Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and a related apparatus, used for reducing the energy loss of terminal devices. In the method, when a first energy value of a terminal device is greater than or equal to a first energy threshold, the terminal device performs measurement on at least one neighboring cell of a serving cell of the terminal device.

Description

Communication methods and related devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411709150.X, filed on November 26, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Related Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method and related apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] When a terminal device is moving, due to changes in network signal, it may select a cell with better signal quality from multiple cells and connect to that cell. Currently, in order to select a cell with better signal quality, the terminal device needs to perform cell measurements periodically.

[0004] The periodic cell measurements performed by the terminal equipment result in significant energy consumption, which affects the service transmission of the terminal equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus for reducing the energy consumption of terminal devices.

[0006] Firstly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal device or a communication module in a terminal device, or a circuit or chip in a terminal device that is responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core). The following description uses the application of this method to a terminal device as an example.

[0007] For example, the method includes: determining a first energy value of a terminal device; and if the first energy value is greater than or equal to a first energy threshold, measuring at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device to obtain measurement results of at least one neighboring cell.

[0008] Based on the technical solution of this application, the terminal device determines whether to measure at least one neighboring cell based on a first energy value and a first energy threshold. If the first energy value is less than the first energy threshold, no measurement is performed on at least one neighboring cell. This is because when the terminal device has low energy (first energy value less than the first energy threshold), even if the terminal device reselects to another cell, its energy is insufficient to support new service transmission, or its energy is simply insufficient to support the terminal device reselecting to another cell. Therefore, performing neighboring cell measurement is an ineffective power-consuming behavior. Thus, if the terminal device has low energy, no measurement is performed on at least one neighboring cell to save energy consumption and ensure that its energy can support normal service transmission. When the terminal device has high energy (first energy value greater than or equal to the first energy threshold), measurement is performed on at least one neighboring cell, which ensures normal service transmission and supports neighboring cell measurement by the terminal device.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first energy value is the energy required for the terminal device to send a preset number of bits; or, the first energy value is the energy required for the terminal device to perform a first operation within a preset duration.

[0010] The first energy value is the amount of energy remaining in the terminal device.

[0011] In this application, a first energy value greater than or equal to a first energy threshold indicates that the terminal device has sufficient remaining energy to send a preset number of bits or to perform a first operation within a preset duration. At this time, measuring at least one neighboring cell will not affect the service transmission of the terminal device.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, measuring at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device includes: measuring at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device when a preset condition for enabling neighboring cell measurement is met.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, measuring at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device includes: measuring at least one neighboring cell based on first relaxation measurement information corresponding to a first energy value.

[0014] In this application, the terminal device measures at least one neighboring cell based on the first relaxation measurement information corresponding to the first energy value. This enables the terminal device to use a measurement method that matches the first energy value to measure at least one neighboring cell, increasing the flexibility of the terminal device in measuring at least one neighboring cell. It also enables the terminal device to relax the measurement of at least one neighboring cell when the energy is low, which helps to avoid the terminal device's service transmission from being unable to proceed normally.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0016] The service cell is measured to obtain the measurement results of the service cell.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the serving cell is measured, including: measuring the serving cell based on the first relaxation measurement information corresponding to the first energy value.

[0018] In this application, the terminal device measures the serving cell based on the first relaxation measurement information corresponding to the first energy value. This enables the terminal device to use a measurement method that matches the first energy value to measure the serving cell, increasing the flexibility of the terminal device in measuring the serving cell. It also enables the terminal device to relax the measurement of at least one neighboring cell when the energy is low, which helps to avoid the terminal device's service transmission from being unable to proceed normally.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first relaxation measurement information includes one or more of the following:

[0020] The first instruction information indicates that at least one neighboring cell is measured according to at least one first preset period and / or indicates that the serving cell is measured according to a second preset period;

[0021] A first relaxation factor indicates the magnification of at least one first preset period and / or indicates the magnification of a second preset period;

[0022] The second instruction information indicates that the serving cell should not be measured and / or that at least one neighboring cell should not be measured;

[0023] The first quantity indicates the number of neighboring cells to be measured; or,

[0024] Preset relaxation factor.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first relaxation measurement information is the relaxation measurement information corresponding to the energy range in which the first energy value is located;

[0026] At least one energy threshold corresponds to at least one energy range, which includes the energy range in which the first energy value is located, wherein at least one energy threshold includes the first energy threshold;

[0027] At least one energy range corresponds to at least one relaxation measurement information for the serving cell.

[0028] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, at least one relaxation measurement information is relaxation measurement information indicated by a system message; or, at least one relaxation measurement information is predefined relaxation measurement information.

[0029] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, at least one neighboring cell includes co-frequency neighboring cells and / or hetero-frequency neighboring cells of the serving cell;

[0030] Measurements are taken of at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device, including one or more of the following:

[0031] Measure neighboring cells with the same frequency;

[0032] Measurement of inter-frequency neighboring cells;

[0033] If the first energy value is less than the second energy threshold, measurements are performed on neighboring cells with the same frequency, wherein the second energy threshold is greater than the first energy threshold in at least one of the energy thresholds; or,

[0034] When the first energy value is greater than or equal to the second energy threshold, the inter-frequency neighboring cell is measured.

[0035] In this application, the terminal device may only measure neighboring cells of the same frequency or only measure neighboring cells of different frequencies to reduce the energy loss of the terminal device.

[0036] Switching from in-frequency measurement to out-frequency measurement requires switching the RU in the terminal equipment, which is relatively wasteful of the terminal equipment's energy. Therefore, in this application, if the terminal equipment's energy is relatively low (a first energy value is greater than or equal to a first energy threshold, or a first energy value is less than a second energy threshold), in-frequency measurement is performed; when the terminal equipment's energy is high (a first energy value is greater than or equal to the second energy threshold), out-frequency measurement is performed. This ensures that the terminal equipment has sufficient energy for service transmission and can also perform neighbor cell measurement, which helps to prevent the terminal equipment's service transmission from being unable to proceed normally.

[0037] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, measurements are performed on inter-frequency neighboring cells, including:

[0038] When the first energy value is greater than or equal to the third energy threshold, the inter-frequency neighboring cells are measured according to the cell reselection priority of the inter-frequency neighboring cells, wherein the third energy threshold is greater than the second energy threshold in at least one energy threshold.

[0039] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, at least one energy threshold is an energy threshold indicated by a system message; or, at least one energy threshold is a predefined energy threshold.

[0040] In this application, at least one energy threshold can be indicated by a system message, or at least one energy threshold can be predefined, increasing the flexibility of configuring at least one energy threshold.

[0041] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the measurement results of at least one neighboring cell are used by the terminal device to determine the signal quality of at least one neighboring cell;

[0042] The signal quality of at least one neighboring cell is used by the terminal equipment for cell reselection.

[0043] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, for at least one cell, the signal quality of the cell is the difference between the cell's measurement result and the cell's minimum received signal level requirement;

[0044] At least one cell includes a serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell.

[0045] In this application, the terminal device determines the signal quality of the cell by the difference between the cell's measurement results and the cell's minimum received level requirement. This reduces the complexity of acquiring signal quality and eliminates the need to waste more energy from the terminal device, thus achieving the goal of saving terminal device energy.

[0046] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the measurement result is the reference signal received power (RSRP) value.

[0047] Secondly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal device or a communication module in a terminal device, or a circuit or chip in a terminal device that is responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core). The following description uses the application of this method to a terminal device as an example.

[0048] For example, the method includes: determining a first energy value of the terminal device; and if the first energy value is less than a first energy threshold, measuring the serving cell to obtain the measurement result of the serving cell.

[0049] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the serving cell is measured, including:

[0050] The serving cell is measured based on the first relaxation measurement information corresponding to the first energy value.

[0051] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first relaxation measurement information includes one or more of the following:

[0052] The first instruction information indicates that at least one neighboring cell is measured according to at least one first preset period and / or indicates that the serving cell is measured according to a second preset period;

[0053] A first relaxation factor indicates the magnification of at least one first preset period and / or indicates the magnification of a second preset period;

[0054] The second instruction information indicates that the serving cell should not be measured and / or that at least one neighboring cell should not be measured;

[0055] The first quantity indicates the number of neighboring cells to be measured; or,

[0056] Preset relaxation factor.

[0057] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first relaxation measurement information is the relaxation measurement information corresponding to the energy range in which the first energy value is located;

[0058] At least one energy threshold corresponds to at least one energy range, which includes the energy range in which the first energy value is located, wherein at least one energy threshold includes the first energy threshold;

[0059] At least one energy range corresponds to at least one relaxation measurement information for the serving cell.

[0060] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, at least one relaxation measurement information is relaxation measurement information indicated by a system message; or, at least one relaxation measurement information is predefined relaxation measurement information.

[0061] Thirdly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to the network side, such as a network device or a communication module in a network device, or a circuit or chip in a network device that is responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core). The following description uses the application of this method to a network device as an example.

[0062] The method includes: sending a first energy threshold, wherein the first energy threshold and a first energy value of the terminal device are used to determine whether to measure at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device.

[0063] In conjunction with the third aspect, some implementations of the third aspect also include the following methods:

[0064] Send at least one relaxation measurement information corresponding to the serving cell, wherein the at least one relaxation measurement information includes first relaxation measurement information, the first relaxation measurement information corresponds to a first energy value, and the first relaxation measurement information is used by the terminal device to measure the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell.

[0065] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first relaxation measurement information includes one or more of the following:

[0066] The first instruction information indicates that at least one neighboring cell is measured according to at least one first preset period and / or indicates that the serving cell is measured according to a second preset period;

[0067] A first relaxation factor indicates the magnification of at least one first preset period and / or indicates the magnification of a second preset period;

[0068] The second instruction information indicates that the serving cell should not be measured and / or that at least one neighboring cell should not be measured;

[0069] The first quantity indicates the number of neighboring cells to be measured; or,

[0070] Preset relaxation factor.

[0071] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first relaxation measurement information is the relaxation measurement information corresponding to the energy range in which the first energy value is located;

[0072] At least one energy threshold corresponds to at least one energy range, which includes the energy range in which the first energy value is located, wherein at least one energy threshold includes the first energy threshold;

[0073] At least one energy range corresponds to at least one relaxation measurement.

[0074] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, at least one relaxation measurement information is relaxation measurement information indicated by a system message.

[0075] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, sending a first energy threshold includes: sending at least one energy threshold, wherein the at least one energy threshold includes the first energy threshold.

[0076] Fourthly, a communication apparatus is provided for executing the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects. Specifically, the apparatus includes a module for executing the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0077] In one design, the device may include modules that perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in any of the above aspects. These modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0078] In another design, the device is a communication chip, which may include input circuitry or interface for transmitting information or data, and output circuitry or interface for receiving information or data.

