Wireless communication method, terminal device, and network device

Abstract

Provided are a wireless communication method, a terminal device, and a network device. The method comprises: a terminal device sending a first uplink reference signal to a network device, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used for mobility management of the terminal device. During the process, a network device can measure a first uplink reference signal to obtain a measurement result, and compared with a mobility management scheme based on downlink reference signals, the method facilitates a reduction in the signaling overheads required for transmitting a measurement report. In addition, the network device measures the first uplink reference signal to obtain the measurement result, and compared with the mobility management scheme based on downlink reference signals, the method facilitates an improvement in the timeliness of the measurement result.

Description

Wireless communication methods, terminal equipment and network equipment Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a wireless communication method, terminal device, and network device. Background Technology

[0002] Known mobility management processes are all based on downlink reference signals. For example, in a known handover process, if a network device wants to obtain measurement results from a terminal device, the terminal device first performs a measurement based on the downlink reference signal and sends the measurement results to the network device through a measurement reporting process. Only then does the network device make a corresponding decision based on the measurement results. On the one hand, in this downlink reference signal-based measurement reporting scheme, both the transmission of the downlink reference signal and the transmission of the measurement report incur signaling overhead. On the other hand, the delay in measurement reporting may lead to poor timeliness of the measurement results, resulting in handover failures and other problems. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a wireless communication method, terminal device, and network device. The various aspects covered by this application are described below.

[0004] In a first aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a terminal device sending a first uplink reference signal to a network device, the first uplink reference signal being used for mobility management of the terminal device.

[0005] In a second aspect, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a network device receiving a first uplink reference signal sent by a terminal device, the first uplink reference signal being used for mobility management of the terminal device, and the network device being a serving network device for the terminal device.

[0006] Thirdly, a wireless communication method is provided, comprising: a network device receiving a first uplink reference signal sent by a terminal device, the first uplink reference signal being used for mobility management of the terminal device, and the network device being a network device in a candidate cell for mobility management.

[0007] Fourthly, a terminal device is provided, comprising: a transmitting unit, configured to transmit a first uplink reference signal to a network device, the first uplink reference signal being used for mobility management of the terminal device.

[0008] Fifthly, a network device is provided, comprising: a receiving unit, configured to receive a first uplink reference signal sent by a terminal device, the first uplink reference signal being used for mobility management of the terminal device, and the network device being a serving network device for the terminal device.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a network device is provided, comprising: a receiving unit, configured to receive a first uplink reference signal transmitted by a terminal device, the first uplink reference signal being used for mobility management of the terminal device, and the network device being a network device in a candidate cell for mobility management.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a terminal device is provided, including a processor, a memory, and a communication interface, wherein the memory is used to store one or more computer programs, and the processor is used to invoke the computer programs in the memory to cause the terminal device to perform some or all of the steps in the methods described above.

[0011] Eighthly, a network device is provided, including a processor, a memory, and a transceiver, wherein the memory is used to store one or more computer programs, and the processor is used to invoke the computer programs in the memory to cause the network device to perform some or all of the steps of the methods described in the preceding aspects.

[0012] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system including the aforementioned terminal device and / or network device. In another possible design, the system may further include other devices that interact with the terminal device or network device as described in the embodiments of this application.

[0013] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that causes a communication device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device) to perform some or all of the steps in the methods described above.

[0014] Eleventhly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product, wherein the computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program operable to cause a communication device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device) to perform some or all of the steps of the methods described in the foregoing aspects. In some implementations, the computer program product may be a software installation package.

[0015] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip including a memory and a processor, the processor being able to call and run a computer program from the memory to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods of the foregoing aspects.

[0016] In this embodiment, the terminal device can send a first uplink reference signal to the network device, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used for mobility management of the terminal device. On the one hand, in this process, the network device can measure the first uplink reference signal to obtain measurement results, which helps to reduce the signaling overhead required to transmit measurement reports compared to mobility management schemes based on downlink reference signals. On the other hand, obtaining measurement results by the network device measuring the first uplink reference signal helps to improve the timeliness of measurement results compared to mobility management schemes based on downlink reference signals. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 shows the wireless communication system 100 used in an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of the process of L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM).

[0019] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of the traditional switching process.

[0020] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figures 5 and 6 are schematic flowcharts of the failure recovery process based on the first uplink reference signal in the embodiments of this application.

[0022] Figures 7 and 8 are schematic flowcharts of the switching process based on the first uplink reference signal in the embodiments of this application.

[0023] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 illustrates a wireless communication system 100 according to an embodiment of this application. The wireless communication system 100 may include a network device 110 and a terminal device 120. The network device 110 may be a device that communicates with the terminal device 120. The network device 110 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area and may communicate with the terminal device 120 located within that coverage area.

[0029] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary network device and two terminals. Optionally, the wireless communication system 100 may include multiple network devices, and each network device may include other terminal devices within its coverage area. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0030] Optionally, the wireless communication system 100 may also include other network entities such as a network controller and a mobility management entity, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0031] It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: 5th generation (5G) systems or new radio (NR), long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, etc. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as 6th generation mobile communication systems, satellite communication systems, and so on.

[0032] The terminal device in this application embodiment can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. The terminal device in this application embodiment can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, and can be used to connect people, objects, and machines, such as a handheld device with wireless connectivity, vehicle-mounted device, etc. The terminal devices in the embodiments of this application can be mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, self-driving, remote medical surgery, smart grids, transportation safety, smart cities, and smart homes, etc. Optionally, the UE can act as a base station. For example, the UE can act as a scheduling entity, providing sidelink signals between UEs in V2X or D2D, etc. For example, cellular phones and cars communicate with each other using sidelink signals. Cellular phones and smart home devices communicate without relaying communication signals through a base station.

[0033] The network device in this application embodiment can be a device for communicating with a terminal device. This network device 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, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master MeNB, auxiliary SeNB, multi-mode radio (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 similar, 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 device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, network-side devices in 6G 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] In some deployments, the network device in this application embodiment may refer to a CU or a DU, or the network device may include both a CU and a DU. The gNB may also include an AAU.

[0036] 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.

[0037] It should be understood that all or part of the functions of the communication device in this application can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0038] LTM

[0039] To further reduce handover latency and ensure service continuity, LTM (Last Time To Meet) has been introduced in some protocols (e.g., 3GPP R18). For ease of understanding, the LTM process will be explained below with reference to Figure 2.

[0040] As shown in Figure 2, the LTM process can include the LTM preparation phase, the LTM execution phase, and the LTM completion phase.

[0041] During the LTM preparation phase, LTM may include steps S210 to S230.

[0042] In step S210, the terminal device reports the measurement results to the network device. These measurement results can be Layer 3 measurements. The network device can then determine whether to initiate an LTM procedure and trigger candidate cell preparation based on the measurement results reported by the terminal device.

[0043] In step S220, the network device sends an RRC message containing the LTM configuration (or LTM candidate configuration) to the terminal device. For example, the network device may send an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device to indicate the LTM configuration.

[0044] In some embodiments, the LTM configuration sent by the network device to the terminal device may include the LTM configuration corresponding to one or more candidate cells.

[0045] In some embodiments, the terminal device may also store the LTM configuration indicated by the network device.

[0046] In step S230, the terminal device sends a reconfiguration complete message (RRCReconfigurationComplete message) to the network device.

[0047] In some embodiments, referring to steps S240a and S240b, after the terminal device completes the LTM preparation phase, it can perform uplink / downlink synchronization with the candidate cell in advance to shorten the interruption latency during the handover process. This process can be understood as the early synchronization phase.

[0048] During the LTM execution phase, LTM may include steps S250 and S260.

[0049] In step S250, the terminal device performs Layer 1 measurement on each candidate cell and reports the Layer 1 measurement results to the network device.

[0050] In some implementations, after receiving the Layer 1 measurement results reported by the terminal device, the network device can determine the target cell based on the Layer 1 measurement results.

[0051] In step S260, the network device sends a cell handover command to the terminal device to instruct the terminal device to hand over to the target cell. For example, the network device can instruct the terminal device to hand over to the target cell through a medium access control element (MAC CE).

[0052] In some implementations, after receiving a cell handover command, the terminal device can detach from the source cell and apply the target configuration (i.e., apply the configuration of the target cell).

[0053] In some embodiments, if the terminal device does not currently have a valid timing advance (TA) or transmission configuration indicator (TCI) status identifier for the target cell, the terminal device may also execute step S270 during the LTM execution phase. In step S270, the terminal device initiates a random access procedure to the target cell.

[0054] During the LTM completion phase, LTM may include step S280.

[0055] In step S280, the terminal device indicates that LTM is complete. For example, the terminal device may send an indication message that LTM has been successfully completed to the target cell.

[0056] Traditional switching process

[0057] In the traditional handover process, the entire handover process can be divided into three stages: handover preparation, handover execution, and handover completion. The following section, using Figure 3 as an example, provides a brief introduction to the traditional handover process.

[0058] Phase 1: Switchover Preparation (Steps 1-5)

[0059] In step 1, measurement control and reporting are performed between the source network device and the terminal device. Specifically, the source network device triggers the terminal device to perform neighbor cell measurements, thereby enabling the terminal device to measure neighbor cells and report the measurement results to the source network device.

[0060] In step 2, the source network device evaluates the measurement results reported by the terminal device and decides whether to trigger a handover.

[0061] In step 3, if the source network device decides to trigger a handover, it can send a handover request to the target network device.

[0062] In step 4, after receiving the handover request sent by the source network device, the target network device can begin admission based on the service information carried by the source network device and perform radio resource configuration.

