Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method is applied in a scenario where a terminal device is handed over from a first network device to a second network device, and comprises: receiving a first message from a terminal device, the first message comprising at least one first secondary carrier, and the at least one first secondary carrier being used for communication between a first network device and the terminal device; determining at least one second secondary carrier on the basis of a first measurement result, the at least one second secondary carrier being used for communication between a second network device and the terminal device, and the first measurement result indicating the signal quality of a serving cell and / or a neighboring cell of the terminal device; deleting the at least one first secondary carrier on the basis of the at least one second secondary carrier; and sending first indication information to the terminal device, the first indication information being used for instructing to delete the at least one first secondary carrier, and the first indication information comprising the at least one second secondary carrier. The present application ensures uninterrupted CA in a handover scenario, thereby improving user experience.

Description

Communication methods and communication devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411853505.2, filed on December 13, 2024, with the China National Intellectual Property Administration, entitled “Communication Method and Communication Apparatus”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of wireless communication, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0003] Carrier aggregation (CA) combines multiple consecutive or non-consecutive component carriers (CCs) into a larger bandwidth. Currently, in scenarios where a terminal device switches from a source base station to a target base station, the terminal device releases the secondary component carrier (SCC) resources currently participating in carrier aggregation. Then, after switching to the target base station, the target base station reselects a better carrier and adds a new SCC based on the measurement report currently reported by the terminal device. However, in handover scenarios, deleting SCCs first will result in a period of CA interruption, for example, a 3-component carrier aggregation (also known as 3CC) interruption. This will degrade communication quality and affect user experience.

[0004] Therefore, ensuring uninterrupted carrier aggregation during scenario switching is a pressing technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and a communication device to ensure uninterrupted carrier aggregation and improve user experience during scenario switching.

[0006] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be applied to a second network device; that is, the method can be executed by the second network device or by components of the second network device (such as a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module). This application does not limit the scope of the method. The following description mainly uses a second network device as an example.

[0007] This method is applied to scenarios where a terminal device switches from a first network device to a second network device. The method may include: receiving a first message from the terminal device, the first message including at least one first secondary carrier, the at least one first secondary carrier being used for communication between the first network device and the terminal device; determining at least one second secondary carrier based on a first measurement result, the at least one second secondary carrier being used for communication between the second network device and the terminal device, the first measurement result indicating the signal quality of the terminal device's serving cell and / or neighboring cells; deleting the at least one first secondary carrier based on the at least one second secondary carrier; and sending first indication information to the terminal device, the first indication information indicating the deletion of the at least one first secondary carrier, and the first indication information including the at least one second secondary carrier.

[0008] Based on the above scheme, during the process of switching from the first network device to the second network device, the terminal device will not delete the auxiliary carrier added by the first network device, and will send the auxiliary carrier to the second network device when exchanging information with the second network device. In this way, before the second network device selects an auxiliary carrier that can perform CA with a larger bandwidth according to carrier optimization, the 3CC CA between the terminal device and the second network device will not be interrupted, thereby improving the user experience.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, deleting the at least one first auxiliary carrier based on the at least one second auxiliary carrier includes: deleting the at least one first auxiliary carrier when the at least one first auxiliary carrier is not the same as the at least one second auxiliary carrier.

[0010] For example, the at least one first auxiliary carrier is not the same as the at least one second auxiliary carrier. This can be understood as the at least one first auxiliary carrier and the at least one second auxiliary carrier being completely different, or the at least one first auxiliary carrier and the at least one second auxiliary carrier being partially different.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before determining at least one second secondary carrier based on the first measurement result, the method further includes: sending a second message to the terminal device, the second message being used to request the acquisition of the first measurement result; and receiving the first measurement result from the terminal device.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first message is a measurement report message; the first indication information is carried in a Radio Resource Management (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0013] Secondly, a communication method is provided that can be applied to the terminal device side. That is, the method can be executed by the terminal device or by its components (such as chips, chip systems, circuits, or communication modules). This application does not limit the scope of the method. The following description mainly uses a terminal device as an example.

[0014] This method is applied to scenarios where a terminal device switches from a first network device to a second network device. The method may include: determining not to delete at least one first auxiliary carrier, the at least one first auxiliary carrier being used by the first network device to communicate with the terminal device; sending a first message to the second network device, the first message including the at least one first auxiliary carrier; receiving first indication information from the second network device, the first indication information being used to indicate the deletion of the at least one first auxiliary carrier, and the first indication information including at least one second auxiliary carrier, the at least one second auxiliary carrier being used by the second network device to communicate with the terminal device.

[0015] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: deleting the at least one first secondary carrier according to the first indication information.

[0016] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, determining not to delete at least one first secondary carrier includes: receiving second indication information from the first network device, the second indication information being used to instruct the terminal device not to delete the at least one first secondary carrier; and determining not to delete the at least one first secondary carrier based on the second indication information.

[0017] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, before receiving the first indication information from the second network device, the method further includes: receiving a second message from the second network device, the second message being used to request the acquisition of a first measurement result, the first measurement result indicating the signal quality of the serving cell and / or neighboring cells of the terminal device; and sending the first measurement result to the second network device.

[0018] Optionally, before sending the first measurement result to the second network device, the method further includes: performing a measurement based on the second message to obtain the first measurement result.

[0019] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first message is a measurement report message; the first indication information is carried in a Radio Resource Management (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0020] The beneficial effects and possible designs of the second aspect can be found in the relevant descriptions in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0021] Thirdly, a communication apparatus is provided for performing the methods of any one of the first to second aspects and any possible implementation thereof. Specifically, the apparatus may include units and / or modules for performing the methods of any one of the first to second aspects and any possible implementation thereof, such as processing units and / or communication units.

