data to the O-DU through the fronthaul interface. Then, the O-DU can receive the first data from the O-RU through the fronthaul interface.

[0368] In one example, when the gNB is a combination of the O-DU and the O-RU, the O-DU can process the first data accordingly after receiving the first data from the O-RU through the fronthaul interface.

[0369] In another example, when the gNB is a combination of the O-CU, the O-DU and the O-RU, the O-DU can send the first data to the O-CU after receiving the first data from the O-RU through the fronthaul interface, and the O-CU can process the first data accordingly.

[0370] Step 706b: When the data reporting condition is met, the UE sends the sixth information. Accordingly, the O-RU receives the sixth information from the UE.

[0371] The implementation process of step 706b can refer to the implementation process of mode B2 in step 602 described above, and will not be described here.

[0372] Step 707b: The O-RU sends the sixth information to the O-DU. Accordingly, the O-DU receives the sixth information from the O-RU.

[0373] For example, the O-RU can send the sixth information to the O-DU through the fronthaul interface. Then, the O-DU can receive the sixth information from the O-RU through the fronthaul interface.

[0374] In one example, when the gNB is a combination of the O-DU and the O-RU, the O-DU can process the sixth information accordingly after receiving the sixth information from the O-RU through the fronthaul interface.

[0375] In another example, when the gNB is a combination of the O-CU, the O-DU and the O-RU, the O-DU can send the sixth information to the O-CU after receiving the sixth information from the O-RU through the fronthaul interface, and the O-CU can process the sixth information accordingly.

[0376] As can be seen from the communication method shown in FIG. 7, after the UE in the low power mode receives the third configuration for data collection from the O-CU or the O-DU, the UE feeds back fourth information to the O-CU or the O-DU in the case of successful configuration or failed configuration of the third configuration, so that the O-CU or the O-DU can timely and effectively know the configuration situation of the third configuration, thereby facilitating the O-CU or the O-DU to make corresponding adjustments in a timely manner for data collection, and thus the UE in the low power mode can correctly process data collection (or process the received third configuration). In addition, after the UE exits the low power mode, the UE can perform data collection according to the third configuration, or can send fifth information to the O-CU or the O-DU, so that the O-CU or the O-DU can make corresponding adjustments in a timely manner for data collection.

[0377] FIG. 10 exemplarily shows a flow diagram of another communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The method can be applicable to the communication system architecture shown in FIG. 2a, or can also be applicable to the ORAN system architecture shown in FIG. 2b. The specific implementation process of the communication method can include:

[0378] Step 1001: The terminal device sends ninth information. Correspondingly, the network device receives the ninth information from the terminal device.

[0379] The ninth information can include at least one first available function supported by the terminal device. Alternatively, the ninth information can also be described as "the ninth information can include information of at least one first available function supported by the terminal device".

[0380] Alternatively, the ninth information can further include at least one of the following: function description information of the at least one first available function, identification information of the at least one first available function, or a use scenario (or use environment) of the at least one first available function, etc. For example, the available function can refer to an available AI function. For example, the AI function can be a function for predicting a CSI channel, a function for predicting a moving path of the terminal device, a function for predicting a CSI-RS beam, or a function for predicting a load of the terminal device, etc.

[0381] It can be understood that the available function refers to a currently available function, or can also refer to a function matched with the current situation of the terminal device, or can also refer to a function meeting the current applicable condition of the terminal device.

[0382] The implementation process of the terminal device sending the ninth information is introduced below through the following possible examples.

[0383] Example s1: The terminal device actively sends the ninth information. Then, the network device receives the ninth information from the terminal device.

[0384] Example s2: the network device sends a fifth request. Wherein, the fifth request is used to request to obtain available functions supported by the terminal device. After receiving the fifth request from the network device, the terminal device can send the ninth information.

[0385] It can be understood that, in addition to the above-mentioned examples, the terminal device can also send the ninth information in other cases, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0386] In a possible implementation, before sending the ninth information, the terminal device needs to determine at least one first available function. The implementation process of the terminal device determining at least one first available function is introduced as follows.

[0387] Mode j1: the terminal device determines at least one first available function according to at least one of the following information (or conditions): attribute information of the terminal device, a use scenario of the terminal device, or a communication configuration of the terminal device.

[0388] For example, the attribute information of the terminal device can include physical attribute information of the terminal device and / or software and hardware attribute information of the terminal device. For example, the physical attribute information of the terminal device can include but is not limited to: speed, moving direction, geographical position or height of the terminal device, etc. The software and hardware attribute information of the terminal device can include but is not limited to: effective power, computing capability, storage space, or supported AI model compilation environment of the terminal device, etc. The use scenario of the terminal device can include but is not limited to: urban macro environment, urban micro environment, or indoor hotspot environment, etc. The communication configuration of the terminal device can include but is not limited to: antenna style, antenna parameter, or antenna quantity of the terminal device, etc.