[0079] In another design, the device is a terminal device or a network device, which may include a transmitter for sending information or data and a receiver for receiving information or data.

[0080] In another design, the device is used to perform the method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects, and the device can be configured in a terminal device or a network device.

[0081] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory, such that the device performs the method in any possible implementation of any of the preceding aspects.

[0082] Optionally, the device further includes a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to a processor, which, when executing instructions stored in the memory, can implement the methods described in the foregoing aspects.

[0083] Optionally, the device may also include a transmitter and a receiver, which may be separate or integrated together and referred to as a transceiver.

[0084] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed, causes a computer to perform a method in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0085] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

[0086] Eighthly, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in any possible implementation of any of the above aspects, such as receiving or processing data involved in the above methods.

[0087] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory used to store program instructions and data, which may be located inside or outside the processor.

[0088] Optionally, the chip system may consist of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0089] Ninthly, this application provides a communication system, including a terminal device for implementing the methods of the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, as well as the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect, and a network device for implementing the methods of the third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0090] It should be understood that the third to ninth aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first to second aspects of this application, and the beneficial effects obtained by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0091] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the process for initiating neighbor cell measurement according to an embodiment of this application;

[0092] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a scenario applicable to the communication method provided in this application;

[0093] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another scenario applicable to the communication method provided in this application;

[0094] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another scenario applicable to the communication method provided in this application;

[0095] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another scenario applicable to the communication method provided in this application;

[0096] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another scenario applicable to the communication method provided in this application;

[0097] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0098] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0099] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 900 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0100] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0101] Figure 11 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1100 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0102] Figure 12 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1200 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0103] Figure 13 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1300 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0104] Figure 14 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1400 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0105] Figure 15 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1500 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0106] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a correspondence between relaxation measurements provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0107] Figures 17 and 18 are schematic block diagrams of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0108] First, to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the following points are explained.

[0109] First, in the embodiments shown below, "instruction" may include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing an instruction message for indicating A, it can be understood that the instruction message carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0110] Second, in the embodiments shown below, " / " can indicate that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" can be used to describe three relationships between the related objects. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0111] Third, in the embodiments shown below, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more, such as three, four, or more. Similar expressions (such as at least one, at least one, etc.) are analogous. "At least one of the following," "one or more of the following," or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, which may include only a single item or a combination of multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, or b, or c; a and b; or a and c; or b and c; or a, b, and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0112] Fourth, in the embodiments shown below, in order to facilitate the description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish them. The terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0113] Fifth, in the embodiments shown below, the words "exemplary," "example," or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions, and any embodiment or design described as "exemplary," "example," or "for example" should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. The use of words such as "exemplary," "example," or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0114] Sixth, in the embodiments shown below, "sending information / data" only indicates the direction of information / data transmission, including direct transmission via the device's communication interface (such as an air interface, or simply air interface). "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the module interface. "Sending" can include indirect transmission by the processing unit through the communication interface, that is, after the processing unit outputs information / data through the module interface, it is transmitted to the device's communication interface and then sent out. "Receiving information / data" only indicates the direction of information / data transmission, including direct reception via the communication interface. "Receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the module interface. "Receiving information / data" can include indirect reception by the processing unit through the communication interface, that is, after the communication interface receives information / data, it is transmitted to the module interface of the processing unit and then input to the processing unit through the module interface. "Sending information / data to... (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal. It can include sending information / data directly or indirectly to the terminal. "Receiving information / data from... (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and can include receiving information / data directly or indirectly from the terminal. Information / data may undergo necessary processing, such as format changes, between the source and destination, but the destination can understand the valid information / data from the source. Similar statements in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be repeated here.

[0115] To better understand the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the relevant terms in the embodiments of this application are explained below.

[0116] A serving cell refers to the area where the network equipment currently providing services to terminal devices is located. A serving cell consists of a base station and the wireless signal coverage area within the base station's coverage area.

[0117] Neighboring cells refer to cells adjacent to the serving cell. Neighboring cells include co-frequency neighboring cells and / or inter-frequency neighboring cells.

[0118] Co-frequency neighboring cells refer to adjacent cells that have the same center frequency as the serving cell.

[0119] Inter-frequency neighboring cells refer to adjacent cells that have a different center frequency from the serving cell.

[0120] Neighbor cell measurement refers to the measurement of adjacent cells, which may include same-frequency measurement and / or different-frequency measurement.

[0121] Same-frequency measurement refers to measuring neighboring cells with the same frequency.

[0122] Inter-frequency measurement refers to the measurement of neighboring cells with different frequencies.

[0123] A terminal device refers to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. Terminal devices can be called user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. Examples include handheld devices with wireless connectivity and in-vehicle devices. Currently, some examples of terminal devices include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MID), Ambient Internet of Networks (A-IoT) devices, and future IoT terminals. Currently, AIoT devices are categorized into three types: passive A-IoT devices (Device A), semi-passive A-IoT devices (Device B), and active A-IoT devices (Device C). Passive A-IoT devices have no energy storage and no independent signal generation / amplification, i.e., backscatter transmission. Semi-passive A-IoT devices have energy storage but no independent signal generation, i.e., backscatter transmission; the use of stored energy can include amplification of reflected signals. Active A-IoT devices have energy storage and independent signal generation, i.e., active radio frequency components used for transmission. Examples of AIoT devices include: wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, and wireless terminals in smart homes.

[0124] Network equipment refers to radio access network (RAN) equipment (or nodes or entities) that connect terminals to a wireless network. RAN equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, etc. RAN equipment can be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, a donor node, or a radio controller in a centralized radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Optionally, RAN equipment can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). Network equipment can also be a reader / writer.

[0125] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal device and the network device can be hardware devices, or software functions running on dedicated hardware, or software functions running on general-purpose hardware, such as virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), or entities that include dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. This application does not limit the specific form of the terminal and network device.

[0126] Core network equipment is used to connect call requests or data requests from network devices to different networks. Core network equipment may include Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), User Plane Function (UPF), Session Management Function (SMF), Tag Management Function (TMF), etc.

[0127] To better understand the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the relevant technologies involved in this application are described below.

[0128] 1. Community re-election mechanism

[0129] Cell reselection can be understood as a mechanism by which a terminal device, while moving, reselects a cell with better signal quality due to changes in network signal. The cell reselection mechanism includes three stages: initiating neighbor cell measurement, reselection evaluation and decision, and cell reselection execution. The process of initiating neighbor cell measurement is shown in Figure 1.

[0130] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the process for initiating neighbor cell measurement according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, for each neighbor cell of the serving cell of the terminal device, the cell reselection priority of the serving cell is compared with the cell reselection priority of the neighbor cell.

[0131] Once neighboring cells are identified as inter-frequency neighboring cells and their cell reselection priority is higher than that of the serving cell, measurements of the inter-frequency neighboring cells are initiated.

[0132] The cell reselection priority of neighboring cells is determined to be equal to that of the serving cell. Measurements for the co-frequency neighboring cell are initiated when the neighboring cell is a co-frequency neighbor and the serving cell's Srxlev is less than or equal to SintrasearchP (i.e., Srxlev ≤ SintrasearchP). Measurements for the inter-frequency neighboring cell are initiated when the neighboring cell is an inter-frequency neighbor and the serving cell's Srxlev is less than or equal to SnonintrasearchP (i.e., Srxlev ≤ SnonintrasearchP), or the serving cell's Squal is less than or equal to SnonintrasearchQ (i.e., Squal ≤ SnonintrasearchQ). SnonintrasearchP represents the RSRP threshold value for initiating inter-frequency measurements. SnonintrasearchQ represents the RSRQ threshold value for initiating inter-frequency measurements.

[0133] The cell reselection priority of neighboring cells is determined to be lower than that of the serving cell. When the neighboring cells are inter-frequency neighboring cells, and Srxlev≤SnonintrasearchP or Squal≤SnonintrasearchQ, the measurement of the inter-frequency neighboring cells is initiated.

[0134] Srxlev is calculated by the terminal device using the following formula 1: Srxlev = Qrxlevmeas - (Qrxlevmin + Qrxlevminoffset) - Pcompensation (Formula 1). Where Qrxlevmeas represents the measured Reference Signal Receiving Power (RSRP) value of the serving cell, Qrxlevmin represents the minimum RSRP required by the cell, Qrxlevminoffset represents the offset of the corresponding minimum received power level, and Pcompensation = max(PMax - UE Maximum Outpower, 0), where max indicates the maximum value is taken, PMax represents the maximum uplink transmission power allowed by the terminal device in the cell, and UE Maximum Outpower represents the maximum uplink transmission power determined by the terminal device's capabilities.

[0135] Squal is calculated by the terminal device using the following formula 2: Squal = Qqualmeas - (Qqualmin + Qqualminoffest) (Formula 2). Where, Qqualmeas represents the measured Reference Signal Receiving Quality (RSRQ) value of the serving cell, Qqualmin represents the minimum RSRQ reception strength requirement specified by the cell, and Qqualminoffest represents the offset of the corresponding minimum reception level.

[0136] Table 1 below shows the correspondence between the relevant parameters involved in initiating neighbor cell measurements and the system information block (SIB) containing the relevant parameters.

[0137] Table 1

[0138] In one implementation, the terminal device can obtain the cell reselection priority from system messages; such priority is a general cell reselection priority.

[0139] In one implementation, the terminal device can obtain the cell reselection priority from the Radio Resource Control (RRC) Release message, or inherit the cell reselection priority from other systems; this type of priority is a dedicated cell reselection priority.

[0140] When a terminal device obtains the priority of a dedicated cell reselection, it will ignore the priority of a general cell reselection.

[0141] The terminal device will delete the dedicated cell reselection priority under the following circumstances: the terminal device enters a different RRC state and / or the validity period of the dedicated cell reselection priority expires.

[0142] After initiating the measurement of inter-frequency neighboring cells, the terminal device periodically measures the inter-frequency neighboring cells according to the measurement cycle of the inter-frequency neighboring cells.

[0143] After initiating the measurement of neighboring cells on the same frequency, the terminal device periodically measures the neighboring cells on the same frequency according to the measurement cycle of the neighboring cells on the same frequency.

[0144] 2. Relaxed Measurement

[0145] The terminal equipment periodically measures neighboring cells at different frequencies according to their measurement cycle, and / or periodically measures neighboring cells at the same frequency according to their measurement cycle, which results in significant energy loss. When the terminal equipment moves at very low speeds or is located in the center of a cell, the cell it resides in remains unchanged; therefore, continuing to periodically measure neighboring cells is a waste of the terminal equipment's energy. To address this, a relaxation measurement method is introduced.

[0146] The principle of relaxed measurement is as follows: when the terminal device determines that it is in a low-speed movement state or in the center of the cell, the terminal device will increase the measurement cycle or temporarily / stop the measurement of neighboring cells, thereby reducing the number of neighboring cell measurements and saving terminal device energy.