[0022] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, the device comprising: at least one processor configured to cause the device to perform the methods of any one of the first to second aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0023] Optionally, the at least one processor is configured to execute computer programs or instructions to perform the methods of any of the first to second aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0024] Optionally, the device further includes a memory for storing the computer program or instructions.

[0025] Optionally, the at least one processor is coupled to a memory for storing the computer program or instructions. The memory may be located externally to the device.

[0026] Optionally, the device also includes a communication interface through which the processor reads instructions from memory. This can be understood as the communication interface being coupled to the processor and used to input computer programs or instructions to the processor, or to output information from the processor.

[0027] Unless otherwise specified, or if the transmission and acquisition / reception operations involved do not contradict their actual function or internal logic in the relevant description, they can be understood as output, input, or other operations, or as transmission and reception operations performed by radio frequency circuits and antennas. This application does not limit them in this regard.

[0028] Fifthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program (e.g., program code) or instructions are stored, which, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the methods of any one of the first to second aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0029] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods of any one of the first to second aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0030] A seventh aspect provides a communication system, including a terminal device and a second network device, wherein the second network device is used to execute the method provided in any implementation of the first aspect, and the terminal device is used to execute the method provided in any implementation of the second aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application.

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of carrier aggregation.

[0033] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of 3CC carrier optimization.

[0034] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of carrier selection when switching from 2CC to 3CC.

[0035] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of deleting 3CC during the switching process.

[0036] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0037] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of adding at least one second auxiliary carrier and deleting at least one first auxiliary carrier according to an embodiment of this application.

[0038] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0039] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0040] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0041] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] Before introducing the scheme of this application, the following points should be noted.

[0044] (1) In this application, the expression " / " is used to indicate that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship; for example, A / B can mean: A or B. The expression "and / or" is used to indicate that the objects before and after are in a relationship of either "and" or "or"; for example, A and / or B can mean the following: A exists alone, B exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be single or multiple. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions are used to indicate any combination of the listed items; for example, at least one of A, B and / or C can mean the following: A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, B and C exist simultaneously, A and C exist simultaneously, A, B and C exist simultaneously, where A, B, and C can be single or multiple.

[0045] (2) In this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission via the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include direct reception from YY via the air interface or indirect reception from YY via the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0046] (3) In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terms 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.

[0047] (4) In this application, "first," "second," and "#1," "#2," and "#A" are merely for descriptive convenience and are used to distinguish objects, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. They are not used to describe the order or sequence of features. It should be understood that such described objects can be interchanged where appropriate so as to describe solutions other than those in the embodiments of this application.

[0048] (5) In this application, the words “exemplary,” “for example,” etc., are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as an “example” in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the word “example” is intended to present the concept in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, “of,” “corresponding, relevant,” and “corresponding” may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent unless their distinction is emphasized.

[0049] (6) In this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, implicit instruction, etc. When describing an instruction information as indicating A, it can be understood as the instruction information carrying A, carrying the identifier of A, carrying B which is associated with A, carrying the identifier of B which is associated with A, etc. In other words, if the receiving side of an instruction information can determine A based on the instruction information, it can be described as the instruction information indicating A, and the specific method of determination is not limited. When it is understood that the instruction information carries A, "instruction" can be replaced with "includes". In this case, expressions such as "send / receive instruction information, the instruction information indicates A" can be replaced with "send / receive A".

[0050] In this application, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementations, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be instructed. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent. Furthermore, the information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information pieces, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information pieces can be the same or different.

[0051] The following describes the communication system to which this application applies.

[0052] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, and LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as future mobile communication systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems such as inter-satellite communication and satellite communication.

[0053] As an example, a satellite communication system includes a satellite base station and terminal equipment. The satellite base station provides communication services to the terminal equipment. Satellite base stations can also communicate with each other. A satellite can act as a base station or as a terminal device. Here, "satellite" can refer to drones, hot air balloons, low-Earth orbit satellites, medium-Earth orbit satellites, high-Earth orbit satellites, etc. "Satellite" can also refer to non-terrestrial base stations or non-terrestrial equipment.

[0054] As an example, V2X communication can include: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, and vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication.

[0055] In a communication system, a device can send signals to or receive signals from another device. These signals can include information, signaling, or data. The device can also be replaced by an entity, network entity, communication equipment, communication module, node, communication node, etc. This application uses a device as an example for description.

[0056] The terminal device in this application embodiment can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. The terminal device can include various devices with wireless communication capabilities, which can be used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The terminal device can be widely applied in various scenarios, such as: cellular communication, D2D, V2X, peer-to-peer, M2M, MTC, IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, etc. The terminal device can be a terminal in any of the above scenarios, such as an MTC terminal, an IoT terminal, etc. Terminal equipment can be user equipment (UE), terminal, fixed equipment, mobile station equipment or mobile equipment, subscriber unit, handheld device, vehicle-mounted equipment, wearable device, cellular phone, smartphone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless data card, personal digital assistant (PDA), computer, tablet computer, laptop computer, wireless modem, handset, laptop computer, computer with wireless transceiver capability, smart book, vehicle, satellite, global positioning system (GPS) device, target tracking device, aircraft (e.g., drone, helicopter, multiple helicopters, four helicopters, or airplanes), ship, remote control device, smart home device, industrial equipment, transportation vehicle with wireless communication capability, communication module, or roadside unit with terminal function, all conforming to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) standard. The device may be a wireless communication unit (RSU), or a device built into the aforementioned device (e.g., a communication module, modem, or chip in the aforementioned device), or other processing devices connected to the wireless modem.

[0057] It should be understood that in certain scenarios, a UE can also be used as a base station. For example, a UE can act as a scheduling entity, providing sidelink signaling between UEs in scenarios such as V2X, D2D, or end-to-end.