[0063] In step 5, the target network device sends a handover request confirmation message to the source network device. This message contains the handover command generated by the target network device. The source network device is not allowed to modify this handover command and forwards it directly to the terminal device. At this point, the handover preparation phase is complete.

[0064] Phase Two: Switching Execution (Steps 6-8)

[0065] In step 6, after the source network device receives the handover request confirmation message from the target network device, it can trigger the terminal device to perform the handover.

[0066] In step 7, the source network device can forward buffered data, in-transmission data packets, and the associated sequence number (SN) of the data to the target network device.

[0067] In addition, the terminal device can disconnect from the source network device and connect to the target cell (such as performing random access, sending a radio resource control (RRC) handover completion message to the target network device, etc.).

[0068] In step 8, the terminal device synchronizes with the target network device. At this point, the handover execution phase is complete.

[0069] Phase 3: Switchover Completed (Steps 9-12)

[0070] In step 9, the target network device sends a path switch request to the AMF.

[0071] In step 10, after receiving the path switching request from the target network device, the AMF performs a path switching with the UPF and clears the path markers on the user plane of the source network device.

[0072] In step 11, after the path switch is completed, the AMF can send a path switch confirmation message to the target network device.

[0073] In step 12, the target network device sends a terminal device context release message to the source network device, notifying the source network device of the successful handover and triggering the source network device to release the terminal device context. The handover is now complete.

[0074] Known mobility management processes are all based on downlink reference signals. For example, in a known handover process, if a network device wants to obtain measurement results from a terminal device, the terminal device first performs a measurement based on the downlink reference signal and sends the measurement results to the network device through a measurement reporting process. Only then does the network device make a corresponding decision based on the measurement results. On the one hand, in this downlink reference signal-based measurement reporting scheme, both the transmission of the downlink reference signal and the transmission of the measurement report incur signaling overhead. On the other hand, the delay in measurement reporting may lead to poor timeliness of the measurement results, resulting in handover failures and other problems.

[0075] Therefore, to address the aforementioned problems, embodiments of this application provide a mobility management process based on an uplink reference signal (also known as a first uplink reference signal). On one hand, in this process, the network device can measure the first uplink reference signal to obtain measurement results, which helps reduce the signaling overhead required to transmit measurement reports compared to mobility management schemes based on downlink reference signals. On the other hand, obtaining measurement results by the network device measuring the first uplink reference signal helps improve the timeliness of the measurement results compared to mobility management schemes based on downlink reference signals.

[0076] The wireless communication method of this application embodiment is described below with reference to FIG4. FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of the wireless communication method of this application embodiment. The method shown in FIG4 includes step S410.

[0077] In step S410, the terminal device sends a first uplink reference signal to the network device. The first uplink reference signal is used for mobility management of the terminal device, or in other words, the first uplink reference signal is used for mobility management association of the terminal device.

[0078] In this application embodiment, the first uplink reference signal is not limited. In some implementations, the first uplink reference signal includes SRS or a preamble. In other implementations, the first uplink reference signal can be carried on a random access channel (RACH), or a physical random access channel (PRACH). Of course, in this application embodiment, the first uplink reference signal can also be other uplink reference signals.

[0079] In this application embodiment, the network device is not limited. In some implementations, the network device may be a network device providing services to the terminal device (including a source network device) or a network device of a candidate cell (including a target network device). In other implementations, the network device may be a node providing services to the terminal device (also known as a "serving node") or a node of a candidate cell. In still other implementations, the network device may be a transmit / receive point (TRP) (also known as a "serving TRP") providing services to the terminal device or a TRP of a candidate cell. Of course, in this application embodiment, the network device may also use a certain beam to receive the first uplink reference signal, wherein the beam may be, for example, one or more of the following: a beam in the serving cell, a beam in the candidate cell, a beam in the source cell, or a beam in the target cell. In addition, in this application embodiment, the above beam may be indicated (or determined) by one or more of the following: SSB, TCI state, TRS, CSI-RS, PRS.

[0080] The first uplink reference signal in the embodiments of this application has been introduced above. The triggering method of the first uplink reference signal in the embodiments of this application is described below. In some implementations, the first uplink reference signal may be triggered by a first condition. That is to say, the above step S410 includes: when the first condition is met, the terminal device sends the first uplink reference signal to the network device.

[0081] In some implementations, the first condition is associated with one or more of the following: a first point in time (or a first moment); a first time period; the location of the terminal device; the measurement results of the source cell; and the measurement results of the candidate cell.

[0082] Taking the association of the first condition with the first time point as an example, the first condition may include reaching the first time point, that is, the terminal device can send the first uplink reference signal at a specific time (i.e., the first time).

[0083] Taking the association of the first condition with the first time period as an example, the first condition may include entering the first time period, that is, the terminal device may send the first uplink reference signal during a specific time period (i.e., the first time period).

[0084] Taking the association of the first condition with the location of the terminal device as an example, the first condition includes one or more of the following: the terminal device enters the first area; the terminal device leaves the second area; the distance between the terminal device and the first reference location is greater than or equal to the first threshold; the distance between the terminal device and the second reference location is less than or equal to the second threshold.

[0085] In this embodiment, the first region and / or the second region are not limited. In some implementations, the first region and / or the second region can be a cell. Of course, in this embodiment, the first region and / or the second region can also be other regions, for example, the first region and / or the second region can be circular or polygonal regions. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first region and the second region can be the same region or different regions.

[0086] For example, the first region can be the edge region of the source cell, or the first region can be a region in the candidate cell. Accordingly, if the first condition is met, that is, the terminal device enters the first region, the communication quality between the source cell and the terminal device may be degraded. The terminal device can send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management for the terminal device.

[0087] For example, the second area can be the central area of ​​the source cell. Accordingly, if the first condition is met, that is, the terminal device leaves the second area, the communication quality between the source cell and the terminal device may degrade. The terminal device can send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management for the terminal device.

[0088] For example, the first reference location can be a location in the source cell. Correspondingly, if the first condition is met, that is, the distance between the terminal device and the first reference location in the source cell is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the communication quality between the source cell and the terminal device may be degraded. The terminal device can send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management for the terminal device.

[0089] For example, the second reference location can be a location in the candidate cell. Correspondingly, if the first condition is met, that is, the distance between the terminal device and the second reference location in the candidate cell is less than or equal to the second threshold, the communication quality between the source cell and the terminal device may be degraded. In this case, the terminal device can send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management for the terminal device.

[0090] It should be noted that the aforementioned first region and / or second region can be configured by the network device. Of course, in this embodiment, the aforementioned first region and / or second region can also be predefined by the protocol. Additionally, the aforementioned first reference position and / or second reference position can be configured by the network device. Of course, in this embodiment, the aforementioned first reference position and / or second reference position can also be predefined by the protocol. Furthermore, the aforementioned first threshold and / or second threshold can be configured by the network device. Of course, in this embodiment, the aforementioned first threshold and / or second threshold can also be predefined by the protocol.

[0091] The above description uses the example of the first condition associated with the location of the terminal device being used independently. In the embodiments of this application, the first conditions described above can also be combined with each other. For example, the first condition may include the terminal device entering a first area, and the distance between the terminal device and the first reference position being greater than or equal to a first threshold. As another example, the first condition may include the terminal device entering a second area, and the distance between the terminal device and the second reference position being less than or equal to a second threshold.

[0092] Taking the association of the first condition with the measurement result as an example, in some implementations, the measurement result may include the measurement result of the source cell and / or the measurement result of the target cell.

[0093] In some implementations, the first condition includes one or more of the following: the measurement result of the source cell is less than or equal to a first measurement result threshold; the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to a second measurement result threshold; the difference between the measurement result of the source cell and the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to a third measurement result threshold.

[0094] For example, if the measurement result of the source cell is less than or equal to the first measurement result threshold, it indicates that the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell is poor. In this case, the terminal device can send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management for the terminal device.

[0095] For example, if the measurement result of a candidate cell is greater than or equal to the second measurement result threshold, it indicates that the communication quality of the terminal device in the candidate cell is poor. In this case, the terminal device can send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management for the terminal device.

[0096] For example, if the difference between the measurement results of the source cell and the measurement results of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to the third measurement result threshold, it indicates that the communication quality of the terminal device in the candidate cell is significantly different from that in the source cell. In this case, the terminal device can send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management for the terminal device.

[0097] The above description uses the example of the first conditions associated with the measurement results being used independently. In the embodiments of this application, the first conditions associated with the measurement results can also be combined with each other. For example, the first condition may include the measurement result of the source cell being less than or equal to a first measurement result threshold, and the difference between the measurement result of the source cell and the measurement result of the candidate cell being greater than or equal to a third measurement result threshold. As another example, the first condition may include the measurement result of the candidate cell being greater than or equal to a second measurement result threshold, and the difference between the measurement result of the source cell and the measurement result of the candidate cell being greater than or equal to a third measurement result threshold.

[0098] It should be noted that the first conditions associated with different information described in the embodiments of this application can be used independently, or the first conditions associated with different information can be used in combination. In some implementations, the first condition associated with the location of the terminal device can be used in combination with the first condition associated with the measurement result. For ease of understanding, the following description is based on Examples 1 to 7. It should be understood that the first conditions provided in the embodiments of this application are not limited to these.