[0147] To enable relaxed measurements, the "not-at-cell edge" criterion and the "low mobility" criterion were introduced.

[0148] 3. Not on the edge of the community.

[0149] When the terminal is located in the center of the cell, the signal quality of the serving cell is usually better, and at this time, the measurement of neighboring cells can be relaxed.

[0150] When the following conditions are met simultaneously (i.e., the signal quality of the serving cell is higher than a certain threshold), it indicates that the terminal device is located at the center of the cell, and also indicates that the terminal device meets the non-cell edge criterion: Srxlev > SSearchThresholdP and Squal > SSearchThresholdQ. Here, SSearchThresholdP and SSearchThresholdQ represent the threshold values ​​for the non-cell edge criterion.

[0151] 4. Low-speed movement criterion.

[0152] When the terminal device moves at a low speed, the measurement of neighboring cells can also be relaxed.

[0153] When the serving cell meets the following condition (the change in the measurement result of the serving cell does not exceed a certain threshold within a certain time period), it indicates that the terminal device is moving at a low rate, and also indicates that the terminal device meets the low-rate movement criterion: (SrxlevRef - Srxlev) < SSearchDeltaP is continuously satisfied within the time period TSearchDeltaP. Where SrxlevRef represents the Srxlev reference value of the serving cell, and SSearchDeltaP represents the threshold value of the low-rate movement criterion. The relaxation measurement is explained below with reference to Table 2.

[0154] Table 2

[0155] "Same priority" means that the cell reselection priority of the neighboring cell is the same as the cell reselection priority of the serving cell.

[0156] "Low priority" means that the cell reselection priority of the neighboring cell is lower than that of the serving cell.

[0157] "High priority" means that the cell reselection priority of the neighboring cell is higher than that of the serving cell.

[0158] K1 a This represents a measurement slack factor applicable to terminal devices that meet the "low mobility" criterion. For example, K1... a =3 indicates that neighboring cell measurements are performed according to 3 times the measurement cycle.

[0159] K1 b This represents a measurement relaxation factor applicable to terminal devices that meet the "not-at-cell edge" criterion.

[0160] For example, K1 b =3 indicates that neighboring cell measurements are performed according to 3 times the measurement cycle.

[0161] K2 represents a measurement slack factor applicable to terminal devices that meet the "low mobility" criterion. For example, K2 = 60 means that neighboring cell measurements are performed at 60 times the measurement cycle.

[0162] After initiating neighbor cell measurement, the terminal equipment needs to perform cell measurements periodically. For some terminal equipment, when its energy is low, it may only be able to support the most basic service transmission and cannot perform cell reselection, etc. If the terminal equipment still performs cell measurements periodically when its energy is low, it will result in significant energy consumption, causing the terminal equipment to be unable to perform service transmission normally.

[0163] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and related apparatus. In this method, a terminal device only measures at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell when its energy value is greater than or equal to a first energy threshold, and does not measure at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell when its energy value is less than the first energy threshold, thereby saving energy consumption of the terminal device and enabling the terminal device to carry out service transmission normally.

[0164] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems. For example, cellular systems related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 5th Generation New Radio (5G NR) communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. Other examples include Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). Still other examples include Open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN), or Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems. And finally, communication systems that integrate two or more of the above systems.

[0165] The following describes the communication scenarios to which the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is applicable. It should be noted that the following schematic diagrams illustrate possible and non-limiting scenarios.

[0166] For example, the communication method provided in this application is applicable to the cellular network scenario shown in Figure 2.

[0167] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a scenario applicable to the communication method provided in this application. As shown in Figure 2, the cellular network 20 includes: at least one network device 201 (201a-201c in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 201) and at least one terminal device 202 (e.g., 202a-202e in Figure 2, collectively referred to as 202).

[0168] Terminal device 202 can be located in a cellular network covered by a macro base station or in a cellular network covered by a micro base station.

[0169] For example, terminal devices 202b, 202c, and 202d are located in the cellular network covered by macro base station 201a.

[0170] For example, terminal device 202a is located in the cellular network covered by micro base station 201b.

[0171] For example, terminal device 202e is located in the cellular network covered by micro base station 201c.

[0172] Terminal device 202 can communicate bidirectionally with network device 201 covering its cellular network via wireless means.

[0173] Terminal device 202 can use the communication method provided in this application to measure the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell.

[0174] For example, the communication method provided in this application is also applicable to short-distance scenarios as shown in Figure 3.

[0175] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another scenario applicable to the communication method provided in this application. As shown in Figure 3, the cellular network 30 includes: a network device 301, a terminal device 302, and at least one A-IoT device 303 (e.g., 303a-303b in Figure 3, collectively referred to as 303).

[0176] Network device 301 can communicate bidirectionally with terminal device 302 wirelessly. Terminal device 302 can communicate bidirectionally with terminal device 302 over a short distance via PC5 interface.

[0177] Terminal device 302 can use the communication method provided in this application to measure the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell. A-IoT device 303 can also use the communication method provided in this application to measure the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device 302.

[0178] For example, the communication method provided in this application is also applicable to some special IoT scenarios, such as Ambient IoT. Ambient IoT includes readers and writers, as well as passive / semi-passive / active A-IoT devices. The main services of Ambient IoT include inventory, positioning, and sensor reporting. The communication method provided in this application is also applicable to some typical scenarios, such as logistics, warehousing, industrial manufacturing, identification, and environmental monitoring. The following description, in conjunction with Figures 4 to 6, illustrates the A-IoT scenarios used in the communication method provided in this application.

[0179] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another scenario applicable to the communication method provided in this application. As shown in Figure 4, A-IoT 40 includes: network device 401 and A-IoT device 402.

[0180] A-IoT device 402 communicates bidirectionally with network device 401 wirelessly. The information transmitted between A-IoT device 402 and network device 401 includes A-IoT data and / or signaling. It is understood that at least one of uplink data and / or signaling and downlink data and / or signaling exists between A-IoT device 402 and network device 401.

[0181] The A-IoT device 402 can use the communication method provided in this application to measure the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell.

[0182] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another scenario applicable to the communication method provided in this application. As shown in Figure 5, A-IoT 50 includes: network device 501, intermediate node 502, and A-IoT device 503.

[0183] Network device 501 communicates bidirectionally with intermediate node 502 wirelessly, and intermediate node 502 communicates bidirectionally with A-IoT device 503 wirelessly. For example, network device 501 and intermediate node 502 can establish a wireless communication connection based on the Uu interface.

[0184] Intermediate node 502 can be a repeater, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a terminal device, etc. Intermediate node 502 is used to transmit information between network device 501 and A-IoT device 503, including A-IoT data and / or signaling.

[0185] The A-IoT device 503 can use the communication method provided in this application to measure the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell, wherein...

[0186] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another scenario applicable to the communication method provided in this application. As shown in Figure 6, A-IoT 60 includes: network device 601, intermediate node 602, and A-IoT device 603.

[0187] Any two of the network device 601, intermediate node 602, and A-IoT device 603 can communicate wirelessly. For example, intermediate node 602 and A-IoT device 603 can communicate wirelessly via a Uu interface. Intermediate node 602 can be a repeater, IAB node, terminal device, etc.

[0188] A-IoT device 603 sends A-IoT data and / or signaling to network device 601, and receives A-IoT data and / or signaling from network device 601 from intermediate node 602. Alternatively, A-IoT device 603 receives A-IoT data and / or signaling from network device 601, and sends A-IoT data and / or signaling to network device 601 through intermediate node 602.

[0189] The A-IoT device 603 may use the communication method provided in this application to communicate with the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell.

[0190] In one network architecture, network devices may include centralized unit (CU) nodes, distributed unit (DU) nodes, or a combination of CU and DU nodes. Network devices comprising both CU and DU nodes decouple the protocol layers of the eNB in ​​a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system. Some protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining partial or complete protocol layer functions are distributed across the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU. The CU and DU can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU).

[0191] In another network architecture, CU or DU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an O-RAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), and DU may also be called O-DU for ease of description. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application may be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0192] The O-RAN system will be explained below with reference to Figure 7.

[0193] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the O-RAN system of network device 701 includes a BBU and at least one O-RAN Radio Unit (O-RU).

[0194] Specifically, the BBU can communicate with the core network device 702 (Core Network, CN) in the core network (CN) via the backhaul link, and the BBU can communicate with at least one O-RU via the fronthaul link. The O-RU can communicate with at least one terminal device 703 via the air interface. The BBU and O-RU may or may not be co-located.

[0195] The BBU includes at least one O-RAN Central Unit (O-CU) and at least one O-RAN Distributed Unit (O-DU). The at least one O-CU and at least one O-DU can communicate via at least one midhaul link.

[0196] The O-CU is used to implement the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, and other control functions in the 3GPP standard.

[0197] O-DU is used to implement the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and Higher Physical Layer (Higher PHY) layer in the 3GPP standard based on low-layer function segmentation. Among them, the Higher Physical Layer functions include one or more of the following: Forward Error Correction (FEC) encoding / decoding, scrambling / descrambling, or modulation / demodulation.

[0198] The O-RU is used to implement Lower Physical Layer (Lower PHY) functions and radio frequency (RF) functions in the 3GPP standard based on low-layer function partitioning. These low PHY functions include one or more of the following: Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) / Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (iFFT) transformation, digital beamforming, or extraction and filtering of the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH). It is similar to the Transmission Reception Point (TRP) or Remote Radio Head (RRH) in 3GPP, but includes low PHY functions such as FFT / iFFT or PRACH extraction.

[0199] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0200] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of this application. The steps of method 800 can be executed by a terminal device (or a module in the terminal device, such as a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, etc.). For example, the terminal device can execute the steps of method 800 in an idle state. The processing performed by the executing entity can also be divided into multiple executing entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated.

[0201] Method 800 includes steps S801 to S804, and each step will be described in detail below.

[0202] S801, determine the first energy value of the terminal device.

[0203] In one implementation, the first energy value is the value of the remaining energy of the terminal device.

[0204] In one implementation, the remaining energy is the energy required for the terminal device to send a preset number of bits; the terminal device can determine the value of the energy required to send the preset number of bits as a first energy value.

[0205] In another embodiment, the remaining energy is the energy required for the terminal device to perform the first operation within a preset time period; the terminal device can determine the value of the energy required to perform the first operation within the preset time period as the first energy value.

[0206] S802, determine whether the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold.

[0207] If the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold, execute S803.

[0208] If the first energy value is less than the first energy threshold, execute S804.

[0209] The first energy threshold can be a first energy threshold agreed upon in the protocol, a first energy threshold pre-stored in the terminal device, or a first energy threshold sent by the network device to the terminal device.

