Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed in the embodiments of the present application are a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: receiving a resource configuration from a first network device; and on the basis of prediction information of at least one beam, using the resource configuration to access a second network device, wherein the at least one beam includes a beam in a cell of the second network device. A terminal device accesses a target cell by means of prediction information of at least one beam, without the need for an operation of measuring a beam in a cell of a second network device. In this way, the time required for the terminal device to wait for a target beam to appear during handover is reduced, such that the terminal device can access the second network device as soon as possible after disconnecting from a source cell, thereby reducing a handover interruption delay, and ensuring the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411907152.X, filed on December 20, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] Handover is a mobility management technology used to switch user equipment (UE) from one cell (source cell) to another cell (target cell) so that when the cell that previously provided services to the UE can no longer support the UE's services, another cell that can continue to provide services to the UE can be selected, thus ensuring the continuity of UE services.

[0004] In non-terrestrial network (NTN) scenarios, due to the large beam period, the UE disconnects from the source cell immediately after receiving the handover command and may need to wait for a long time to complete operations such as beam measurement of the target cell, resulting in a large handover interruption delay during the handover process. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can reduce the latency of handover interruptions.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal device or a communication module in the terminal device, or a circuit or chip in the terminal device responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip). Taking the application of this method to a terminal device as an example, the method includes:

[0007] Receive resource configuration from a first network device; access a second network device using the resource configuration based on prediction information of at least one beam, wherein the at least one beam includes beams within the cell of the second network device.

[0008] The terminal device accesses the cell of the second network device through the prediction information of at least one beam, eliminating the need to measure the beams within the cell of the second network device. This reduces the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during the handover process, enabling the terminal device to access the second network device as soon as possible after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces the latency of handover interruption and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0009] In one possible design, the resource configuration is used to instruct a first resource to be used to send first information to the second network device. By directly using the first resource to send the first information, the operation of measuring the beam within the cell of the second network device is eliminated, thereby reducing the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during the handover process. This allows the terminal device to access the second network device as soon as possible after disconnecting from the source cell, thereby reducing the latency of handover interruption and ensuring the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0010] In one possible design, the prediction information of the at least one beam includes time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the at least one beam, and based on the time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the at least one beam, first information is sent to the second network device.

[0011] In one possible design, based on the prediction information of the at least one beam, a first beam is selected from the at least one beam, and the first beam is used to receive second information from the second network device. By selecting the first beam to receive the second information using the prediction information of at least one beam, the operation of measuring the beams within the cell of the second network device is eliminated. This reduces the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during handover, enabling the terminal device to access the second network device as quickly as possible after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces handover interruption latency and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0012] In one possible design, a first beam is selected from the at least one beam based on the location information of the terminal device; the first beam is then used to receive second information from the second network device. By selecting the first beam to receive the second information using the terminal device's location information, the operation of measuring the beams within the cell of the second network device is eliminated. This reduces the time the terminal device needs to wait for the target beam to appear during handover, allowing the terminal device to quickly access the second network device after disconnecting from the source cell. This further reduces handover interruption latency and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0013] In one possible design, third indication information is received from the second network device, the third indication information indicating a first beam among the at least one beams; second information from the second network device is received using the first beam. Receiving the second information from the second network device via the first beam indicated by the second network device eliminates the need to measure the beams within the cell of the second network device, thereby reducing the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during handover. This allows the terminal device to access the second network device as quickly as possible after disconnecting from the source cell, thus reducing handover interruption latency and ensuring the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0014] In one possible design, the resource configuration includes a correspondence between resources and beams; based on the prediction information of the at least one beam, a second beam is selected from the at least one beam; and the resource corresponding to the second beam in the resource configuration is used to send first information to the second network device. By selecting the resource corresponding to the second beam and sending the first information using the prediction information of at least one beam, the operation of measuring the beams within the cell of the second network device is eliminated, thereby reducing the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during handover. This allows the terminal device to access the second network device as quickly as possible after disconnecting from the source cell, thus reducing the latency of handover interruptions and ensuring the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0015] In one possible design, the prediction information of the at least one beam includes time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the at least one beam. Based on the prediction information of the at least one beam, a second beam is selected from the at least one beam. Based on the time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the second beam, first information is sent to the second network device.

[0016] In one possible design, the resource configuration includes at least one of the following: random access resources, or configuration of authorized CG resource configuration.

[0017] In one possible design, the period of the resource indicated by the resource configuration is less than the period of the beam corresponding to the resource indicated by the resource configuration, or the minimum value of the period of the resource indicated by the resource configuration is less than the minimum value of the period of the beam corresponding to the resource indicated by the resource configuration.

[0018] In one possible design, the resource configuration includes the correspondence between the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and beams; selecting a third beam from the at least one beam based on the prediction information of the at least one beam; and receiving scheduling information carried by the PDCCH corresponding to the third beam, wherein the scheduling information is used to indicate resources for transmitting first information. In a handover scenario without random access, selecting a third beam using the prediction information of at least one beam and obtaining resources for transmitting first information by receiving the scheduling information carried by the PDCCH eliminates the need to measure beams within the cell of the second network device. This reduces the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during handover, enabling the terminal device to access the second network device as quickly as possible after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces handover interruption latency and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0019] In one possible design, the prediction information of the at least one beam includes at least one of the following: the quality of the at least one beam, the time offset information of the at least one beam, or the frequency offset information of the at least one beam.

[0020] In one possible design, the prediction information for the at least one beam includes prediction information for one or more time periods.

[0021] In one possible design, prediction information of the at least one beam is sent to the first network device, the prediction information of the at least one beam being used to determine the resource configuration.

[0022] In one possible design, a second indication information is received from a first network device, the second indication information being used to indicate the reporting of prediction information for the at least one beam.

[0023] In one possible design, the reported at least one beam is specified by the first network device or determined by the terminal device to meet preset conditions, which are configured by the first network device, defined by a protocol, or determined by the terminal device.

[0024] In one possible design, a first indication message is sent to the first network device, the first indication message being used to indicate the predicted support status of the at least one beam.

[0025] In one possible design, the first indication information includes multiple prediction levels supported by the terminal device.

[0026] In one possible design, the resource configuration is carried on first information, which is used to indicate a switch.

[0027] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the network side, such as a network device or a communication module in a network device, or a circuit or chip in a network device responsible for communication functions. Taking the application of this method to a first network device as an example, the method includes:

[0028] Send resource configuration to the terminal device, the resource configuration being used by the terminal device to access the second network device based on prediction information of at least one beam, wherein the at least one beam includes beams within the cell of the second network device.

[0029] By sending resource configuration to the terminal device, the terminal device can access the second network device based on the prediction information of at least one beam. This eliminates the need for the terminal device to measure the beams within the cell of the second network device, thereby reducing the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during the handover process. This allows the terminal device to access the second network device as soon as possible after disconnecting from the source cell, thus reducing the latency of handover interruption and ensuring the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0030] In one possible design, prediction information for at least one beam is received from the terminal device, and this prediction information is used to determine the resource configuration. By sending the prediction information for at least one beam to a second network device, the second network device provides the terminal device with resources to access the second network device.

[0031] In one possible design, the second network device is selected for switching based on the prediction information of the at least one beam.

[0032] In one possible design, a second indication message is sent to the terminal device, the second indication message being used to indicate the reporting of prediction information for the at least one beam.

[0033] In one possible design, the reported at least one beam is specified by the first network device or determined by the terminal device to meet preset conditions, which are configured by the first network device, defined by a protocol, or determined by the terminal device.

[0034] In one possible design, a first indication information is received from the terminal device, the first indication information being used to indicate the predicted support status of the at least one beam.

[0035] In one possible design, the first indication information includes multiple prediction levels supported by the terminal device.

[0036] In one possible design, the prediction information of the at least one beam includes at least one of the following: the quality of the at least one beam, the time offset information of the at least one beam, or the frequency offset information of the at least one beam.

[0037] In one possible design, the prediction information for the at least one beam includes prediction information for multiple time periods.

[0038] In one possible design, the resource configuration is carried on first information, which is used to indicate a switch.

[0039] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the network side, such as a network device or a communication module within a network device, or a circuit or chip within a network device responsible for communication functions. Taking the application of this method to a second network device as an example, the method includes:

[0040] The resource configuration is determined for the terminal device to access the second network device based on the prediction information of at least one beam, wherein the at least one beam includes beams within the cell of the second network device.