[0099] Example 1: The first condition may include the terminal device entering a first area (e.g., the edge area of ​​the source cell), and the measurement result of the source cell being less than or equal to a first measurement result threshold. If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0100] Example 2: The first condition may include the terminal device leaving the second area (e.g., the central area of ​​the source cell), and the measurement result of the source cell being less than or equal to a first measurement result threshold. If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0101] Example 3: The first condition may include the terminal device entering a first area (e.g., the edge area of ​​the source cell), and the measurement result of the candidate cell being greater than or equal to a second measurement result threshold. If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0102] Example 4: The first condition may include the terminal device leaving the second area (e.g., the central area of ​​the source cell), and the measurement result of the candidate cell being greater than or equal to the second measurement result threshold. If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0103] Example 5: The first condition may include the terminal device leaving the second area (e.g., the central area of ​​the source cell), and the difference between the measurement results of the source cell and the measurement results of the candidate cell being greater than or equal to a third measurement result threshold. If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0104] Example 6: The first condition may include a distance between the terminal device and a first reference location greater than or equal to a first threshold (e.g., the first reference location is located in a source cell), and a measurement result in the source cell less than or equal to a first measurement result threshold. If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0105] Example 7: The first condition may include the distance between the terminal device and the second reference location being less than or equal to a second threshold (e.g., the second reference location is located in a candidate cell), and the measurement result of the source cell being less than or equal to a first measurement result threshold. If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0106] In some other implementations, the first condition associated with the first time or the first time period can be used in combination with the first condition associated with the measurement result. For ease of understanding, the following description is based on Examples 8 to 11. It should be understood that the first condition provided in the embodiments of this application is not limited to this.

[0107] Example 8: The first condition may include the terminal device arriving at a first time point, and the measurement result of the source cell being less than or equal to a first measurement result threshold. If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0108] Example 9: The first condition may include the terminal device entering a first time period, and the measurement result of the source cell being less than or equal to a first measurement result threshold. If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0109] Example 10: The first condition may include the terminal device arriving at a first time point and the measurement result of the candidate cell being greater than or equal to a second measurement result threshold. If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the candidate cell may be relatively good. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0110] Example 11: The first condition may include the terminal device entering a first time period, and the measurement result of the candidate cell being greater than or equal to a second measurement result threshold. If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the candidate cell may be relatively good. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0111] In some other implementations, the first condition associated with the first time or the first time period can be used in combination with the first condition associated with the location of the terminal device. For ease of understanding, the following description is based on Examples 12 to 15. It should be understood that the first condition provided in the embodiments of this application is not limited to these.

[0112] Example 12: The first condition may include the terminal device arriving at a first time point and the terminal device entering a first area (e.g., the first area is the edge area of ​​the source cell or a candidate cell). If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0113] Example 13: The first condition may include the terminal device entering a first time period and the terminal device leaving a second area (e.g., the second area is the source cell). If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0114] Example 14: The first condition may include the terminal device arriving at a first time point and the terminal device leaving the second area (e.g., the second area is the source cell). If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0115] Example 15: The first condition may include the terminal device entering a first time period and the terminal device entering a first area (e.g., the first area is the edge area of ​​the source cell or a candidate cell). If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0116] Of course, in the embodiments of this application, the first condition associated with the first time or first time period, the first condition associated with the measurement result, and the first condition associated with the location of the terminal device are used in combination. For ease of understanding, the following description uses only Example 16 as an example, and it should be understood that the first condition provided in the embodiments of this application is not limited thereto.

[0117] Example 16: The first condition may include the terminal device arriving at a first time point, the terminal device entering a first area (e.g., the first area is the edge area of ​​the source cell or a candidate cell), and the difference between the measurement results of the source cell and the measurement results of the candidate cell being greater than or equal to a third measurement result threshold. If the first condition is met, the communication quality of the terminal device in the source cell may be poor. In this case, the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal to the network device so that the network device can perform mobility management on the terminal device.

[0118] The foregoing section introduced a method for triggering a first uplink reference signal based on a first condition in embodiments of this application. The following section describes another scheme for triggering the first uplink reference signal in embodiments of this application. In some other implementations, the first uplink reference signal can be dynamically indicated and triggered by a network device. That is, the above method further includes: the network device sending first information to the terminal device, the first information being used to indicate the transmission of the first uplink reference signal. Of course, in embodiments of this application, the network device can configure the transmission mode of the first uplink reference signal for the terminal device using the first information. That is, the first information is used to indicate that the transmission mode of the first uplink reference signal is one of the following: periodic transmission; semi-static transmission; aperiodic transmission.

[0119] It should be noted that the first information used to dynamically indicate the triggering of the first uplink reference signal may be the same as or different from the information configuring the transmission method of the first uplink reference signal. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0120] The above describes the triggering method of the first uplink reference signal in the embodiments of this application. The following describes the process (also known as procedure) in mobility management associated with the first uplink reference signal in the embodiments of this application, or in other words, which events in mobility management the first uplink reference signal can assist in executing.

[0121] In some implementations, mobility management includes one or more of the following processes: failure recovery process; handover process; handover preparation; uplink synchronization; downlink synchronization; candidate cell evaluation; measurement reporting; synchronization process for cell handover; beam management; beam failure detection.

[0122] For example, mobility management includes a failure recovery process, where a first uplink reference signal is used to determine candidate cells associated with the failure recovery.

[0123] For example, mobility management includes a handover process where a first uplink reference signal is used to determine the target cell or target beam associated with the handover.

[0124] For example, mobility management includes uplink synchronization, where a first uplink reference signal is used for uplink synchronization between network devices and terminal devices.

[0125] For example, mobility management includes downlink synchronization, where a first uplink reference signal is used for downlink synchronization between network devices and terminal devices.

[0126] For example, mobility management includes candidate cell evaluation, where a first uplink reference signal is used for candidate cell evaluation.

[0127] For example, mobility management includes measurement reporting, and a first uplink reference signal is used for candidate cell evaluation.

[0128] For example, mobility management includes a synchronization process for cell handover, where a first uplink reference signal is used for candidate cell evaluation.

[0129] For example, mobility management includes beam management, where a first uplink reference signal is used for beam management, and the beam management may include, for example, beam management of the source cell or beam management of the candidate cell.

[0130] For example, mobility management includes beam failure detection, with a first uplink reference signal used for beam failure detection.

[0131] The following sections use two mobility management processes—failure recovery and handover—as examples to describe the configuration process of the first uplink reference signal in the embodiments of this application. In some implementations, mobility management includes failure recovery, and the first uplink reference signal is associated with candidate cells for failure recovery; in other words, the first uplink reference signal is used to determine candidate cells for failure recovery.

[0132] In some implementations, assuming that the first uplink reference signal belongs to multiple uplink reference signals, the above method further includes: the network device sending first configuration information to the terminal device, wherein the multiple uplink reference signals configured in the first configuration information are associated with multiple candidate cells for failure recovery, or in other words, the multiple uplink reference signals carried in the first configuration information are configured to be associated with multiple candidate cells for failure recovery.

[0133] In this application, the method of distinguishing multiple uplink reference signal configurations is not limited. In some implementations, different uplink reference signal configurations among the multiple uplink reference signal configurations may correspond to different time-domain resources. In other implementations, different uplink reference signal configurations among the multiple uplink reference signal configurations may correspond to different frequency-domain resources. In still other implementations, different uplink reference signal configurations among the multiple uplink reference signal configurations may correspond to different periods. In yet another implementation, different uplink reference signal configurations among the multiple uplink reference signal configurations may correspond to different uplink reference signal sequences.

[0134] Of course, in the embodiments of this application, multiple uplink reference signal configurations can be shared, that is, multiple candidate cells can share a set of uplink reference signal configurations to simplify the configuration process of uplink reference signals.

[0135] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not limit the association between the uplink reference signal configuration and the aforementioned candidate cells. In some implementations, the network device can indicate the aforementioned association to the terminal device through explicit indication. For example, the uplink reference signal configuration can carry the identifier of the candidate cell to indicate the candidate cell (or candidate cell configuration) associated with the uplink reference signal configuration. Another example is that the uplink reference signal configuration can be carried in the candidate cell configuration to indicate the uplink reference signal configuration associated with the candidate cell. Of course, in the embodiments of this application, the aforementioned association can also be indicated through implicit indication. For example, the uplink reference signal configuration associated with the candidate cell can be determined by the order of the candidate cells in the candidate cell configuration.

[0136] In some implementations, the candidate cell for failure recovery and the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover belong to different CUs; ​​or the cell group associated with the candidate cell for failure recovery is different from the cell group associated with the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover. Of course, in the embodiments of this application, the candidate cell for failure recovery and the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover belong to different CUs and different cell groups.

[0137] In some scenarios, if a terminal device performs cell handover or cell failure recovery, it may need to update its key. In this case, the source network device can exchange the updated key with the target network device. In some implementations, if the network device receiving the first uplink reference signal is the network device of the source cell (also known as the source network device), the above method further includes: the source network device sending second indication information to the target network device, which is used to indicate the updated key (e.g., private key).

[0138] For example, after receiving the uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device, the source network device can determine the target cell that the terminal device is currently accessing based on the correlation between the first uplink reference signal and the candidate cells. Then, the source network device can generate a new key (i.e., the updated key mentioned above) based on the terminal device's NAS counter (NAS Countdown, NCC) and send the new key to the target cell.

[0139] In other implementations, if the network device receiving the first uplink reference signal is the target network device, the target network device can send a first request to the source network device to request the updated key from the terminal device. That is, the method further includes: the target network device sending a first request to the serving network device, the first request being used to request the updated key from the terminal device.

[0140] It should be noted that the NCC used to generate the updated key can be sent from the source network device to the terminal device, for example, via RRC reconfiguration or LTM cell switch command.

[0141] In some scenarios, if the uplink reference signal configuration is a shared configuration for multiple candidate cells, the source network device can send the key to all candidate cells associated with that uplink reference signal configuration.