[0389] In one example, the terminal device determines the at least one first available function according to attribute information of the terminal device, which includes a moving speed of the terminal device (such as low speed, medium speed, or high speed). For example, in a case where the moving speed of the terminal device is low speed, the terminal device can determine, from a plurality of functions (such as AI functions) supported (or configured) by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to the low speed is a function u1. That is, the function u1 corresponds to a function applicable condition (which can also be referred to as an applicable condition) of low speed. For another example, in a case where the moving speed of the terminal device is medium speed, the terminal device can determine, from a plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to the medium speed is a function u2. That is, the function u2 corresponds to a function applicable condition of medium speed. For yet another example, in a case where the moving speed of the terminal device is high speed, the terminal device can determine, from a plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to the high speed is a function u3. That is, the function u3 corresponds to a function applicable condition of high speed. The function u1, the function u2, and the function u3 can be different.

[0390] In another example, the terminal device determines the at least one first available function according to a use scenario of the terminal device, which includes a city macro environment, a city micro environment, or an indoor hotspot environment. For example, in a case where the use scenario of the terminal device is the city macro environment, the terminal device can determine, from a plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to the city macro environment is a function v1. That is, the function v1 corresponds to a function applicable condition of the city macro environment. For another example, in a case where the use scenario of the terminal device is the city micro environment, the terminal device can determine, from a plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to the city micro environment is a function v2. That is, the function v2 corresponds to a function applicable condition of the city micro environment. For yet another example, in a case where the use scenario of the terminal device is the indoor hotspot environment, the terminal device can determine, from a plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to the indoor hotspot environment is a function v3. That is, the function v3 corresponds to a function applicable condition of the indoor hotspot environment. The function v1, the function v2, and the function v3 can be different.

[0391] In yet another example, the terminal device determines the at least one first available function according to a communication configuration of the terminal device, which includes an antenna parameter. For example, in a case where the antenna parameter of the terminal device is parameter w1, the terminal device can determine, from a plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to parameter w1 is function y1. That is, the function y1 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the antenna parameter w1. For another example, in a case where the antenna parameter of the terminal device is parameter w2, the terminal device can determine, from the plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to parameter w2 is function y2. That is, the function y2 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the antenna parameter w2. For yet another example, in a case where the antenna parameter of the terminal device is parameter w3, the terminal device can determine, from the plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to parameter w3 is function y3. That is, the function y3 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the antenna parameter w3. The functions y1, y2 and y3 can be different.

[0392] In yet another example, the terminal device determines the at least one first available function according to attribute information of the terminal device and a use environment. The attribute information of the terminal device includes a moving speed of the terminal device. The use environment of the terminal device is a city macro environment. For example, in a case where the moving speed of the terminal device is low and the use environment of the terminal device is a city macro environment, the terminal device can determine, from a plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the low speed and the city macro environment is function m1. That is, the function m1 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the low speed and the city macro environment. For another example, in a case where the moving speed of the terminal device is medium and the use environment of the terminal device is a city macro environment, the terminal device can determine, from the plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the medium speed and the city macro environment is function m2. That is, the function m2 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the medium speed and the city macro environment. For yet another example, in a case where the moving speed of the terminal device is high and the use environment of the terminal device is a city macro environment, the terminal device can determine, from the plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the high speed and the city macro environment is function m3. That is, the function m3 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the high speed and the city macro environment. The functions m1, m2 and m3 can be different.

[0393] In yet another example, the terminal device determines at least one first available function according to attribute information of the terminal device and communication configuration of the terminal device, the attribute information of the terminal device including a moving speed of the terminal device, and the communication configuration of the terminal device including an antenna parameter, for example, w1. For example, in a case where the moving speed of the terminal device is low and the antenna parameter of the terminal device is w1, the terminal device can determine, from a plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to the low moving speed and the antenna parameter w1 is n1. That is, the function n1 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the low moving speed and the antenna parameter w1. For another example, in a case where the moving speed of the terminal device is medium and the antenna parameter of the terminal device is w1, the terminal device can determine, from the plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to the medium moving speed and the antenna parameter w1 is n2. That is, the function n2 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the medium moving speed and the antenna parameter w1. For yet another example, in a case where the moving speed of the terminal device is high and the antenna parameter of the terminal device is w1, the terminal device can determine, from the plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to the high moving speed and the antenna parameter w1 is n3. That is, the function n3 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the high moving speed and the antenna parameter w1. The function n1, the function n2, and the function n3 can be different.

[0394] In yet another example, the terminal device determines at least one first available function according to a use environment of the terminal device and communication configuration of the terminal device, the use environment of the terminal device being an urban macro environment, an urban micro environment, or an indoor hotspot environment, and the communication configuration of the terminal device including an antenna parameter, for example, w1. For example, in a case where the use environment of the terminal device is the urban macro environment and the antenna parameter of the terminal device is w1, the terminal device can determine, from a plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to the urban macro environment and the antenna parameter w1 is function G1. That is, the function G1 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the urban macro environment and the antenna parameter w1. For another example, in a case where the use environment of the terminal device is the urban micro environment and the antenna parameter of the terminal device is w1, the terminal device can determine, from the plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to the urban micro environment and the antenna parameter w1 is function G2. That is, the function G2 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the urban micro environment and the antenna parameter w1. For yet another example, in a case where the use environment of the terminal device is the indoor hotspot environment and the antenna parameter of the terminal device is w1, the terminal device can determine, from the plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to the indoor hotspot environment and the antenna parameter w1 is function G3. That is, the function G3 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the indoor hotspot environment and the antenna parameter w1. The function G1, the function G2, and the function G3 can be different.