[0058] In this embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of a terminal device, i.e., the terminal device, can be the terminal device itself, or it can be any device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system, chip, circuit, or communication module (i.e., a communication module that performs communication functions). This device can be installed in the terminal device. In this embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. Furthermore, the device can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions.

[0059] The network device in this application embodiment can be a device or module with corresponding communication functions. The network device can be a device used to communicate with terminal devices; it can also be called an access network device or a wireless access network device, such as a base station. In this application embodiment, the network device can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects the terminal device to the wireless network. A base station can broadly encompass, or be replaced by, various names including: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitter point, master station, auxiliary station, motor slide retainer (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. A base station can be a macro base station, micro base station, relay node, donor node, or a combination thereof. A base station can also refer to a communication module, modem, or chip installed within the aforementioned equipment or apparatus. Base stations can also be mobile switching centers, devices that perform base station functions in D2D, V2X, and M2M communications, network-side devices in future networks, and devices that perform base station functions in future communication systems. Base stations can support networks using the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the network equipment.

[0060] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move depending on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured as a device to communicate with another base station.

[0061] In some deployments, the network devices mentioned in the embodiments of this application may be devices including CU, or DU, or devices including CU and DU, or devices with control plane CU nodes (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)) and user plane CU nodes (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)) and DU nodes.

[0062] In some deployments, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be CUs, DUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a BBU. RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as RRUs, AAUs, or RRHs.

[0063] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, a radio access network can also be an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture. In an O-RAN system, CU can also be called an open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU can also be called an open DU (open DU, O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an open RU (open RU, O-RU). Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0064] In this embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of a network device can be a network device itself, or a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing those functions, such as a chip system, chip, circuit, or communication module (i.e., a communication module that performs communication functions). This device can be installed within the network device. In this embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. Furthermore, the device can be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions. This embodiment only uses a network device as an example to illustrate the device for implementing the functions of a network device, and does not limit the solution of this embodiment.

[0065] Network devices and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on airplanes, balloons, and satellites. This application does not limit the scenario in which the network devices and terminal devices are located.

[0066] The communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application is briefly described below with reference to Figure 1.

[0067] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication system includes a wireless access network 100. The wireless access network 100 can be a future wireless access network or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) wireless access network. One or more terminal devices (120a-120j, collectively referred to as 120) can be interconnected or connected to one or more network devices (110a, 110b, collectively referred to as 110) in the wireless access network 100. Network elements in the wireless communication system are connected through interfaces (e.g., NG, Xn) or air interfaces.

[0068] When network devices and terminal devices communicate, the network device can manage one or more cells, and a cell can include at least one terminal device. A cell can be understood as an area within the wireless signal coverage range of the network device.

[0069] Figure 1 is just a schematic diagram. The wireless communication system may also include other devices, such as core network devices, wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0070] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the terms used in this application will be briefly explained.

[0071] 1. Carrier Aggregation (CA)

[0072] Carrier aggregation (CA) combines two or more component carriers (CCs) to support greater transmission bandwidth. In NR (Network Radio), CA technology is used to increase the transmission bandwidth for individual users. Specifically, carrier aggregation technology can integrate multi-frequency resources. For example, CA technology can aggregate spectrum resources in the same or different frequency bands and provide them to terminals, thereby improving overall network resource utilization and enhancing user experience.

[0073] To facilitate understanding, a brief introduction to CA technology is provided with reference to Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the carrier units corresponding to cell #1, cell #2, and cell #3 are aggregated together to provide services to the terminal. Among them, cell #1 is the primary cell (PCell), and cells #2 and #3 are secondary cells (SCell). Among them, PCell is the cell where the terminal device establishes an initial connection or re-establishes a radio resource control (RRC) connection. PCell is responsible for RRC communication with the terminal device. The carrier element corresponding to PCell is called the primary component carrier (PCC) (as shown in Figure 2). The downlink carrier of PCell is called the downlink (DL) PCC, and the uplink carrier of PCell is called the uplink (UL) PCC. SCell is added during RRC reconfiguration to provide additional radio resources. There is no RRC communication between SCell and UE. The carrier element corresponding to SCell is called the secondary component carrier (SCC) (as shown in Figure 2, SCC#1 and SCC#2). The downlink carrier of SCell is called the DL SCC, and the uplink carrier of SCell is called the UL SCC.

[0074] Aggregation Arrays (CAs) include continuous intra-band CAs, discontinuous intra-band CAs, and inter-band CAs. Continuous intra-band CAs refer to aggregated carriers belonging to the same frequency band and being continuous in the frequency domain. Discontinuous intra-band CAs refer to aggregated carriers belonging to the same frequency band but being discontinuous in the frequency domain. Inter-band CAs refer to aggregated carriers not belonging to the same frequency band.

[0075] In this application, 3CC is used as an example for description. 3CC refers to the aggregation of three carriers. Therefore, 3CC is also called 3-carrier aggregation or 3-carrier unit.

[0076] 2. Carrier optimization

[0077] Currently, the NR network consists of four frequency bands: 100MHz in the 2.6GHz band, 60MHz in the 2.6GHz band, 100MHz in the 4.9GHz band, and 700MHz in the 4.9GHz band. During 3CC aggregation, three carriers need to be determined for CA (Carrier Aggregation). However, due to the different capabilities of different terminal devices, carriers from all four bands are typically added to the CA frequency point group. To achieve 3CC aggregation, the optimal combination of three carriers can be selected through carrier optimization. That is, carrier optimization uses the PCC (Position Control Center) as an anchor point and selects the SCC (Signal-Coordinated Carrier) combination with the largest bandwidth based on the terminal device's capabilities. For example, among the four carriers, the combination of 100MHz in the 2.6GHz band, 60MHz in the 2.6GHz band, and 100MHz in the 4.9GHz band results in a maximum bandwidth of 260MHz. Therefore, in CA, it is desirable that the 100MHz in the 2.6GHz band, 60MHz in the 2.6GHz band, and 100MHz in the 4.9GHz band can be used as 3CCs to achieve CA.