[0142] In some scenarios, the target network device can obtain the updated key from the source network device. Correspondingly, to enable communication between the terminal device and the target network device based on the updated key, the terminal device also needs to update its key. In this case, the terminal device can generate the updated key based on the NCC and / or target cell-related information configured on the source network device (e.g., physical cell identity (PCI), downlink frequency (DL freq)). It should be noted that the method by which the terminal device updates its key matches the method by which the source network device updates its key; therefore, the updated keys from the terminal device and the source network device are matched.

[0143] For ease of understanding, the failure recovery process based on the first uplink reference signal in the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to Figures 5 and 6. It should be understood that Figures 5 and 6 are mainly used to illustrate the method flow of the failure recovery process, and the relevant terminology or implementation methods can be referred to above.

[0144] Figure 5 illustrates the example of a serving network device (e.g., a source network device) receiving a first uplink reference signal. Assume the terminal device fails to execute LTM or CLTM, triggering a connection re-establishment process. Specifically, during the cell reselection process, the terminal device selects a candidate cell for inter-CU LTM, and then executes a failure recovery process or an LTM execution process. The method shown in Figure 5 includes steps S510 to S540.

[0145] In step S510, the source network device sends configuration information 1 to the terminal device to configure one or more uplink reference signals.

[0146] In some implementations, one or more uplink reference signals may include a first uplink reference signal. For further information on configuration information 1, please refer to the section on the first configuration information above.

[0147] In step S520, the terminal device sends a first uplink reference signal to the source network device.

[0148] In some implementations, before the terminal device performs a failure recovery process (or LTM process, or leaves the source cell), the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal based on the configuration of the first uplink reference signal.

[0149] In some implementations, the cell selected by the terminal device for failure recovery belongs to a different CU than the cell where the LTM / CLTM failure occurred, or the cell selected by the terminal device for failure recovery is associated with a different cell group ID than the cell where the LTM / CLTM failure occurred.

[0150] In step S530, the source network device sends indication information 1 to the target network device to indicate the updated key of the terminal device.

[0151] In some implementations, the source network device can determine the target cell that the terminal device is currently accessing and generate a new key based on the terminal device's current NCC and send it to the target cell (or target network device). For details on indication information 1 and the process of updating the key, please refer to the above. Indication information 1 can be used as an example of the second indication information.

[0152] In some implementations, before the source network device generates a new key based on the terminal device's current NCC and sends it to the target network device, it can determine whether the key has already been sent to the target network device.

[0153] In step S540, the terminal device updates the key used to communicate with the target network device.

[0154] In some implementations, the terminal device can generate a key based on stored NCC and / or target cell related information (PCI, DL freq) and send an uplink message (e.g., RRC reconfiguration complete message) based on the generated key.

[0155] Figure 6 illustrates the method using the example of a target network device receiving a first uplink reference signal. Assume the terminal device fails to execute LTM or CLTM, triggering a connection re-establishment process. Specifically, during the cell reselection process, the terminal device selects a candidate cell for inter-CU LTM, and then executes either a failure recovery process or an LTM execution process. The method shown in Figure 6 includes steps S610 to S640.

[0156] In step S610, the source network device sends configuration information 1 to the terminal device to configure one or more uplink reference signals.

[0157] In some implementations, one or more uplink reference signals may include a first uplink reference signal. For further information on configuration information 1, please refer to the section on the first configuration information above.

[0158] In step S620, the terminal device sends a first uplink reference signal to the target network device.

[0159] In some implementations, before the terminal device performs a failure recovery process (or LTM process, or leaves the source cell), the terminal device may send a first uplink reference signal based on the configuration of the first uplink reference signal.

[0160] In some implementations, the cell selected by the terminal device for failure recovery belongs to a different CU than the cell where the LTM / CLTM failure occurred, or the cell selected by the terminal device for failure recovery is associated with a different cell group ID than the cell where the LTM / CLTM failure occurred.

[0161] In step S630, the target network device sends request 1 to the source network device to request the updated key from the terminal device.

[0162] In some implementations, the target network device determines the source network device of the terminal device based on the first uplink reference signal and sends Request 1 to the source network device to request the updated key from the terminal device. For details on Request 1, please refer to the introduction of the first request above.

[0163] In step S640, the source network device sends indication information 1 to the target network device to indicate the updated key of the terminal device.

[0164] In some implementations, the source network device can determine the target cell that the terminal device is currently accessing and generate a new key based on the terminal device's current NCC and send it to the target cell (or target network device). For details on indication information 1 and the process of updating the key, please refer to the above. Indication information 1 can be used as an example of the second indication information.

[0165] In some implementations, before the source network device generates a new key based on the terminal device's current NCC and sends it to the target network device, it can determine whether the key has already been sent to the target network device.

[0166] In step S650, the terminal device updates the key used to communicate with the target network device.

[0167] In some implementations, the terminal device can generate a key based on stored NCC and / or target cell related information (PCI, DL freq) and send an uplink message (e.g., RRC reconfiguration complete message) based on the generated key.

[0168] In some other implementations, the aforementioned mobility management includes cell handover, with a first uplink reference signal associated with the cell handover.

[0169] In some implementations, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with one of the following: candidate cell, TCI state, source cell's TCI state, candidate cell's TCI state, source cell's beam, and candidate cell's beam.

[0170] Taking the configuration of the first uplink reference signal and its association with candidate cells as an example, if the source network device receives the first uplink reference signal, it can measure the first uplink reference signal to determine the candidate cells that meet the conditions.

[0171] Taking the configuration of the first uplink reference signal as associated with the source cell as an example, if a network device in a candidate cell receives the first uplink reference signal, the network device can measure the first uplink reference signal to determine the source cell that meets the conditions.

[0172] Taking the configuration of the first uplink reference signal and its association with the beam of the source cell as an example, if the source network device receives the first uplink reference signal, it can measure the first uplink reference signal to determine the beam in the source cell that meets the conditions. Alternatively, if a network device in a candidate cell receives the first uplink reference signal, it can measure the first uplink reference signal to determine the beam in the source cell that meets the conditions.

[0173] Taking the configuration of the first uplink reference signal and its beam association with the candidate cell as an example, if the source network device receives the first uplink reference signal, it can measure the first uplink reference signal to determine the beams in the candidate cell that meet the conditions. Alternatively, if a network device in the candidate cell receives the first uplink reference signal, it can measure the first uplink reference signal to determine the beams in the candidate cell that meet the conditions.

[0174] Taking the configuration of the first uplink reference signal associated with the TCI status as an example, the TCI status can be used in both the source cell and the candidate cell. That is to say, the TCI status can be measured by network devices in both the source cell and the candidate cell.

[0175] Accordingly, if a network device in a candidate cell receives the first uplink reference signal, it can measure the first uplink reference signal to determine the TCI state that meets the conditions. It should be understood that in this case, the candidate cell needs to know the configuration of the first uplink reference signal in order to measure it. The configuration of the first uplink reference signal can be sent from the source network device to the target network device.

[0176] Taking the configuration of the first uplink reference signal and its association with the TCI state of the source cell as an example, if the source network device receives the first uplink reference signal, it can measure the first uplink reference signal to determine the TCI state that meets the conditions in the source cell. Alternatively, if a network device in a candidate cell receives the first uplink reference signal, it can measure the first uplink reference signal to determine the TCI state that meets the conditions in the source cell.

[0177] Taking the configuration of the first uplink reference signal and its association with the TCI state of a candidate cell as an example, if the source network device receives the first uplink reference signal, it can measure the first uplink reference signal to determine the TCI state that meets the conditions in the candidate cell. Alternatively, if a network device in a candidate cell receives the first uplink reference signal, it can measure the first uplink reference signal to determine the TCI state that meets the conditions in the candidate cell.

[0178] In the embodiments of this application, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with one of the following: candidate cell, TCI state, source cell's TCI state, candidate cell's TCI state, source cell's beam, and candidate cell's beam. It can also be understood that the first uplink reference signal is used to indicate one or more of the following: candidate cell, TCI state, source cell's TCI state, candidate cell's TCI state, source cell's beam, and candidate cell's beam. That is to say, the first uplink reference signal is used to implicitly indicate one or more of the above.

[0179] For example, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with the candidate cell. In this case, the terminal device can indicate the candidate cell selected by the terminal device by sending the first uplink reference signal to the network device.

[0180] For example, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with the TCI state. In this case, the terminal device can send the first uplink reference signal to the network device to indicate the TCI state selected by the terminal device. The TCI state can be a common TCI state for both the source cell and the candidate cell. In this case, the terminal device and the network device need to have a unified understanding of the TCI state to determine whether the TCI state is for the source cell or for the subsequent cell.

[0181] For example, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with the TCI state of the source cell. In this case, the terminal device can indicate the TCI state of the source cell selected by the terminal device by sending the first uplink reference signal to the network device.

[0182] For example, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with the TCI status of the candidate cell. In this case, the terminal device can indicate the TCI status of the candidate cell selected by the terminal device by sending the first uplink reference signal to the network device.

[0183] For example, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with the beam of the source cell. In this case, the terminal device can indicate the beam of the source cell selected by the terminal device by sending the first uplink reference signal to the network device.

[0184] For example, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with the beam of the candidate cell. In this case, the terminal device can indicate the beam of the candidate cell selected by the terminal device by sending the first uplink reference signal to the network device.

[0185] In some implementations, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is configured by either the serving network device or the target network device. For example, if the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is configured by the target network device, then the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is only valid if the TA used for communication between the target network device and the terminal device is valid.

[0186] The foregoing described the configuration of a first uplink reference signal for the switching process in the embodiments of this application. The following describes the processing of the serving network device and / or the target network device after receiving the first uplink reference signal in the embodiments of this application.