[0395] In yet another example, the terminal device determines the at least one first available function according to attribute information of the terminal device, a use environment and a communication configuration of the terminal device, the attribute information of the terminal device including a moving speed of the terminal device, the use scenario of the terminal device being an urban macro environment, and the communication configuration of the terminal device including an antenna parameter, the antenna parameter being w1. For example, in a case where the moving speed of the terminal device is low, the use scenario of the terminal device is an urban macro environment, and the antenna parameter of the terminal device is w1, the terminal device can determine, from a plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to low speed, an urban macro environment and the antenna parameter w1 is a function H1. That is, the function H1 corresponds to the function applicable conditions of low speed, an urban macro environment and the antenna parameter w1. For another example, in a case where the moving speed of the terminal device is medium speed, the use scenario of the terminal device is an urban macro environment, and the antenna parameter of the terminal device is w1, the terminal device can determine, from a plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to medium speed, an urban macro environment and the antenna parameter w1 is a function H2. That is, the function H2 corresponds to the function applicable conditions of medium speed, an urban macro environment and the antenna parameter w1. For yet another example, in a case where the moving speed of the terminal device is high speed, the use scenario of the terminal device is an urban macro environment, and the antenna parameter of the terminal device is w1, the terminal device can determine, from a plurality of functions supported by the terminal device, that a function corresponding to high speed, an urban macro environment and the antenna parameter w1 is a function H3. That is, the function H3 corresponds to the function applicable conditions of high speed, an urban macro environment and the antenna parameter w1. The function H1, the function H2 and the function H3 can be different.

[0396] It should be noted that the above is only an example of several ways of determining the at least one first available function, and there are other ways of determining the at least one first available function, such as determining the at least one first available function based on other combinations of the attribute information of the terminal device, the use scenario or the communication configuration. The other combinations can be inferred from the above combination examples, and will not be listed one by one here.

[0397] Mode j2: The network device sends a fourth configuration. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fourth configuration. Then, the terminal device can determine the at least one first available function according to the fourth configuration after receiving the fourth configuration.

[0398] For example, the fourth configuration can be used to configure information related to function reporting. For example, the fourth configuration can include additional conditions, or can include an identifier of the additional conditions. Optionally, the fourth configuration can also include a resource used for function reporting, a content format of function reporting or a reporting condition, etc. Optionally, the fourth configuration can also include other configurations, such as an inference configuration (such as indicating an active function reporting or a passive function reporting), or a frequency point configuration for a function corresponding to a wide beam, etc.

[0399] Exemplarily, the additional condition can include, but is not limited to, a beam width, or a downtilt angle, and the like.

[0400] In a possible implementation, if the fourth configuration includes the additional condition, the terminal device can determine the at least one first available function according to the additional condition included in the fourth configuration.

[0401] In an example, taking the beam width as an example of the additional condition. For example, if the beam width is L1, the terminal device can determine, from the multiple functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the beam width L1 is function K1. That is to say, the function K1 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the beam width L1. For another example, if the beam width is L2, the terminal device can determine, from the multiple functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the beam width L2 is function K2. That is to say, the function K2 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the beam width L2. For yet another example, if the beam width is L3, the terminal device can determine, from the multiple functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the beam width L3 is function K3. That is to say, the function K3 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the beam width L3. The function K1, the function K2, and the function K3 can be different.

[0402] In another example, taking the downtilt angle as an example of the additional condition. For example, if the downtilt angle is α1, the terminal device can determine, from the multiple functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the downtilt angle α1 is function P1. That is to say, the function P1 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the downtilt angle α1. For another example, if the downtilt angle is α2, the terminal device can determine, from the multiple functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the downtilt angle α2 is function P2. That is to say, the function P2 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the downtilt angle α2. For yet another example, if the downtilt angle is α3, the terminal device can determine, from the multiple functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the downtilt angle α3 is function P3. That is to say, the function P3 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the downtilt angle α3. The function P1, the function P2, and the function P3 can be different.

[0403] In another example, taking the additional conditions including the beam width and the downtilt angle as an example, the beam width is L1, L2 or L3, and the downtilt angle is α1. For example, if the beam width is L1 and the downtilt angle is α1, the terminal device can determine, from the multiple functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the beam width L1 and the downtilt angle α1 is function Q1. That is, the function Q1 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the beam width L1 and the downtilt angle α1. For another example, if the beam width is L2 and the downtilt angle is α1, the terminal device can determine, from the multiple functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the beam width L2 and the downtilt angle α1 is function Q2. That is, the function Q2 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the beam width L2 and the downtilt angle α1. For yet another example, if the beam width is L3 and the downtilt angle is α1, the terminal device can determine, from the multiple functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the beam width L3 and the downtilt angle α1 is function Q3. That is, the function Q3 corresponds to the function applicable condition of the beam width L3 and the downtilt angle α1.

[0404] In another possible implementation, if the fourth configuration includes the identification of the additional condition, the terminal device can determine the at least one first available function according to the identification of the additional condition included in the fourth configuration.

[0405] For example, taking the identification of the additional condition included in the fourth configuration as identification 1 or identification 2 as an example. For example, when the identification of the additional condition included in the fourth configuration is identification 1, the terminal device can determine, according to the identification 1, from the multiple functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the identification 1 is function S1. For example, when the identification of the additional condition included in the fourth configuration is identification 2, the terminal device can determine, according to the identification 2, from the multiple functions supported by the terminal device, that the available function corresponding to the identification 2 is function S2.