[0210] S803, measure at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device to obtain the measurement results of at least one neighboring cell.

[0211] At least one neighboring cell is all the neighboring cells in the serving cell, or one or more neighboring cells among all the neighboring cells.

[0212] At least one neighboring cell includes co-frequency and / or hetero-frequency neighboring cells of the serving cell.

[0213] There are three possible implementation methods for measuring at least one neighboring cell. Please refer to Implementation Methods 11 to 13.

[0214] Implementation method 11: Only neighboring cells with the same frequency are measured.

[0215] Implementation method 12: Only neighboring cells with different frequencies are measured.

[0216] Implementation method 13 involves measuring neighboring cells at the same frequency and measuring neighboring cells at different frequencies.

[0217] S804, no measurement is performed on at least one neighboring cell.

[0218] In the embodiment shown in method 800, the terminal device determines whether to measure at least one neighboring cell based on a first energy value and a first energy threshold. If the first energy value is less than the first energy threshold, no measurement is performed on at least one neighboring cell. If the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold, at least one neighboring cell is measured. This allows the terminal device to conserve energy by not measuring at least one neighboring cell when its energy is low, ensuring sufficient energy to support normal service transmission. Conversely, when its energy is high, measuring at least one neighboring cell guarantees normal service transmission and supports neighboring cell measurements.

[0219] In some embodiments, the decision to measure at least one neighboring cell can be made by combining preset conditions for enabling neighboring cell measurement. This embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to method 900.

[0220] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 900 provided in an embodiment of this application. The steps of method 900 can be executed by a terminal device (or a module in the terminal device, such as a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, etc.). For example, the terminal device can execute the steps of method 900 in an idle state. The processing performed by the executing entity can also be divided into multiple executing entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated.

[0221] Method 900 includes steps S901 to S905, and each step will be described in detail below.

[0222] S901, determine the first energy value of the terminal device.

[0223] Specifically, the execution method of S901 is the same as that of S801, and the execution process of S901 will not be described in detail here.

[0224] S902, determine whether the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold.

[0225] If the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold, execute S903 to S904.

[0226] If the first energy value is less than the first energy threshold, execute S905.

[0227] S903 determines whether the preset conditions for enabling adjacent cells are met.

[0228] When the preset conditions for enabling neighboring cells are met, execute S904.

[0229] If the preset conditions for enabling neighboring cells are not met, execute S905.

[0230] In one implementation, the preset conditions for enabling neighboring cells include at least one of the following:

[0231] Srxlev≤SintrasearchP; or

[0232] Srxlev≤SnonintrasearchP or Squal≤SnonintrasearchQ.

[0233] S904, Measure at least one neighboring cell and obtain the measurement results of at least one neighboring cell.

[0234] At least one neighboring cell includes co-frequency and / or hetero-frequency neighboring cells of the serving cell.

[0235] When the preset conditions for activating neighboring cells are met, measuring at least one neighboring cell includes the following three implementation methods. See Implementation Methods 21 to 23.

[0236] In implementation method 21, when Srxlev≤SintrasearchP, the same-frequency neighboring cells are measured to obtain the measurement results of the same-frequency neighboring cells, and when Srxlev≤SnonintrasearchP or Squal≤SnonintrasearchQ, the different-frequency neighboring cells are measured to obtain the measurement results of the different-frequency neighboring cells.

[0237] In conjunction with implementation method 21, when the terminal device has sufficient energy (i.e., the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold), if Srxlev ≤ SintrasearchP, it measures neighboring cells of the same frequency; if Srxlev ≤ SnonintrasearchP or Squal ≤ SnonintrasearchQ, it measures neighboring cells of different frequencies. This allows for neighboring cell measurement while ensuring normal service transmission, avoiding the problem of service transmission failing due to neighboring cell measurement when the terminal device's energy is too low.

[0238] In implementation method 22, when Srxlev≤SintrasearchP, the co-frequency neighboring cells are measured to obtain the measurement results of the co-frequency neighboring cells.

[0239] Compared to terminal devices that support measurements of both inter-frequency and intra-frequency neighboring cells, terminal devices that only support intra-frequency neighboring cell measurements have lower complexity and energy consumption. Therefore, in conjunction with implementation method 22, when the terminal device has sufficient energy, if Srxlev ≤ SintrasearchP, it will perform measurements on intra-frequency cells. This allows for neighboring cell measurements to be performed while ensuring normal service transmission, avoiding the problem of service transmission failing due to neighboring cell measurements being performed when the terminal device's energy is too low.

[0240] In implementation method 23, when Srxlev≤SnonintrasearchP or Squal≤SnonintrasearchQ, the inter-frequency neighboring cells are measured to obtain the measurement results of the inter-frequency neighboring cells.

[0241] Compared to terminal devices that support measurements of both inter-frequency and same-frequency neighboring cells, terminal devices that only support measurements of inter-frequency neighboring cells have lower complexity and energy consumption. Therefore, in conjunction with implementation method 23, when the terminal device has sufficient energy, if Srxlev ≤ SnonintrasearchP or Squal ≤ SnonintrasearchQ, it can perform measurements of inter-frequency cells. This allows for neighboring cell measurements to be performed while ensuring normal service transmission, avoiding the problem of service transmission failing due to neighboring cell measurements being performed when the terminal device's energy is too low.

[0242] S905, no measurement is performed on at least one neighboring cell.

[0243] In one implementation, when the preset conditions for activating neighboring cells are not met, measurement of at least one neighboring cell is not performed, including the following three implementation methods. See implementation methods 31 to 33.

[0244] In implementation 31, when Srxlev > SintrasearchP, no measurement is performed on neighboring cells at the same frequency, and when Srxlev > SnonintrasearchP and / or Squal > SnonintrasearchQ, no measurement is performed on neighboring cells at different frequencies.

[0245] In implementation method 32, when Srxlev > SintrasearchP, no measurement is performed on neighboring cells with the same frequency.

[0246] In implementation 33, when Srxlev > SnonintrasearchP and / or Squal > SnonintrasearchQ, no measurement is performed on neighboring cells of different frequencies.

[0247] In the embodiment shown in method 900, when the terminal device has sufficient energy and meets the preset conditions for enabling neighboring cells, neighbor cell measurement is performed. This ensures that the terminal device has enough energy for service transmission and also enables the terminal device to perform neighbor cell measurement. When the terminal device has insufficient energy (the first energy value is less than the first energy threshold), neighbor cell measurement is not performed, ensuring that the terminal device has enough energy for service transmission.

[0248] In some embodiments, inter-frequency neighboring cells can also be measured based on the cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighboring cells. This embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to method 1000.

[0249] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application. The steps of method 1000 can be executed by a terminal device (or a module in the terminal device, such as a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, etc.). For example, the terminal device can execute the steps of method 1000 in an idle state. The processing performed by the executing entity can also be divided into multiple executing entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated.

[0250] Method 1000 includes steps S1001 to S1002, and each step will be described in detail below.

[0251] S1001. Determine the first energy value of the terminal device.

[0252] Specifically, the execution method of S1001 is the same as that of S801, and the execution process of S1001 will not be described again here.

[0253] S1002. Determine whether the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold.

[0254] If the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold, execute S1003.

[0255] If the first energy value is less than the first energy threshold, execute S1006.

[0256] S1003. Determine whether the first energy value is less than the second energy threshold.

[0257] If the first energy value is less than the second energy threshold, execute S1004.

[0258] If the first energy value is greater than or equal to the second energy threshold, execute S1005.

[0259] The second energy threshold is greater than the first energy threshold.

[0260] The second energy threshold can be a second energy threshold agreed upon in the protocol, a second energy threshold pre-stored in the terminal device, or a second energy threshold sent by the network device to the terminal device.

[0261] In one implementation, if Srxlev≤SnonintrasearchP or Squal≤SnonintrasearchQ, it is determined whether the first energy value is less than the second energy threshold.

[0262] S1004. Measure the co-frequency neighboring cells and perform inter-frequency measurements that do not depend on the cell reselection priority of the inter-frequency neighboring cells.

[0263] In one implementation, measurements are performed on neighboring cells of the same frequency when Srxlev ≤ SintrasearchP.

[0264] In one implementation, inter-frequency measurement that does not depend on the cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighboring cells includes: measuring inter-frequency neighboring cells; or, measuring inter-frequency neighboring cells when Srxlev≤SnonintrasearchP or Squal≤SnonintrasearchQ.

[0265] Cell reselection priorities for inter-frequency neighboring cells are typically included in system messages (such as SIB 4 and / or SIB 5). If the terminal device performs inter-frequency measurements that do not depend on the cell reselection priorities of inter-frequency neighboring cells, the terminal device does not need to receive the system message from the network side device, which can save the terminal device's energy.

[0266] S1005. Measure the co-frequency neighboring cells and perform inter-frequency measurements that depend on the cell reselection priority of the inter-frequency neighboring cells.

[0267] In one implementation, measurements are performed on neighboring cells of the same frequency when Srxlev ≤ SintrasearchP.

[0268] In one implementation, performing inter-frequency measurement based on the cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighboring cells includes: measuring inter-frequency neighboring cells according to their cell reselection priority.

[0269] In one implementation, measurements are performed on inter-frequency neighboring cells based on their cell reselection priority, including:

[0270] Compare the cell reselection priorities of neighboring cells on different frequencies and the cell reselection priorities of the serving cell;

[0271] The cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighboring cells is determined to be higher than that of the serving cell, and measurements are taken of inter-frequency neighboring cells;

[0272] The cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighboring cells is determined to be equal to that of the serving cell, and the inter-frequency neighboring cells are measured under the condition that Srxlev≤SnonintrasearchP or Squal≤SnonintrasearchQ.

[0273] The cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighboring cells is determined to be lower than that of the serving cell, and the measurement of inter-frequency neighboring cells is performed when Srxlev≤SnonintrasearchP or Squal≤SnonintrasearchQ.

[0274] Cell reselection priorities for inter-frequency neighboring cells are typically included in system messages (such as SIB 4 and / or SIB 5). When performing inter-frequency measurements that depend on the cell reselection priorities of inter-frequency neighboring cells, the terminal device needs to receive the system message from the network device to obtain the cell reselection priorities of the inter-frequency neighboring cells from the system message.

[0275] S1006. No measurement shall be performed on at least one neighboring cell.