[0187] In some implementations, if the network device is a serving network device, the above method further includes: the source network device sending a first indication information to the terminal device, the first indication information being used to indicate one or more of the following: triggering an uplink synchronization process; activating the TCI state associated with a first uplink reference signal; instructing the terminal device to perform beam switching.

[0188] In some implementations, the uplink synchronization process triggered by the first indication information may be, for example, the early uplink synchronization process described above.

[0189] In some implementations, the TCI state associated with activating the first uplink reference signal indicated by the first indication information may be, for example, the TCI state of the source cell or the TCI state of the candidate cell.

[0190] In some implementations, the beam handover indicated by the first indication information may be, for example, a beam handover in the source cell.

[0191] In some other implementations, if the network device is a candidate cell network device, the above method further includes: the network device performing one or more of the following: determining the uplink TA of the terminal device; listening to the uplink transmission of the terminal device; determining the TCI state activated for the terminal device; determining the beam used for the early uplink synchronization process; determining the beam used for the RACH process, the RACH process being used for cell handover; determining the beam used for downlink synchronization; determining the TCI state used for downlink synchronization.

[0192] In some implementations, the above method further includes: the network device of the candidate cell sending a fourth indication information to the serving network device, the fourth indication information being used to indicate the TCI state activated for the terminal device.

[0193] For ease of understanding, the handover process based on the first uplink reference signal in the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to Figures 7 and 8. It should be understood that Figures 7 and 8 are mainly used to illustrate the method flow of the handover process, and the relevant terminology or implementation methods can be referred to above.

[0194] Figure 7 illustrates the method using the example of the source network device of the terminal device receiving the first uplink reference signal. The method shown in Figure 7 includes steps S710 to S730.

[0195] In step S710, the source network device sends candidate cell configuration to the terminal device.

[0196] In some implementations, the candidate cell configuration may include one or more candidate cell configurations. The candidate cells associated with the candidate cell configuration are used by the terminal device to perform LTM or CLTM. For related information, please refer to the above-mentioned scheme on the configuration association between candidate cell configuration and the first uplink reference signal.

[0197] In some implementations, one or more candidate cells can be associated with a first condition, which is used in the early synchronization process or the cell handover execution process. It should be understood that a description of the first condition can be found above.

[0198] In step S720, if the first condition is met, the terminal device sends a first uplink reference signal to the source network device.

[0199] In step S730, the source network device sends indication information 1 (as an example of the first indication information) to the terminal device.

[0200] In some implementations, the source network device determines that the terminal device has left the source cell (and / or is approaching the first candidate cell associated with the first uplink reference signal). At this time, the source network device may send indication information 1 to the terminal device to trigger an early uplink synchronization process.

[0201] In some implementations, the source network device determines that the terminal device has left the source cell (and / or is approaching the first candidate cell associated with the first uplink reference signal). At this time, the source network device can send indication information 1 to the terminal device, instructing the candidate cell (or target cell) to start listening to the uplink messages sent by the terminal device.

[0202] In some implementations, the source network device can send indication information 1 to the terminal device to indicate the activation of the TCI state, wherein the activated TCI state can be the TCI state of the serving cell or the TCI state of the candidate cell.

[0203] In some implementations, the source network device can send instruction information 1 to the terminal device, instructing the terminal device to switch the serving cell beam.

[0204] Figure 8 illustrates the method using the example of a target network device of a terminal device receiving a first uplink reference signal. The method shown in Figure 8 includes steps S810 to S830.

[0205] In step S810, the target network device sends candidate cell configuration to the terminal device.

[0206] In some implementations, the candidate cell configuration may include one or more candidate cell configurations. The candidate cells associated with the candidate cell configuration are used by the terminal device to perform LTM or CLTM. For related information, please refer to the above-mentioned scheme on the configuration association between candidate cell configuration and the first uplink reference signal.

[0207] In some implementations, one or more candidate cells can be associated with a first condition, which is used in the early synchronization process or the cell handover execution process. It should be understood that a description of the first condition can be found above.

[0208] In step S820, if the first condition is met, the terminal device sends a first uplink reference signal to the target network device.

[0209] In step S830, the target network device performs one or more of the following operations: determining the uplink TA of the terminal device; monitoring the uplink transmission of the terminal device; determining the TCI state activated for the terminal device; determining the beam used in the early uplink synchronization process; determining the beam used in the RACH process, which is used for cell handover; determining the beam used in downlink synchronization; and determining the TCI state used in downlink synchronization.

[0210] In some implementations, after the target network device determines that the TCI state is activated by the terminal device, the target network device can send a fourth indication message to the source network device to indicate that the TCI state is activated by the terminal device. Accordingly, the source network device can indicate the activated TCI state to the terminal device so that the terminal device can communicate with the target network device based on the TCI state.

[0211] The method embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 8. The apparatus embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 9 to 12. It should be understood that the descriptions of the method embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the apparatus embodiments; therefore, any parts not described in detail can be referred to the preceding method embodiments.

[0212] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. The terminal device 900 shown in Figure 9 includes: a transmitting unit 910.

[0213] The transmitting unit 910 is used to transmit a first uplink reference signal to the network device, the first uplink reference signal being used for mobility management of the terminal device.

[0214] In some implementations, the sending unit is configured to: send the first uplink reference signal to the network device when a first condition is met, wherein the first condition is associated with one or more of the following: a first time point; a first time period; the location of the terminal device; the measurement result of the source cell; and the measurement result of the candidate cell.

[0215] In some implementations, the first condition is associated with the location of the terminal device, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: the terminal device enters a first area; the terminal device leaves a second area; the distance between the terminal device and a first reference location is greater than or equal to a first threshold; the distance between the terminal device and a second reference location is less than or equal to a second threshold.

[0216] In some implementations, the first condition is associated with the measurement result, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: the measurement result of the source cell is less than or equal to a first measurement result threshold; the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to a second measurement result threshold; the difference between the measurement result of the source cell and the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to a third measurement result threshold.

[0217] In some implementations, if the first condition is associated with the first time point, the first condition includes reaching the first time point; or if the first condition is associated with the first time period, the first condition includes entering the first time period.

[0218] In some implementations, the terminal device further includes: a first receiving unit, configured to receive first information sent by the network device, the first information being used to indicate the transmission of the first uplink reference signal, and / or the first information being used to indicate that the transmission mode of the first uplink reference signal is one of the following: periodic transmission; semi-static transmission; aperiodic transmission.

[0219] In some implementations, the mobility management includes one or more of the following processes: failure recovery process; handover process; handover preparation; uplink synchronization; downlink synchronization; candidate cell evaluation; measurement reporting; synchronization process for cell handover; beam management; beam failure detection.

[0220] In some implementations, the mobility management includes the failure recovery process, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the candidate cells associated with the failure recovery.

[0221] In some implementations, the terminal device further includes: a second receiving unit, configured to receive first configuration information sent by the network device, wherein the first configuration information configures a plurality of uplink reference signals associated with a plurality of candidate cells for failure recovery, and the plurality of uplink reference signals include the first uplink reference signal.

[0222] In some implementations, the candidate cell for failure recovery belongs to a different CU than the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover; or the cell group associated with the candidate cell for failure recovery is different from the cell group associated with the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover.

[0223] In some implementations, the mobility management includes the handover procedure, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the target cell or target beam associated with the handover.

[0224] In some implementations, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with one of the following: candidate cell, source cell, TCI state, TCI state of the source cell, TCI state of the candidate cell, beam of the source cell, and beam of the candidate cell.

[0225] In some implementations, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is configured by the serving network device or the target network device.

[0226] In some implementations, the network device is a serving network device, and the terminal device further includes: a third receiving unit, configured to receive first indication information sent by the network device, the first indication information being configured to indicate one or more of the following: triggering an uplink synchronization process; activating the TCI state associated with the first uplink reference signal; instructing the terminal device to perform beam switching.

[0227] In some implementations, the first uplink reference signal includes an SRS or a preamble; and / or the first uplink reference signal is carried on a random access channel.

[0228] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of this application. The network device 1000 shown in Figure 10 includes: a receiving unit 1010.

[0229] The receiving unit 1010 is configured to receive a first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device. The first uplink reference signal is used for mobility management of the terminal device, and the network device is the serving network device of the terminal device.

[0230] In some implementations, the receiving unit is configured to: receive the first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device when a first condition is met, wherein the first condition is associated with one or more of the following: a first time point; a first time period; the location of the terminal device; the measurement result of the source cell; and the measurement result of the candidate cell.

[0231] In some implementations, the first condition is associated with the location of the terminal device, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: the terminal device enters a first area; the terminal device leaves a second area; the distance between the terminal device and a first reference location is greater than or equal to a first threshold; the distance between the terminal device and a second reference location is less than or equal to a second threshold.

[0232] In some implementations, the first condition is associated with the measurement result, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: the measurement result of the source cell is less than or equal to a first measurement result threshold; the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to a second measurement result threshold; the difference between the measurement result of the source cell and the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to a third measurement result threshold.

[0233] In some implementations, the first condition is associated with the first time point, and the first condition includes arriving at the first time point; or if the first condition is associated with the first time period, the first condition includes entering the first time period.

[0234] In some implementations, the network device further includes: a first transmitting unit, configured to transmit first information to the terminal device, the first information being used to indicate the transmission of the first uplink reference signal, and / or the first information being used to indicate that the transmission mode of the first uplink reference signal is one of the following: periodic transmission; semi-static transmission; aperiodic transmission.

[0235] In some implementations, the mobility management includes one or more of the following processes: failure recovery process; handover process; handover preparation; uplink synchronization; downlink synchronization; candidate cell evaluation; measurement reporting; synchronization process for cell handover; beam management; beam failure detection.

