Communication method, apparatus, and readable storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of wireless communications, in particular to a communication method, an apparatus and a readable storage medium. The method comprises: a network device sends a first message to a terminal, wherein the first message is used for configuring a cell set, the cell set comprises a plurality of cells, a time alignment error (TAE) of frequency bands corresponding to any two of the plurality of cells is less than or equal to a threshold, and the threshold may be less than or equal to 500 nanoseconds. The cells in the cell set belong to the same timing advance group and can share a synchronization signal. The present application can reduce the complexity of network side configuration and management, thus reducing resource overheads.

Description

Communication methods, devices and readable storage media

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411708942.5, filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on November 26, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus and Readable Storage Medium", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus and readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0003] Carrier aggregation (CA) is a wireless communication technology designed to improve data transmission rates and spectral efficiency in mobile communication systems. With the increasing demand from mobile users for faster speeds and more stable connections, carrier aggregation has become a crucial technology in modern mobile communication systems. The working principle of carrier aggregation is to combine multiple component carriers (CCs) together, thereby increasing the overall carrier bandwidth. For example, if an operator has two 10 MHz component carriers within the same base station, by aggregating these two 10 MHz channels into a 20 MHz bandwidth, a higher data transmission rate can be achieved. Currently, there are two types of carrier aggregation: one is aggregating component carriers within the same frequency band, called intra-band carrier aggregation; the other is aggregating component carriers in different frequency bands, called inter-band carrier aggregation.

[0004] Typically, one component carrier corresponds to one cell. As the number of frequency bands and cells increases in the future, the current complexity of cell configuration and management in carrier aggregation is too high, making it unsuitable for scenarios with a large number of frequency bands or cells in the future. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a communication method, apparatus, and readable storage medium, which can reduce the complexity of network-side configuration and management and reduce resource consumption in scenarios with a large number of frequency bands or cells.

[0006] The present application is described below from different aspects. It should be understood that the different implementation methods and beneficial effects described below can be referenced from each other.

[0007] Firstly, this application provides a communication method applicable to a communication device, which can be a network device or a component (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) configured within the network device. The method includes: determining a first cell set; and sending a first message to a terminal, the first message configuring the first cell set. The first cell set includes N cells, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The time alignment error (TAE) of the frequency bands corresponding to any two of the N cells is less than or equal to a threshold. This threshold is less than or equal to 500 nanoseconds. For example, the threshold could be 260 nanoseconds or 65 nanoseconds. This threshold can be set according to actual conditions, and this application does not limit the specific size of the threshold.

[0008] It is understood that in existing technologies, the TAE (Transmission Aspect) for inter-band carrier aggregation must not exceed 3 μs (microseconds). However, this application takes into account scenarios with more frequency bands or more cells in the future, and further constrains the TAE index, so that multiple frequency bands can share synchronization information, simplify cell management, reduce the complexity of network-side configuration and management, and reduce resource consumption.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the frequency bands corresponding to the aforementioned N cells belong to one of a predefined combination of multiple frequency bands. Within each of these predefined combinations, any two frequency bands satisfy a TAE less than or equal to the aforementioned threshold. This application simplifies the configuration of frequency bands corresponding to the N cells by predefining multiple frequency band combinations.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, determining the first cell set includes: receiving a second message, the second message including terminal capability information; and determining the first cell set based on the terminal capability information included in the second message.

[0011] For example, the terminal's capability information includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: the frequency bands supported by the terminal, the combination of frequency bands supported by the terminal that satisfy TAE less than or equal to the above threshold, or the maximum number M of cells in the set of cells supported by the terminal. M is a positive integer, and N is less than or equal to M.

[0012] For example, the frequency bands corresponding to the above N cells not only belong to a combination of frequency bands that meet the TAE less than or equal to the threshold among the frequency bands supported by the terminal, but also belong to a combination of frequency bands among multiple predefined combinations.

[0013] This application configures the first cell set based on the terminal's capability information, which can make the first cell set more compatible with the terminal's capabilities and reduce the possibility of mismatch causing the first cell set to become unusable.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned first message may be radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The first message may include first information and second information. The first information may be used to configure or indicate the frequency band corresponding to each cell in the first cell set. For example, the first information may include the center frequency and bandwidth of each cell in the first cell set. The second information may be used to configure or indicate the downlink and / or uplink carriers included in each cell in the first cell set. For example, some cells in the first cell set may only include downlink carriers or uplink carriers, and some cells may include both downlink and uplink carriers.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, when a cell in the first cell set includes a downlink carrier, after sending the first message to the terminal, the method further includes: transmitting a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) on the first cell in the first cell set, and not transmitting an SSB on any other cell in the first cell set besides the first cell. The first cell is the cell in the first cell set that includes a downlink carrier. Accordingly, the terminal can blindly detect the SSB on each cell in the first cell set. The terminal can blindly detect / receive the SSB on the first cell in the first cell set, and can determine the downlink synchronization information of N cells in the first cell set based on the SSB, and then determine the timing advance (TA) of these N cells based on the downlink synchronization information. In other words, the N cells in the first cell set belong to the same timing advance group (TAG). Or, the TA of these N cells is the same. In other words, these N cells share downlink synchronization information and / or share TA.

[0016] This application transmits SSB on only one cell containing a downlink carrier in a cell set, and does not transmit SSB on other cells in the cell set. This reduces network complexity and reduces public resource overhead. Furthermore, the terminal can obtain downlink synchronization information and timing advance of all cells in the cell set based on the SSB of one cell. The terminal only needs one synchronization, which reduces the implementation complexity and power consumption of the terminal.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, when all N cells in the first cell set include uplink carriers but not downlink carriers, the aforementioned first message can also be used to indicate one or more second cells associated with the N cells. These second cells include downlink carriers. The timing advance of the one or more cells associated with the same second cell is the same.