[0041] By determining the resource configuration, the terminal device can access the second network device based on the prediction information of at least one beam, eliminating the need for the terminal device to measure the beams within the cell of the second network device. This reduces the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during the handover process, enabling the terminal device to access the second network device as soon as possible after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces the latency of handover interruption and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0042] In one possible design, resource configuration is used to indicate a first resource, which is used to receive first information transmitted from the terminal device. By directly using the first resource to receive the first information, the terminal device is spared the operation of measuring the beam within the cell of the second network device, thereby reducing the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during handover. This allows the terminal device to access the second network device as quickly as possible after disconnecting from the source cell, thus reducing the latency of handover interruptions and ensuring the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0043] In one possible design, a first beam is selected from the at least one beam based on the prediction information of the at least one beam; the first beam is then used to send second information to the terminal device. By selecting the first beam to send the second information using the prediction information of at least one beam, the terminal device is spared the operation of measuring the beams within the cell of the second network device. This reduces the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during handover, enabling the terminal device to access the second network device as quickly as possible after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces handover interruption latency and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0044] In one possible design, a first beam is selected from the at least one beam based on the location information of the terminal device; the first beam is then used to send second information to the terminal device. By selecting the first beam and sending the second information using the terminal device's location information, the terminal device is spared the operation of measuring beams within the cell of the second network device. This reduces the time the terminal device spends waiting for the target beam to appear during handover, allowing it to quickly access the second network device after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces handover interruption latency and ensures the terminal device's mobility performance and service continuity.

[0045] In one possible design, a third indication message is sent to the terminal device, the third indication message indicating a first beam among the at least one beams; and a second message is sent to the terminal device using the first beam. By indicating the first beam to the terminal device and using the first beam to send the second message, the terminal device is spared the operation of measuring the beams within the cell of the second network device, thereby reducing the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during handover. This allows the terminal device to access the second network device as quickly as possible after disconnecting from the source cell, thus reducing the latency of handover interruptions and ensuring the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0046] In one possible design, the resource configuration includes a resource-beam mapping relationship, receiving first information from the terminal device; determining a second beam corresponding to the resource used by the terminal device to send the first information, and sending second information to the terminal device using the second beam. Since the second beam is selected by the terminal device based on prediction information of at least one beam, the terminal device is exempt from measuring beams within the cell of the second network device. This reduces the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during handover, enabling the terminal device to access the second network device as quickly as possible after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces handover interruption latency and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0047] In one possible design, the resource configuration includes at least one of the following: random access resources, or configuration of authorized CG resource configuration.

[0048] In one possible design, the resource configuration includes the correspondence between the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and beams; selecting a third beam from the at least one beam based on prediction information of the at least one beam; and transmitting scheduling information on the PDCCH corresponding to the third beam, the scheduling information indicating the resources used to transmit the first information. By selecting a third beam and transmitting scheduling information using the prediction information of at least one beam, the terminal device can obtain resources to access the second network device, eliminating the need for the terminal device to measure the beams within the cell of the second network device. This reduces the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during handover, enabling the terminal device to access the second network device as quickly as possible after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces handover interruption latency and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0049] In one possible design, prediction information of the at least one beam is received.

[0050] In one possible design, the resource configuration is determined based on the prediction information of the at least one beam. For example, resources can be provided to the terminal device for multiple time periods based on prediction information for multiple time periods.

[0051] In one possible design, the prediction information of the at least one beam includes at least one of the following: the quality of the at least one beam, the time offset information of the at least one beam, or the frequency offset information of the at least one beam.

[0052] In one possible design, the prediction information for the at least one beam includes prediction information for multiple time periods.

[0053] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal device or a communication module in a terminal device, or a circuit or chip in the terminal device responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core). Taking the application of this method to a terminal device as an example, the method includes:

[0054] Send first information to the first network device, the first information including the time information of the beam of the cell of the second network device, the first information being used for handover.

[0055] By providing first information to the first network device, the first network device can trigger a handover when the optimal beam of the cell closest to the second network device appears. This not only reduces the complexity of the first network device obtaining the first information, but also reduces the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during the handover process. This allows the terminal device to maintain a connection with the source cell as much as possible, disconnect from the source cell when the optimal beam of the cell closest to the second network device appears, and access the target cell as soon as possible after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces the latency of the handover interruption and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0056] In one possible design, the beam is one or more optimal beams.

[0057] In one possible design, the first information includes the time point at which the beam appears.

[0058] In one possible design, the first information is used to determine the time to trigger the switch.

[0059] In one possible design, the terminal device receives first indication information from the first network device, the first indication information being used to instruct the reporting of the first information.

[0060] In one possible design, the terminal device receives second information from the first network device, which is transmitted by the first network device within a first time period before the optimal beam appears in the cell of the second network device. Based on the second information, a handover is performed. This allows the terminal device to maintain a connection with the source cell as much as possible, disconnect from the source cell when the optimal beam appears near the cell of the second network device, and connect to the target cell as quickly as possible after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces the latency of handover interruptions and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0061] In one possible design, the first information may further include at least one of the following: the identifier of the beam, or the period of the beam.

[0062] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the network side, such as a network device or a communication module within a network device, or a circuit or chip within a network device responsible for communication functions. Taking the application of this method to a first network device as an example, the method includes:

[0063] Receive first information from the terminal device, the first information including the time information of the beam of the cell of the second network device; determine handover based on the first information.

[0064] By receiving the first information from the terminal device, the first network device can trigger a handover when the optimal beam of the cell closest to the second network device appears. This not only reduces the complexity of the first network device obtaining the first information, but also reduces the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during the handover process. This allows the terminal device to maintain a connection with the source cell as much as possible, disconnect from the source cell when the optimal beam of the cell closest to the second network device appears, and connect to the target cell as soon as possible after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces the latency of the handover interruption and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0065] In one possible design, the beam is one or more optimal beams.

[0066] In one possible design, the first information includes the time point at which the beam appears.

[0067] In one possible design, the first information is used to determine the time to trigger the switch.

[0068] In one possible design, during a first time period before the optimal beam appears in the cell of the second network device, a second message is sent to the terminal device, indicating the start of handover. This allows the terminal device to maintain a connection with the source cell as much as possible, disconnect from the source cell when the optimal beam appears near the cell of the second network device, and connect to the target cell as quickly as possible after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces handover interruption latency and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0069] In one possible design, the first network device sends a first indication message to the terminal device, the first indication message being used to instruct the reporting of the first information.

[0070] In one possible design, the first information may further include at least one of the following: the identifier of the optimal beam, or the period of the optimal beam.

[0071] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that performs the functions described in the first and fourth aspects above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the operations involved in the first and fourth aspects. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The communication device may be, for example, a terminal device or a communication module within a terminal device, or a circuit or chip in a terminal device responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip). The device includes:

[0072] In one embodiment:

[0073] A receiving module is used to receive resource configurations from the first network device;

[0074] A processing module is configured to access a second network device using the resource configuration based on prediction information of at least one beam, wherein the at least one beam includes beams within the cell of the second network device.

[0075] In one possible design, the resource configuration is used to indicate a first resource, and the sending module is used to send first information to the second network device using the first resource.

[0076] In one possible design, the prediction information for the at least one beam includes time offset information and / or frequency offset information for the at least one beam.

[0077] The transmitting module is used to transmit first information to the second network device based on the time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the at least one beam.

[0078] In one possible design, a processing module is configured to select a first beam from the at least one beam based on prediction information of the at least one beam; and a receiving module is configured to receive second information from the second network device using the first beam.

[0079] In one possible design, the resource configuration includes the correspondence between resources and beams;

[0080] A processing module is configured to select a second beam from the at least one beam based on the prediction information of the at least one beam;

[0081] The sending module is used to send first information to the second network device using the resources corresponding to the second beam in the resource configuration.

[0082] In one possible design, the prediction information of the at least one beam includes time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the at least one beam.

[0083] A processing module is configured to select a second beam from the at least one beam based on the prediction information of the at least one beam;

[0084] The transmitting module is used to transmit first information to the second network device based on the time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the second beam.

[0085] In one possible design, the resource configuration includes at least one of the following: random access resources, or configuration of authorized CG resource configuration.

[0086] In one possible design, the period of the resource indicated by the resource configuration is less than the period of the beam corresponding to the resource indicated by the resource configuration, or the minimum value of the period of the resource indicated by the resource configuration is less than the minimum value of the period of the beam corresponding to the resource indicated by the resource configuration.

[0087] In one possible design, the resource configuration includes the correspondence between the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and the beam;

[0088] A processing module is configured to select a third beam from the at least one beam based on the prediction information of the at least one beam;

[0089] The receiving module is used to receive the scheduling information carried by the PDCCH corresponding to the third beam, and the scheduling information is used to indicate the resources used to send the first information.

[0090] In one possible design, the prediction information of the at least one beam includes at least one of the following: the quality of the at least one beam, the time offset information of the at least one beam, or the frequency offset information of the at least one beam.

[0091] In one possible design, the prediction information for the at least one beam includes prediction information for one or more time periods.

[0092] In one possible design, a transmitting module is configured to transmit prediction information of the at least one beam to the first network device, the prediction information of the at least one beam being used to determine the resource configuration.

[0093] In one possible design, the transmitting module is configured to transmit first indication information to the first network device, the first indication information being used to indicate the predicted support status of the at least one beam.

[0094] In one possible design, the first indication information includes multiple prediction levels supported by the terminal device.

[0095] In one possible design, the resource configuration is carried on third information, which is used to indicate a switch.

[0096] In another embodiment:

[0097] The transmitting module is used to send first information to the first network device, the first information including the time information of the beam of the cell of the second network device, and the first information is used for handover.

[0098] In one possible design, the beam is one or more optimal beams.