[0406] It should be noted that the above is only an example of several ways of determining the at least one first available function, and there are other ways to determine the at least one first available function, such as determining the at least one first available function based on other combinations of the beam width and the downtilt angle. The other combinations can be inferred by analogy with the above combination examples, and will not be listed one by one here.

[0407] Optionally, for step 1001, in the ORAN system, if the network device comprises an O-RU and an O-DU, the terminal device can send the ninth information to the O-RU. Then, the O-RU can send the ninth information to the O-DU through a front-haul interface. After receiving the ninth information, the O-DU can process the ninth information by itself, or if the network device further comprises an O-CU, the O-DU can also send the ninth information to the O-CU for processing by the O-CU. It can be understood that under the RAN system architecture, the “O-DU” comprised by the network device can be replaced by “DU”, the “O-RU” comprised by the network device can be replaced by “RU”, and the “O-CU” comprised by the network device can be replaced by “CU”. The related implementation process of DU, RU and CU can be referred to the related description of O-DU, O-RU and O-CU, which will not be described here.

[0408] Step 1002: The terminal device determines that the use state of the first function changes from the available state to the unavailable state.

[0409] The first function belongs to (or is contained in or located in) at least one first available function supported by the terminal device. That is, it can be understood that the first function belongs to at least one available function reported by the terminal device to the network device. For example, the number of first functions can be one, or the number of first functions can be multiple. For example, when the number of first functions is one, the one first function is one of the at least one first available function supported by the terminal device, which can be understood as the one first function is one of the at least one first available function reported by the terminal device to the network device. For another example, when the number of first functions is multiple, the multiple first functions are multiple first available functions supported by the terminal device, which can be understood as the multiple first functions are multiple first available functions reported by the terminal device to the network device.

[0410] For example, the implementation process of the terminal device determining that the use state of the first function changes from the available state to the unavailable state is introduced below through the following possible examples.

[0411] Example 01: When the terminal device detects (or identifies) that the performance of the first function is deteriorating, the terminal device can determine that the first function is no longer available at present. In this way, the use state of the first function changes from (or switches from or converts from or becomes) the available state to the unavailable state.

[0412] For example, when the terminal device detects that the performance of the first function is deteriorating from good to bad, the terminal device can determine that the first function is no longer available at present.

[0413] Example 02: When the terminal device detects that the applicable condition of the first function changes, the terminal device can determine that the first function is currently no longer available. In this way, the use state of the first function changes from the available state to the unavailable state.

[0414] For example, when the terminal device detects that the applicable condition of the first function changes from the applicable condition A to the applicable condition B, the terminal device can determine that the first function is currently no longer available.

[0415] Step 1003: The terminal device sends the tenth information. Correspondingly, the network device receives the tenth information from the terminal device.

[0416] Wherein, in the case that the use state of the first function changes from the available state to the unavailable state, the tenth information can be used to indicate that the first function is unavailable, or the tenth information can also be used to indicate that the use state of the first function is the unavailable state.

[0417] For example, the tenth information can include one of the following: information of the first function, information of at least one second available function, or information of part of the available functions in the at least one second available function.

[0418] Exemplarily, the information of the function can include at least one of the following: function description information (such as the name, applicable condition, attribute, feature, performance, or use state of the function, etc.), or identification information (such as the identification or type of the function, etc.), etc.

[0419] It can be understood that the second available function refers to the available function currently supported by the terminal device. That is to say, the at least one second available function does not include the function whose use state is currently the unavailable state, such as the first function. For example, the at least one second available function can include the function whose use state was originally the available state and is currently still the available state, and the function whose use state was originally the unavailable state and is currently the available state (i.e. the function whose use state changes from the unavailable state to the available state). Alternatively, the at least one second available function can also include the available function newly supported by the terminal device.

[0420] The implementation process of the terminal device sending the tenth information is introduced below through the following possible implementation manners.

[0421] Manner R1: After determining that the use state of the first function changes from the available state to the unavailable state, the terminal device can send the tenth information.

[0422] For example, refer to FIG. 11a, a functional reporting schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 11a, after the terminal device initially reports at least one available function supported by the terminal device to the network device, if the use state of one or more functions (or can be referred to as available functions) in the at least one available function reported (or has been reported) by the terminal device changes from the available state to the unavailable state, the terminal device can send information z1 to the network device. Wherein, the information z1 is used to indicate that the one or more functions are unavailable. For example, the information z1 can include one of the following: information of the one or more functions, information of all available functions currently supported by the terminal device, or information of part of the available functions currently supported by the terminal device.

[0423] After that, if the use state of one or more functions in the at least one available function reported (or has been reported) by the terminal device changes from the unavailable state to the available state, the terminal device can not report any information, such as not reporting information indicating that the use state of the function changes, not reporting information of the one or more functions, and not reporting information of all available functions currently supported by the terminal device.

[0424] Then, if the use state of one or more functions in the at least one available function reported (or has been reported) by the terminal device changes from the available state to the unavailable state, the terminal device can send information z2 to the network device. Wherein, the information z2 is used to indicate that the one or more functions are unavailable. For example, the information z2 can include one of the following: information of the one or more functions, information of all available functions currently supported by the terminal device, or information of part of the available functions currently supported by the terminal device.