[0018] For example, after receiving the first message, the terminal can receive SSBs on one or more second cells indicated by the first message; and can determine the downlink synchronization information of the cell associated with the second cell based on the SSB on each second cell, and then determine the TA of the cell associated with the second cell based on the downlink synchronization information.

[0019] This application, for a cell set that only includes uplink carriers, associates cells in the cell set with other cells (i.e., second cells) that include downlink carriers. The terminal obtains downlink synchronization information and timing advance of each cell in the cell set through the SSB on the second cell. This can support network configuration of cell sets that only include uplink carriers, improve the flexibility of network-side carrier resource management, and reduce the implementation complexity and power consumption of the terminal.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, when a cell in the first cell set includes a downlink carrier, after sending the first message to the terminal, the method further includes: sending a third message to the terminal, the third message being used to configure a second cell set, the second cell set including at least two cells. The TAE of the frequency bands corresponding to any two cells in the second cell set is less than the aforementioned threshold.

[0021] For example, the first cell set and the second cell set mentioned above may belong to multiple time advance groups or to the same time advance group; this application does not limit this. Cell sets belonging to the same time advance group have the same time advance.

[0022] For example, the frequency bands corresponding to each cell in the second cell set belong to one of the predefined combinations of frequency bands mentioned above. Furthermore, the frequency bands corresponding to each cell in the second cell set also belong to one of the frequency bands supported by the terminal that satisfy a TAE less than or equal to the aforementioned threshold.

[0023] For example, the second cell set may include cells that include downlink carriers, and optionally, these cells may also include uplink carriers. Further, the second cell set may also include cells that include only uplink carriers and exclude downlink carriers. Additionally, the cells in the second cell set may share downlink synchronization information and / or share TA (Transmission Aspect Ratio).

[0024] For example, all cells in the second cell set include only uplink carriers. In this case, the aforementioned third message can also be used to indicate a fourth cell associated with each cell in the second cell set. This fourth cell includes downlink carriers.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, after sending the third message to the terminal, the method further includes: sending a first signaling message to the terminal on the third cell, the first signaling message being used to activate or deactivate the second set of cells, the third cell being any cell in the first set of cells that includes a downlink carrier. For example, the first signaling message may be a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI) signaling.

[0026] For example, the second cell set can have two states: active and deactivated. Once the second cell set is configured, its default state can be deactivated, and the network device can activate the second cell set via signaling.

[0027] This application activates or deactivates the second cell set via signaling, and can flexibly turn a second cell set on or off, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal.

[0028] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, when a cell in the second cell set includes a downlink carrier, the aforementioned third message is further used to indicate the cell in the second cell set that transmits an SSB. Accordingly, the terminal can receive the SSB on the cell transmitting the SSB indicated by the third message, and can determine the downlink synchronization information of all cells in the second cell set based on the received SSB.

[0029] Secondly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a terminal or a module within a terminal. The method includes: receiving a first message and determining a first cell set based on the first message. The first message is used to configure the first cell set. The first cell set includes N cells. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The TAE (Transmission Aspect Ratio) of the frequency bands corresponding to any two of the N cells is less than or equal to a threshold. This threshold is less than or equal to 500 nanoseconds. For example, the threshold is 260 nanoseconds or 65 nanoseconds, etc. This threshold can be set according to actual conditions, and this application does not limit the specific size of the threshold.

[0030] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the frequency bands corresponding to the aforementioned N cells belong to one of a predefined combination of multiple frequency bands. Within each of these predefined combinations, any two frequency bands satisfy a TAE less than or equal to the aforementioned threshold.

[0031] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, before receiving the first message, the method further includes: sending a second message to the network device, the second message including the terminal's capability information.

[0032] For example, the terminal's capability information includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: the frequency bands supported by the terminal, the combination of frequency bands supported by the terminal that satisfy TAE less than or equal to the above threshold, or the maximum number M of cells in the set of cells supported by the terminal. M is a positive integer, and N is less than or equal to M.

[0033] For example, the frequency bands corresponding to the above N cells not only belong to a combination of frequency bands that meet the TAE less than or equal to the threshold among the frequency bands supported by the terminal, but also belong to a combination of frequency bands among multiple predefined combinations.

[0034] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned first message may be RRC signaling. This first message may include first information and second information. The first information may be used to configure or indicate the frequency band corresponding to each cell in the first cell set. For example, the first information may include the center frequency and bandwidth of each cell in the first cell set. The second information may be used to configure or indicate the downlink and / or uplink carriers included in each cell in the first cell set. For example, some cells in the first cell set may only include downlink carriers or uplink carriers, and some cells may include both downlink and uplink carriers.

[0035] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, when a cell in the first cell set includes a downlink carrier, after receiving the first message, the method further includes: blindly detecting a Subsequent Signal Segmentation Bus (SSB) on each cell in the first cell set, and blindly detecting / receiving the SSB on the first cell in the first cell set; then determining the downlink synchronization information of N cells in the first cell set based on the SSB, and determining the Time Advance (TA) of these N cells based on the downlink synchronization information. In other words, the N cells in the first cell set belong to the same Time Advance Group (TAG). Or, the TAs of these N cells are the same. In other words, these N cells share downlink synchronization information and / or share TAs.

[0036] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, when all N cells in the first cell set include uplink carriers but not downlink carriers, the aforementioned first message can also be used to indicate one or more second cells associated with those N cells. These second cells include downlink carriers. Specifically, the timing advance of one or more cells associated with the same second cell is the same.

[0037] For example, after receiving the first message, the terminal can receive SSBs on one or more second cells indicated by the first message; and can determine the downlink synchronization information of the cell associated with the second cell based on the SSB on each second cell, and then determine the TA of the cell associated with the second cell based on the downlink synchronization information.

[0038] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, when a cell in the first cell set includes a downlink carrier, after receiving the first message, the method further includes: receiving a third message, which is used to configure a second cell set, the second cell set including at least two cells. The TAE of the frequency bands corresponding to any two cells in the second cell set is less than the aforementioned threshold.