[0099] In one possible design, the first information includes the time point at which the beam appears.

[0100] In one possible design, the first information is used to determine the time to trigger the switch.

[0101] The operation and beneficial effects of the communication device can be found in the methods and beneficial effects described in the first and fourth aspects above, and will not be repeated here.

[0102] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that performs the functions described in the second, third, and fifth aspects above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the operations involved in the second, third, and fifth aspects. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The communication device may be, for example, a network device or a communication module within a network device, or a circuit or chip within a network device responsible for communication functions. The device includes:

[0103] In one embodiment:

[0104] The sending module is used to send resource configuration to the terminal device. The resource configuration is used by the terminal device to access the second network device based on the prediction information of at least one beam, wherein the at least one beam includes beams within the cell of the second network device.

[0105] In one possible design, a receiving module is configured to receive prediction information of at least one beam from the terminal device, the prediction information of the at least one beam being used to determine the resource configuration.

[0106] In one possible design, a processing module is configured to select the second network device for switching based on the prediction information of the at least one beam.

[0107] In another embodiment:

[0108] A processing module is used to determine resource configuration, the resource configuration being used by a terminal device to access a second network device based on prediction information of at least one beam, wherein the at least one beam includes beams within the cell of the second network device.

[0109] In one possible design, the resource configuration is used to indicate a first resource;

[0110] The receiving module is used to receive first information sent from the terminal device using the first resource.

[0111] In one possible design, a processing module is configured to select a first beam from the at least one beam based on the prediction information of the at least one beam; and a transmitting module is configured to transmit second information to the terminal device using the first beam.

[0112] In one possible design, the resource configuration includes the correspondence between resources and beams;

[0113] The receiving module is used to receive first information from the terminal device;

[0114] The sending module is used to determine the second beam corresponding to the resource used by the terminal device to send the first information, and to send the second information to the terminal device using the second beam.

[0115] In one possible design, the resource configuration includes at least one of the following: random access resources, or configuration of authorized CG resource configuration.

[0116] In one possible design, the resource configuration includes the correspondence between the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and the beam;

[0117] A processing module is configured to select a third beam from the at least one beam based on the prediction information of the at least one beam;

[0118] The transmitting module is used to transmit scheduling information on the PDCCH corresponding to the third beam, the scheduling information being used to indicate the resources used to transmit the first information.

[0119] In one possible design, a receiving module is used to receive prediction information of the at least one beam.

[0120] In one possible design, a processing module is used to determine the resource configuration based on the prediction information of the at least one beam.

[0121] In another embodiment:

[0122] The transmitting module is used to send first information to the first network device, the first information including the time information of the beam of the cell of the second network device, and the first information is used for handover.

[0123] In one possible design, the beam is one or more optimal beams.

[0124] In one possible design, the first information includes the time point at which the beam appears.

[0125] In one possible design, the first information is used to determine the time to trigger the switch.

[0126] The operation performed by the communication device and its beneficial effects can be found in the methods and beneficial effects described in the second, third and fifth aspects above, and will not be repeated here.

[0127] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes one or more processors. Optionally, it also includes a memory for storing part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the first and fourth aspects described above. The one or more processors are capable of executing the computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first and fourth aspects described above.

[0128] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0129] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0130] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal device, a communication module in a terminal device, or a chip in a terminal device that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip that contains a modem module.

[0131] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, the communication device including one or more processors. Optionally, it further includes a memory for storing part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the second, third, and fifth aspects described above. The one or more processors are capable of executing the computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, they cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the second, third, and fifth aspects described above.

[0132] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0133] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0134] The aforementioned communication device may be a network device, a communication module in a network device, or a chip in a network device that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip that contains a modem module.

[0135] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program that, when executed, causes the method described in any one of the first to fifth aspects to be implemented.

[0136] In one aspect, this application provides a computer program product including a computer program that, when executed, causes the method described in any one of the first to fifth aspects to be implemented.

[0137] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication system including a terminal device and a network device. The terminal device is used to perform the steps in the first and fourth aspects described above, and the network device is used to perform the steps in the second, third, and fifth aspects described above.

[0138] In a thirteenth aspect, a chip or chip system is provided, the chip or chip system including at least one processor and a communication interface for communicating with external or internal devices, the processor for implementing the methods of the above aspects.

[0139] In one possible design, the chip may further include a memory storing computer programs or instructions, which the processor executes, either from the stored computer programs or instructions or derived from other programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the processor implements the methods described above.

[0140] In one possible design, the chip can be integrated into a terminal device or a network device. Attached Figure Description

[0141] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system;

[0142] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system;

[0143] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a transparent transmission architecture;

[0144] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a regenerative architecture;

[0145] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a quasi-stationary NTN cell on the ground;

[0146] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a ground-based mobile NTN cell;

[0147] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of beamforming;

[0148] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of beam coverage in an NTN cell;

[0149] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an SSB cycle extension;

[0150] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of an interrupt switching mechanism;

[0151] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a RACH-less handover interrupt;

[0152] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0153] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a random access resource;

[0154] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0155] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0156] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0157] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0158] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0159] The following explains the key terms used in this application:

[0160] Reference signal received power (RSRP) is defined as the linear average power of the resource element (RE) carrying the reference signal (synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block, or channel state information-reference signal, CSI-RS) within the measured bandwidth under consideration. Depending on whether the reference signal is SSB or CSI-RS, the corresponding RSRP can be called SS-RSRP or CSI-RSRP.

[0161] Reference signal received quality (RSRQ) is defined as a ratio. The Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) is the linear average of the total received power observed by the UE across N resource blocks (RBs). Sources include co-channel serving cells and non-serving cells, adjacent channel interference, thermal noise, etc. N represents the number of resource blocks (RBs) in the RSSI measurement. RSRP can be either SS-RSRP or CSI-RSRP.

[0162] The signal-to-noise and interference ratio (SINR) is defined as the ratio between the linear average power of the RE carrying the reference signal (SSB or CSI-RS) and the linear average power of the noise and interference on the RE within the measured bandwidth under consideration.

[0163] Figure 1A shows a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture. This system comprises two parts: a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) and a 5th-generation core network (5GC). NG-RAN is used to implement radio access-related functions. NG-RAN mainly includes RAN equipment, while the core network mainly includes access and mobility management function (AMF) entities, user plane function (UPF) entities, etc. Among them:

[0164] RAN equipment provides radio access for terminal devices. RAN equipment includes 5G base stations (next generation node B, gNB) or LTE base stations (not next generation evolved node B, ng-eNB). For gNB, it provides the endpoints for the new radio (NR) user plane and control plane protocols. For ng-eNB, it provides the endpoints for the evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) user plane and control plane protocol stacks. gNBs connect to each other, gNBs connect to ng-eNBs, and ng-eNBs connect to each other via the Xn interface. gNBs and ng-eNBs connect to the 5GC via the next generation (NG) interface. Specifically, they connect to AMF entities via the NG-C interface and to UPF entities via the NR-U interface.

[0165] The AMF entity is primarily responsible for mobility management in mobile networks, such as user location updates, user network registration, and user handover. The UPF entity is primarily responsible for processing user packets, such as forwarding and accounting.

[0166] As shown in Figure 1B, Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of another communication system architecture. This communication system may include network device 110 and terminal devices 101 to 106. It should be understood that a communication system to which the methods of the embodiments of this application can be applied may include more or fewer network devices or terminal devices. In this communication system, network device 110 and terminal devices 101 to 106 form a communication system. Terminal devices 101 to 106 can send uplink data to network device 110, and network device 110 needs to receive the uplink data sent by terminal devices 101 to 106. In addition, terminal devices 104 to 106 can also form a communication system. In this communication system, the network device can send downlink information to terminal devices 101, 102, and 105, etc.; terminal device 105 can also send downlink information to terminal devices 104 and 106.

[0167] Network devices can be devices or modules located on the network side of the aforementioned communication system and possessing corresponding communication functions. Network devices typically contain communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform the corresponding communication functions. They also contain program instructions for performing these functions, as well as corresponding program instructions. A network device is a device deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. Network devices can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, etc. In systems employing different radio access technologies, the name of the network device may differ, such as a base transceiver station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, an NB (NodeB) in Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), or an eNB or eNodeB (evolutionary nodeB) in Long Term Evolution (LTE). Network devices can also be radio controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios. Network equipment can also be base station equipment in future 5G networks or network equipment in future evolved PLMN networks. Network equipment can also be wearable devices or vehicle-mounted devices. Network equipment can also be transmission and reception points (TRPs).

[0168] Terminal devices can be devices or modules that access the aforementioned communication systems and possess corresponding communication functions. Terminal devices typically contain communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform the corresponding communication functions. They may also be configured with program instructions for performing these functions. Terminal devices can include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem that have wireless communication capabilities. Terminals can be mobile stations (MS), subscriber units, cellular phones, smartphones, wireless data cards, personal digital assistant (PDA) computers, tablet computers, wireless modems, handsets, laptop computers, machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, etc.

[0169] The technical solutions in this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, 4th generation (4G) mobile communication system, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, such as New Radio (NR) system, and future evolution communication systems, etc.