[0236] In some implementations, the mobility management includes the failure recovery process, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the candidate cells associated with the failure recovery.

[0237] In some implementations, the network device further includes: a second transmitting unit, configured to transmit first configuration information to the terminal device, wherein the first configuration information configures a plurality of uplink reference signals associated with a plurality of candidate cells for failure recovery, and the plurality of uplink reference signals include the first uplink reference signal.

[0238] In some implementations, the candidate cell for failure recovery belongs to a different CU than the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover; or the cell group associated with the candidate cell for failure recovery is different from the cell group associated with the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover.

[0239] In some implementations, the network device further includes a third sending unit, configured to send second indication information to the target network device, the second indication information being used to indicate the updated key of the terminal device.

[0240] In some implementations, the mobility management includes the handover procedure, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the target cell or target beam associated with the handover.

[0241] In some implementations, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with one of the following: candidate cell, source cell, TCI state, TCI state of the source cell, TCI state of the candidate cell, beam of the source cell, and beam of the candidate cell.

[0242] In some implementations, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is configured by the serving network device or the target network device.

[0243] In some implementations, the network device further includes: a fourth transmitting unit, configured to transmit first indication information to the terminal device, the first indication information being configured to indicate one or more of the following: triggering an uplink synchronization process; activating the TCI state associated with the first uplink reference signal; instructing the terminal device to perform beam switching.

[0244] In some implementations, the indication information is used to indicate uplink information sent by the listening terminal device.

[0245] In some implementations, the first uplink reference signal includes an SRS or a preamble; and / or the first uplink reference signal is carried on a random access channel.

[0246] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of this application. The network device 1100 shown in Figure 11 includes: a receiving unit 1110.

[0247] The receiving unit 1110 is configured to receive a first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device. The first uplink reference signal is used for mobility management of the terminal device, and the network device is a network device in the candidate cell of the mobility management.

[0248] In some implementations, the receiving unit is configured to: receive the first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device when a first condition is met, wherein the first condition is associated with one or more of the following: a first time point; a first time period; the location of the terminal device; the measurement result of the source cell; and the measurement result of the candidate cell.

[0249] In some implementations, the first condition is associated with the location of the terminal device, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: the terminal device enters a first area; the terminal device leaves a second area; the distance between the terminal device and a first reference location is greater than or equal to a first threshold; the distance between the terminal device and a second reference location is less than or equal to a second threshold.

[0250] In some implementations, the first condition is associated with the measurement result, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: the measurement result of the source cell is less than or equal to a first measurement result threshold; the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to a second measurement result threshold; the difference between the measurement result of the source cell and the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to a third measurement result threshold.

[0251] In some implementations, the first condition is associated with the first time point, and the first condition includes arriving at the first time point; or if the first condition is associated with the first time period, the first condition includes entering the first time period.

[0252] In some implementations, the network device further includes: a first transmitting unit, configured to transmit first information to the terminal device, the first information being used to indicate the transmission of the first uplink reference signal, and / or the first information being used to indicate that the transmission mode of the first uplink reference signal is one of the following: periodic transmission; semi-static transmission; aperiodic transmission.

[0253] In some implementations, the mobility management includes one or more of the following processes: failure recovery process; handover process; handover preparation; uplink synchronization; downlink synchronization; candidate cell evaluation; measurement reporting; synchronization process for cell handover; beam management; beam failure detection.

[0254] In some implementations, the mobility management includes the failure recovery process, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the candidate cells associated with the failure recovery.

[0255] In some implementations, the candidate cell for failure recovery belongs to a different CU than the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover; or the cell group associated with the candidate cell for failure recovery is different from the cell group associated with the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover.

[0256] In some implementations, the receiving unit is configured to receive second indication information sent by the serving network device, the second indication information being used to indicate the update key of the terminal device.

[0257] In some implementations, the network device further includes: a second sending unit, configured to send a first request to the serving network device, the first request being used to request an update key from the terminal device.

[0258] In some implementations, the mobility management includes the handover procedure, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the target cell or target beam associated with the handover.

[0259] In some implementations, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with one of the following: candidate cell, source cell, TCI state, TCI state of the source cell, TCI state of the candidate cell, beam of the source cell, and beam of the candidate cell.

[0260] In some implementations, the configuration of the first uplink reference signal is configured by the source network device or the target network device.

[0261] In some implementations, the network device further includes: a processing unit, in response to receiving the first uplink reference signal, configured to perform one or more of the following: determining the uplink TA of the terminal device; monitoring the uplink transmission of the terminal device; determining the TCI state activated for the terminal device; determining the beam used in the early uplink synchronization process; determining the beam used in the RACH process, the RACH process being used for cell handover; determining the beam used in downlink synchronization; and determining the TCI state used in downlink synchronization.

[0262] In some implementations, the network device further includes a third sending unit, configured to send fourth indication information to the serving network device, the fourth indication information being used to indicate the TCI state activated for the terminal device.

[0263] In some implementations, the first uplink reference signal includes an SRS or a preamble; and / or the first uplink reference signal is carried on a random access channel.

[0264] In an optional embodiment, the transmitting unit 910 may be a transceiver 1230. The terminal device 900 may also include a processor 1210 and a memory 1220, as shown in FIG12.

[0265] In an optional embodiment, the receiving unit 1010 may be a transceiver 1230. The network device 1000 may also include a processor 1210 and a memory 1220, as shown in FIG12.

[0266] In an optional embodiment, the receiving unit 1110 may be a transceiver 1230. The network device 1100 may also include a transceiver 1230 and a memory 1220, as shown in FIG12.

[0267] Figure 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. The dashed lines in Figure 12 indicate that the unit or module is optional. This device 1200 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. Device 1200 can be a chip, a terminal device, or a network device.

[0268] Apparatus 1200 may include one or more processors 1210. The processor 1210 may support apparatus 1200 in implementing the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. The processor 1210 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor may be 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. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0269] The apparatus 1200 may further include one or more memories 1220. The memories 1220 store a program that can be executed by the processor 1210, causing the processor 1210 to perform the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. The memories 1220 may be independent of the processor 1210 or integrated within the processor 1210.

[0270] The device 1200 may also include a transceiver 1230. The processor 1210 can communicate with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1230. For example, the processor 1210 can send and receive data with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1230.

[0271] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program. This computer-readable storage medium can be applied to a terminal or network device provided in this application, and the program causes a computer to execute the methods performed by the terminal or network device in various embodiments of this application.

[0272] This application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. The computer program product can be applied to a terminal or network device provided in this application embodiment, and the program causes a computer to execute the methods performed by the terminal or network device in various embodiments of this application.

[0273] This application also provides a computer program. This computer program can be applied to the terminal or network device provided in this application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the methods performed by the terminal or network device in various embodiments of this application.

[0274] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" in this application can be used interchangeably. Furthermore, the terminology used in this application is only for explaining specific embodiments of the application and is not intended to limit the application. The terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0275] In the embodiments of this application, the term "instruction" can be a direct instruction, an indirect instruction, or an indication of a relationship. For example, A instructing B can mean that A directly instructs B, such as B being able to obtain information through A; it can also mean that A indirectly instructs B, such as A instructing C, so B can obtain information through C; or it can mean that there is a relationship between A and B.

[0276] In the embodiments of this application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining B based on A does not mean that B is determined solely based on A; B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0277] In the embodiments of this application, the term "correspondence" can indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between two things, or an association between two things, or a relationship such as instruction and being instructed, configuration and being configured.

[0278] In this application embodiment, "predefined" or "preconfigured" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device (e.g., including terminal devices and network devices). This application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to what is defined in the protocol.

[0279] In this application embodiment, the "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communication, such as the LTE protocol, the NR protocol, and related protocols applied to future communication systems. This application does not limit this.

[0280] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" 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 existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0281] In the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0282] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of 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 coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0283] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0284] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0285] 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. 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 read or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., digital video discs, DVDs) or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks, SSDs), etc.

[0286] 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 method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The terminal device sends a first uplink reference signal to the network device, the first uplink reference signal being used for the mobility management of the terminal device.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal device sends a first uplink reference signal to the network device, including: When a first condition is met, the terminal device sends the first uplink reference signal to the network device, wherein the first condition is associated with one or more of the following: First point in time; First time period; The location of the terminal device; Measurement results of the source cell; Measurement results of candidate cells.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the location of the terminal device, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The terminal device enters the first area; The terminal device leaves the second area; The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position is greater than or equal to the first threshold. The distance between the terminal device and the second reference position is less than or equal to the second threshold.

4. The method as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the measurement result, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The measurement result of the source cell is less than or equal to the first measurement result threshold; The measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to the second measurement result threshold; The difference between the measurement result of the source cell and the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to the third measurement result threshold.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, If the first condition is associated with the first time point, the first condition includes arriving at the first time point; or If the first condition is associated with the first time period, the first condition includes entering the first time period.

6. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives first information sent by the network device, the first information being used to instruct the transmission of the first uplink reference signal, and / or The first information is used to indicate that the transmission mode of the first uplink reference signal is one of the following: periodic transmission; semi-static transmission; aperiodic transmission.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The mobility management includes one or more of the following processes: failure recovery process; handover process; handover preparation; uplink synchronization; downlink synchronization; candidate cell evaluation; measurement reporting; synchronization process for cell handover; beam management; beam failure detection.

8. The method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The mobility management includes the failure recovery process, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the candidate cell associated with the failure recovery.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives first configuration information sent by the network device. The first configuration information configures multiple uplink reference signals associated with multiple candidate cells for failure recovery. The multiple uplink reference signals include the first uplink reference signal.