[0425] After that, if the use state of one or more functions in the at least one available function reported (or has been reported) by the terminal device changes from the unavailable state to the available state, the terminal device can not report any information, such as not reporting information indicating that the use state of the function changes, not reporting information of the one or more functions, and not reporting information of all available functions currently supported by the terminal device.

[0426] Then, if the use state of one or more functions in the at least one available function reported (or has been reported) by the terminal device changes from the available state to the unavailable state, the terminal device can send information z3 to the network device. Wherein, the information z3 is used to indicate that the one or more functions are unavailable. For example, the information z2 can include one of the following: information of the one or more functions, information of all available functions currently supported by the terminal device, or information of part of the available functions currently supported by the terminal device.

[0427] R2: In a case that the usage state of the first function changes from the available state to the unavailable state and the terminal device has reported the information of the first function last time, the terminal device can send the tenth information. Wherein, when the terminal device has reported the information of the first function last time, the usage state of the first function is the available state.

[0428] In the embodiment of the present application, after determining that the usage state of the first function changes from the available state to the unavailable state, in order to make the sending of the tenth information more reasonable and more targeted, the terminal device can further determine whether the terminal device has reported the information of the first function to the network device when the usage state of the first function was the available state last time. If the terminal device has reported the information of the first function to the network device when the usage state of the first function was the available state last time, the terminal device can send the tenth information. If the terminal device has not reported the information of the first function to the network device when the usage state of the first function was the available state last time, the terminal device can not send the tenth information. In this way, the method can make the reporting of function information more reasonable, help to save signaling overhead, and can reduce the power consumption (such as power consumption) of the terminal device caused by frequent initiation of function information reporting.

[0429] For example, please refer to FIG. 11b, which is another function reporting schematic diagram provided by the embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 11b, after the terminal device initially reports at least one available function supported by the terminal device to the network device, if there is one or more functions whose usage state changes from the available state to the unavailable state in the at least one available function reported (or has been reported) by the terminal device, the terminal device can send information z4 to the network device in a case that the terminal device determines that the information of the one or more functions has been reported (i.e. the information of the one or more functions initially reported in FIG. 11b) when the usage state of the one or more functions was the available state last time. Wherein, the information z4 is used to indicate that the one or more functions are unavailable. For example, the information z4 can include one of the following: the information of the one or more functions, the information of all available functions currently supported by the terminal device, or the information of part of the available functions currently supported by the terminal device.

[0430] After that, if there is one or more functions whose usage state changes from the unavailable state to the available state in the at least one available function reported (or has been reported) by the terminal device, the terminal device can not report any information, such as not reporting the information used to indicate that the usage state of the function changes, not reporting the information of the one or more functions, and not reporting the information of all available functions currently supported by the terminal device.

[0431] Then, if the use state of one or more functions in the at least one available function reported (or has been reported) by the terminal device changes from the available state to the unavailable state, since the terminal device did not report the information of the one or more functions when the use state of the one or more functions was in the available state in the last time, the terminal device can not report any information, such as not reporting the information indicating that the use state of the function changes, not reporting the information of the one or more functions, and not reporting the information of all available functions currently supported by the terminal device.

[0432] Further, if the use state of one or more functions in the at least one available function reported (or has been reported) by the terminal device changes from the unavailable state to the available state, the terminal device can not report any information, such as not reporting the information indicating that the use state of the function changes, not reporting the information of the one or more functions, and not reporting the information of all available functions currently supported by the terminal device.

[0433] Further, if the use state of one or more functions in the at least one available function reported (or has been reported) by the terminal device changes from the available state to the unavailable state, since the terminal device did not report the information of the one or more functions when the use state of the one or more functions was in the available state in the last time, the terminal device can not report any information, such as not reporting the information indicating that the use state of the function changes, not reporting the information of the one or more functions, and not reporting the information of all available functions currently supported by the terminal device.

[0434] Optionally, for step 1003, in the ORAN system, if the network device includes an O-RU and an O-DU, the terminal device can send the tenth information to the O-RU. Then, the O-RU can send the tenth information to the O-DU through a front interface. After receiving the tenth information, the O-DU can process the tenth information by itself, or if the network device further includes an O-CU, the O-DU can also send the tenth information to the O-CU for processing by the O-CU. It can be understood that under the architecture of the RAN system, the "O-DU" included in the network device can be replaced by "DU", the "O-RU" included in the network device can be replaced by "RU", and the "O-CU" included in the network device can be replaced by "CU". The related implementation process of the DU, RU and CU can be correspondingly referred to the related description of the O-DU, O-RU and O-CU, which will not be described here.

[0435] As can be seen from the communication method shown in FIG. 10, for the at least one available function that has been reported by the terminal device, the terminal device can report the function information (such as the tenth information) to the network device when the use state of one or more functions in the at least one available function changes from the available state to the unavailable state, so that the reporting of the function information is more targeted and more accurate, and it is helpful to avoid the terminal device from frequently reporting the function information between two times of the network device requesting the function information. In addition, after determining that the use state of one or more functions in the at least one available function changes from the available state to the unavailable state, if it is judged that the terminal device has reported the information of the one or more functions to the network device when the use state of the one or more functions is the available state, the terminal device can report the function information (such as the tenth information) to the network device, so that the reporting of the function information is more reasonable and more in line with actual needs, and it is helpful to reduce the power consumption (such as power consumption) of the terminal device caused by frequently initiating the reporting of the function information, so as to save the signaling overhead.