[0170] The embodiments of this application are not limited to NTN scenarios, but can also be applied to other scenarios with long beam measurement times or long beam periods. The aforementioned network devices (e.g., base stations) can be located on the ground and connected to satellites via gateways (transparent architecture), or they can be located directly on satellites (regenerative architecture).

[0171] (1) Non-terrestrial network (NTN)

[0172] NTN is a general term for networks involving flying objects, including satellite communication networks, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), and air-to-ground networks. Key value scenarios mainly include areas with poor land coverage, maritime communication, public safety needs, inter-aircraft communication, and railways, aiming to provide users with mobile broadband services.

[0173] HAPS is carried on airborne platforms, mainly including airplanes, balloons, and airships. It uses high-altitude platform stations as mobile communication base stations and provides mobile services using the same frequency bands as terrestrial mobile networks.

[0174] Satellite communication networks rely on onboard platforms, primarily including low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites. Based on the relationship between satellites and base stations, they can be divided into the following two architectures:

[0175] First, the transparent payload architecture. As shown in Figure 2, this is a schematic diagram of a transparent payload architecture. The satellite is only responsible for signal forwarding and has no data processing capabilities. The base station (gNB) is located on the ground, and the satellite is connected to the base station through a ground gateway. The signal between the UE and the base station is transmitted through the satellite, while the data processing function still resides at the base station. The scenarios and protocol stacks of the transparent payload architecture are described below. The link between the satellite and the UE is called the service link, and the link between the satellite and the base station is called the feeder link.

[0176] Second, regenerative payload architecture. As shown in Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of a regenerative payload architecture, the satellite possesses all or part of the functions of a base station, meaning the satellite can perform data processing. Specifically, it can be categorized into various forms, such as a complete base station located on a satellite, a distributed unit (DU) located on a satellite while a centralized unit (CU) is located on the ground, and so on, along with different scenarios and protocol stacks. The link between the satellite / base station and the UE is called a service link.

[0177] Based on the movement of NTN cells within the ground coverage area, NTN cells can be divided into the following three categories:

[0178] Earth-fixed: The coverage area of ​​this type of NTN cell is fixed to a specific area on the ground, i.e., continuous fixed-point coverage. The NTN cells provided by GEO satellites are of this type.

[0179] Quasi-earth-fixed NTN cells: The coverage area of ​​this type of NTN cell is fixed to a specific area on the ground for a period of time, and then changes to another area on the ground after a period of time, i.e., fixed-point coverage within a certain time period. LEO and MEO satellites can provide this type of NTN cell. As shown in Figure 4, Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a quasi-earth-fixed NTN cell. During the time period T2-T1, the coverage area of ​​the NTN cell is area 1; at time T3, the coverage area of ​​the NTN cell is area 2.

[0180] Earth-moving: The coverage area of ​​this type of NTN cell slides across the ground. LEO and MEO satellites can provide this type of NTN cell. Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of an earth-moving NTN cell. At times T1, T2, and T3, the coverage area (area 1) of the NTN cell moves as the satellite moves.

[0181] (2) NR system beam

[0182] 5G NR introduces beamforming technology, where base stations use several beams to sequentially and time-divisionally scan different areas within a cell to achieve complete cell coverage. Each beam has a corresponding beam index for unique identification. Figure 6 illustrates a beamforming diagram. A cell contains 8 beams. At time t1, the base station transmits beam 0 in direction 1; at time t2, the base station transmits beam 1 in direction 2, and so on, forming complete cell coverage from these 8 beams.

[0183] The reference signal that forms a beam can be a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block, SSB) or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS). For example, taking SSB as an example, there are 8 SSBs (SSB0 to SSB7) in the cell in Figure 6, and the base station will periodically transmit these 8 SSBs in different directions in a time-sharing manner.

[0184] (3) Measurement

[0185] Measurement refers to the process by which the UE monitors the communication quality of its serving cell and / or neighboring cells (i.e., non-serving cells) in real time. This allows the UE to change its serving cell based on the measurement results when needed, through handover or cell selection / reselection operations, thus maintaining the communication link between the network and the UE. Measurements in NR can be divided into cell-level measurements and beam-level measurements.

[0186] Beam-level measurement: The UE measures and reports information related to one or more beams (SSB or CSI-RS) of the cell. Specifically, the reported information includes the beam index and the measurement results of optional beams (based on network configuration).

[0187] Cell-level measurement: The UE averages the measurement results of one or more beams (SSB or CSI-RS) of a cell to obtain and report the measurement results of that cell (essentially, it also measures several beams of the cell to obtain the cell quality). For example, the UE measures the quality of each beam from beam0 to beam7 and averages the quality of these beams to obtain a result as the cell-level quality of the cell.

[0188] (4) Beam design of NTN system

[0189] In an NTN system, the number of beams in an NTN cell needs to be determined based on the satellite's coverage area requirements and beam capability.

[0190] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of NTN cell beam coverage. Currently, since the coverage area of ​​an NTN cell may need to reach hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, and the size of a satellite beam is relatively limited, the number of beams in an NTN cell may far exceed the number of beams in a terrestrial cell. For example, it may exceed the current maximum number of 64 beams on the ground and increase to 128 / 256 / 512 beams, etc.

[0191] Taking SSB as an example, one way to increase the number of beams within a cell is to extend the SSB period. For instance, as shown in Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of SSB period extension, the base station transmits SSBs in different directions within different 20ms intervals within a period. Several SSBs within a 20ms interval can be called an SSB burst. By transmitting a total of N 20ms intervals (i.e., N SSB bursts), the SSB period will be extended to (N*20ms), thereby increasing the number of beams scanned.

[0192] Example: Assuming there are 256 SSBs in an NTN cell, if the transmission pattern is 8 different SSBs every 20ms, a total of 256 / 8 = 32 20ms intervals will be required. Therefore, the SSB period will be 32 * 20 = 640ms.

[0193] Handover is a mobility management technology used to switch user equipment (UE) from one cell (source cell) to another cell (target cell) so that when the cell previously serving the UE can no longer support its services, another cell that can continue to provide services to the UE can be selected, ensuring the continuity of UE services. It includes the following two handover methods:

[0194] (1) Switching

[0195] The general handover process is as follows: the source cell (e.g., based on the measurement results reported by the UE) selects the target cell for the UE to handover; after the source cell and the target cell negotiate and confirm the handover, the source cell sends a handover command to the UE; upon receiving the handover command, the UE disconnects from the source cell and switches to synchronizing with the target cell and initiating access. Specifically, the UE needs to perform random access on the target cell before it can switch the target cell to the serving cell.

[0196] During handover, random access resources are associated with beams (e.g., SSBs). The UE needs to determine the configuration of the random access resources to use based on the beam of the target cell. In satellite scenarios, due to the increased beam period, after the UE receives the handover command and disconnects from the source cell, it may take a long time to complete the beam determination of the target cell, thereby determining the random access resources to be used subsequently, resulting in a large handover interruption delay.

[0197] Figure 9 illustrates a handover interruption. Assuming the beam period under the satellite cell is 640ms, after the UE receives the handover command and disconnects from the source cell, in the worst case, the UE needs to wait 640ms to determine its optimal beam under the target cell and complete operations such as measurement and synchronization of that optimal beam, resulting in a 640ms handover interruption.

[0198] (2) Random access channel-less (RACH-less) handover

[0199] RACH-less handover is a handover technology that reduces handover downtime and handover overhead.

[0200] In a normal handover, the UE needs to perform random access on the target cell before it can switch to the serving cell. Considering certain scenarios or conditions where the UE can access the target cell even without performing random access, handover without random access eliminates the random access process. Specifically, the UE automatically performs uplink (UL) / downlink (DL) synchronization with the target cell and sends a message to the target cell based on the resource configuration provided in advance, ensuring alignment with the target cell that the UE has switched to that cell.

[0201] RACH-less handover avoids multiple signaling interactions during random access, thus reducing handover interruption time and handover signaling overhead.

[0202] The resource configuration provided in advance by the target cell (which can be called RACH-less handover resource configuration) can specifically include the following two categories:

[0203] Configured grant (CG): A periodically occurring uplink resource. The network provides one or more CG resource configurations, and CG resources are associated with beams (e.g., SSBs). Based on the beam of the selected target cell, the UE selects the associated CG resource and sends the first uplink message to the target cell on that resource.

[0204] Dynamic grant (DG): Uplink resources that can only be obtained after monitoring the network's dynamic scheduling. The network provides relevant configurations for monitoring DG scheduling information, including, for example, the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration and the beam associated with the PDCCH. The UE monitors the PDCCH in the beam direction specified by the network to obtain dynamic scheduling information, thereby determining the available DG resources and sending the first uplink message to the target cell on that resource.

[0205] In RACH-less handover, both CG resources and DG scheduling configurations are associated with a beam (e.g., SSB). The UE needs to determine the CG resources or DG scheduling configuration to use based on the beam of the target cell. In satellite scenarios, due to the increased beam period, after the UE receives the RACH-less handover command and disconnects from the source cell, it may need to wait a considerable amount of time to determine the target cell's beam and thus the subsequent CG resources or DG scheduling configuration. This results in increased handover interruption latency, failing to achieve the effect of reducing handover latency in RACH-less handover.