[0039] For example, the first cell set and the second cell set mentioned above may belong to multiple time advance groups or to the same time advance group; this application does not limit this. Cell sets belonging to the same time advance group have the same time advance.

[0040] For example, the frequency bands corresponding to each cell in the second cell set belong to one of the predefined combinations of frequency bands mentioned above. Furthermore, the frequency bands corresponding to each cell in the second cell set also belong to one of the frequency bands supported by the terminal that satisfy a TAE less than or equal to the aforementioned threshold.

[0041] For example, the second cell set may include cells that include downlink carriers, and optionally, these cells may also include uplink carriers. Further, the second cell set may also include cells that include only uplink carriers and exclude downlink carriers. Additionally, the cells in the second cell set may share downlink synchronization information and / or share TA (Transmission Aspect Ratio).

[0042] For example, all cells in the second cell set include only uplink carriers. In this case, the aforementioned third message can also be used to indicate a fourth cell associated with each cell in the second cell set. This fourth cell may include a downlink carrier.

[0043] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, after receiving the first message, the method further includes: receiving a first signaling on a third cell, the first signaling being used to activate or deactivate a second set of cells, the third cell being any cell in the aforementioned first set of cells that includes a downlink carrier. For example, the first signaling may be MAC CE or DCI signaling.

[0044] For example, the second cell set can have two states: active and deactivated. Once the second cell set is configured, its default state can be deactivated, and the network device can activate the second cell set via signaling.

[0045] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, when a cell in the second cell set includes a downlink carrier, the aforementioned third message is also used to indicate the cell in the second cell set that transmits an SSB. Accordingly, the terminal can receive the SSB on the cell transmitting the SSB indicated by the third message, and can determine the downlink synchronization information of all cells in the second cell set based on the received SSB.

[0046] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device, which may be a network device or a chip within a network device. The communication device is used to perform the methods described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The communication device includes modules having functions for performing the methods described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0047] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal or a chip within a terminal. The communication device is used to execute the methods described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The communication device includes modules having the capability to execute the methods described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0048] In the third or fourth aspect, the aforementioned communication device may include a transceiver module and a processing module. Further details regarding the transceiver module and processing module can be found in the device embodiments shown below. The beneficial effects of the third and fourth aspects described above can be referenced in the relevant descriptions of the first and second aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0049] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including a processor for executing the methods shown in the first aspect, the second aspect, or any of the aspects or any possible implementations described above. The processor executes a program stored in a memory, and when the program is executed, the methods shown in the first aspect, the second aspect, or any of the aspects or any possible implementations described above are executed.

[0050] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, the memory is located outside the aforementioned communication device.

[0051] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, the memory is located within the aforementioned communication device.

[0052] In this embodiment, the processor and memory can also be integrated into a single device, that is, the processor and memory can be integrated together. For example, the communication device can be a chip.

[0053] Sixthly, this application provides a communication device including a processor and an interface circuit coupled together. The interface circuit is used for exchanging (or sending / receiving or inputting / outputting) information or data. The processor is used to execute program instructions, causing the communication device to perform the methods described in the first aspect, or the second aspect, or any possible implementation thereof. The interface circuit may be a communication interface or a transceiver. The transceiver may be a radio frequency module in the communication device, or a combination of a radio frequency module and an antenna, or an input / output interface of a chip or circuit.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect, or the second aspect, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0055] Eighthly, this application provides a computer program product containing program instructions that, when run, causes the method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any of the aspects to be executed.

[0056] Ninthly, this application provides a communication system, which includes at least a network device and a terminal. The network device is used to perform the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect; the terminal is used to perform the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0057] The technical effects achieved in the above aspects can be referred to each other or to the beneficial effects in the method embodiments shown below, which will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0058] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of carrier aggregation provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the SCell configuration process provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the switching between the active and deactivated states of the secondary cell provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the association between the eUL cell and the second cell provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an activation method for a second cell set provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 9 is another structural schematic diagram of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0067] Referring to Figure 1, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110. Terminals and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. The communication system 1000 may also include a core network 200. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 via wireless or wired means. The core network equipment in core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be independent and different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of the core network equipment and the logical functions of the RAN node. Communication system 1000 may also include Internet 300. It should be understood that the system architecture described in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. Those skilled in the art will understand that as system architecture or application scenarios evolve, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0068] RAN 100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system as defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), or it can be a Wi-Fi system. RAN 100 can also include two or more of the above-mentioned different radio access systems. RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0069] RAN nodes, also known as radio access network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes, are used to help terminals access communication systems wirelessly. In one application scenario, an RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a Wi-Fi system. RAN nodes can be macro base stations (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), micro base stations or indoor stations (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), relay nodes, or donor nodes.

[0070] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminals achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing different functions of the base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Here, the CU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Resource Control (RRC) and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and can also perform the functions of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP). The DU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Link Control (RANC) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes or integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0071] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN nodes in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. For example, a RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software modules. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the RAN nodes. For ease of description, a base station is used as an example of a RAN node in the following description.

[0072] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from a base station. Terminals can also be called terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal.

[0073] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0074] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 through 120i, terminal 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with base station functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with terminal functions.

[0075] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0076] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0077] The following is a brief introduction to the relevant technical terms used in this application.

[0078] I. CA

[0079] Carrier aggregation (CA) technology can be used to increase the transmission bandwidth for individual users. Specifically, carrier aggregation technology can integrate multi-frequency resources, such as aggregating frequency resources of the same or different frequency bands for use by a single terminal, thereby improving the resource utilization of the entire network and enhancing the user experience. In general, carrier aggregation can combine two or more component carriers (CCs) to support greater transmission bandwidth, with each component carrier corresponding to an independent cell. A cell can be understood as a logical concept; a cell corresponds to a specific physical coverage area and frequency domain resources.

[0080] Referring to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of carrier aggregation provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the frequency resource of cell 1 is F1, the frequency resource of cell 2 is F2, and the frequency resource of cell 3 is F3. Cells 1, 2, and 3 can be aggregated together for use by the UE.