[0078] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of 3CC carrier selection. After the terminal device switches from base station 110 to base station 120, base station 120 reissues the A5 inter-frequency measurement and receives the measurement report from the terminal device. Based on this measurement report, carrier selection is performed. As shown in Figure 3, before the terminal device switches, base station 110 selects 100MHz, 60MHz, and 700MHz of the 2.6GHz band, i.e., PCC, SCC#1, and SCC#2 in the figure. After the switch, base station 120 selects 100MHz, 60MHz, and 100MHz of the 2.6GHz band and 4.9GHz band, i.e., PCC, SCC#2, and SCC#3 in the figure.

[0079] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of carrier selection during the 2CC to 3CC handover. Before the terminal device handover, base station 110 uses 100MHz and 700MHz of the 2.6GHz band for CA (Carrier Optimization), i.e., PCC and SCC#1 in the figure. At this time, the terminal device does not have a full set of 3 carriers. After the terminal device handovers from base station 110 to base station 120, base station 120 reissues the A5 inter-frequency measurement and receives the measurement report from the terminal device. Based on this measurement report, carrier selection is performed. As shown in Figure 4, after the terminal device handover, base station 120 selects 700MHz, 100MHz of the 2.6GHz band, and 100MHz of the 4.9GHz band as the 3CCs, i.e., PCC, SCC#1, and SCC#3 in the figure.

[0080] In Figures 3 and 4, after the terminal device switches from base station 110 to base station 120, it uses 100MHz of the 4.9GHz band as one of the SCCs in the 3CC, achieving maximum bandwidth aggregation. Currently, when the terminal device detects a quality degradation in the current serving cell, it triggers a switch from one base station to another. During the switch, if the currently used SCC is not the optimal choice, the terminal device will delete the SCC according to the base station's instructions, for example, deleting the SCC during the 3CC aggregation process. As shown in Figure 5, when the terminal device is connected to base station 110, the 3CC includes PCC, SCC#1, and SCC#2. During the switch, ① occurs first, i.e., SCC#1 and SCC#2 are deleted. After the terminal device switches to base station 120, base station 120 performs carrier optimization and ② occurs, i.e., SCC#2 and SCC#3 are added. At this time, PCC, SCC#2, and SCC#3 constitute the 3CC.

[0081] However, the deletion of SCCs often occurs before or during the handover of the terminal device to base station 120. This means that after the terminal device hands over to base station 120, it needs to wait for a period of time before it can obtain the SCCs added by base station 120 again (e.g., CC#2 and SCC#3). In other words, the current method of deleting SCCs will interrupt 3CCs, causing a delay in 3CC handover and thus reducing the user experience.

[0082] In view of this, this application provides a communication method and a communication device to retain the SCC added by the source network device during the process of a terminal device switching from a source network device to a target network device, and to delete the SCC added by the source network device according to the instruction information after switching to the target network device, so that the 3CC will not be interrupted in the switching scenario, thereby ensuring communication quality and improving the user experience.

[0083] The methods provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments provided by this application can be applied to the scenarios shown in the above figures, and are not limited thereto.

[0084] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 200 provided in an embodiment of this application. For ease of description, a terminal device, a first network device, and a second network device are used as examples for illustrative purposes. The terminal device can be replaced by components of the terminal device (e.g., a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module), and the first network device or the second network device can be replaced by components of the first network device or the second network device (e.g., a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module). Furthermore, the steps described below as being performed by a single execution entity can also be divided into steps performed by multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated. The method 200 shown in Figure 6 may include the following steps.

[0085] S210, The terminal device determines not to delete at least one first auxiliary carrier.

[0086] In this configuration, at least one first auxiliary carrier is used for communication between the first network device and the terminal device.

[0087] For example, the at least one first auxiliary carrier is an auxiliary carrier added by the first network device after carrier optimization based on the measurement results reported by the terminal device. This at least one auxiliary carrier can be combined with PCC to perform CA (Communication Assist), enabling communication between the terminal device and the first network device with maximum bandwidth. As shown in Figure 7, the at least one first auxiliary carrier includes SCC#1 and SCC#2.

[0088] It should be noted that before the terminal device determines not to delete the at least one first secondary carrier, the terminal device receives a handover command sent by the first network device. Based on this handover command, the terminal device will switch from the first network device to the second network device. The implementation method of the first network device determining the handover and sending the handover command to the terminal device can refer to existing technologies and will not be elaborated here.

[0089] S220, The terminal device sends the first message to the second network device.

[0090] Correspondingly, the second network device receives the first message from the terminal device.

[0091] The first message includes at least one first secondary carrier.

[0092] It is understandable that after the terminal device decides not to delete the at least one first auxiliary carrier added by the first network device, it will forward the at least one first auxiliary carrier to the second network device to which it is switched. In this way, the second network device can obtain the auxiliary carrier used by the terminal device when communicating with the first network device, thereby ensuring that carrier aggregation is not interrupted.

[0093] Optionally, the first message is a measurement report message.

[0094] S230, the second network device determines at least one second auxiliary carrier based on the first measurement result.

[0095] In this embodiment, at least one second auxiliary carrier is used for communication between the second network device and the terminal device, and the first measurement result indicates the signal quality of the serving cell and / or neighboring cells of the terminal device.