[0436] It can be understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal device and the network device include the corresponding hardware structure and / or software module for implementing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the present application can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is implemented in hardware or computer software driven hardware depends on the specific application scenarios and design constraints of the technical solutions.

[0437] FIGS. 8 and 9 are structural schematic diagrams of possible communication apparatuses provided by the embodiments of the present application. These communication apparatuses can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments. For example, the communication apparatus can be the terminal device as shown in FIG. 2a or FIG. 2b, or the access network device as shown in FIG. 2a or FIG. 2b, or a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal device or the access network device.

[0438] The communication apparatus 800 shown in FIG. 8 includes a transceiver unit 810 (or can be referred to as a communication module or a transceiver module or a communication module, used for transmitting and receiving data). Optionally, the communication apparatus 800 shown in FIG. 8 can also include a processing unit 820 (or can be referred to as a processing module). The communication apparatus 800 can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 7. For example, the transceiver unit 810 can perform the receiving actions and the transmitting actions performed by the terminal device or the network device in the method embodiments described above. The processing unit 820 can perform other actions of the terminal device or the network device in the method embodiments described above, except for the transmitting actions and the receiving actions.

[0439] When the communication apparatus 800 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5: the transceiver unit 810 is configured to receive a first configuration. The first configuration can be used for the terminal device to perform data collection. The transceiver unit 810 is also configured to transmit first information if the terminal device enters a low power mode during the data collection process. The low power mode indicates that the power of the terminal device is lower than a first threshold, and the first information is used to indicate that the terminal device enters the low power mode and / or that the terminal device requests to stop the data collection. After the transceiver unit 810 transmits the first information, the communication apparatus 800 is also configured to perform one of the following manners:

[0440] Manner 1: The transceiver unit 810 is also configured to receive second information. The second information is used to indicate to stop the data collection.

[0441] Manner 2: The processing unit 820 is configured to stop the data collection after a first time duration, or the transceiver unit 810 is also configured to retransmit the first information after the first time duration.

[0442] It can be understood that the processing unit 820 can also be configured to call the transceiver unit 810 to perform the transceiving actions required by the terminal device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5.

[0443] When the communication apparatus 800 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5: the transceiver unit 810 is configured to transmit a first configuration. The first configuration can be used for the terminal device to perform data collection. The transceiver unit 810 is also configured to receive first information. The first information is used to indicate that the terminal device enters a low power mode and / or that the terminal device requests to stop the data collection, and the low power mode indicates that the power of the terminal device is lower than a first threshold. After the transceiver unit 810 transmits the first information, the communication apparatus 800 is also configured to perform one of the following manners:

[0444] Manner 1': The transceiver unit 810 is also configured to transmit second information. The second information is used to indicate to stop the data collection.

[0445] Manner 2': the transceiver 810 is further configured to re-receive the first information.

[0446] The processing unit 820 is configured to perform corresponding processing operations, such as can be configured to invoke the transceiver 810 to perform the transceiving actions required to be performed by the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5, or can be configured to generate the first configuration, etc.

[0447] When the communication apparatus 800 is configured to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4, the transceiver 810 is configured to receive the first configuration. The first configuration can be used by the terminal device to perform data collection. The communication apparatus 800 is further configured to perform at least one of the following manners:

[0448] Manner 1": the transceiver 810 is further configured to, if the terminal device exits the low power mode, send third information. The third information is used to instruct the terminal device to exit the low power mode.

[0449] Manner 2": the processing unit 820 is configured to, if the terminal device exits the low power mode, resume data collection according to the first configuration.

[0450] It can be understood that the processing unit 820 can also be configured to invoke the transceiver 810 to perform the transceiving actions required to be performed by the terminal device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4.

[0451] When the communication apparatus 800 is configured to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4, the transceiver 810 is configured to send the first configuration. The first configuration can be used by the terminal device to perform data collection. The transceiver 810 is further configured to receive third information. The third information is used to instruct the terminal device to exit the low power mode. The processing unit 820 is configured to perform corresponding processing operations, such as can be configured to invoke the transceiver 810 to perform the transceiving actions required to be performed by the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 4, or can be configured to generate the first configuration, etc.

[0452] When the communication apparatus 800 is configured to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, the transceiver 810 is configured to receive third configuration. The third configuration can be used by the terminal device to perform data collection. The transceiver 810 is further configured to, if the terminal device is in a low power mode, send fourth information. The low power mode indicates that the power of the terminal device is lower than a first threshold, and the fourth information is used to indicate that the third configuration is successfully configured, or the fourth information is used to indicate that the third configuration is failed to be configured. The processing unit 820 is configured to perform corresponding processing operations, such as can be configured to invoke the transceiver 810 to perform the transceiving actions required to be performed by the terminal device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, or can be configured to generate the fourth information, etc.