[0206] Figure 10 illustrates a RACH-less handover interruption. Assuming the period of the SSB beam under the satellite cell is 640ms, after the UE receives the RACH-less handover command and disconnects from the source cell, in the worst case, the UE needs to wait 640ms to determine its optimal beam under the target cell and complete the measurement and synchronization of that optimal beam, resulting in a 640ms handover interruption.

[0207] In summary, in NTN scenarios, due to the large beam period, the UE disconnects from the source cell immediately after receiving the handover command and may need to wait for a long time to complete operations such as beam measurement of the target cell, resulting in a large handover interruption delay during the handover process.

[0208] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the embodiments of this application provide the following solutions.

[0209] As shown in Figure 11, Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method mainly includes the following steps:

[0210] S1101, the terminal device sends a first indication information to the first network device, the first indication information being used to indicate the predicted support status of at least one beam.

[0211] The first indication information can be used to indicate support for predicting at least one beam, or it can be used to indicate that prediction of at least one beam is not supported. The at least one beam includes beams within the cell of the second network device.

[0212] Optionally, the first indication information may include prediction information of at least one beam supported by the terminal device. The prediction information of the at least one beam is information about the beam predicted to be used within the cell of the second network device. The terminal device may predict the relevant information of the at least one beam to be used in the future based on historical information of the at least one beam, thereby determining the prediction information of the at least one beam.

[0213] The prediction information for at least one beam includes at least one of the following: the quality of at least one beam, the time offset information of at least one beam, or the frequency offset information of at least one beam. The quality of at least one beam can be RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR, etc. The time offset information can include the timing offset that will occur from the beam in the future, and the frequency offset information can include the frequency offset that will occur from the beam in the future. The prediction information for at least one beam may also include other information, which will not be described in detail here.

[0214] It should be noted that the first network device can be replaced by the first cell, and the second network device can be replaced by the second cell. The first cell can be the source cell or other cells, and the second cell is the target cell. Sending the first indication information from the terminal device to the first network device can also be understood as: the terminal device sending the first indication information to the source cell; or, the terminal device sending the first indication information to other cells, and then sending the first indication information to the source cell through the other cells.

[0215] Optionally, the first indication information may also include multiple prediction levels supported by the terminal device. Prediction levels can represent different degrees of prediction, accuracy, confidence, or reliability. Specifically, a prediction level may correspond to one or more indicators. Example 1: Level 1 predicts beam information within a future duration of L1, Level 2 predicts beam information within a future duration of L2, where L2 is greater than L1 (e.g., L1 is 2 minutes, L2 is 5 minutes), and so on. Example 2: Level 1 represents the accuracy, confidence, or reliability of the predicted beam information as P1, Level 2 represents the accuracy, confidence, or reliability of the predicted beam information as P2, where P2 is higher than P1 (e.g., P1 is 90%, P2 is 95%), and so on. Example 3: Level 1 is the beam information that can be predicted within the next L1 time period and has a confidence level of P1; Level 2 is the beam information that can be predicted within the next L2 time period and has a confidence level of P1; Level 3 is the beam information that can be predicted within the next L1 time period and has a confidence level of P2, and so on.

[0216] Optionally, the terminal device can determine the prediction information of at least one beam through various prediction methods. For example, the terminal device can make predictions using prior information or artificial intelligence (AI) technology and indicate the prediction methods supported by the terminal device to the network device. Furthermore, the terminal device can indicate the prediction methods supported by the terminal device through first indication information, that is, the first indication information may also include the prediction methods supported by the terminal device. The terminal device can also indicate the prediction methods supported by the terminal device through other information or signaling.

[0217] S1102, the terminal device receives second indication information from the first network device, the second indication information being used to indicate the reporting of prediction information for at least one beam.

[0218] The first network device may specify at least one beam to be reported. For example, the first network device may specify the prediction information of the beam to be reported by the terminal device for cell 1; or the first network device may specify the prediction information of beam 1 to be reported by the terminal device for cell 1.

[0219] Alternatively, the terminal device may determine that at least one beam meets preset conditions, where the preset conditions are configured by the first network device, defined by the protocol, or determined by the terminal device. The preset conditions may include at least one of cell quality, beam quality, distance conditions, cell load, etc. The terminal device may determine whether the prediction information of at least one beam meets the preset conditions. If the preset conditions are met, the terminal device reports the prediction information of at least one beam; otherwise, it does not report the prediction information of at least one beam.

[0220] For example, the terminal device can report the beam prediction information of cells whose cell quality is higher than threshold 1; or the terminal device can report the beam prediction information of cells whose beam quality is higher than threshold 2; or the terminal device can report the beam prediction information of cells whose cell quality is higher than threshold 1 and whose beam quality is higher than threshold 2; or the terminal device can report the beam prediction information of cells whose distance from the cell's reference point meets threshold 3.

[0221] S1103, the terminal device sends prediction information for at least one beam to the first network device.

[0222] The prediction information for at least one beam includes at least one of the following: the quality of at least one beam, the time offset information of at least one beam, or the frequency offset information of at least one beam. S1101 has been described in detail and will not be repeated here.

[0223] Furthermore, the prediction information for at least one beam includes prediction information for one or more time periods. For example, time period 1 {the quality of beam 1 in cell 1 P1, the quality of beam 1 in cell 2 Q1, ...}, time period 2 {the quality of beam 1 in cell 1 P2, the quality of beam 1 in cell 2 Q2, ...}.

[0224] S1104, the first network device prepares to switch to the second network device.

[0225] Specifically, the first network device can determine whether to switch based on the prediction information of at least one beam, based on the first indication information (e.g., whether it supports predicting at least one beam or multiple prediction levels).

[0226] For example, if the terminal device supports predicting at least one beam, the first network device and the second network device can negotiate a handover based on the prediction information of at least one beam; otherwise, the existing scheme is used for handover. As another example, if (within a certain time period) the confidence level of the terminal device supporting the prediction information of at least one beam is higher than a certain threshold, the first network device and the second network device can negotiate a handover (within that time period) based on the prediction information of at least one beam; otherwise, the existing scheme is used for handover.

[0227] Furthermore, the first network device can select a second network device for handover based on the prediction information of at least one beam. For example, if the quality of the second cell's beam in at least one beam is higher than a certain threshold in a future time period T1, then the device can choose to hand over to the second cell in time period T1.

[0228] Optionally, the first network device may send prediction information for at least one beam to the second network device. The second network device receives the prediction information for at least one beam from the first network device and determines the resource configuration based on the prediction information for at least one beam. For example, resource configurations for multiple time periods can be provided to the terminal device based on prediction information for multiple time periods.

[0229] The resource configuration specifies the resources used by the terminal device to access the second network device. Resource configuration may include time-domain configuration, frequency-domain configuration, and transmit power configuration. For handover, the resources indicated by the resource configuration can be temporary access resources or random access resources. Temporary access resources can be resources directly used by the terminal device. If the resources indicated by the resource configuration are random access resources, the resource configuration may also include the mapping between resources and beams. For handover without random access, the resources indicated by the resource configuration can be CG resources or DG resources. If the resources indicated by the resource configuration are CG resources, the resource configuration may also include the mapping between resources and beams. If the resources indicated by the resource configuration are DG resources, the resource configuration may include the mapping between PDCCH and beams.

[0230] It should be noted that steps S1101-S1104 are optional. One or more steps in S1101-S1104 may be combined with the following steps or may not be combined with the following steps.

[0231] S1105, the first network device sends resource configuration to the terminal device.

[0232] Resource allocation is carried out through third-party information.

[0233] In one implementation, the third information can be used to indicate handover. The third information can be a handover command, that is, the first network device sends a handover command to the terminal device. The handover command includes resource configuration.

[0234] In another implementation, the third information and the handover command are different signaling. That is, the first network device sends the third information to the terminal device, which includes resource configuration, and the first network device sends the handover command to the terminal device.

[0235] S1106, the terminal device accesses the second network device using resource configuration based on the prediction information of at least one beam.

[0236] For switching, the following are some specific implementation methods:

[0237] In one implementation, the resource configuration indicates a temporary access resource, and the resource configuration is used to indicate the first resource.

[0238] The terminal device can directly use the first resource to send the first information to the second network device, and the second network device can directly use the resource configuration to receive the first information sent from the terminal device. Optionally, the terminal device can send the first information to the second network device based on the time offset information and / or frequency offset information of at least one beam. For example, the terminal device can perform timing adjustment based on the time offset information, and / or frequency pre-compensation based on the frequency offset information, etc., and then send the first information based on the adjusted timing and / or compensated frequency. The first information can be uplink information, such as a random access request.

[0239] The terminal device and the second network device can select the first beam for downlink transmission in the following manner:

[0240] In one method, the second network device can select a first beam from at least one beam based on prediction information of at least one beam, and use the first beam to send second information to the terminal device. The terminal device can also select a first beam from at least one beam based on prediction information of at least one beam, and use the first beam to receive second information from the second network device. Furthermore, the terminal device and the second network device can select a beam that meets preset conditions during the handover period, for example, selecting the beam with the highest beam quality. The second information can be downlink information, such as a random access response.