[0081] II. Carrier Configuration in the Cell

[0082] Currently, each cell contains only one downlink (DL) carrier and also includes 0, 1, or 2 uplink (UL) carriers. With one uplink carrier, the uplink and downlink carriers belong to the same frequency band; with two uplink carriers, one uplink carrier belongs to the same frequency band as the downlink carrier, and the other uplink carrier belongs to the supplementary uplink (SUL) frequency band.

[0083] III. Primary cell (PCell) and secondary cell (SCell)

[0084] In CA (Connection Controller), the PCell is the cell where the UE establishes an initial connection, performs radio resource control (RRC) connection reconstruction, or is the primary cell designated during handover. The PCell is responsible for RRC communication with the UE. The component carrier corresponding to the PCell is called the primary component carrier (PCC). Specifically, the downlink carrier of the PCell is called the DL PCC, and the uplink carrier is called the UL PCC.

[0085] The SCell is added during RRC reconfiguration to provide additional radio resources. There is no RRC communication between the SCell and the UE. The component carrier corresponding to the SCell is called the secondary component carrier (SCC). Specifically, the downlink carrier of the SCell is called the DL SCC, and the uplink carrier is called the UL SCC.

[0086] PCell is determined during connection establishment, while SCell is added / modified / released via RRC reconfiguration messages after the initial security activation process.

[0087] Carrier aggregation is a UE-level feature; different UEs may have different PCells and SCells. Within the same cell, one UE may have a PCell, while another UE may have an SCell.

[0088] IV. SCell Configuration, Activation, and Deactivation Process

[0089] After the UE establishes an RRC connection with the PCell, the PCell can combine the candidate SCells and the UE's capabilities to determine the SCells that the UE needs to add. Then, it can send the relevant information of these SCells to the UE via an RRC reconfiguration message. The UE can add SCells based on this information. Figure 3 illustrates the SCell configuration process provided in this embodiment. The base station sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE, which includes information about one or more SCells. The UE adds SCells based on the received RRC reconfiguration message and sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the base station.

[0090] When adding a SCell, the UE has two configuration methods: blind configuration and measurement-based configuration. In blind configuration, the UE can configure the SCell based on the relevant information sent by the base station. In measurement-based configuration, the cell's signal quality must also be considered; the cell can only be configured as an SCell if its signal quality meets certain conditions.

[0091] In NR, a SCell has two states: active and inactive. When the secondary cell is active and configured with a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), the UE needs to monitor the PDCCH of that secondary cell and perform signal transmission based on the base station configuration and uplink / downlink scheduling information. When the secondary cell is in inactive, the UE does not need to monitor or transmit uplink / downlink signals in that secondary cell.

[0092] Referring to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram illustrating the switching between the active and deactivated states of a secondary cell according to an embodiment of this application, the default state of the secondary cell after configuration or successful addition is deactivated. As shown in Figure 4, the base station can instruct the UE to activate or deactivate the SCell via MAC CE signaling. When the SCell is activated, the UE performs corresponding signal transmission in that cell. Furthermore, the base station can configure a deactivation timer for the UE; when the timer expires, the UE considers the SCell's state to transition from active to deactivated.

[0093] The communication method of this application embodiment is described below by way of example.

[0094] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between various embodiments or implementations can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and in the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment can be combined according to their inherent logical relationships to form new embodiments, implementation methods, methods, or implementation approaches. The embodiments described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0095] Referring to Figure 5, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, the communication method may include, but is not limited to, the following steps:

[0096] S101, the base station determines a first set of cells. This first set of cells includes N cells. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The time alignment error (TAE) of the frequency bands corresponding to any two of these N cells is less than or equal to a threshold. This threshold is less than or equal to 500 nanoseconds.

[0097] In one possible implementation, the base station can select one frequency band combination from a set of predefined / preconfigured frequency band combinations. This combination may include N frequency bands, with each band corresponding to a cell. The specific selection strategy can be determined by the base station, and this application embodiment does not limit this. The base station can then determine the selected frequency band combination as the frequency band corresponding to each cell in a first cell set. This first cell set may include N cells. N can be less than or equal to the maximum number of cells that can be configured in a predefined cell set.

[0098] For example, multiple predefined / preconfigured frequency band combinations are shown in Table 1 below. A base station can select one frequency band combination from Table 1, such as combination 1, as the frequency band corresponding to each cell in the first cell set. For example, the frequency band number corresponding to cell 1 is n12, and the frequency band number corresponding to cell 2 is n20. It is understood that in this embodiment, a frequency band number is used to represent a frequency band. It is also understood that the indices in Table 1 are arranged in ascending order starting from 1, i.e., 1, 2, 3, ...; in practical applications, the indices can also be arranged in ascending order starting from 0, i.e., 0, 1, 2, ...; this embodiment does not limit this.

[0099] Table 1

[0100] In this context, the TAE (Transmission Aspect Ratio) of any two frequency bands within each predefined / preconfigured frequency band combination is less than or equal to a threshold. For example, this threshold is less than or equal to 500 nanoseconds (ns), such as 260 ns or 65 ns. This threshold can be set according to actual conditions, and this application embodiment does not limit the specific size of the threshold.

[0101] In one possible implementation, the terminal may send a second message to the base station, which may include the terminal's capability information. For example, the terminal's capability information includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: the frequency bands supported by the terminal, a combination of frequency bands supported by the terminal that satisfy a time alignment error (TAE) less than or equal to the aforementioned threshold, or the maximum number of cells M in the set of cells supported by the terminal. M is a positive integer. The base station can then determine a first cell set based on the terminal's capability information. This first cell set may include N cells. For example, N is less than or equal to M. The frequency bands corresponding to each cell in the first cell set belong to a combination of frequency bands supported by the terminal that satisfy a TAE less than or equal to the threshold. The combination of frequency bands supported by the terminal that satisfy a TAE less than or equal to the aforementioned threshold belongs to a predefined / preconfigured frequency band combination. In other words, the frequency bands corresponding to the N cells in the first cell set also belong to one of a set of predefined / preconfigured frequency band combinations.