[0453] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7 described above, the transceiver unit 810 is configured to send a third configuration. The third configuration can be used for data collection by the terminal device. The transceiver unit 810 is further configured to receive fourth information. The fourth information is used to indicate that the third configuration is configured successfully, or the fourth information is used to indicate that the third configuration is configured unsuccessfully. The processing unit 820 is configured to perform corresponding processing operations, such as being configured to call the transceiver unit 810 to perform the transceiving actions required by the network device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7 described above, or being configured to generate the third configuration, etc.

[0454] The detailed description of the processing unit 820 and the transceiver unit 810 can be referred to the related description in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 7 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0455] It should be understood that the transceiver unit 810 in the embodiments of the present application can be realized by an interface circuit or an interface circuit related circuit component, and the processing unit 820 can be realized by a processor or a processor related circuit component.

[0456] 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, there can be another division manner. In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or can be physically separated, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware, or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0457] If the integrated unit is realized in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or the whole or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, etc.) or a processor to perform all or part of the steps of the methods in the embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0458] The communication apparatus 900 shown in FIG. 9 comprises a processor 920 and an interface circuit 910. The processor 920 and the interface circuit 910 are coupled with each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 910 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication apparatus 900 can further comprise a memory 930 for storing instructions executed by the processor 920 or storing input data required by the processor 920 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 920 executes instructions.

[0459] When the communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the method embodiments shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 7, the processor 920 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 820, and the interface circuit 910 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 810.

[0460] For example, taking the terminal device as UE and the network device as a base station. When the communication apparatus is a chip applied to the UE, the UE chip implements the functions corresponding to the UE in the above method embodiments. For example, the UE chip receives information from the base station, which can be understood as the information is first received by other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the UE, and then sent to the UE chip by these modules. The UE chip sends information to the base station, which can be understood as the information is first sent to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the UE, and then sent to the base station by these modules.

[0461] When the communication apparatus is a chip applied to the base station, the base station chip implements the functions corresponding to the base station in the above method embodiments. For example, the base station chip receives information from the UE, which can be understood as the information is first received by other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the base station, and then sent to the base station chip by these modules. The base station chip sends information to the UE, which can be understood as the information is first sent to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the base station, and then sent to the UE by these modules.

[0462] In this application, entity A sending information to entity B can be A sending directly to B, or A sending indirectly to B through other entities. Similarly, entity B receiving information from entity A can be entity B receiving directly the information sent by entity A, or entity B receiving indirectly the information sent by entity A through other entities. Here, entity A and B can be terminal devices or network devices, or modules inside terminal devices or network devices. For example, taking terminal devices and network devices as examples. The sending and receiving of information can be the information interaction between terminal devices and network devices, for example, the information interaction between UEs and base stations. The sending and receiving of information can also be the information interaction between two base stations, for example, the information interaction between CUs and DUs. The sending and receiving of information can also be the information interaction between different modules inside one device, for example, the information interaction between a UE chip and other modules of the UE, or the information interaction between a base station chip and other modules of the base station.

[0463] Based on the same idea, the embodiments of the present application also provide a possible communication system. The communication system can include one or more of terminal devices or network devices. Among them, the terminal device can be used to implement the technical solutions related to the terminal device in the above embodiments, and the network device can be used to implement the technical solutions related to the network device in the above embodiments.

[0464] Based on the same idea, the embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product, which includes computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions run on a communication device (or computer), the communication device (or computer) executes the method provided by the above embodiments.

[0465] Based on the same idea, the embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed by a communication device (or computer), the communication device (or computer) executes the method provided by the above embodiments.

[0466] Among them, the storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. For example, but not limited to: the computer readable medium can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0467] Based on the same idea, the embodiments of the present application further provide a chip, which can include a processor and can further include a memory (or the chip is coupled with the memory), the processor executes program instructions in the memory to enable the chip to perform the method provided by the above embodiments. Wherein, "coupled" means that two components are directly or indirectly combined with each other, such as the coupling can mean that the two components are electrically connected.

[0468] Based on the same idea, the embodiments of the present application further provide a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a computer device to implement the functions related to the terminal device or the network device in the above embodiments. In a possible implementation manner, the chip system further includes a memory for storing necessary programs and data of the computer device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include the chip and other discrete devices.

[0469] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor.

[0470] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be realized by hardware or by the processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in the terminal device or the network device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the terminal device or the network device.

[0471] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. The computer program refers to a set of instructions for instructing an electronic computer or other devices with message processing capability to perform each step. The computer program is usually written in a certain programming language and runs on a certain target architecture. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on the computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network or other programmable devices. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired or wireless mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center and the like integrated with one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; or an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state disk. The computer readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile storage media.

[0472] In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other 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.

[0473] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the literal description of the present application, the character " / ", generally represents that the front and rear associated objects have an "or" relationship; in the formula of the present application, the character " / ", represents that the front and rear associated objects have a "division" relationship.