10. The method as described in claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The candidate cell for failure recovery belongs to a different CU than the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover; or The cell group associated with the candidate cell that failed to recover is different from the cell group associated with the cell that failed to perform cell handover by the terminal device.

11. The method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The mobility management includes the handover procedure, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the target cell or target beam associated with the handover.

12. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with one of the following: candidate cell, source cell, TCI state, TCI state of the source cell, TCI state of the candidate cell, beam of the source cell, and beam of the candidate cell.

13. The method as described in claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The configuration of the first uplink reference signal is configured by the serving network device or the target network device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11-13, characterized in that, The network device is a service network device, and the method further includes: The terminal device receives first indication information sent by the network device, the first indication information being used to indicate one or more of the following: Trigger the uplink synchronization process; Activate the TCI state associated with the first uplink reference signal; Instruct the terminal device to perform beam switching.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that, The first uplink reference signal includes SRS or a preamble; and / or The first uplink reference signal is carried on the random access channel.

16. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The network device receives a first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device. The first uplink reference signal is used for mobility management of the terminal device. The network device is the serving network device of the terminal device.

17. The method as described in claim 16, characterized in that, The network device receives a first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device, including: When a first condition is met, the network device receives the first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device, and the first condition is associated with one or more of the following: First point in time; First time period; The location of the terminal device; Measurement results of the source cell; Measurement results of candidate cells.

18. The method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the location of the terminal device, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The terminal device enters the first area; The terminal device leaves the second area; The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position is greater than or equal to the first threshold. The distance between the terminal device and the second reference position is less than or equal to the second threshold.

19. The method as described in claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the measurement result, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The measurement result of the source cell is less than or equal to the first measurement result threshold; The measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to the second measurement result threshold; The difference between the measurement result of the source cell and the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to the third measurement result threshold.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17-19, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the first time point, and the first condition includes reaching the first time point; or If the first condition is associated with the first time period, the first condition includes entering the first time period.

21. The method as described in claim 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device sends first information to the terminal device, the first information being used to instruct the transmission of the first uplink reference signal, and / or The first information is used to indicate that the transmission mode of the first uplink reference signal is one of the following: periodic transmission; semi-static transmission; aperiodic transmission.

22. The method according to any one of claims 16-21, characterized in that, The mobility management includes one or more of the following processes: failure recovery process; handover process; handover preparation; uplink synchronization; downlink synchronization; candidate cell evaluation; measurement reporting; synchronization process for cell handover; beam management; beam failure detection.

23. The method as described in claim 22, characterized in that, The mobility management includes the failure recovery process, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the candidate cell associated with the failure recovery.

24. The method as described in claim 23, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device. The first configuration information configures multiple uplink reference signals associated with multiple candidate cells for failure recovery. The multiple uplink reference signals include the first uplink reference signal.

25. The method as described in claim 23 or 24, characterized in that, The candidate cell for failure recovery belongs to a different CU than the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover; or The cell group associated with the candidate cell that failed to recover is different from the cell group associated with the cell that failed to perform cell handover by the terminal device.

26. The method according to any one of claims 23-25, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device sends a second indication message to the target network device, the second indication message being used to indicate the updated key of the terminal device.

27. The method as described in claim 22, characterized in that, The mobility management includes the handover procedure, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the target cell or target beam associated with the handover.

28. The method as described in claim 27, characterized in that, The configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with one of the following: candidate cell, source cell, TCI state, TCI state of the source cell, TCI state of the candidate cell, beam of the source cell, and beam of the candidate cell.

29. The method as described in claim 27 or 28, characterized in that, The configuration of the first uplink reference signal is configured by the serving network device or the target network device.

30. The method according to any one of claims 27-29, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device sends a first indication information to the terminal device, the first indication information being used to indicate one or more of the following: Trigger the uplink synchronization process; Activate the TCI state associated with the first uplink reference signal; Instruct the terminal device to perform beam switching.

31. The method according to any one of claims 27-30, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device sends a third indication message to the target network device, the third indication message being used to indicate the uplink information sent by the terminal device.

32. The method according to any one of claims 16-31, characterized in that, The first uplink reference signal includes SRS or a preamble; and / or The first uplink reference signal is carried on the random access channel.

33. A method for wireless communication, characterized in that, include: The network device receives a first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device. The first uplink reference signal is used for mobility management of the terminal device. The network device is a network device in the candidate cell for mobility management.

34. The method as described in claim 33, characterized in that, The network device receives a first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device, including: When a first condition is met, the network device receives the first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device, and the first condition is associated with one or more of the following: First point in time; First time period; The location of the terminal device; Measurement results of the source cell; Measurement results of candidate cells.

35. The method as described in claim 34, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the location of the terminal device, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The terminal device enters the first area; The terminal device leaves the second area; The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position is greater than or equal to the first threshold. The distance between the terminal device and the second reference position is less than or equal to the second threshold.

36. The method as described in claim 34 or 35, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the measurement result, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The measurement result of the source cell is less than or equal to the first measurement result threshold; The measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to the second measurement result threshold; The difference between the measurement result of the source cell and the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to the third measurement result threshold.

37. The method according to any one of claims 34-36, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the first time point, and the first condition includes reaching the first time point; or If the first condition is associated with the first time period, the first condition includes entering the first time period.

38. The method as described in claim 33, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device sends first information to the terminal device, the first information being used to instruct the transmission of the first uplink reference signal, and / or The first information is used to indicate that the transmission mode of the first uplink reference signal is one of the following: periodic transmission; semi-static transmission; aperiodic transmission.

39. The method according to any one of claims 33-38, characterized in that, The mobility management includes one or more of the following processes: failure recovery process; handover process; handover preparation; uplink synchronization; downlink synchronization; candidate cell evaluation; measurement reporting; synchronization process for cell handover; beam management; beam failure detection.

40. The method as described in claim 39, characterized in that, The mobility management includes the failure recovery process, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the candidate cell associated with the failure recovery.

41. The method as described in claim 40, characterized in that, The candidate cell for failure recovery belongs to a different CU than the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover; or The cell group associated with the candidate cell that failed to recover is different from the cell group associated with the cell that failed to perform cell handover by the terminal device.

42. The method as described in claim 40 or 41, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device receives a second indication information sent by the serving network device, the second indication information being used to indicate the update key of the terminal device.

43. The method according to any one of claims 40-42, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device sends a first request to the serving network device, the first request being used to request the terminal device to update its key.

44. The method as described in claim 39, characterized in that, The mobility management includes the handover procedure, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the target cell or target beam associated with the handover.

45. The method as described in claim 44, characterized in that, The configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with one of the following: candidate cell, source cell, TCI state, TCI state of the source cell, TCI state of the candidate cell, beam of the source cell, and beam of the candidate cell.

46. ​​The method as described in claim 44 or 45, characterized in that, The configuration of the first uplink reference signal is configured by the source network device or the target network device.

47. The method according to any one of claims 44-46, characterized in that, The method further includes: In response to receiving the first uplink reference signal, the network device performs one or more of the following: Determine the uplink TA of the terminal device; Monitor the uplink transmission of the terminal device; The TCI state activated by the terminal device is determined; Determine the beam used in the advance uplink synchronization process; Determine the beam used in the RACH procedure, which is used for cell handover; Determine the beam used for downlink synchronization; Determine the TCI state used for downlink synchronization.

48. The method as described in claim 47, characterized in that, The method further includes: The network device sends a fourth indication message to the serving network device, the fourth indication message being used to indicate the TCI state activated for the terminal device.

49. The method according to any one of claims 33-48, characterized in that, The first uplink reference signal includes SRS or a preamble; and / or The first uplink reference signal is carried on the random access channel.

50. A terminal device, characterized in that, include: The transmitting unit is configured to transmit a first uplink reference signal to the network device, the first uplink reference signal being used for mobility management of the terminal device.

51. The terminal device as described in claim 50, characterized in that, The transmitting unit is used for: When a first condition is met, the first uplink reference signal is sent to the network device, wherein the first condition is associated with one or more of the following: First point in time; First time period; The location of the terminal device; Measurement results of the source cell; Measurement results of candidate cells.

52. The terminal device as described in claim 51, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the location of the terminal device, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The terminal device enters the first area; The terminal device leaves the second area; The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position is greater than or equal to the first threshold. The distance between the terminal device and the second reference position is less than or equal to the second threshold.

53. The terminal device as described in claim 51 or 52, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the measurement result, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The measurement result of the source cell is less than or equal to the first measurement result threshold; The measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to the second measurement result threshold; The difference between the measurement result of the source cell and the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to the third measurement result threshold.

54. The terminal device as described in any one of claims 51-53, characterized in that, If the first condition is associated with the first time point, the first condition includes arriving at the first time point; or If the first condition is associated with the first time period, the first condition includes entering the first time period.

55. The terminal device as described in claim 50, characterized in that, The terminal device also includes: A first receiving unit is configured to receive first information sent by the network device, wherein the first information is used to instruct the transmission of the first uplink reference signal, and / or The first information is used to indicate that the transmission mode of the first uplink reference signal is one of the following: periodic transmission; semi-static transmission; aperiodic transmission.

56. The terminal device as described in any one of claims 50-55, characterized in that, The mobility management includes one or more of the following processes: failure recovery process; Switching process; Switching preparation; Uplink synchronization; downlink synchronization; candidate cell evaluation; measurement reporting; synchronization process for cell handover; beam management; beam failure detection.

57. The terminal device as described in claim 56, characterized in that, The mobility management includes the failure recovery process, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the candidate cell associated with the failure recovery.

58. The terminal device as described in claim 57, characterized in that, The terminal device also includes: The second receiving unit is configured to receive first configuration information sent by the network device, wherein the first configuration information configures multiple uplink reference signals associated with multiple candidate cells for failure recovery, and the multiple uplink reference signals include the first uplink reference signal.