[0102] For example, multiple predefined / preconfigured frequency band combinations are shown in Table 1 above. The terminal's capability information includes frequency band combinations that satisfy TAE less than or equal to the above threshold among the frequency bands supported by the terminal: n21 and n23. Based on the terminal's capability information, the base station can determine that the first cell set includes 2 (i.e., N equals 2) cells, with one cell corresponding to frequency band number n21 and the other cell corresponding to frequency band number n23. These two cells belong to both the frequency band combinations that satisfy TAE less than or equal to the above threshold among the frequency bands supported by the terminal and one of the predefined / preconfigured frequency band combinations, such as combination 2 in Table 1 above.

[0103] For another example, the predefined / preconfigured combinations of multiple frequency bands are shown in Table 1 above. The terminal's capability information includes the frequency bands supported by the terminal: n13, n14, n20, n21, and n25. Based on the terminal's capability information, the base station can determine that the first cell set includes 2 (i.e., N equals 2) cells, with one cell corresponding to frequency band number n21 and the other cell corresponding to frequency band number n25. Both of these cells correspond to frequency bands supported by the terminal, and these two cells belong to one of the predefined / preconfigured combinations of multiple frequency bands, such as combination 2 in Table 1 above.

[0104] S102, the base station sends a first message to the terminal, which is used to configure the first cell set.

[0105] S103, the terminal determines a first cell set based on the first message. For example, the terminal can perform parallel / joint transmission on multiple cells in the first cell set.

[0106] In one possible implementation, after determining the first cell set, the base station can send a first message to the terminal. This first message can be used to configure the first cell set. The first cell set includes N cells, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The time alignment error of the frequency bands corresponding to any two of these N cells is less than or equal to the aforementioned threshold. For example, this threshold is less than or equal to 500 nanoseconds.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the first message may be RRC signaling. The first message may include first information and second information. The first information can be used to configure or indicate the frequency bands corresponding to each cell in the first cell set. For example, the first message may include the center frequency and bandwidth of each cell in the first cell set. The second information can be used to configure or indicate the downlink and / or uplink carriers included in each cell in the first cell set. Therefore, after receiving the first message, the terminal can determine the first cell set based on the first message, such as determining the frequency bands corresponding to N cells in the first cell set and the carriers included in each of these N cells. The carrier situation included in each cell of the first cell set is discussed below in different cases.

[0108] Scenario 1: The first cell set contains cells including downlink carriers.

[0109] In the aforementioned first cell set, some cells (such as cell 1) include downlink carriers, and optionally, these cells also include uplink carriers. If a cell includes multiple uplink carriers, one of these uplink carriers is a SUL carrier, meaning one of the uplink carriers belongs to the SUL band. Furthermore, the first cell set may also include cells (such as cell 2) that only include uplink carriers and not downlink carriers; this uplink carrier can be called an enhanced uplink UL (eUL) carrier, although it can have other names, which are not limited in this embodiment. The terminal supports parallel transmission on eUL carriers and UL carriers (where UL carriers do not include SUL carriers).

[0110] In one possible implementation, if a cell in the first cell set includes a downlink carrier, after step S102 or S103, the base station can transmit a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) on the first cell in the first cell set, but not transmit SSBs on other cells in the first cell set. The first cell can be a cell in the first cell set that includes a downlink carrier. The terminal can blindly detect SSBs on each cell in the first cell set. The terminal can blindly detect / receive the SSB on the first cell in the first cell set, and determine the downlink synchronization information of N cells in the first cell set based on the SSB. Then, the terminal can determine the timing advance of these N cells based on the downlink synchronization information. For example, the terminal can determine the downlink synchronization information of the first cell based on the SSB received / blindly detected on the first cell, and can use the downlink synchronization information of the first cell as the downlink synchronization information of the remaining (N-1) cells in the first cell set. Then, the terminal can determine the timing advance of these N cells based on the downlink synchronization information. In other words, the N cells in the first cell set mentioned above belong to the same timing advance group. Or, these N cells have the same timing advance. Furthermore, these N cells share downlink synchronization information and / or share the same time travel (TA).

[0111] In this embodiment of the application, for a cell set, the base station only transmits SSB on one cell in the cell set that contains a downlink carrier, and does not transmit SSB on other cells in the cell set. This can reduce the complexity of the network side and reduce the overhead of common resources. Furthermore, the terminal can obtain the downlink synchronization information and timing advance of all cells in the cell set based on the SSB of one cell. The terminal only needs one synchronization, which can reduce the implementation complexity and power consumption of the terminal.

[0112] In one possible implementation, after determining the timing advance of N cells in the first cell set, the terminal can establish an RRC connection with the first cell in the first cell set based on the timing advance. For example, the terminal can send an RRC connection request message to the base station based on the timing advance; the base station replies to the terminal with an RRC connection establishment message; and the terminal then sends an RRC connection establishment complete message to the base station.

[0113] Scenario 2: The N cells in the first cell set all include uplink carriers but not downlink carriers.

[0114] The N cells in the aforementioned first cell set all include only uplink carriers. For ease of description, in this embodiment, cells that include only uplink carriers are referred to as uplink enhanced (eUL) cells. The aforementioned first message may also include third information, which can be used to indicate one or more second cells associated with these N eUL cells. The second cell includes downlink carriers. When these N eUL cells are associated with a second cell, after receiving the first message, the terminal can also receive an SSB on the second cell based on the third information therein; and can determine the downlink synchronization information of these N eUL cells based on the SSB, and then determine the TA of these N eUL cells based on the downlink synchronization information. For example, the terminal can determine the downlink synchronization information based on the SSB received on the second cell, and can use the downlink synchronization information as the downlink synchronization information of these N eUL cells. Then, the terminal can determine the TA of these N eUL cells based on the downlink synchronization information. In other words, the TAs of these N eUL cells are the same. Or, these N eUL cells belong to the same TAG.