[0096] For example, at least one second auxiliary carrier is the optimal auxiliary carrier selected by the second network device after carrier optimization based on the first measurement result. That is, this at least one second auxiliary carrier can be combined with the first measurement result to reselect at least one second auxiliary carrier for CA in conjunction with PCC. Here, reselecting at least one second auxiliary carrier can also be understood as the second network device adding at least one second auxiliary carrier. The implementation method of the second network device performing carrier optimization based on the first measurement result can be found in the prior art and will not be elaborated here.

[0097] For example, the first measurement result may be obtained by the terminal device and then sent to the second network device.

[0098] For example, before the second network device determines at least one second secondary carrier based on the first measurement result, the method 200 further includes the following steps S221 to S223.

[0099] S221. The second network device sends a second message to the terminal device.

[0100] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives a second message from the second network device.

[0101] The second message is used to request the first measurement result mentioned above.

[0102] For example, the second message can be a measurement control message. A measurement control message includes a measurement identifier (ID), measurement events, a list of neighboring cells, etc. The measurement ID indicates the object being measured. Measurement objects include events A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5. See Table 1 below for a description of events A1 through A5.

[0103] Table 1

[0104] Signal quality is often expressed using reference signal received power (RSRP) and reference signal received quality (RSRQ). In other words, the signal quality of a cell can be expressed as the cell's RSRP.

[0105] S222: The terminal device performs a measurement based on the second message and obtains the first measurement result.

[0106] For example, after receiving the second message, the terminal device initiates a measurement of the signal quality of its serving cell and / or neighboring cells based on the second message. For instance, it measures the RSRP and RSRQ of the serving cell and / or neighboring cells.

[0107] In one implementation, when the signal quality of the serving cell measured by the terminal device is less than or equal to threshold #1, a first measurement result is sent to the second network device; or when the signal quality of the neighboring cell measured by the terminal device is greater than or equal to threshold #2, a first measurement result is sent to the second network device; or when the signal quality of the serving cell measured by the terminal device is less than or equal to threshold #3 and the signal quality of the neighboring cell is greater than or equal to threshold #4, a first measurement result is sent to the second network device.

[0108] S223. The terminal device sends the first measurement result to the second network device.

[0109] Correspondingly, the second network device receives the first measurement result from the terminal device.

[0110] For example, the first measurement result indicates the comparison result of the signal quality of the serving cell with threshold #1, and / or the comparison result of the signal quality of the neighboring cell with threshold #2. When the first measurement result indicates that the signal quality of the serving cell is less than or equal to threshold #1, the first measurement result can also be referred to as event A2, that is, the terminal device reports event A2 to the second network device. When the first measurement result indicates that the signal quality of the neighboring cell is greater than or equal to threshold #2, the first measurement result can also be referred to as event A3, that is, the terminal device reports event A3 to the second network device. When the first measurement result indicates that the signal quality of the serving cell is less than or equal to threshold #1, and the signal quality of the neighboring cell is greater than or equal to threshold #3, the first measurement result can also be referred to as event A5, that is, the terminal device reports event A5 to the second network device.

[0111] S240. The second network device deletes at least one first auxiliary carrier based on at least one second auxiliary carrier.

[0112] For example, the second network device determines at least one second secondary carrier as the optimal secondary carrier, and after determining the at least one second secondary carrier, the second network device deletes at least one first secondary carrier added by the first network device.

[0113] Optionally, the deletion of the at least one first auxiliary carrier based on the at least one second auxiliary carrier includes: deleting the at least one first auxiliary carrier when the at least one first auxiliary carrier is not the same as the at least one second auxiliary carrier.

[0114] For example, the at least one first auxiliary carrier is not the same as the at least one second auxiliary carrier. This can be understood as the at least one first auxiliary carrier and the at least one second auxiliary carrier being completely different, or the at least one first auxiliary carrier and the at least one second auxiliary carrier being partially different.

[0115] In one implementation, if the at least one first auxiliary carrier and the at least one second auxiliary carrier are all different, the second network device will delete all of the at least one first auxiliary carrier and send the at least one second auxiliary carrier to the terminal device. For example, assuming there are two first auxiliary carriers, SCC#1 and SCC#2, and two second auxiliary carriers, SCC#3 and SCC#4, then both of the first auxiliary carriers will be deleted, i.e., SCC#1 and SCC#2 will be deleted.

[0116] In one implementation, if the at least one first auxiliary carrier and the at least one second auxiliary carrier are partially different, the second network device can delete the auxiliary carriers from the at least one first auxiliary carrier that are different from the at least one second auxiliary carrier, retaining the common parts, and then send the at least one second auxiliary carrier that is different from the at least one first auxiliary carrier to the terminal device. For example, assuming there are two first auxiliary carriers, SCC#1 and SCC#2, and two second auxiliary carriers, SCC#2 and SCC#3, the auxiliary carriers from these two first auxiliary carriers that are different from the two second auxiliary carriers are deleted, that is, SCC#1 from the two first auxiliary carriers is deleted. Then, the second network device can send SCC#3 from the two second auxiliary carriers to the terminal device. Here, SCC#1 can be a carrier in the 700MHz band, SCC#2 can be a 60MHz carrier in the 2.6GHz band, and SCC#3 can be a 100MHz carrier in the 4.9GHz band.

[0117] In one implementation, if the at least one first auxiliary carrier and the at least one second auxiliary carrier are partially different, the second network device can delete the at least one first auxiliary carrier and send the at least one second auxiliary carrier to the terminal device. For example, assuming there are two first auxiliary carriers, SCC#1 and SCC#2, and two second auxiliary carriers, SCC#2 and SCC#3, then both first auxiliary carriers are deleted, i.e., SCC#1 and SCC#2 are deleted. Then, the second network device can send the two second auxiliary carriers to the terminal device.

[0118] S250, the second network device sends the first instruction information to the terminal device.

[0119] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first instruction information from the second network device.

[0120] The first indication information instructs the terminal device to delete the at least one first secondary carrier, and the first indication information includes the at least one second secondary carrier.