59. The terminal device as described in claim 57 or 58, characterized in that, The candidate cell for failure recovery belongs to a different CU than the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover; or The cell group associated with the candidate cell that failed to recover is different from the cell group associated with the cell that failed to perform cell handover by the terminal device.

60. The terminal device as described in claim 56, characterized in that, The mobility management includes the handover procedure, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the target cell or target beam associated with the handover.

61. The terminal device as described in claim 60, characterized in that, The configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with one of the following: candidate cell, source cell, TCI state, TCI state of the source cell, TCI state of the candidate cell, beam of the source cell, and beam of the candidate cell.

62. The terminal device as described in claim 60 or 61, characterized in that, The configuration of the first uplink reference signal is configured by the serving network device or the target network device.

63. The terminal device as described in any one of claims 60-62, characterized in that, The network device is a service network device, and the terminal device further includes: The third receiving unit is configured to receive first indication information sent by the network device, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more of the following: Trigger the uplink synchronization process; Activate the TCI state associated with the first uplink reference signal; Instruct the terminal device to perform beam switching.

64. The terminal device as described in any one of claims 50-63, characterized in that, The first uplink reference signal includes SRS or a preamble; and / or The first uplink reference signal is carried on the random access channel.

65. A network device, characterized in that, include: The receiving unit is configured to receive a first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device, the first uplink reference signal being used for mobility management of the terminal device, and the network device being the serving network device of the terminal device.

66. The network device as described in claim 65, characterized in that, The receiving unit is used for: The first condition is met, and the first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device is received. The first condition is associated with one or more of the following: First point in time; First time period; The location of the terminal device; Measurement results of the source cell; Measurement results of candidate cells.

67. The network device as described in claim 66, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the location of the terminal device, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The terminal device enters the first area; The terminal device leaves the second area; The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position is greater than or equal to the first threshold. The distance between the terminal device and the second reference position is less than or equal to the second threshold.

68. The network device as described in claim 66 or 67, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the measurement result, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The measurement result of the source cell is less than or equal to the first measurement result threshold; The measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to the second measurement result threshold; The difference between the measurement result of the source cell and the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to the third measurement result threshold.

69. The network device as described in any one of claims 66-68, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the first time point, and the first condition includes reaching the first time point; or If the first condition is associated with the first time period, the first condition includes entering the first time period.

70. The network device as described in claim 65, characterized in that, The network device also includes: The first transmitting unit is configured to transmit first information to the terminal device, wherein the first information is used to instruct the transmission of the first uplink reference signal, and / or The first information is used to indicate that the transmission mode of the first uplink reference signal is one of the following: periodic transmission; semi-static transmission; aperiodic transmission.

71. The network device as described in any one of claims 65-70, characterized in that, The mobility management includes one or more of the following processes: failure recovery process; handover process; handover preparation; Uplink synchronization; downlink synchronization; candidate cell evaluation; measurement reporting; synchronization process for cell handover; beam management; beam failure detection.

72. The network device as described in claim 71, characterized in that, The mobility management includes the failure recovery process, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the candidate cell associated with the failure recovery.

73. The network device as described in claim 72, characterized in that, The network device also includes: The second sending unit is configured to send first configuration information to the terminal device, wherein the first configuration information configures multiple uplink reference signals associated with multiple candidate cells for failure recovery, and the multiple uplink reference signals include the first uplink reference signal.

74. The network device as described in claim 72 or 73, characterized in that, The candidate cell for failure recovery belongs to a different CU than the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover; or The cell group associated with the candidate cell that failed to recover is different from the cell group associated with the cell that failed to perform cell handover by the terminal device.

75. The network device as described in any one of claims 72-74, characterized in that, The network device also includes: The third sending unit is used to send second indication information to the target network device, the second indication information being used to indicate the updated key of the terminal device.

76. The network device as described in claim 71, characterized in that, The mobility management includes the handover procedure, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the target cell or target beam associated with the handover.

77. The network device as described in claim 76, characterized in that, The configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with one of the following: candidate cell, source cell, TCI state, TCI state of the source cell, TCI state of the candidate cell, beam of the source cell, and beam of the candidate cell.

78. The network device as described in claim 76 or 77, characterized in that, The configuration of the first uplink reference signal is configured by the serving network device or the target network device.

79. The network device as described in any one of claims 76-78, characterized in that, The network device also includes: The fourth sending unit is configured to send first indication information to the terminal device, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate one or more of the following: Trigger the uplink synchronization process; Activate the TCI state associated with the first uplink reference signal; Instruct the terminal device to perform beam switching.

80. The network device as described in any one of claims 76-79, characterized in that, The network device also includes: The network device sends a third indication message to the target network device, the third indication message being used to indicate the uplink information sent by the terminal device.

81. The network device as described in any one of claims 65-80, characterized in that, The first uplink reference signal includes SRS or a preamble; and / or The first uplink reference signal is carried on the random access channel.

82. A network device, characterized in that, include: The receiving unit is configured to receive a first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device, the first uplink reference signal being used for mobility management of the terminal device, and the network device being a network device in the candidate cell for mobility management.

83. The network device as described in claim 82, characterized in that, The receiving unit is used for: The first condition is met, and the first uplink reference signal sent by the terminal device is received. The first condition is associated with one or more of the following: First point in time; First time period; The location of the terminal device; Measurement results of the source cell; Measurement results of candidate cells.

84. The network device as described in claim 83, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the location of the terminal device, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The terminal device enters the first area; The terminal device leaves the second area; The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position is greater than or equal to the first threshold. The distance between the terminal device and the second reference position is less than or equal to the second threshold.

85. The network device as described in claim 83 or 84, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the measurement result, and the first condition includes one or more of the following: The measurement result of the source cell is less than or equal to the first measurement result threshold; The measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to the second measurement result threshold; The difference between the measurement result of the source cell and the measurement result of the candidate cell is greater than or equal to the third measurement result threshold.

86. The network device as described in any one of claims 83-85, characterized in that, The first condition is associated with the first time, and the first condition includes arriving at the first time point; or If the first condition is associated with the first time period, the first condition includes entering the first time period.

87. The network device as described in claim 82, characterized in that, The network device also includes: The first transmitting unit is configured to transmit first information to the terminal device, wherein the first information is used to instruct the transmission of the first uplink reference signal, and / or The first information is used to indicate that the transmission mode of the first uplink reference signal is one of the following: periodic transmission; semi-static transmission; aperiodic transmission.

88. The network device as described in any one of claims 82-87, characterized in that, The mobility management includes one or more of the following processes: failure recovery process; handover process; handover preparation; uplink synchronization; downlink synchronization; candidate cell evaluation; measurement reporting; synchronization process for cell handover; beam management; beam failure detection.

89. The network device as described in claim 88, characterized in that, The mobility management includes the failure recovery process, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the candidate cell associated with the failure recovery.

90. The network device as described in claim 89, characterized in that, The candidate cell for failure recovery belongs to a different CU than the cell where the terminal device failed to perform cell handover; or The cell group associated with the candidate cell that failed to recover is different from the cell group associated with the cell that failed to perform cell handover by the terminal device.

91. The network device as described in claim 89 or 90, characterized in that, The receiving unit is configured to receive second indication information sent by the service network device, the second indication information being used to indicate the update key of the terminal device.

92. The network device as described in any one of claims 89-91, characterized in that, The network device also includes: The second sending unit is configured to send a first request to the serving network device, wherein the first request is used to request the update key of the terminal device.

93. The network device as described in claim 88, characterized in that, The mobility management includes the handover procedure, wherein the first uplink reference signal is used to determine the target cell or target beam associated with the handover.

94. The network device as described in claim 93, characterized in that, The configuration of the first uplink reference signal is associated with one of the following: candidate cell, source cell, TCI state, TCI state of the source cell, TCI state of the candidate cell, beam of the source cell, and beam of the candidate cell.

95. The network device as described in claim 93 or 94, characterized in that, The configuration of the first uplink reference signal is configured by the source network device or the target network device.

96. The network device as described in any one of claims 93-95, characterized in that, The network device also includes: In response to receiving the first uplink reference signal, the processing unit is configured to perform one or more of the following: Determine the uplink TA of the terminal device; Monitor the uplink transmission of the terminal device; The TCI state activated by the terminal device is determined; Determine the beam used in the advance uplink synchronization process; Determine the beam used in the RACH procedure, which is used for cell handover; Determine the beam used for downlink synchronization; Determine the TCI state used for downlink synchronization.

97. The network device as described in claim 96, characterized in that, The network device also includes: The third sending unit is used to send a fourth indication information to the serving network device, the fourth indication information being used to indicate the TCI state activated for the terminal device.

98. The network device as described in any one of claims 82-97, characterized in that, The first uplink reference signal includes SRS or a preamble; and / or The first uplink reference signal is carried on the random access channel.

99. A terminal device, characterized in that, The device includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor. The memory stores a program, and the processor invokes the program in the memory and controls the transceiver to receive or send signals so that the terminal device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1-15.

100. A network device, characterized in that, The device includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor. The memory stores a program, and the processor invokes the program in the memory and controls the transceiver to receive or transmit signals so that the network device performs the method as described in any one of claims 16-98.

101. An apparatus, characterized in that, Includes a processor for calling a program from memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-98.

102. A chip, characterized in that, Includes a processor for calling a program from memory, causing a device on which the chip is mounted to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-98.

103. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It contains a program that causes a computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-98.

104. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a program that causes a computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-98.

105. A computer program, characterized in that, The computer program causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-98.

Images