[0115] When N eUL cells are associated with multiple second cells, after receiving the first message, the terminal can receive an SSB on each second cell based on the third information contained therein; it can also determine the downlink synchronization information of the eUL cell associated with that second cell based on the SSB on each second cell, and then determine the TA of the eUL cell associated with that second cell based on the downlink synchronization information. In other words, one or more eUL cells among these N eUL cells that are associated with the same second cell have the same TA. Or, one or more eUL cells among these N eUL cells that are associated with the same second cell belong to the same TAG.

[0116] For example, referring to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of the association between an eUL cell and a second cell provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, cell set 1 includes cell 1 and cell 2, both of which include downlink and uplink carriers; cell set 2 includes cell 3 and cell 4, both of which only include uplink carriers, i.e., eUL carriers. The frequency band corresponding to cell 1 is 4.9 GHz, the frequency band corresponding to cell 2 is 2.6 GHz, the frequency band corresponding to cell 3 is frequency band 1, and the frequency band corresponding to cell 4 is frequency band 2. In Figure 6, the aforementioned first cell set is cell set 2. As shown in Figure 6, if both frequency band 1 and frequency band 2 are closer to 2.6 GHz, then cell 3 and cell 4 can be associated with cell 2; if frequency band 1 is closer to 2.6 GHz and frequency band 2 is closer to 4.9 GHz, then cell 3 is associated with cell 2, and cell 4 is associated with cell 1. If cell 3 is associated with cell 2 and cell 4 is associated with cell 1, the terminal can determine the downlink synchronization information of cell 4 based on the SSB on cell 1, and then determine the TA of cell 4 based on the downlink synchronization information; it can also determine the downlink synchronization information of cell 3 based on the SSB on cell 2, and then determine the TA of cell 3 based on the downlink synchronization information.

[0117] In this embodiment of the application, for a cell set that includes only eUL cells, the eUL cells in the cell set are associated with other cells (i.e., second cells) that contain downlink carriers. The terminal obtains the downlink synchronization information and timing advance of the eUL cells through the SSB on the second cell. This can support the base station to configure a cell set that includes only eUL cells, improve the flexibility of network-side carrier resource management, and reduce the implementation complexity and power consumption of the terminal.

[0118] In one possible implementation, if the first cell set includes cells containing downlink carriers (i.e., scenario 1 above), after step S102 or S103, the base station can further configure one or more second cell sets for the terminal. In this case, the first cell set can be understood as the primary cell set, and the second cell set as the secondary cell set.

[0119] For example, after step S102 or step S103 above, the communication method shown in FIG5 further includes one or more of the following steps:

[0120] S104, the base station sends a third message to the terminal, which is used to configure a second cell set. This second cell set includes at least two cells. The TAE (Target Aspect Ratio) of the frequency bands corresponding to any two cells in this second cell set is less than the aforementioned threshold.

[0121] Accordingly, the terminal receives the third message. For example, the terminal determines the second cell set based on the third message.

[0122] In one possible implementation, after the terminal establishes an RRC connection with the first cell in the aforementioned first cell set, the base station can configure a second cell set via RRC signaling. In other words, after the terminal establishes an RRC connection with the base station, the base station can send a third message to the terminal, which can be used to configure one or more second cell sets. For example, this third message can be RRC signaling. The number of second cell sets configured by the base station for the terminal is less than or equal to K, where K is a positive integer. K can be a predefined maximum number of cell sets that can be transmitted in parallel. Alternatively, K can be determined based on the terminal's current maximum parallel transmission capability. For example, the terminal's current maximum parallel transmission capability can be carried through the aforementioned second message.

[0123] In one possible implementation, the first cell set and the one or more second cell sets may belong to multiple timing advance groups or the same timing advance group; this application embodiment is not limited to this. Cell sets belonging to the same TAG have the same timing advance. For example, the first message may also include the TAG number / index to which the first cell set belongs; correspondingly, the third message may also include the TAG number / index to which each second cell set belongs. Cell sets with the same TAG number / index have the same timing advance.

[0124] In one possible implementation, the second cell set may include at least two cells. For example, the number of cells in the second cell set is less than or equal to M. The meaning of M can be found in the preceding description and will not be repeated here. The configuration method of the second cell set is the same as or similar to the configuration method of the aforementioned first cell set, and will not be repeated here. For example, the third message includes at least two pieces of information: one piece of information is used to configure or indicate the frequency band corresponding to each cell in the second cell set; the other piece of information can be used to configure or indicate the downlink carrier and / or uplink carrier included in each cell in the second cell set.

[0125] In one possible implementation, the TAE (Target Aspect Equation) of the frequency bands corresponding to any two cells in the second cell set is less than the aforementioned threshold. For example, the frequency bands corresponding to each cell in the second cell set belong to one of the aforementioned predefined / preconfigured combinations of multiple frequency bands. Furthermore, the frequency bands corresponding to each cell in the second cell set also belong to a combination of frequency bands supported by the terminal that satisfy a TAE less than or equal to the aforementioned threshold.

[0126] In one possible implementation, the second cell set may include cells that include downlink carriers, and optionally, these cells may also include uplink carriers. Further, the second cell set may also include cells that include only uplink carriers and not downlink carriers. Additionally, the cells in the second cell set may share downlink synchronization information and / or share a common TA (Transmission Aspect Ratio).

[0127] In another possible implementation, all cells in the second cell set mentioned above include only uplink carriers. In this case, the third message can also be used to indicate the fourth cell associated with each cell in the second cell set. This fourth cell may include a downlink carrier. For example, the fourth cell may be a cell in the first cell set mentioned above that includes a downlink carrier. It is understood that at least two cells in the second cell set can be associated with one or more fourth cells. For example, the second cell set includes cells 5, 6, and 7, where cells 5 and 6 can be associated with one fourth cell; and cell 7 can be associated with another fourth cell.