[0276] In the embodiment shown in method 1000, when the terminal device has low energy (the first energy value is less than the first energy threshold), even if the terminal device reselects to another cell, its energy cannot support new service transmission, or its energy is simply insufficient to support the terminal device reselecting to another cell. Therefore, neighbor cell measurement is ineffective and energy-consuming. Thus, not performing neighbor cell measurement can save terminal device energy, allowing the terminal device to have sufficient energy for service transmission. When the terminal device has relatively low energy (whether the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold and the first energy value is less than the second energy threshold), performing intra-frequency measurement and inter-frequency measurement that does not rely on the cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighbor cells eliminates the need for the terminal device to receive system messages. This simplifies the network's system message design and saves the energy the terminal device uses to receive system messages, allowing the terminal device to have sufficient energy for service transmission. When the terminal device has high energy (the first energy value is greater than or equal to the second energy threshold), performing intra-frequency measurement and inter-frequency measurement that relies on the cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighbor cells ensures that the terminal device has both sufficient energy for service transmission and the ability to perform neighbor cell measurement.

[0277] In some embodiments, the determination of whether to measure neighboring cells at the same frequency or neighboring cells at different frequencies can be based on a first energy threshold and a second energy threshold. This embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to method 1100.

[0278] Figure 11 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1100 provided in an embodiment of this application. The steps of method 1100 can be executed by a terminal device (or a module in the terminal device, such as a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, etc.). For example, the terminal device can execute the steps of method 1100 in an idle state. The processing performed by the executing entity can also be divided into multiple executing entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated.

[0279] Method 1100 includes steps S1101 to S1102, and each step will be described in detail below.

[0280] S1101. Determine the first energy value of the terminal device.

[0281] Specifically, the execution method of S1101 is the same as that of S801, and the execution process of S1101 will not be described again here.

[0282] S1102. Determine whether the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold.

[0283] If the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold, execute S1103 to S1105.

[0284] If the first energy value is less than the first energy threshold, execute S1106.

[0285] S1103. Determine whether the first energy value is less than the second energy threshold.

[0286] If the first energy value is less than the second energy threshold, execute S1104.

[0287] If the first energy value is greater than or equal to the second energy threshold, execute S1105.

[0288] S1104. Measure neighboring cells with the same frequency.

[0289] In one implementation, measurements are performed on neighboring cells of the same frequency when Srxlev ≤ SintrasearchP.

[0290] S1105. Measure neighboring cells of different frequencies.

[0291] In one implementation, measurements are performed on inter-frequency neighboring cells when Srxlev ≤ SnonintrasearchP or Squal ≤ SnonintrasearchQ.

[0292] S1106. No measurement shall be performed on at least one neighboring cell.

[0293] Switching from same-frequency measurement to different-frequency measurement requires switching the RU in the terminal equipment, which is relatively wasteful of the terminal equipment's energy. Therefore, in conjunction with the embodiment in method 1100, same-frequency measurement is performed when the terminal equipment has relatively little energy, and different-frequency measurement is performed when the terminal equipment has more energy, so that the terminal equipment has enough energy for service transmission and can also perform neighbor cell measurement.

[0294] In some embodiments, a decision can be made based on a first energy threshold and a second energy threshold to determine whether to measure co-frequency neighboring cells or inter-frequency neighboring cells, and a decision can be made based on a third energy threshold to determine whether to perform inter-frequency measurement dependent on the cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighboring cells, wherein the third energy threshold is greater than the second energy threshold. This embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to method 1200.

[0295] Figure 12 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1200 provided in an embodiment of this application. The steps of method 1200 can be executed by a terminal device (or a module in the terminal device, such as a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, etc.). For example, the terminal device can execute the steps of method 1200 in an idle state. The processing performed by the executing entity can also be divided into multiple executing entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated.

[0296] Method 1200 includes steps S1201 to S1202, and each step will be described in detail below.

[0297] S1201. Determine the first energy value of the terminal device.

[0298] Specifically, the execution method of S1201 is the same as that of S801, and the execution process of S1201 will not be described again here.

[0299] S1202. Determine whether the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold.

[0300] If the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold, execute S1203 to S1205.

[0301] If the first energy value is less than the first energy threshold, execute S1208.

[0302] S1203. Determine whether the first energy value is less than the second energy threshold.

[0303] If the first energy value is less than the second energy threshold, execute S1204.

[0304] If the first energy value is greater than or equal to the second energy threshold, execute S1205.

[0305] S1204. Measure neighboring cells with the same frequency.

[0306] In one implementation, measurements are performed on neighboring cells of the same frequency when Srxlev ≤ SintrasearchP.

[0307] S1205, determine whether the first energy value is less than the third energy threshold.

[0308] If the first energy value is less than the third energy threshold, execute S1206.

[0309] If the first energy value is greater than or equal to the third energy threshold, execute S1207.

[0310] The third energy threshold can be a third energy threshold agreed upon in the protocol, a third energy threshold pre-stored in the terminal device, or a third energy threshold sent by the network device to the terminal device.

[0311] S1206 performs inter-frequency measurements that do not depend on the cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighboring cells.

[0312] In one implementation, measurements are performed on inter-frequency neighboring cells when Srxlev ≤ SnonintrasearchP or Squal ≤ SnonintrasearchQ.

[0313] For instructions on inter-frequency measurements that do not depend on inter-frequency neighbor cell reselection priorities, please refer to S1004, which will not be repeated here.

[0314] S1207 performs inter-frequency measurements that depend on the cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighboring cells.

[0315] For instructions on inter-frequency measurements that do not depend on inter-frequency neighbor cell reselection priorities, please refer to S1005, which will not be repeated here.

[0316] S1208. No measurement shall be performed on at least one neighboring cell.

[0317] It should be understood that in the above methods 800, 900, 1000, 1100 and 1200, measuring the co-frequency neighboring cell means measuring the co-frequency neighboring cell according to the measurement period of the co-frequency neighboring cell.

[0318] It should be understood that in the above methods 800, 900, 1000, 1100 and 1200, measuring the inter-frequency neighboring cell means measuring the inter-frequency neighboring cell according to the measurement period of the inter-frequency neighboring cell.

[0319] In some embodiments, if the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold, relaxation measurements can also be performed on at least one neighboring cell. This embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIG13.

[0320] Figure 13 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1300 provided in an embodiment of this application. The steps of method 1300 can be executed by a terminal device (or a module in the terminal device, such as a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, etc.). For example, the terminal device can execute the steps of method 1300 in an idle state. The processing performed by the executing entity can also be divided into multiple executing entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated.

[0321] Method 1300 includes steps S1301 to S1304, and each step will be described in detail below.

[0322] S1301, Determine the first energy value of the terminal device.

[0323] Specifically, the execution method of S1301 is the same as that of S801, and the execution process of S1301 will not be described again here.

[0324] S1302, determine whether the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold.

[0325] If the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold, execute S1303.

[0326] If the first energy value is less than the first energy threshold, execute S1304.

[0327] S1303, based on the first relaxation measurement information corresponding to the first energy value, measurements are performed on the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell to obtain the measurement results of the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell.

[0328] In some implementations, when the preset conditions for enabling neighboring cell measurement are met, at least one neighboring cell is measured based on the first relaxed measurement information to obtain the measurement results of at least one neighboring cell.

[0329] In some implementations, the first relaxation measurement information includes one or more of the following: first indication information, first relaxation factor, second indication information, first quantity, or preset relaxation factor.

[0330] The first indication information is used to instruct measurements to be taken of at least one neighboring cell according to at least one first preset period and / or to instruct measurements to be taken of the serving cell according to a second preset period. At least one first preset period corresponds to at least one neighboring cell, wherein one preset period corresponds to one neighboring cell. The first preset period is a measurement period already existing in related technologies. For example, the neighboring cells are co-frequency neighboring cells, and the first preset period is the measurement period for the co-frequency neighboring cells. For example, the neighboring cells are inter-frequency neighboring cells, and the first preset period is the measurement period for the inter-frequency neighboring cells.

[0331] The first relaxation factor is used to indicate the magnification of at least one first preset period and / or to indicate the magnification of a second preset period.

[0332] The second instruction information is used to indicate that the serving cell should not be measured and / or that at least one neighboring cell should not be measured.

[0333] The first quantity is used to indicate the number of neighboring cells to be measured.

[0334] The preset relaxation factor can be K1 aK1 b K2. The preset relaxation factor can be pre-stored in the terminal device and does not need to be included in the first relaxation measurement information.

[0335] The following describes the measurement performed by the terminal device based on the content included in the first relaxation measurement information, in conjunction with embodiments 41 to 45.

[0336] In implementation method 41, the first relaxation measurement information includes first indication information; the terminal device measures at least one neighboring cell according to at least one first preset period, and / or measures the serving cell according to a second preset period. Specifically, the terminal device measures the neighboring cell according to the first preset period corresponding to the neighboring cell.

[0337] In implementation 42, the first relaxation measurement information includes a first relaxation factor; the terminal device measures at least one neighboring cell according to the first relaxation factor and at least one first preset period, and / or measures the serving cell according to the first relaxation factor and a second preset period.

[0338] As an example, the terminal device determines the actual measurement period of the neighboring cell based on a first relaxation factor and a first preset period corresponding to the neighboring cell, and performs measurements on the neighboring cell according to the actual measurement period. For example, the actual measurement period of the neighboring cell is equal to the product of the first relaxation factor and the first preset period corresponding to the neighboring cell.

[0339] As an example, the terminal device determines the actual measurement period of the serving cell based on a first relaxation factor and a second preset period, and performs measurements on the serving cell according to the actual measurement period. For instance, the actual measurement period of the serving cell is equal to the product of the first relaxation factor and the second preset period.

[0340] In implementation 43, the first relaxation measurement information includes a first quantity M, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; the terminal device measures M neighboring cells in at least one neighboring cell.

[0341] As an example, for each of the M neighboring cells, the terminal device measures the neighboring cell according to the first preset period corresponding to that neighboring cell.

[0342] In implementation method 44, the first relaxation measurement information includes a first relaxation factor and a first quantity M; the terminal device measures the M neighboring cells according to the first relaxation factor and the M first preset periods corresponding to the M neighboring cells.

[0343] As an example, for each of the M neighboring cells, the terminal device determines the actual measurement period of the neighboring cell based on a first relaxation factor and a first preset period corresponding to the neighboring cell, and performs measurements on the neighboring cell according to the actual measurement period. For example, the actual measurement period of the neighboring cell is equal to the product of the first relaxation factor and the first preset period corresponding to the neighboring cell.

[0344] In implementation 45, the first relaxation measurement information includes a first relaxation factor and a preset relaxation factor; the terminal device measures at least one neighboring cell according to the first relaxation factor, the preset relaxation factor and at least one first preset period, and / or measures the serving cell according to the first relaxation factor, the preset relaxation factor and the second preset period.

[0345] As an example, for each of at least one neighboring cells, the terminal device determines the actual measurement period of the neighboring cell based on a first relaxation factor, a preset relaxation factor, and a first preset period corresponding to the neighboring cell, and performs measurements on the neighboring cell according to the actual measurement period. For example, the actual measurement period of the neighboring cell is equal to the product of the first relaxation factor, the preset relaxation factor, and the first preset period corresponding to the neighboring cell.