[0121] For example, when the second network device determines to delete the at least one first secondary carrier, it sends a first instruction message to the terminal device to inform the terminal device to delete the at least one first secondary carrier it carries, and obtains the at least one second secondary carrier. Then, it uses the at least one second secondary carrier to perform CA with the PCC, and then communicates with the second network device.

[0122] Optionally, the first indication information is carried in an RRC reconfiguration message (also known as an RRCReconfiguration message). This RRCReconfiguration message can configure resources on the second network device for the terminal device. Further, the terminal device can send an RRCReconfiguration complete message to the second network device to instruct the terminal device to complete the resource configuration.

[0123] It should be noted that the PCC is not changed during the terminal device handover process; that is, the carrier in 3CC aggregation always includes the PCC.

[0124] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the addition of at least one second auxiliary carrier and the deletion of at least one first auxiliary carrier according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, assuming there are two first auxiliary carriers, SCC#1 and SCC#2, when the terminal device receives a handover message from the first network device, the terminal device executes process ①, i.e., the process of handing over from the first network device to the second network device. At this time, the terminal device will carry SCC#1 and SCC#2 to the second network device. That is, during the handover process from the first network device to the second network device, and after the handover, the terminal device always carries SCC#1 and SCC#2. After the terminal device hands over to the second network device, it performs a measurement according to the second message sent by the second network device and obtains a first measurement result. Then, it reports the second measurement result to the second network device. The second network device determines two second auxiliary carriers based on the first measurement result, which include SCC#2 and SCC#3. Then, the second network device executes process ②, which involves adding SCC#2 and SCC#3, and sending a first instruction message to the terminal device, instructing the terminal device to delete SCC#1 and SCC#2. Specifically, PCC corresponds to 60MHz in the 2.6GHz band, SCC#1 corresponds to the 700MHz band, SCC#2 corresponds to 100MHz in the 2.6GHz band, and SCC#3 corresponds to 100MHz in the 4.9GHz band. Thus, after switching to the second network device, the terminal device can utilize a larger frequency band in the 4.9GHz band, thanks to the secondary carrier determined through carrier optimization.

[0125] It should be noted that step S240 is described as deleting the at least one first auxiliary carrier when the first auxiliary carrier in at least one first auxiliary carrier is different from the second auxiliary carrier in at least one second auxiliary carrier. When the at least one first auxiliary carrier and the at least one second auxiliary carrier are completely identical, the at least one first auxiliary carrier may not be deleted. In this case, the first indication information in step S250 can instruct the terminal device not to delete the at least one first auxiliary carrier. That is, after the terminal device switches to the second network device, if the at least one second auxiliary carrier added by the second network device is completely identical to the at least one first auxiliary carrier, then the at least one first auxiliary carrier may not be deleted.

[0126] In this embodiment of the application, before the terminal device determines that it will not delete at least one first secondary carrier, the method 200 further includes the following steps.

[0127] S201, The first network device sends a second instruction message to the terminal device.

[0128] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives a second instruction from the first network device.

[0129] The second indication information is used to instruct the terminal device not to delete the at least one first secondary carrier.

[0130] Furthermore, based on the second instruction information, the terminal device determines not to delete the at least one first secondary carrier.

[0131] For example, the second indication information is carried in the RRC reconfiguration message. Based on this RRC reconfiguration message, the terminal device can determine that it will not delete the at least first secondary carrier added by the first network device.

[0132] It should be noted that before step S201, the terminal device also receives a handover command message from the first network device. This handover command message can be an RRC reconfiguration message. Based on this handover command message, the terminal device knows that it needs to hand over from the first network device to the second network device. This handover command message and the second indication information can be the same message. The implementation method of the first network device sending the handover command message instructing the terminal device to hand over from the first network device to the second network device can be found in existing technology and will not be elaborated here.

[0133] It should also be noted that the embodiments of this application occur in a scenario where the terminal device switches from the first network device to the second network device. That is, when the terminal device needs to switch from the first network device to the second network device, the network device can execute the steps in the embodiments of this application.

[0134] S260. The terminal device deletes at least one first auxiliary carrier according to the first instruction information.

[0135] In one implementation, there are two first auxiliary carriers, namely SCC#1 and SCC#2. When the first indication information instructs the terminal device to delete SCC#1 and SCC#2, the terminal device deletes both SCC#1 and SCC#2 and receives SCC#2 and SCC#3 from the second auxiliary carrier.

[0136] In one implementation, there are two first auxiliary carriers, namely SCC#1 and SCC#2. When the first indication information instructs the terminal device to delete SCC#1, the terminal device deletes SCC#1 and receives SCC#3 from the second auxiliary carrier.

[0137] In this embodiment, during the process of a terminal device switching from a first network device to a second network device, the terminal device does not delete the secondary carrier added by the first network device, and sends the secondary carrier to the second network device when exchanging information with the second network device. In this way, before the second network device selects a secondary carrier that can perform CA with a larger bandwidth according to carrier optimization, the 3CC CA between the terminal device and the second network device will not be interrupted, thereby improving the user experience.

[0138] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 300 provided in an embodiment of this application. For ease of description, a terminal device, a first network device, and a second network device are used as examples for illustrative purposes. The terminal device can be replaced by components of the terminal device (e.g., a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module), and the first network device or the second network device can be replaced by components of the first network device or the second network device (e.g., a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module). Furthermore, the steps described below as being performed by a single execution entity can also be divided into steps performed by multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated. The method 300 shown in Figure 8 may include the following steps.

[0139] S301. The first network device sends instruction information #A to the terminal device.

[0140] Accordingly, the terminal device receives instruction information #A from the first network device.

[0141] The instruction information #A is used to instruct the terminal device not to delete at least one secondary carrier #1.