[0241] Method 2: The second network device selects a first beam from at least one beam based on the location information of the terminal device; and uses the first beam to send second information to the terminal device. Alternatively, the terminal device can also select a first beam from at least one beam based on its location information and use the first beam to receive second information from the second network device. Further, the terminal device can report its location information to the first network device, which then forwards the location information to the second network device. The terminal device and the second network device then determine which first beam to select from at least one beam based on the terminal device's location information.

[0242] Method 3: The second network device sends a third indication message to the terminal device. The third indication message indicates a first beam among at least one beam, and the first beam is used to send second information to the terminal device. The terminal device receives the third indication message from the second network device and uses the first beam to receive the second information from the second network device.

[0243] In another implementation, the resource configuration indicates a random access occasion (RO). Since the occurrence of this RO is not strictly coupled to the transmission timing of the beam (SSB), the RO may appear when its associated SSB has not yet occurred. Figure 12 illustrates one type of RO. Assume different SSBs are transmitted every 20ms. A particular SSB may occur in one 20ms period, but its associated RO may appear in other 20ms periods. In this case, the resource configuration also includes the correspondence between beams and resources.

[0244] Optionally, the period of the resource indicated by the resource configuration is less than the period of the beam corresponding to the resource indicated by the resource configuration, or the minimum value of the period of the resource indicated by the resource configuration is less than the minimum value of the period of the beam corresponding to the resource indicated by the resource configuration.

[0245] The terminal device can select a second beam from at least one beam based on the prediction information of at least one beam. Furthermore, the terminal device can select a beam that meets preset conditions during the handover period; for example, it can select the beam with the highest beam quality from at least one beam, and then use the resources corresponding to the second beam in the resource configuration to send first information to the second network device. The second network device receives the first information from the terminal device, determines the second beam corresponding to the resources used by the terminal device to send the first information, and uses the second beam to send second information to the terminal device.

[0246] Optionally, the terminal device may select a second beam from at least one beam based on the prediction information of at least one beam; and send first information to the second network device based on the time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the second beam.

[0247] For handover without random access, the following are some specific implementation methods:

[0248] In one implementation, the resource configuration indicates a CG resource, in which case the resource configuration includes the correspondence between the CG resource and the beam.

[0249] Optionally, the period of the CG resource indicated by the resource configuration is less than the period of the beam corresponding to the CG resource indicated by the resource configuration, or the minimum value of the period of the CG resource indicated by the resource configuration is less than the minimum value of the period of the beam corresponding to the CG resource indicated by the resource configuration.

[0250] The terminal device can select one beam from at least one beam based on the prediction information of at least one beam. Furthermore, the terminal device can select a beam that meets preset conditions during the handover period; for example, it can select the beam with the highest beam quality from at least one beam, and then use the CG resource corresponding to the selected beam in the resource configuration to send first information to the second network device. The second network device receives the first information from the terminal device, determines the beam corresponding to the CG resource used by the terminal device to send the first information, and uses the beam corresponding to the CG resource to send second information to the terminal device.

[0251] Optionally, the terminal device may select one beam from at least one beam based on the prediction information of at least one beam; and send first information to the second network device based on the time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the selected beam.

[0252] In another implementation, the resource configuration indicates DG resources, in which case the resource configuration includes the correspondence between PDCCH and beam.

[0253] The terminal device can select a third beam from at least one beam based on the prediction information of at least one beam. Further, the terminal device can select a beam that meets preset conditions during the handover period; for example, it can select the beam with the highest beam quality from at least one beam. Then, it monitors the PDCCH associated with the direction of the third beam and receives the scheduling information carried on the PDCCH corresponding to the third beam. The second network device selects a third beam from at least one beam based on the prediction information of at least one beam; it transmits scheduling information on the PDCCH corresponding to the third beam, the scheduling information indicating the resources used to transmit the first information. The terminal device determines the DG resource according to the scheduling information and transmits the first information on that DG resource.

[0254] In the above, the second network device does not explicitly indicate the beam used for monitoring scheduling information, and the terminal device determines the beam for monitoring scheduling information based on the prediction information of at least one beam. Optionally, the second network device may also explicitly indicate the beam used for monitoring scheduling information, and the terminal device can monitor the scheduling information through the explicitly indicated beam.

[0255] In this embodiment, the terminal device accesses the target cell through the prediction information of at least one beam, eliminating the need to measure the beams in the target cell. This reduces the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during the handover process, enabling the terminal device to access the target cell as soon as possible after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces the latency of handover interruption and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0256] As shown in Figure 13, Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Applicable to handover and handover without random access scenarios, this method mainly includes the following steps:

[0257] S1301, the terminal device sends first information to the first network device, the first information including the time information of the beam of the cell of the second network device.

[0258] The beam refers to one or more optimal beams. The optimal beam can be determined based on one or more of beam quality, beam position, and beam load, and this application does not limit this. The optimal beam can also be called a serving beam, target beam, etc., and this application does not limit this.

[0259] The first information can be related to the beams predicted to be used in the cell of the second network device in the future. The first information can include the beam's occurrence time. Further, the first information can include the future occurrence times of the optimal beam, one or more times. The occurrence time can be referenced to the timing of the source cell, such as the system frame number (SFN) timing of the source cell. For example, the occurrence time of beam 1 in cell 1 is SFN 8-subframe 0-slot 3, that is, slot 3 within subframe 0 of frame 8 in the source cell. Alternatively, the occurrence time can also be an absolute time, such as 10:00 AM Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

[0260] The first information may further include at least one of the following: the identifier of the optimal beam, or the period of the optimal beam. For example, the first information includes the SSB identifier and the SSB period.

[0261] Specifically, terminal devices can report the first piece of information in the following ways:

[0262] In the first approach, the terminal device can send a measurement report to the first network device, and the measurement report includes first information. Furthermore, the first network device can be configured to allow the terminal device to report the first information in the measurement report. After determining that preset conditions are met, the terminal device reports the first information in the measurement report. The preset conditions are configured by the first network device, defined by a protocol, or determined by the terminal device. The preset conditions may include one or more of the following: cell quality, beam quality, distance conditions, cell load, etc.

[0263] In the second approach, the terminal device can send first information to the first network device according to a preset period. Furthermore, the first network device can be configured to periodically report the first information. The preset period can be configured by the first network device or defined by a protocol.

[0264] The third approach involves the terminal device being able to immediately trigger the reporting of the first information. Furthermore, the first network device can be configured to allow the terminal device to report the first information in real time. For example, the first network device can send a second instruction to the terminal device, which instructs the reporting of the first information. Upon receiving the second instruction, the terminal device will then report the first information.

[0265] The fourth method involves the terminal device reporting the first information when it determines that preset conditions are met. These preset conditions can be network device configurations, protocol definitions, or conditions determined by the terminal device. Preset conditions may include one or more of the following: cell quality, beam quality, distance conditions, cell load, etc. Alternatively, the preset conditions may be that the terminal device predicts that one or more cells may become target cells for handover, and the terminal device reports the timing information of the beams of the potential target cells.

[0266] Specifically, when the first information reported by the terminal device changes, the terminal device can trigger the reporting of the updated first information.

[0267] It should be noted that the first network device can be replaced by the first cell, and the second network device can be replaced by the second cell. The first cell can be the source cell, and the second cell can be the target cell. The terminal device sending the first information to the first network device can be understood as the terminal device sending the first information to the first cell.

[0268] Optionally, before the terminal device sends the first information to the first network device, the terminal device may receive first indication information from the first network device, the first indication information being used to instruct the reporting of the first information.

[0269] S1302, the first network device determines the handover based on the first information.

[0270] Specifically, the first network device can determine the handover trigger time based on the first information. It can also determine the cell to be handed over to the second network device based on the first information. Furthermore, the first network device can determine, based on the first information, to trigger the handover before the optimal beam (the optimal beam relative to the terminal device) of the second network device's cell appears. For example, the first network device can trigger the handover at the time when the optimal beam of the cell approaching the second network device appears.

[0271] S1303, the first network device sends the second information to the terminal device.

[0272] Specifically, the first network device may send second information to the terminal device within a first time period before the optimal beam (the optimal beam relative to the terminal device) appears in the cell of the second network device. The second information is used to indicate the start of handover. For example, the second information may be a handover command.

[0273] S1304, the terminal device switches to the cell of the second network device based on the second information.

[0274] The cell of the second network device is the target cell for the handover. The cell of the second network device can be specified in the second information.

[0275] Specifically, after receiving the second information, the terminal device can disconnect from the first network device and switch to the cell of the second network device using random access resources, or it can switch to the cell of the second network device through a handover-free method. Since the terminal device receives the second information at the time when the optimal beam of the cell closest to the second network device appears, the time between disconnecting from the first network device and connecting to the second network device is short, reducing the latency of the handover interruption.