[0346] As an example, the terminal device determines the actual measurement period of the serving cell based on a first relaxation factor, a preset relaxation factor, and a second preset period, and performs measurements on the serving cell according to the actual measurement period. For example, the actual measurement period of the serving cell is equal to the product of the first relaxation factor, the preset relaxation factor, and the second preset period.

[0347] In implementation method 46, the first relaxation measurement information includes a preset relaxation factor and a first quantity M; the terminal device measures the M neighboring cells according to the preset relaxation factor and the M first preset periods corresponding to the M neighboring cells.

[0348] As an example, for each of the M neighboring cells, the actual measurement period of the neighboring cell is determined based on a preset relaxation factor and a first preset period corresponding to that neighboring cell, and measurements are performed on the neighboring cell according to the actual measurement period. For example, the actual measurement period of the neighboring cell is equal to the product of the preset relaxation factor and the first preset period corresponding to that neighboring cell.

[0349] S1304, No measurement is performed on at least one neighboring cell.

[0350] In conjunction with the embodiment shown in method 1300, when the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold, the terminal device measures at least one neighboring cell according to the first relaxation measurement information corresponding to the first energy value. This can extend the measurement cycle and reduce the number of measurements on neighboring cells, thereby saving energy for the terminal device.

[0351] Based on the above methods, the interaction process between terminal devices and network devices is explained below.

[0352] Figure 14 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1400 provided in an embodiment of this application. The steps of method 1400 can be interactively executed by a terminal device (or modules in the terminal device, such as processors, chips, chip systems, circuits, etc.) and a network device (or modules in the network device, such as processors, chips, chip systems, circuits, etc.). The following description uses a terminal device and a network device as examples. Furthermore, the processing performed by a single execution entity can also be divided into multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, the processing performed by the network device can be divided into execution by at least one of CU (or O-CU), DU (or O-DU), RU (or O-RU), etc.

[0353] Method 1400 includes steps S1401 to S1403, and each step will be described in detail below.

[0354] S1401, the network device sends at least one energy threshold to the terminal device.

[0355] For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 2, the network device is a macro base station 201a, and the terminal devices are terminal devices 202b, 202c, and 202d. Alternatively, the network device may be a micro base station 201b, and the terminal device may be terminal device 202a. Another example is a micro base station 201c, and the terminal device may be terminal device 202e. The network device directly sends at least one energy threshold to the terminal devices.

[0356] For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 3, the network device is 301, and the terminal device is terminal device 302, A-IoT device 303a, or A-IoT device 303b.

[0357] For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 4, the network device is network device 401, and the terminal device is A-IoT device 402. The network device directly sends at least one energy threshold to the terminal device.

[0358] For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 5, the network device is network device 501, and the terminal device is A-IoT device 503. The network device sends at least one energy threshold to the terminal device through intermediate node 502.

[0359] For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 6, the network device is network device 601, and the terminal device is A-IoT device 603. The network device directly sends at least one energy threshold to the terminal device, or the network device sends at least one energy threshold to the terminal device through intermediate node 602.

[0360] In one implementation, the network device sends a system message to the terminal device, the system message indicating at least one energy threshold. The system message may include, for example, at least one of SIB 2, SIB1, or Master Information Block (MIB).

[0361] At least one energy threshold is the energy threshold corresponding to the serving cell. The entity configuring at least one energy threshold can be a CU (or O-CU). After configuring at least one energy threshold, the CU (or O-CU) transmits the at least one energy threshold to the DU (or O-DU) via the midhaul link (i.e., the F1 interface). The DU (or O-DU) then sends the at least one energy threshold to the terminal device via the fronthaul link, RU (or O-RU), and air interface. Alternatively, the entity configuring at least one energy threshold can also be a DU (or O-DU). After configuring at least one energy threshold, the DU (or O-DU) sends the at least one energy threshold to the terminal device via the fronthaul link, RU (or O-RU), and air interface.

[0362] S1402, the terminal device determines the first energy value.

[0363] Specifically, the execution method of S1401 is the same as that of S801, and the execution process of S1401 will not be described again here.

[0364] S1403, the terminal device measures the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell based on a first energy value and at least one energy threshold, and obtains the measurement results of the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell.

[0365] In one implementation, when at least one energy threshold includes a first energy threshold, the terminal device measures the serving cell based on the first energy value and the first energy threshold.

[0366] For example, when the first energy value is less than the first energy threshold, the terminal device measures the serving cell.

[0367] For example, when the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold, the terminal device measures the serving cell.

[0368] In one implementation, the terminal device measures at least one neighboring cell based on a first energy value and at least one energy threshold, including one of the following:

[0369] When at least one energy threshold includes a first energy threshold, it includes S802 to S803, or includes S1302 to S1303;

[0370] When at least one energy threshold includes a first energy threshold, S902 to S904 are included;

[0371] When at least one energy threshold includes a first energy threshold and a second energy threshold, it includes S1002 to S1005;

[0372] When at least one energy threshold includes a first energy threshold and a second energy threshold, the process includes S1102 to S1105; or,

[0373] When at least one energy threshold includes a first energy threshold, a second energy threshold, and a third energy threshold, it includes S1202 to S1207.

[0374] Figure 15 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 1500 provided in an embodiment of this application. The steps of method 1500 can be interactively executed by a terminal device (or modules in the terminal device, such as processors, chips, chip systems, circuits, etc.) and a network device (or modules in the network device, such as processors, chips, chip systems, circuits, etc.). The following description uses a terminal device and a network device as examples. Furthermore, the processing performed by a single execution entity can also be divided into multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, the processing performed by the network device can be divided into execution by at least one of CU (or O-CU), DU (or O-DU), RU (or O-RU), etc.

[0375] Method 1500 includes steps S1501 to S1503, and each step will be described in detail below.

[0376] S1501, the network device sends the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell to the terminal device.

[0377] For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 2, the network device is a macro base station 201a, and the terminal devices are terminal devices 202b, 202c, and 202d. Alternatively, the network device can be a micro base station 201b, and the terminal devices can be terminal devices 202a, 201c, and 202e. The network devices directly send measurement information corresponding to the serving cell to the terminal devices.

[0378] For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 3, the network device is 301, and the terminal device is terminal device 302, A-IoT device 303a, or A-IoT device 303b.

[0379] For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 4, the network device is network device 401, and the terminal device is A-IoT device 402. The network device directly sends the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell to the terminal device.

[0380] For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 5, the network device is network device 501, and the terminal device is A-IoT device 503. The network device sends the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell to the terminal device through intermediate node 502.

[0381] For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 6, the network device is network device 601, and the terminal device is A-IoT device 603. The network device directly sends the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell to the terminal device, or the network device sends the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell to the terminal device through intermediate node 602.

[0382] In one implementation, the network device sends a system message to the terminal device, the system message indicating measurement information corresponding to the serving cell. The system message may include, but is not limited to, at least one of SIB 2, SIB1, or MIB.

[0383] The measurement information corresponding to the serving cell includes one or more of the following: at least one energy threshold corresponding to the serving cell, at least one relaxation measurement information corresponding to the serving cell, or at least one energy range (or energy level) corresponding to the serving cell. Wherein, at least one energy range (or energy level) corresponds to at least one relaxation measurement information, and one energy range (or energy level) corresponds to one relaxation measurement information.

[0384] In one implementation, the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell may also include the correspondence between at least one energy range corresponding to the serving cell and at least one relaxation measurement information corresponding to the serving cell.

[0385] The entity configuring the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell can be a CU (or O-CU). The CU (or O-CU) configures the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell.

[0386] Subsequently, the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell is transmitted to the DU (or O-DU) via the midhaul link (i.e., the F1 interface). The DU (or O-DU) then transmits the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell to the terminal device via the fronthaul link, RU (or O-RU), and air interface. The DU (or O-DU) can also be the primary entity configuring the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell. After configuring the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell, the DU (or O-DU) transmits the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell to the terminal device via the fronthaul link, RU (or O-RU), and air interface.

[0387] S1502, the terminal device determines the first energy value.

[0388] Specifically, the execution method of S1501 is the same as that of S801, and the execution process of S1501 will not be described again here.

[0389] S1503, the terminal device measures the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell based on the first energy value and the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell, and obtains the measurement results of the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell.

[0390] The following explanation of S1503 is based on the measurement information included in the serving cell and in conjunction with implementation methods 51 and 52.

[0391] Implementation method 51: The measurement information corresponding to the serving cell includes at least one energy threshold and at least one relaxation measurement information; or, the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell includes at least one relaxation measurement information, and the at least one energy threshold is a pre-defined energy threshold in the protocol; or, the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell includes at least one energy threshold, and the at least one relaxation measurement information is a pre-defined relaxation measurement information in the protocol.

[0392] The terminal device determines at least one energy range (or energy level) based on at least one energy threshold; determines the energy range (or energy level) where a first energy value is located within the at least one energy range; determines the relaxation measurement information corresponding to the energy range where the first energy value is located in at least one relaxation measurement information as the first relaxation measurement information; and performs measurements on the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell based on the first relaxation measurement information to obtain the measurement results of the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell.

[0393] Implementation method 52: The measurement information corresponding to the serving cell includes at least one energy range (or energy level) and at least one relaxation measurement information; or, the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell includes at least one relaxation measurement information, and the at least one energy range (or energy level) is an energy threshold predetermined by the protocol; or, the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell includes at least one energy range (or energy level), and the at least one relaxation measurement information is a relaxation measurement information predetermined by the protocol.

[0394] The terminal device determines the energy range (or energy level) where the first energy value is located within at least one energy range; determines the relaxation measurement information corresponding to the energy range where the first energy value is located in at least one relaxation measurement information as the first relaxation measurement information; and performs measurements on the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell based on the first relaxation measurement information to obtain the measurement results of the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell.

[0395] The following, in conjunction with Table 3, illustrates, by way of example, the correspondence between at least one energy range and at least one relaxation measurement information.

[0396] Table 3

[0397] Based on Table 3, if the energy range in which the first energy value is located is energy range 2, then the first relaxation measurement information corresponding to the first energy value is relaxation measurement information 2.

[0398] In embodiments 51 and 52, the method for measuring at least one neighboring cell based on the first relaxation measurement information can be found in embodiments 41 to 45, and will not be repeated here.

[0399] In embodiments 51 and 52, the method for measuring the serving cell based on the first relaxation measurement information can be found in embodiments 41, 42, and 45, and will not be repeated here.

[0400] The following description of the measurements of the terminal device is based on at least one energy range and at least one relaxation measurement information, in conjunction with Figure 16.