[0142] For example, the instruction information #A is also used to instruct the terminal device to switch from the first network device to the second network device.

[0143] The instruction information #A is an example of the second instruction information mentioned above. For a detailed description of the instruction information #A, please refer to step S201 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0144] S302. The terminal device determines, based on the instruction information #A, not to delete at least one secondary carrier #1.

[0145] Among them, at least one secondary carrier #1 is an example of the above-mentioned at least one first secondary carrier. For a detailed description of step S203, please refer to step S260 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0146] S303, The terminal device sends message #1 to the second network device.

[0147] Correspondingly, the second network device receives message #1 from the terminal device.

[0148] Among them, message #1 is an example of the first message mentioned above. For a detailed description of the first message, please refer to step S220 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0149] S304. The second network device sends measurement control message #1 to the terminal device.

[0150] Accordingly, the terminal device receives measurement control message #1 from the second network device.

[0151] Among them, measurement control message #1 is an example of the second message mentioned above. For a detailed description of the second message, please refer to step S221 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0152] S305. The terminal device performs measurement according to measurement control message #1 and obtains measurement result #1.

[0153] Measurement result #1 is an example of the first measurement result mentioned above. For a detailed description of the first measurement result, please refer to the steps above, which will not be repeated here.

[0154] S306. The terminal device sends measurement report #1 to the first network device.

[0155] Accordingly, the first network device receives measurement report #1 from the terminal device.

[0156] Measurement report #1 includes the aforementioned measurement result #1. A detailed description of step S306 can be found in step S223 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0157] S307. The second network device determines at least one secondary carrier #2 based on measurement report #1.

[0158] Wherein, at least one secondary carrier #2 is an example of the aforementioned at least one second secondary carrier. For a detailed description of step S307, please refer to step S230 above, and it will not be repeated here.

[0159] S308. The second network device deletes at least one secondary carrier #1 based on at least one secondary carrier #2.

[0160] For a detailed description of step S308, please refer to step S240 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0161] S309. The second network device sends instruction information #B to the terminal device.

[0162] Accordingly, the terminal device receives instruction information #B from the second network device.

[0163] The instruction information #B is an example of the first instruction information mentioned above. For a detailed description of the first instruction information, please refer to step S250 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0164] S310. The terminal device deletes at least one secondary carrier #1 according to the instruction information #B.

[0165] For a detailed description of step S310, please refer to step S260 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0166] In this embodiment, during the process of a terminal device switching from a first network device to a second network device, the terminal device does not delete the secondary carrier added by the first network device, and sends the secondary carrier to the second network device when exchanging information with the second network device. In this way, before the second network device selects a secondary carrier that can perform CA with a larger bandwidth according to carrier optimization, the 3CC CA between the terminal device and the second network device will not be interrupted, thereby improving the user experience.

[0167] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1200 includes a transceiver unit 1210 and a processing unit 1220. The transceiver unit 1210 can be used to implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 1210 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit. The processing unit 1220 can be used to perform processing, such as determining information bits.

[0168] Optionally, the device 1200 may further include a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing unit 1220 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit to enable the device to implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0169] In a first possible design, the device 1200 can be the second network device in the foregoing embodiments. The device 1200 can implement the steps or processes performed by the second network device corresponding to those in the above method embodiments. Specifically, the transceiver unit 1210 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations (such as sending and / or receiving data or messages) of the second network device in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 1220 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the second network device in the above method embodiments, or operations other than transceiver (such as operations other than sending and / or receiving data or messages).

[0170] In one possible implementation, a transceiver unit 1210 is configured to receive a first message, the first message including at least one first secondary carrier, the at least one first secondary carrier being used for communication between the first network device and the terminal device; a processing unit 1220 is configured to determine at least one second secondary carrier based on a first measurement result, the at least one second secondary carrier being used for communication between the second network device and the terminal device, the first measurement result indicating the signal quality of the serving cell and / or neighboring cells of the terminal device; the processing unit 1220 is further configured to delete the at least one first secondary carrier based on the at least one second secondary carrier; the transceiver unit 1210 is further configured to send first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the deletion of the at least one first secondary carrier, and the first indication information including the at least one second secondary carrier.

[0171] In a second possible design, the device 1200 can be the terminal device in the foregoing embodiments, which can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. Specifically, the transceiver unit 1210 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations (such as sending and / or receiving data or messages) of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 1220 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or operations other than transceiver (such as operations other than sending and / or receiving data or messages).

[0172] In one possible implementation, a processing unit 1220 is configured to determine that at least one first auxiliary carrier should not be deleted, the at least one first auxiliary carrier being used for communication between the first network device and the terminal device; a transceiver unit 1210 is configured to send a first message, the first message including the at least one first auxiliary carrier; the transceiver unit 1210 is further configured to receive first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the deletion of the at least one first auxiliary carrier, and the first indication information including at least one second auxiliary carrier, the at least one second auxiliary carrier being used for communication between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0173] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0174] It should also be understood that the device 1200 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 1200 can be specifically the communication device in the above embodiments, and can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the communication device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, these will not be described again here.

[0175] The apparatus 1200 of each of the above-described schemes has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the communication device (such as a second network device, or a terminal device) in the above-described methods. The function can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (e.g., the transmitting unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as processing units, can be replaced by processors, each performing the transceiver operations and related processing operations in the respective method embodiments.

[0176] In addition, the transceiver unit 1210 may also be a transceiver circuit (for example, it may include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit may be a processing circuit.

[0177] It should be noted that the device in Figure 9 can be the communication device (such as the second network device or the terminal device) in the foregoing embodiments, or it can be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on a chip (SoC). The transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit is a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. No limitations are imposed here.