[0276] In this embodiment, by providing first information to the first network device, the first network device can trigger handover when the optimal beam of the cell near the second network device appears. This not only reduces the complexity of the first network device obtaining the first information, but also reduces the time required for the terminal device to wait for the target beam to appear during the handover process. This allows the terminal device to maintain a connection with the source cell as much as possible, disconnect from the source cell when the optimal beam of the cell near the second network device appears, and access the target cell as soon as possible after disconnecting from the source cell. This reduces the latency of handover interruption and ensures the mobility performance and service continuity of the terminal device.

[0277] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, the terminal device and / or network device may execute some or all of the steps in each embodiment. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application. Moreover, the sequence number of each step 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.

[0278] Different embodiments of this application (such as the embodiments shown in FIG11 and FIG13) can be used in combination or separately, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0279] It is understood that, in the above-described method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by the terminal device can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used in the terminal device, and the methods and operations implemented by the network device can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used in the network device.

[0280] This application embodiment can divide terminal devices or network devices into functional modules according to the above method examples. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or software functional modules. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The following description uses the division of functional modules according to each function as an example.

[0281] The methods provided by the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 11 and 13. The communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 14 and 15. It should be understood that the descriptions of the apparatus embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the method embodiments; therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments above, and for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

[0282] Please refer to Figure 14, which is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication device can implement the steps or processes executed by the terminal device corresponding to the method embodiments described above. In one possible design, the communication device may include a receiving module 1401, a processing module 1402, and a sending module 1403. Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage module for storing device program code and / or data.

[0283] The communication device can be the terminal-side device in the above embodiments, such as a terminal device or a communication module in a terminal device, or a circuit or chip in a terminal device that is responsible for communication functions.

[0284] Receiver module 1401 is used to receive resource configuration from the first network device;

[0285] Processing module 1402 is configured to access a second network device using the resource configuration based on prediction information of at least one beam, wherein the at least one beam includes beams within the cell of the second network device.

[0286] Optionally, the resource configuration is used to indicate a first resource, and the sending module is used to send first information to the second network device using the first resource.

[0287] Optionally, the prediction information of the at least one beam includes time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the at least one beam.

[0288] The transmitting module 1403 is used to transmit first information to the second network device based on the time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the at least one beam.

[0289] Optionally, the processing module 1402 is configured to select a first beam from the at least one beam based on the prediction information of the at least one beam; and the receiving module is configured to receive second information from the second network device using the first beam.

[0290] Optionally, the resource configuration includes the correspondence between resources and beams;

[0291] Processing module 1402 is used to select a second beam from the at least one beam based on the prediction information of the at least one beam;

[0292] The sending module 1403 is used to send first information to the second network device using the resources corresponding to the second beam in the resource configuration.

[0293] Optionally, the prediction information of the at least one beam includes time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the at least one beam;

[0294] Processing module 1402 is used to select a second beam from the at least one beam based on the prediction information of the at least one beam;

[0295] The transmitting module 1403 is used to transmit first information to the second network device based on the time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the second beam.

[0296] Optionally, the resource configuration includes at least one of the following: random access resources, or configuration of authorized CG resource configuration.

[0297] Optionally, the period of the resource indicated by the resource configuration is less than the period of the beam corresponding to the resource indicated by the resource configuration, or the minimum value of the period of the resource indicated by the resource configuration is less than the minimum value of the period of the beam corresponding to the resource indicated by the resource configuration.

[0298] Optionally, the resource configuration includes the correspondence between the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and the beam;

[0299] Processing module 1402 is used to select a third beam from the at least one beam based on the prediction information of the at least one beam;

[0300] The receiving module 1401 is used to receive the scheduling information carried by the PDCCH corresponding to the third beam, and the scheduling information is used to indicate the resources used to send the first information.

[0301] Optionally, the prediction information of the at least one beam includes at least one of the following: the quality of the at least one beam, the time offset information of the at least one beam, or the frequency offset information of the at least one beam.

[0302] Optionally, the prediction information of the at least one beam includes prediction information for one or more time periods.

[0303] Optionally, the sending module 1403 is configured to send prediction information of the at least one beam to the first network device, the prediction information of the at least one beam being used to determine the resource configuration.

[0304] Optionally, the sending module 1403 is configured to send first indication information to the first network device, the first indication information being used to indicate the predicted support status of the at least one beam.

[0305] Optionally, the first indication information includes multiple prediction levels supported by the terminal device.

[0306] Optionally, the resource configuration is carried on third information, which is used to indicate a switch.

[0307] In another embodiment:

[0308] The transmitting module 1403 is used to transmit first information to the first network device. The first information includes the time information of the beam of the cell of the second network device. The first information is used for handover.

[0309] Optionally, the beam is one or more optimal beams.

[0310] Optionally, the first information includes the time point at which the beam appears.

[0311] Optionally, the first information is used to determine the time to trigger the switching.

[0312] In one possible design, when the communication device is a terminal device or a communication module within a terminal device, the functions of the receiving module 1401 and the transmitting module 1403 can be implemented by a transceiver circuit. The functions of the processing module 1402 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core.

[0313] In one possible design, when the communication device is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a terminal device, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the functions of the receiving module 1401 and the transmitting module 1403 can be implemented by the interface circuitry or data transceiver circuitry on the aforementioned chip. The function of the processing module 1402 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores.

[0314] It should be noted that the implementation of each module can also refer to the corresponding descriptions of the method embodiments shown in Figures 11 and 13, and execute the methods and functions performed by the terminal device in the above embodiments.

[0315] Please refer to Figure 15, which is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication device can implement the steps or processes executed by the network device corresponding to those described in the method embodiments above. In one possible design, the communication device may include a sending module 1501, a processing module 1502, and a receiving module 1503. Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage module for storing device program code and / or data.

[0316] The communication device can be a network-side device as described in the above embodiments, such as a network device or a communication module in a network device, or a circuit or chip in a network device that is responsible for communication functions.

[0317] The sending module 1501 is used to send resource configuration to the terminal device. The resource configuration is used by the terminal device to access the second network device based on the prediction information of at least one beam, wherein the at least one beam includes beams within the cell of the second network device.

[0318] Optionally, the receiving module 1503 is configured to receive prediction information of the at least one beam from the terminal device, the prediction information of the at least one beam being used to determine the resource configuration.

[0319] Optionally, the processing module 1502 is used to select the second network device for switching based on the prediction information of the at least one beam.

[0320] In another embodiment:

[0321] Processing module 1502 is used to determine resource configuration, the resource configuration being used by a terminal device to access a second network device based on prediction information of at least one beam, wherein the at least one beam includes beams within the cell of the second network device.

[0322] Optionally, the resource configuration is used to indicate the first resource;

[0323] The receiving module 1503 is used to receive first information sent from the terminal device using the first resource.

[0324] Optionally, the processing module 1502 is used to select a first beam from the at least one beam based on the prediction information of the at least one beam; the transmitting module 1501 is used to transmit second information to the terminal device using the first beam.

[0325] Optionally, the resource configuration includes the correspondence between resources and beams;

[0326] The receiving module 1503 is used to receive first information from the terminal device;

[0327] The sending module 1501 is used to determine the second beam corresponding to the resource used by the terminal device to send the first information, and to send the second information to the terminal device using the second beam.

[0328] Optionally, the resource configuration includes at least one of the following: random access resources, or configuration of authorized CG resource configuration.

[0329] Optionally, the resource configuration includes the correspondence between the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and the beam;

[0330] Processing module 1502 is used to select a third beam from the at least one beam based on the prediction information of the at least one beam;

[0331] The transmitting module 1501 is used to transmit scheduling information on the PDCCH corresponding to the third beam, the scheduling information being used to indicate the resources used to transmit the first information.

[0332] Optionally, the receiving module 1503 is used to receive prediction information of the at least one beam.

[0333] Optionally, the processing module 1502 is used to determine the resource configuration based on the prediction information of the at least one beam.

[0334] In another embodiment:

[0335] The transmitting module 1501 is used to transmit first information to the first network device. The first information includes the time information of the beam of the cell of the second network device. The first information is used for handover.

[0336] Optionally, the beam is one or more optimal beams.

[0337] Optionally, the first information includes the time point at which the beam appears.

[0338] Optionally, the first information is used to determine the time to trigger the switching.

[0339] In one possible design, when the communication device is a network device or a communication module within a network device, the functions of the transmitting module 1501 and the receiving module 1503 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry. The function of the processing module 1502 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core.

[0340] In one possible design, when the communication device is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a network device, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the functions of the transmitting module 1501 and the receiving module 1503 can be implemented by the interface circuitry or data transceiver circuitry on the aforementioned chip. Optionally, the device may further include a processing module, the function of which can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip including one or more processors or processor cores.

[0341] It should be noted that the implementation of each module can also refer to the corresponding descriptions of the method embodiments shown in Figures 11 and 13, and execute the methods and functions performed by the network device in the above embodiments.