[0401] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a correspondence for relaxation measurement provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 16, by way of example, at least one energy threshold includes a first energy threshold X1, a second energy threshold X2, and a third energy threshold X3.

[0402] For example, at least one energy range includes: less than X1, greater than or equal to X1 and less than X2, greater than or equal to X2 and less than X3, and greater than or equal to X3.

[0403] Exemplarily, at least one relaxation measurement information includes: relaxation measurement information 1, relaxation measurement information 2, relaxation measurement information 3, relaxation measurement information 4.

[0404] Exemplarily, relaxation measurement information 1 includes second indication information, relaxation measurement information 2 includes first relaxation factor C1, relaxation measurement information 3 includes first relaxation factor C2, and relaxation measurement information 4 includes first indication information. If the first energy value of the terminal device changes according to the curve shown in FIG. 16, the terminal device will perform the following measurements.

[0405] When x < X1, the terminal device does not measure at least one neighboring cell and / or does not measure the serving cell, where x represents the first energy value of the terminal device.

[0406] When X1 ≤ x < X2, the terminal device measures at least one neighboring cell according to the first relaxation factor C1 and at least one first preset period; and / or measures the serving cell according to the first relaxation factor C1 and the second preset period.

[0407] When X2 ≤ x < X3, the terminal device measures at least one neighboring cell according to the first relaxation factor C2 and at least one first preset period; and / or measures the serving cell according to the first relaxation factor C2 and the second preset period.

[0408] When X3 ≤ x, the terminal device measures at least one neighboring cell according to at least one first preset period, and / or measures the serving cell according to the second preset period.

[0409] Exemplarily, relaxation measurement information 1 includes second indication information, relaxation measurement information 2 includes first quantity N1, relaxation measurement information 3 includes first quantity N2, and relaxation measurement information 4 includes first indication information. If the first energy value of the terminal device changes according to the curve shown in FIG. 16, the terminal device will perform the following measurements.

[0410] When x < X1, the terminal device does not measure at least one neighboring cell and / or does not measure the serving cell.

[0411] When X1 ≤ x < X2, the terminal device measures N1 neighboring cells out of at least one neighboring cell according to N1 first preset periods out of at least one first preset period, where the N1 first preset periods correspond to the N1 neighboring cells.

[0412] When X2 ≤ x < X3, the terminal device measures N2 neighboring cells out of at least one neighboring cell according to N2 first preset periods out of at least one first preset period, where the N2 first preset periods correspond to the N2 neighboring cells.

[0413] When X3≤x, the terminal device measures at least one neighboring cell according to at least one first preset period.

[0414] In one implementation, in addition to the relaxation measurement based on the first relaxation factor, a preset relaxation factor can be added to specify the measurement of the terminal device. The following, referring to Table 4, uses the first relaxation factor C1 as an example to illustrate the measurement of the terminal device after adding the preset relaxation factor.

[0415] Table 4

[0416] In Table 4, "No priority" means it does not depend on cell reselection priority. "Based on C1, perform relaxed measurement" means that measurements are performed on neighboring cells according to C1 and the first preset period corresponding to neighboring cells. "Based on C1×K1" a "Perform relaxation measurement" means based on C1, K1 a The first preset period corresponding to the neighboring cells is used to measure the neighboring cells. "Based on C1×K1" b "Perform relaxation measurement" means based on C1, K1 b The measurement of neighboring cells is performed according to the first preset period corresponding to the neighboring cells. "Perform relaxed measurement based on C1×K2" means that the measurement of neighboring cells is performed according to C1, K2 and the first preset period corresponding to the neighboring cells.

[0417] In some implementations, M in "M hours" can be a predefined value, where M is an integer greater than 0. It should be understood that "M hours" can be replaced with any possible time period, such as Y minutes, Z seconds, etc., which will not be elaborated here. Y and Z are integers greater than 0 and are also predefined values.

[0418] In some implementations, some or all of the data in Table 4 may be selected, and the positions of the rows and columns in Table 4 may be adjusted.

[0419] In some implementations, some conditions in Table 4 can be adjusted based on Table 2. For example, the condition "Configured with the 'Not at the Cell Edge' criterion and the 'Low Rate Motion' criterion, but not configured with the 'Combine RelaxedMeasCondition'" can be added to the first row and fourth column of Figure 4.

[0420] In some embodiments, if the first energy value is less than the first energy threshold, the terminal device may measure the serving cell.

[0421] In some embodiments, when the first energy value is less than the first energy threshold, the terminal device can measure the serving cell based on the first relaxation measurement information corresponding to the first energy value. For the method of measuring the serving cell based on the first relaxation measurement information, please refer to Embodiments 41, 42, and 45, which will not be repeated here.

[0422] In one implementation, the measurement results of the serving cell and the measurement results of neighboring cells are the RSRP values.

[0423] In one implementation, the terminal device determines the signal quality of the serving cell as the difference between the measurement result of the serving cell and the minimum received level requirement of the cell.

[0424] For example, the signal quality of the serving cell, the measurement results of the serving cell, and the minimum received level requirement of the cell satisfy the following formula: Srxlev=Qrxlevmeas-Qrxlevmin; where Srxlev represents the signal quality of the serving cell, Qrxlevmeas represents the measurement results of the serving cell, and Qrxlevmin represents the minimum received level requirement of the cell (i.e., the minimum RSRP required by the cell).

[0425] In one implementation, after obtaining the measurement results of at least one neighboring cell, the terminal device determines the signal quality of at least one neighboring cell based on the measurement results of at least one neighboring cell and the minimum reception level requirement of the cell; and performs cell reselection based on the signal quality of the serving cell and the signal quality of at least one neighboring cell.

[0426] The signal quality of a neighboring cell is equal to the difference between the measurement result of the neighboring cell and the minimum received signal level requirement of the cell. The signal quality of the neighboring cell, the measurement result of the neighboring cell, and the minimum received signal level requirement of the cell satisfy the following formula: L_Srxlev=L_Qrxlevmeas-Qrxlevmin; where L_Srxlev represents the signal quality of the neighboring cell, and L_Qrxlevmeas represents the measurement result of the neighboring cell.

[0427] In this application, compared with Formula 2 in the related technology, the difference between the cell measurement result and the minimum received level requirement of the cell is determined as the cell signal quality, which reduces the complexity of calculating signal quality and saves the energy consumed by the terminal equipment for calculation.

[0428] In the above text, the use of "equal to" in the judgment steps performed by the terminal device is merely an illustrative example. For instance, the terminal device may also determine whether the first energy value is greater than a first energy threshold, whether it is less than or equal to a second energy threshold, or whether it is less than or equal to a third energy threshold.

[0429] The methods provided in the embodiments of this application above are described using terminal devices and network devices as examples. In this application, each embodiment can be implemented independently or in combination based on certain inherent connections; in each embodiment, different implementation methods can be implemented in combination or independently. To achieve the functions of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application above, the steps executed by the terminal device can be implemented by the terminal device itself or by different functional entities constituting the terminal device. The steps executed by the network device can be implemented by the network device itself or by different functional entities constituting the network device. For example, the network device is an access network device, which can be a CU-DU architecture, where the CU can configure information and the DU can send information, or the DU can configure and send information. The access network device can be (O-CU)-(O-DU), where the O-CU can configure information and the O-DU can send information, or the O-DU can configure and send information. To achieve the functions of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application above, the terminal device and network device can include hardware structures and / or software modules, implementing the above functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or hardware structures plus software modules. Whether a particular function among the above functions is executed through hardware structure, software module, or a combination of hardware structure and software module depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0430] The communication method of the present application embodiment has been described in detail above with reference to Figures 8 to 15. The communication device of the present application embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 17 and 18.

[0431] Figures 17 and 18 are schematic block diagrams of communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of terminal devices or network devices in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0432] As shown in Figure 17, the communication device 1700 includes a transceiver unit 1710 and a processing unit 1720. The transceiver unit 1710 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication module.

[0433] The device 1700 can be used to perform the actions performed by the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the device 1700 can be a component (e.g., a chip) configured in the terminal device or network device. The processing unit 1720 is used to perform processing-related operations of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments. The transceiver unit 1710 is used to perform receiving and transmitting-related operations of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments.

[0434] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1710 may include a transmitting module and a receiving module. The transmitting module is used to perform the transmitting operation in the above method embodiments. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments.

[0435] It should be noted that device 1700 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, device 1700 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme executed by device 1700 includes both transmitting and receiving actions.

[0436] Optionally, the device 1700 is used to perform the actions performed by the terminal device or network device in the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 15. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 15, which will not be repeated here.

[0437] Optionally, the device 1700 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store data and / or to store computer programs or instructions. The processing unit 1720 can read the computer programs / instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the device 1700 can implement the above-described method embodiments.

[0438] When the device 1700 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG8, the processing unit 1720 is at least used to: determine a first energy value of the terminal device; and, if the first energy value is greater than or equal to a first energy threshold, measure at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device to obtain the measurement result of at least one neighboring cell.

[0439] Optionally, the first energy value is the energy required for the terminal device to send a preset number of bits; or, the first energy value is the energy required for the terminal device to perform a first operation within a preset time period.

[0440] When the device 1700 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG9, the processing unit 1720 is at least used to: when the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold, if the preset condition for opening the adjacent cell is met, measure at least one adjacent cell of the serving cell of the terminal device to obtain the measurement result of at least one adjacent cell.

[0441] When device 1700 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG10, processing unit 1720 is at least used to: measure co-frequency neighboring cells when the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold and the first energy value is less than the second energy threshold, and perform inter-frequency measurement that does not depend on the cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighboring cells; measure co-frequency neighboring cells when the first energy value is greater than the second energy threshold, and perform inter-frequency measurement that depends on the cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighboring cells.

[0442] When the device 1700 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG11, the processing unit 1720 is at least used to: measure the same-frequency neighboring cell when the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold and the first energy value is less than the second energy threshold; and measure the different-frequency neighboring cell when the first energy value is greater than the second energy threshold.

[0443] When device 1700 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG12, processing unit 1720 is at least used to: measure co-frequency neighboring cells when the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold and the first energy value is less than the second energy threshold; perform inter-frequency measurement that does not depend on the cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighboring cells when the first energy value is greater than or equal to the second energy threshold and less than the third energy threshold; and perform inter-frequency measurement that depends on the cell reselection priority of inter-frequency neighboring cells when the first energy value is greater than or equal to the third energy threshold.

[0444] When the device 1700 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG13, the processing unit 1720 is at least used to: when the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold, measure at least one neighboring cell according to the first relaxation measurement information corresponding to the first energy value, and obtain the measurement result of at least one neighboring cell.

[0445] When device 1700 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG14, transceiver unit 1710 is at least used to: transmit at least one energy threshold.