[0178] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 1300 provided in an embodiment of this application. The device 1300 includes a processor 1310, which is coupled to a memory 1320. The memory 1320 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 1310 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 1320, or to read the data stored in the memory 1320, so as to execute the methods in the above method embodiments.

[0179] Optionally, there may be one or more processors 1310.

[0180] Optionally, the memory 1320 may be one or more.

[0181] Alternatively, the memory 1320 can be integrated with the processor 1310, or it can be set separately.

[0182] Optionally, as shown in FIG10, the device 1300 further includes a transceiver 1330 for receiving and / or transmitting signals. For example, the processor 1310 is used to control the transceiver 1330 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0183] As an example, processor 1310 may have the functions of processing unit 1220 shown in FIG9, memory 1320 may have the functions of storage unit, and transceiver 1330 may have the functions of transceiver unit 1210 shown in FIG9.

[0184] As one option, the device 1300 is used to implement the operations performed by a communication device (such as a second network device or a terminal device) in the various method embodiments described above.

[0185] For example, processor 1310 is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in memory 1320 to implement the relevant operations of the communication device in the various method embodiments described above.

[0186] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0187] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. 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. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: 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).

[0188] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0189] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0190] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 1400 provided in an embodiment of this application. The chip system 1400 (or may also be referred to as a processing system) includes logic circuitry 1410 and an input / output interface 1420.

[0191] The logic circuit 1410 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 1400. The logic circuit 1410 can be coupled to a memory unit, calling instructions from the memory unit, enabling the chip system 1400 to implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application. The input / output interface 1420 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 1400, outputting processed information from the chip system 1400, or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 1400 for processing.

[0192] As one approach, the chip system 1400 is used to implement operations performed by a communication device (such as a second network device or a terminal device) in the various method embodiments described above.

[0193] For example, logic circuit 1410 is used to implement processing-related operations performed by a communication device (such as a second network device, or a terminal device) in the above method embodiments; input / output interface 1420 is used to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by a communication device (such as a second network device, or a terminal device) in the above method embodiments.

[0194] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions for implementing the methods executed by a communication device (such as a second network device or a terminal device) in the above-described method embodiments. For example, when the computer program or instructions are run on the communication device, they cause the communication device (such as a second network device or a terminal device) to execute the above-described methods (such as method 200 or method 300).

[0195] This application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the methods described above as being performed by a communication device (such as a second network device, or a terminal device). For example, when the computer program or instructions are run on the communication device, the communication device (such as a second network device, or a terminal device) performs the methods described above (such as method 200 or method 300).

[0196] This application also provides a communication system that includes the terminal device and / or second network device described in the preceding embodiments. For example, the system includes the terminal device and second network device described in the embodiment of FIG6.

[0197] The explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the devices provided above can be found in the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0198] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of apparatus or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0199] 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 instructions. When the 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 can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can 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 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 media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks, SSDs). For example, the aforementioned available media include, but are not limited to, various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0200] The above description is merely a specific embodiment 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

1. A communication method, characterized in that, This is applicable to scenarios where a terminal device switches from a first network device to a second network device, including: Receive a first message from the terminal device, the first message including at least one first auxiliary carrier, the at least one first auxiliary carrier being used for communication between the first network device and the terminal device; Based on the first measurement result, at least one second auxiliary carrier is determined. The at least one second auxiliary carrier is used for communication between the second network device and the terminal device. The first measurement result indicates the signal quality of the serving cell and / or neighboring cells of the terminal device. The at least one first auxiliary carrier is deleted based on the at least one second auxiliary carrier; Send a first indication message to the terminal device, the first indication message being used to indicate the deletion of the at least one first secondary carrier, and the first indication message including the at least one second secondary carrier.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The deletion of the at least one first secondary carrier based on the at least one second secondary carrier includes: When the at least one first auxiliary carrier is not the same as the at least one second auxiliary carrier, the at least one first auxiliary carrier is deleted.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before determining at least one second auxiliary carrier based on the first measurement result, the method further includes: Send a second message to the terminal device, the second message being used to request the acquisition of the first measurement result; Receive the first measurement result from the terminal device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The first message is a measurement report message; The first indication information is carried in the Radio Resource Management (RRC) reconfiguration message.

5. A communication method, characterized in that, This is applicable to scenarios where a terminal device switches from a first network device to a second network device, including: It is determined that at least one first auxiliary carrier will not be deleted, the at least one first auxiliary carrier being used for communication between the first network device and the terminal device; Send a first message to the second network device, the first message including the at least one first secondary carrier; The device receives a first indication message from the second network device, the first indication message being used to indicate the deletion of the at least one first auxiliary carrier, and the first indication message including at least one second auxiliary carrier, the at least one second auxiliary carrier being used for communication between the second network device and the terminal device.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that... The method further includes: According to the first instruction information, delete the at least one first auxiliary carrier.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The determination not to delete at least one first secondary carrier includes: The terminal device receives a second indication information from the first network device, the second indication information being used to instruct the terminal device not to delete the at least one first secondary carrier; Based on the second indication information, it is determined that the at least one first auxiliary carrier will not be deleted.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, Before receiving the first indication information from the second network device, the method further includes: Receive a second message from the second network device, the second message being used to request a first measurement result, the first measurement result indicating the signal quality of the serving cell and / or neighboring cells of the terminal device; The first measurement result is sent to the second network device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 5-8, characterized in that, The first message is a measurement report message; The first indication information is carried in the Radio Resource Management (RRC) reconfiguration message.

10. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes modules or units for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4; or, it includes modules or units for performing the method according to any one of claims 5 to 9.

11. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, or cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 5 to 9.

12. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, or cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 5 to 9.

13. A communication system, characterized in that, It includes a terminal device and a second network device, wherein the second network device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, and the terminal device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 5 to 9.

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