[0474] It can be understood that various digital numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only distinguished for convenience of description, and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to its function and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to a terminal device comprises: receiving a first configuration, the first configuration being used for the terminal device to collect data; if the terminal device enters a low power mode in the process of collecting data, the low power mode indicating that the power of the terminal device is lower than a first threshold, sending first information, the first information being used for indicating that the terminal device enters the low power mode and / or the terminal device requests to stop data collection; receiving second information, the second information being used for indicating to stop data collection; or after a first time duration, stopping data collection or resending the first information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The second information is further used for indicating to retain the first configuration; or The second information is further used for indicating to release the first configuration.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The second information indicating to release the first configuration comprises: The second information indicating to release the first configuration when a first condition is met; or The second information indicating to immediately release the first configuration.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, In the case that the second information indicates to release the first configuration when the first condition is met, the first condition comprising a second time duration, the second time duration being a retention time duration of the first configuration. The method further comprises: after the second time duration, releasing the first configuration.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, In the case that the second information indicates to release the first configuration when the first condition is met, the first condition comprising a first area, The method further comprises: after the terminal device leaves the first area, releasing the first configuration.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The method further comprises: if the terminal device exits the low power mode, sending third information, the third information being used for indicating that the terminal device exits the low power mode.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein The method further comprises: resuming data collection according to the first configuration.

8. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving a second configuration, the second configuration being used for the terminal device to collect data.

9. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to a network device comprises: sending a first configuration, the first configuration being used for a terminal device to collect data; receiving first information, the first information being used for indicating that the terminal device enters a low power mode and / or the terminal device requests to stop data collection, the low power mode indicating that the power of the terminal device is lower than a first threshold; sending second information, the second information being used for indicating to stop data collection; or receiving the first information again.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The second information is further used for indicating to retain the first configuration; or The second information is further used for indicating to release the first configuration.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The second information indicating to release the first configuration comprises: The second information indicating to release the first configuration when a first condition is met; or The second information indicating to immediately release the first configuration.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, In the case that the second information indicates to release the first configuration when the first condition is met, the first condition comprising a second time duration, the second time duration being a retention time duration of the first configuration.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein, In the case that the second information indicates to release the first configuration when the first condition is met, the first condition comprising a first area.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving third information, the third information being used for indicating that the terminal device exits the low power mode.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The method further includes: sending a second configuration, the second configuration being used for the terminal device to collect data.

16. The method of any one of claims 1-15, wherein, In a case where the first information indicates that the terminal device requests to stop data collection, the first information further includes first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the terminal device enters the low-power mode.

17. A method of communication, comprising: The method applied to a terminal device includes: receiving a third configuration, the third configuration being used for the terminal device to collect data; if the terminal device is in a low-power mode, sending fourth information; wherein the low-power mode indicates that the power of the terminal device is lower than a first threshold, and the fourth information is used to indicate that the third configuration is configured successfully, or the fourth information is used to indicate that the third configuration is configured unsuccessfully.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The fourth information includes at least one of: second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the terminal device is in the low-power mode; a duration of the low-power mode; or an expected data amount, the expected data amount indicating an amount of data that the terminal device can collect in the low-power mode.

19. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein, In a case where the fourth information indicates that the third configuration is configured successfully, the method further includes: if the terminal device exits the low-power mode, collecting data.

20. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein, In a case where the fourth information indicates that the third configuration is configured unsuccessfully, the method further includes: if the terminal device exits the low-power mode, sending fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that the terminal device exits the low-power mode.

21. The method of any one of claims 17-20, wherein, In a case where the terminal device exits the low-power mode, the method further includes: when a data reporting condition is met, sending first data; or sending sixth information, the sixth information being used to indicate that data collection has been completed.

22. A method of communication, comprising: The method applied to a network device includes: sending a third configuration, the third configuration being used for the terminal device to collect data; receiving fourth information; wherein the fourth information is used to indicate that the third configuration is configured successfully, or the fourth information is used to indicate that the third configuration is configured unsuccessfully.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein, The fourth information includes at least one of: second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that the terminal device is in a low-power mode, the low-power mode indicating that the power of the terminal device is lower than a first threshold; a duration of the low-power mode; or an expected data amount, the expected data amount indicating an amount of data that the terminal device can collect in the low-power mode. In a case where the fourth information indicates that the third configuration is configured unsuccessfully, the method further includes:

24. The method of claim 22 or 23, wherein, receiving fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that the terminal device exits the low-power mode. The method further includes:

25. The method of any one of claims 22-24, wherein, receiving first data; or receiving sixth information, the sixth information being used to indicate that data collection has been completed. ​ 26. A communications device, characterized by comprising means or units for performing the method of any one of claims 1-8, or comprising means or units for performing the method of any one of claims 9-15, or comprising means or units for performing the method of claim 16, or comprising means or units for performing the method of any one of claims 17-21, or comprising means or units for performing the method of any one of claims 22-25.

27. A communications device, characterized by comprising a processor and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is configured to receive signals from other communication devices and transmit signals to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices; the processor is configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1-8 or the method of any one of claims 9-15 or the method of claim 16 or the method of any one of claims 17-21 or the method of any one of claims 22-25 by logic circuit or executing computer readable instructions.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, the computer readable storage medium stores computer programs or instructions which, when executed by the communication device, cause the method of any one of claims 1-8 or the method of any one of claims 9-15 or the method of claim 16 or the method of any one of claims 17-21 or the method of any one of claims 22-25 to be implemented.

29. A computer program product, characterised in that, the computer program product comprises computer programs or instructions which, when run on the communication device, cause the method of any one of claims 1-8 or the method of any one of claims 9-15 or the method of claim 16 or the method of any one of claims 17-21 or the method of any one of claims 22-25 to be implemented.

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