[0446] When the device 1700 is used to implement the terminal device function in the method embodiment shown in FIG14, the transceiver unit 1710 is at least used to: receive at least one energy threshold; the processing unit 1720 is at least used to: the terminal device measures the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell according to the first energy value and at least one energy threshold, and obtains the measurement result of the serving cell and / or the measurement result of at least one neighboring cell.

[0447] Optionally, at least one energy threshold is the energy threshold indicated by a system message.

[0448] Optionally, at least one energy threshold includes a first energy threshold.

[0449] Optionally, at least one energy threshold includes a first energy threshold and a second energy threshold.

[0450] Optionally, at least one energy threshold includes a first energy threshold, a second energy threshold, and a third energy threshold.

[0451] Optionally, at least one energy threshold can be a predefined energy threshold.

[0452] When the device 1700 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG15, the transceiver unit 1710 is at least used to: send measurement information corresponding to the serving cell.

[0453] Optionally, the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell is the measurement information indicated by the system message.

[0454] Optionally, the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell includes: at least one energy threshold corresponding to the serving cell, at least one relaxation measurement information corresponding to the serving cell, or at least one energy range (or energy level) corresponding to the serving cell.

[0455] When the device 1700 is used to implement the terminal device function in the method embodiment shown in FIG15, the transceiver unit 1710 is at least used for: measurement information corresponding to the serving cell; the processing unit 1720 is at least used for: determining a first energy value, and the terminal device measuring the serving cell and / or at least one neighboring cell according to the first energy value and the measurement information corresponding to the serving cell, to obtain the measurement result of the serving cell and / or the measurement result of at least one neighboring cell.

[0456] Optionally, the processing unit 1720 is specifically configured to: measure at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device according to the first relaxation measurement information corresponding to the first energy value.

[0457] Optionally, the first relaxation measurement information is the relaxation measurement information corresponding to the energy range in which the first energy value is located;

[0458] At least one energy threshold corresponds to at least one energy range, which includes the energy range in which the first energy value is located, wherein at least one energy threshold includes the first energy threshold;

[0459] At least one energy range corresponds to at least one relaxation measurement information for the serving cell.

[0460] Optionally, in some implementations, the first relaxation measurement information includes one or more of the following:

[0461] The first instruction information indicates that at least one neighboring cell is measured according to at least one first preset period and / or indicates that the serving cell is measured according to a second preset period;

[0462] A first relaxation factor indicates the magnification of at least one first preset period and / or indicates the magnification of a second preset period;

[0463] The second instruction information indicates that the serving cell should not be measured and / or that at least one neighboring cell should not be measured;

[0464] The first quantity indicates the number of neighboring cells to be measured; or,

[0465] Preset relaxation factor.

[0466] For a more detailed description of each step, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments above, which will not be repeated here.

[0467] Figure 18 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device 1800 provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 18, the device 1800 includes one or more processors 1810 and an interface circuit 1820. The one or more processors 1810 and the interface circuit 1820 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1820 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the device 1800 may also include a memory 1830 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1810, or for storing input data required by the processor 1810 to execute instructions, or for storing data generated after the processor 1810 executes instructions. Sometimes, the interface circuit 1820 can also be understood as part of one or more processors 1810, in which case the device 1800 includes one or more processors 1810.

[0468] One or more processors 1810 and memory 1830 can be configured separately or integrated; this application does not limit this.

[0469] When the device 1800 is used to implement the method shown in Figures 8 to 15, one or more processors 1810 are used to implement the functions of the processing unit 1720, and the interface circuit 1820 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1710.

[0470] When the aforementioned device 1800 is a chip applied to a terminal device, the chip of the terminal device implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The chip of the terminal device receives information from the network device, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal device, and then sent to the chip of the terminal device by these modules. The chip of the terminal device sends information to the network device, which can be understood as the information being first sent to other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal device, and then sent to the network device by these modules.

[0471] When the aforementioned device 1800 is a chip applied to a network device, the chip of the network device implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The chip of the network device receives information from the terminal device, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and then sent by these modules to the chip of the terminal device. The chip of the network device sends information to the terminal device, which can be understood as the information being first sent to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and then sent by these modules to the terminal device.

[0472] The above-described method embodiments can be applied to a processor, or implemented by a processor. A processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed through integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or through software instructions.

[0473] The aforementioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0474] The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in mature storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0475] The memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0476] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions of the terminal device or network device involved in any of the above method embodiments, such as sending, receiving, or processing the information involved in the above methods.

[0477] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing computer program instructions and data, which may be located inside or outside the processor.

[0478] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0479] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), wherein when the computer program is run, the method executed by the terminal device in the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 16 is executed, or the method executed by the network device in Figures 14 to 15 is executed.

[0480] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is run, the method executed by the terminal device in the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 16 is executed, or the method executed by the network device in Figures 14 to 15 is executed.

[0481] This application also provides a chip, which includes at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions of the terminal device or network device involved in any of the above method embodiments, such as sending, receiving or processing information involved in the above methods.

[0482] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned terminal equipment and network equipment.

[0483] The methods provided in the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, they can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product may include one or more computer instructions. When these computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic disk), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0484] In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as execution by a hardware processor, or as a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor executes the instructions in the memory, combining them with its hardware to complete the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0485] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the modules and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0486] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0487] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or modules may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0488] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. Similarly, the components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0489] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module.

[0490] If a function is implemented as a software module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0491] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

A communication method, characterized in that, The method, applied to a terminal device or a chip of the terminal device, includes: Determine the initial energy value of the terminal device; When the first energy value is greater than or equal to the first energy threshold, at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device is measured to obtain the measurement results of the at least one neighboring cell. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first energy value is the energy required for the terminal device to send a preset number of bits; or, the first energy value is the energy required for the terminal device to perform a first operation within a preset time period. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The measurement of at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device includes: Under the condition that the preset conditions for enabling neighboring cell measurement are met, at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device is measured. The method according to any one of claims 1-3 is characterized in that, The measurement of at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device includes: The at least one neighboring cell is measured based on the first relaxation measurement information corresponding to the first energy value. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: The serving cell is measured to obtain the measurement results of the serving cell. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The measurement of the serving cell includes: The serving cell is measured based on the first relaxation measurement information corresponding to the first energy value. The method according to claim 4 or 6 is characterized in that, The first relaxation measurement information includes one or more of the following: The first instruction information indicates that the at least one neighboring cell is measured according to at least one first preset period and / or indicates that the serving cell is measured according to a second preset period; A first relaxation factor indicates the magnification factor of the at least one first preset period and / or indicates the magnification factor of the second preset period; The second instruction information indicates that the serving cell should not be measured and / or that the at least one neighboring cell should not be measured; The first quantity indicates the number of neighboring cells to be measured; or, Preset relaxation factor. The method according to any one of claims 4, 6, or 7 is characterized in that, The first relaxation measurement information is the relaxation measurement information corresponding to the energy range in which the first energy value is located; At least one energy threshold corresponds to at least one energy range that includes the energy range in which the first energy value is located, wherein the at least one energy threshold includes the first energy threshold; The at least one energy range corresponds to at least one relaxation measurement information corresponding to the serving cell. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The at least one relaxation measurement information is relaxation measurement information indicated by a system message; or, the at least one relaxation measurement information is predefined relaxation measurement information. The method according to any one of claims 1-3 is characterized in that, The at least one neighboring cell includes co-frequency neighboring cells and / or hetero-frequency neighboring cells of the serving cell; The measurement of at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device includes one or more of the following: The measurements were performed on the adjacent cells of the same frequency. The inter-frequency neighboring cells are measured; When the first energy value is less than the second energy threshold, the same frequency neighboring cells are measured, wherein the second energy threshold is greater than the first energy threshold in at least one energy threshold; or, When the first energy value is greater than or equal to the second energy threshold, the inter-frequency neighboring cell is measured. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The measurement of the inter-frequency neighboring cells includes: When the first energy value is greater than or equal to the third energy threshold, the inter-frequency neighboring cell is measured according to the cell reselection priority of the inter-frequency neighboring cell, wherein the third energy threshold is greater than the second energy threshold among the at least one energy threshold. The method according to any one of claims 8, 10, or 11 is characterized in that, The at least one energy threshold is an energy threshold indicated by a system message; or, the at least one energy threshold is a predefined energy threshold. The method according to any one of claims 1-12 is characterized in that, The measurement results of the at least one neighboring cell are used by the terminal device to determine the signal quality of the at least one neighboring cell; The signal quality of at least one neighboring cell is used by the terminal device for cell reselection. The method according to any one of claims 1-13 is characterized in that, For at least one cell, the signal quality of the cell is the difference between the measurement result of the cell and the minimum received level requirement of the cell; Wherein, the at least one cell includes the serving cell and / or the at least one neighboring cell. The method according to any one of claims 1-14 is characterized in that, The measurement result is the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) value. A method for measuring residential areas, characterized in that, The method, applied to a network device or a chip of the network device, includes: Send a first energy threshold, wherein the first energy threshold and a first energy value of the terminal device are used to determine whether to measure at least one neighboring cell of the serving cell of the terminal device. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send at least one relaxation measurement information corresponding to the serving cell, wherein the at least one relaxation measurement information includes first relaxation measurement information, the first relaxation measurement information corresponds to the first energy value, and the first relaxation measurement information is used by the terminal device to measure the serving cell and / or the at least one neighboring cell. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The first relaxation measurement information includes one or more of the following: The first instruction information indicates that the at least one neighboring cell is measured according to at least one first preset period and / or indicates that the serving cell is measured according to a second preset period; A first relaxation factor indicates the magnification factor of the at least one first preset period and / or indicates the magnification factor of the second preset period; The second instruction information indicates that the serving cell should not be measured and / or that the at least one neighboring cell should not be measured; The first quantity indicates the number of neighboring cells to be measured; or, Preset relaxation factor. The method according to claim 17 or 18 is characterized in that, The first relaxation measurement information is the relaxation measurement information corresponding to the energy range in which the first energy value is located; At least one energy threshold corresponds to at least one energy range that includes the energy range in which the first energy value is located, wherein the at least one energy threshold includes the first energy threshold; The at least one energy range corresponds to the at least one relaxation measurement information. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The at least one relaxation measurement information is relaxation measurement information indicated by a system message. The method according to any one of claims 16-20 is characterized in that, The transmission of the first energy threshold includes: Send at least one energy threshold, wherein the first energy threshold is included among the at least one energy threshold. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The at least one energy threshold is the energy threshold indicated by a system message. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15, or modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 16 to 22. A communication device, characterized in that, The method includes at least one processor coupled to a memory for storing a program or instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15 to be performed, or cause the method as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 22 to be performed. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Used to store a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 16 to 22 to be performed. A computer program product, characterized in that, include: A computer program or instruction that, when executed, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 16 to 22 to be performed.

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