[0128] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned second cell set can have two states: active and deactivated. Once the second cell set is configured, its default state can be deactivated, and the base station can activate it via signaling. Of course, when the second cell set is active, the base station can also activate it via signaling. Alternatively, the base station can configure a deactivation timer for the terminal; when the timer expires, the terminal considers the second cell set to transition from active to deactivated.

[0129] S105, the base station sends a first signaling message to the terminal on the third cell, which is used to activate or deactivate the second cell set. The third cell is any cell in the aforementioned first cell set that includes a downlink carrier.

[0130] Accordingly, the terminal receives the first signaling. For example, based on the first signaling, the terminal determines whether to activate or deactivate the second cell set. After activating the second cell set, the terminal can perform parallel or joint transmission on both the first cell set and the second cell set.

[0131] In one possible implementation, the base station may send a first signaling message to the terminal on a third cell to activate or deactivate one or more second cell sets. The third cell may be any cell in the aforementioned first cell set that includes a downlink carrier. For example, the first signaling message may be MAC CE or downlink control information (DCI) signaling. In another possible implementation, the first signaling message may include identification and indication information for the second cell set. This indication information is used to indicate whether to activate or deactivate the second cell set.

[0132] For clarity, the following explanation uses the activation of a second cell set as an example.

[0133] In one possible implementation, if any cell in the second cell set includes a downlink carrier, the third message can also be used to indicate the cell in the second cell set that transmits an SSB. After the base station sends the first signaling (used to activate the second cell set), it can also send an SSB on the cell indicated by the third message that transmits an SSB. Accordingly, the terminal receives the SSB on the cell indicated by the third message that transmits an SSB, and can determine the downlink synchronization information of all cells in the second cell set based on the received SSB. The base station can then send a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). The terminal can receive the CSI-RS based on the downlink synchronization information and perform downlink channel measurements, thereby completing the downlink activation of the second cell set.

[0134] In another possible implementation, if all cells in the second cell set consist only of uplink carriers, and the third message indicates the fourth cell associated with each cell in the second cell set, then when the first signaling is used to activate the second cell set, the terminal can receive an SSB on the fourth cell and determine the downlink synchronization information of all cells in the second cell set based on the received SSB. It can then determine the TA (Target Aspect Ratio) of all cells in the second cell set based on the downlink synchronization information. Then, based on the TA, the terminal can send a physical random access channel (PRACH) to the base station on a cell in the second cell set for uplink synchronization. The terminal can then send a sounding reference signal (SRS) to the base station. The base station can perform uplink channel measurements based on the sounding reference signal, thereby completing the activation of the second cell set.

[0135] For example, taking the case where all cells in the second cell set include only uplink carriers, refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of an activation method for the second cell set provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the base station sends a MAC CE or DCI signaling to indicate the activation of the second cell set. After receiving the MAC CE or DCI signaling, the UE performs signal processing. Then, based on the result of the signal processing (such as TA), the UE sends a PRACH to the base station and then transmits SRS to the base station. The base station performs uplink channel measurement based on the SRS.

[0136] The base station in this application embodiment activates or deactivates the second cell set through signaling, and can flexibly turn a certain second cell set on or off, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal.

[0137] It is understood that in existing technologies, the TAE (Transmission Aspect Ratio) for inter-band carrier aggregation must not exceed 3 microseconds. However, this application embodiment considers scenarios with more frequency bands or more cells in the future. It sends a first message to the terminal through the RAN node. This first message is used to configure a first cell set. The TAE of the frequency bands corresponding to any two cells in the first cell set is less than or equal to a threshold, which is less than or equal to 500 nanoseconds. This further constrains the TAE index, enabling multiple frequency bands to share synchronization information, simplifying cell management, reducing the complexity of network-side configuration and management, and reducing resource overhead.

[0138] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the base station and terminal include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0139] Figures 8 and 9 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the base station or terminal in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be the terminal 120 shown in Figure 1, the base station 110 shown in Figure 1, or a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal or base station.

[0140] As shown in Figure 8, the communication device 800 includes a processing module 801 and a transceiver module 802. The communication device 800 can be used to implement the functions of a base station or terminal in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5 above.

[0141] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the function of the base station in the method embodiment shown in FIG5: the processing module 801 is used to determine a first cell set; the transceiver module 802 is used to send a first message to the terminal, the first message being used to configure the first cell set, the first cell set including N cells, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the TAE of the frequency bands corresponding to any two of the N cells is less than or equal to a threshold, the threshold being less than or equal to 500 nanoseconds.

[0142] For example, the processing module 801 is specifically used to: control the transceiver module 802 to receive a second message, the second message including the terminal's capability information; and determine a first cell set based on the terminal's capability information.

[0143] For example, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to transmit an SSB on a first cell in a first cell set, and not transmit an SSB on other cells in the first cell set other than the first cell, wherein the first cell is a cell in the first cell set that includes a downlink carrier.

[0144] For example, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to send a third message to the terminal, the third message being configured to configure a second cell set, the second cell set including at least two cells; the TAE of the frequency bands corresponding to any two cells in the second cell set is less than a threshold.

[0145] For example, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to send a first signaling to the terminal on a third cell, the first signaling being used to activate or deactivate a second set of cells, the third cell being any cell in the first set of cells that includes a downlink carrier.

[0146] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the terminal function in the method embodiment shown in FIG5: the transceiver module 802 is used to receive a first message, the first message being used to configure a first cell set, the first cell set including N cells, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the TAE of the frequency bands corresponding to any two of the N cells is less than or equal to a threshold, the threshold being less than or equal to 500 nanoseconds; the processing module 801 is used to determine the first cell set according to the first message.

[0147] For example, the transceiver module 802 is also configured to send a second message to the network device, the second message including the terminal's capability information.

[0148] For example, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive an SSB on a first cell in the first cell set, the first cell being a cell in the first cell set that includes a downlink carrier; the processing module 801 is further configured to determine downlink synchronization information of N cells in the first cell set based on the received SSB, and determine the timing advance of the N cells based on the downlink synchronization information.

[0149] For example, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive a third message for configuring a second cell set, the second cell set including at least two cells; the TAE of the frequency bands corresponding to any two cells in the second cell set is less than the threshold.

[0150] For example, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive a first signaling on a third cell, the first signaling being used to activate or deactivate the second cell set, the third cell being any cell in the first cell set that includes a downlink carrier.

[0151] For a more detailed description of the above-mentioned processing module 801 and transceiver module 802, please refer to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5.

[0152] As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 900 includes a processor 901 and an interface circuit 902. The processor 901 and the interface circuit 902 are coupled together. It is understood that the interface circuit 902 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 900 may also include a memory 903 for storing instructions executed by the processor 901, or storing input data required by the processor 901 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 901 executes instructions. Sometimes, the interface circuit 902 can also be understood as part of the processor 901, in which case the communication device 900 includes the processor 901.

[0153] When the communication device 900 is used to implement the method shown in FIG5, the processor 901 is used to implement the function of the processing module 801, and the interface circuit 902 is used to implement the function of the transceiver module 802.

[0154] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from the base station, which can be understood as the information being first received by other modules in the terminal (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. The terminal chip sends information to the base station, which can be understood as the information being first sent to other modules in the terminal (such as an RF module or antenna), and then sent to the base station by these modules.

[0155] In this application, entity A sends information to entity B, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Similarly, entity B receives information from entity A, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Entities A and B can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within RAN nodes or terminals. Information transmission and reception can be between RAN nodes and terminals, such as between a base station and a terminal; between two RAN nodes, such as between a CU and a DU; or between different modules within a single device, such as between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or between a base station chip and other modules of the base station.

[0156] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit, or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0157] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, optical discs, or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a base station or terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the base station or terminal.

[0158] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0159] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0160] In the description of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. Additionally, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. "One or more of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0161] The terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the steps or units listed, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0162] In this application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the words "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0163] In this application, the use of singular designations for elements is intended to represent "one or more" rather than "one and only one," unless otherwise specified.

[0164] In this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing certain information to indicate A, it can be understood that the information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A. Direct instruction A can be understood as including the information A; implicit instruction A can be understood as indicating A through the correspondence between A and B and the direct instruction B. The correspondence between A and B can be predefined, pre-stored, pre-burned, or pre-configured.

[0165] In this application, determining information D based on information C includes determining information D based solely on information C, as well as determining information D based on information C and other information. Furthermore, the use of information C to determine information D can also include indirect determination, such as when information D is determined based on information E, and information E is determined based on information C.

[0166] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, executed by a communication device, characterized in that, include: Determine the first set of cells; Send a first message to the terminal. The first message is used to configure the first cell set, which includes N cells, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The time alignment error (TAE) of the frequency bands corresponding to any two of the N cells is less than or equal to a threshold, where the threshold is less than or equal to 500 nanoseconds.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the first cell set includes: Receive a second message, the second message including the capability information of the terminal; The first cell set is determined based on the terminal's capability information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The terminal's capability information includes combinations of frequency bands supported by the terminal that satisfy TAE less than or equal to the threshold.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The frequency bands corresponding to the N cells belong to one of the predefined multiple frequency band combinations, and any two frequency bands in each of the predefined multiple frequency band combinations satisfy that TAE is less than or equal to the threshold.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: The synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) is transmitted on the first cell in the first cell set, and no SSB is transmitted on the other cells in the first cell set except for the first cell. The first cell is a cell in the first cell set that includes a downlink carrier.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The N cells belong to the same time lead group.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, All N cells include uplink carriers but not downlink carriers; The first message is also used to indicate a second cell associated with the N cells, the second cell including a downlink carrier; The time advance of the N cells is the same.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: A third message is sent to the terminal, the third message being used to configure a second cell set, the second cell set including at least two cells; the TAE of the frequency bands corresponding to any two cells in the second cell set is less than the threshold.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: A first signaling message is sent to the terminal on the third cell. The first signaling message is used to activate or deactivate the second cell set. The third cell is any cell in the first cell set that includes a downlink carrier.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The third message is also used to indicate the cells in the second cell set that are transmitting SSB.

11. A communication method, executed by a terminal or a module applied in a terminal, characterized in that, include: Receive a first message, the first message is used to configure a first cell set, the first cell set includes N cells, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the time alignment error (TAE) of the frequency bands corresponding to any two cells in the N cells is less than or equal to a threshold, the threshold is less than or equal to 500 nanoseconds; The first cell set is determined based on the first message.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, Before receiving the first message, the method further includes: A second message is sent to the network device, the second message including the terminal's capability information.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The terminal's capability information includes combinations of frequency bands supported by the terminal that satisfy TAE less than or equal to the threshold.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The frequency bands corresponding to the N cells belong to one of the predefined multiple frequency band combinations, and any two frequency bands in each of the predefined multiple frequency band combinations satisfy that TAE is less than or equal to the threshold.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: The synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB) is received on the first cell in the first cell set, where the first cell is a cell in the first cell set that includes a downlink carrier. The downlink synchronization information of N cells in the first cell set is determined based on the received SSB.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that, The N cells belong to the same time lead group.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that, All N cells include uplink carriers but not downlink carriers; The first message is also used to indicate a second cell associated with the N cells, the second cell including a downlink carrier; The time advance of the N cells is the same.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: A third message is received, the third message being used to configure a second cell set, the second cell set including at least two cells; the TAE of the frequency bands corresponding to any two cells in the second cell set is less than the threshold.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: A first signaling is received on a third cell, the first signaling being used to activate or deactivate the second cell set, wherein the third cell is any cell in the first cell set that includes a downlink carrier.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that, The third message is also used to indicate the cells in the second cell set that are transmitting SSB.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 20.

22. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20.

23. A computer program product, comprising a computer program or instructions, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed by the communication device, the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20 is implemented.

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