[0342] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. This terminal device can be applied to the systems shown in Figures 1A and 1B to perform the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or to implement the steps or processes executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0343] As shown in Figure 16, the terminal device includes a processor 1601 and a transceiver 1602. The transceiver 1602 includes a transmitter 1621, a receiver 1622, and an antenna 1623. The receiver 1622 can be used to receive transmission control information through the antenna 1623, and the transmitter 1621 can be used to send transmission feedback information to the network device through the antenna 1623. Optionally, the terminal device also includes a memory 1603. The processor 1601, transceiver 1602, and memory 1603 can communicate with each other through internal connection paths to transmit control and / or data signals. The memory 1603 stores computer programs, and the processor 1601 calls and runs the computer programs from the memory 1603 to control the transceiver 1602 to transmit and receive signals. Optionally, the terminal device may also include an antenna for transmitting uplink data or uplink control signaling output by the transceiver 1602 via wireless signals.

[0344] The processor 1601 described above can correspond to the processing module in Figure 14. The processor 1601 and the memory 1603 can be integrated into a single processing device, with the processor 1601 executing the program code stored in the memory 1603 to achieve the aforementioned functions. In specific implementations, the memory 1603 can be integrated into the processor 1601 or be independent of the processor 1601.

[0345] The transceiver 1602 described above can correspond to the receiving module and transmitting module in Figure 14, and can also be referred to as a transceiver unit or transceiver module. The transceiver 1602 may include a receiver (or receiver circuit) and a transmitter (or transmitter circuit). The receiver is used to receive signals, and the transmitter is used to transmit signals.

[0346] It should be understood that the terminal device shown in Figure 16 can implement the various processes involving the terminal device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 11 and 13. The operation and / or function of each module in the terminal device are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted here.

[0347] The processor 1601 described above can be used to execute the actions implemented internally by the terminal device as described in the preceding method embodiments, while the transceiver 1602 can be used to execute the actions described in the preceding method embodiments of sending data to or receiving data from the network device by the terminal device. Please refer to the descriptions in the preceding method embodiments for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0348] The processor 1601 can be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor 1601 can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, etc. The terminal device may also include a communication bus, which can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. The communication bus is used to realize the connection and communication between these components. In this embodiment, the transceiver 1602 is used for signaling or data communication with other node devices. The memory 1603 may include volatile memory, such as nonvolatile random access memory (NVRAM), phase change RAM (PRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), etc., and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory devices, such as NOR flash memory or NAND flash memory, semiconductor devices, such as solid-state disks (SSDs), etc. Optionally, the memory 1603 may also be at least one storage device located remotely from the aforementioned processor 1601. Optionally, the memory 1603 may also store a set of computer program code or configuration information. Optionally, the processor 1601 may also execute the program stored in the memory 1603. The processor can cooperate with the memory and transceiver to execute any of the methods and functions of the terminal device in the above embodiments.

[0349] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. This network device can be applied to the systems shown in Figures 1A and 1B to perform the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments, or to implement the steps or processes performed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0350] As shown in Figure 17, the network device includes a processor 1701 and a transceiver 1702. The transceiver 1702 includes a transmitter 1721, a receiver 1722, and an antenna 1723. The transmitter 1721 can be used to send transmission control information to the terminal device through the antenna 1723, and the receiver 1722 can be used to receive transmission feedback information sent by the terminal device through the antenna 1723. Optionally, the network device also includes a memory 1703. The processor 1701, transceiver 1702, and memory 1703 can communicate with each other through internal connection paths to transmit control and / or data signals. The memory 1703 is used to store computer programs, and the processor 1701 is used to call and run the computer programs from the memory 1703 to control the transceiver 1702 to transmit and receive signals. Optionally, the network device may also include an antenna for transmitting uplink data or uplink control signaling output by the transceiver 1702 via wireless signals.

[0351] The processor 1701 described above can correspond to the processing module in Figure 15. The processor 1701 and the memory 1703 can be integrated into a processing device. The processor 1701 is used to execute the program code stored in the memory 1703 to achieve the above functions. In specific implementation, the memory 1703 can also be integrated into the processor 1701 or independent of the processor 1701.

[0352] The transceiver 1702 described above can correspond to the transmitting module and receiving module in Figure 15, and can also be referred to as a transceiver unit or transceiver module. The transceiver 1702 may include a receiver (or receiver circuit) and a transmitter (or transmitter circuit). The receiver is used to receive signals, and the transmitter is used to transmit signals.

[0353] It should be understood that the network device shown in Figure 17 can implement the various processes involved in the network device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 11 and 13. The operation and / or function of each module in the network device are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are appropriately omitted here.

[0354] The processor 1701 described above can be used to perform the actions implemented internally by the network device as described in the preceding method embodiments, while the transceiver 1702 can be used to perform the actions described in the preceding method embodiments of sending data from the network device to the terminal device or receiving data from the terminal device. For details, please refer to the descriptions in the preceding method embodiments; they will not be repeated here.

[0355] The processor 1701 can be any of the processors mentioned above. The network device may also include a communication bus, which can be a PCI bus (Peripheral Component Interconnect Standard) or an EISA bus (Extended Industry Standard Architecture). The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, and a control bus. The communication bus is used to enable communication between these components. In this embodiment, the transceiver 1702 is used for signaling or data communication with other devices. The memory 1703 can be any of the memory types mentioned above. Optionally, the memory 1703 can also be at least one storage device located remotely from the processor 1701. The memory 1703 stores a set of computer program code or configuration information, and the processor 1701 executes the program in the memory 1703. The processor can cooperate with the memory and transceiver to execute any of the methods and functions of the network device in the above embodiments.

[0356] This application also provides a chip system including a processor for supporting network devices or terminal devices to implement the functions involved in any of the above embodiments, such as generating or processing prediction information of at least one beam involved in the above methods.

[0357] In one possible design, the chip system may further include a memory for storing necessary computer programs and data for the network device or terminal device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components. The inputs and outputs of the chip system correspond to the receiving and transmitting operations of the network device or terminal device in the method embodiment, respectively.

[0358] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of the embodiments shown in FIG11 and FIG13.

[0359] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer-readable medium storing a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of the embodiments shown in FIG11 and FIG13.

[0360] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer 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 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 accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0361] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive resource configuration from the first network device; Based on the prediction information of at least one beam, the resource configuration is used to access the second network device, wherein the at least one beam includes beams within the cell of the second network device.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The resource configuration is used to indicate a first resource, and the access to the second network device using the resource configuration based on prediction information of at least one beam includes: The first resource is used to send the first information to the second network device.

3. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The prediction information of the at least one beam includes time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the at least one beam. The step of using the resource configuration to access the second network device based on the prediction information of the at least one beam includes: Based on the time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the at least one beam, the first information is sent to the second network device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The method of accessing the second network device using the resource configuration based on prediction information of at least one beam includes: Based on the prediction information of the at least one beam, a first beam is selected from the at least one beam; The first beam is used to receive second information from the second network device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The resource configuration includes the correspondence between resources and beams; the step of accessing the second network device using the resource configuration based on prediction information of at least one beam includes: Based on the prediction information of the at least one beam, a second beam is selected from the at least one beam; The first information is sent to the second network device using the resource corresponding to the second beam in the resource configuration.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The prediction information of the at least one beam includes time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the at least one beam. The step of using the resource configuration to access the second network device based on the prediction information of the at least one beam includes: Based on the prediction information of the at least one beam, a second beam is selected from the at least one beam; Based on the time offset information and / or frequency offset information of the second beam, the first information is sent to the second network device.

7. The method as described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The resource configuration includes at least one of the following: random access resources, or configuration of authorized CG resources.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The period of the resource indicated by the resource configuration is less than the period of the beam corresponding to the resource indicated by the resource configuration, or the minimum value of the period of the resource indicated by the resource configuration is less than the minimum value of the period of the beam corresponding to the resource indicated by the resource configuration.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The resource configuration includes the correspondence between the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and beams; the access to the second network device using the resource configuration based on prediction information of at least one beam includes: Based on the prediction information of the at least one beam, a third beam is selected from the at least one beam; The scheduling information carried by the PDCCH corresponding to the third beam is received, and the scheduling information is used to indicate the resources used to send the first information.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The prediction information of the at least one beam includes at least one of the following: the quality of the at least one beam, the time offset information of the at least one beam, or the frequency offset information of the at least one beam.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The prediction information for the at least one beam includes prediction information for one or more time periods.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The method further includes: The prediction information of the at least one beam is sent to the first network device, and the prediction information of the at least one beam is used to determine the resource configuration.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a first indication message to the first network device, the first indication message being used to indicate the predicted support status of the at least one beam.

14. The method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The first indication information includes multiple prediction levels supported by the terminal device.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1-14, characterized in that, The resource configuration is carried on third information, which is used to indicate the switching.

16. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send resource configuration to the terminal device, the resource configuration being used by the terminal device to access the second network device based on prediction information of at least one beam, wherein the at least one beam includes beams within the cell of the second network device.

17. The method as described in claim 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives prediction information for at least one beam from the terminal device, the prediction information for the at least one beam being used to determine the resource configuration.

18. The method as described in claim 16 or 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the prediction information of the at least one beam, the second network device is selected for switching.

19. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The resource configuration is determined for the terminal device to access the second network device based on the prediction information of at least one beam, wherein the at least one beam includes beams within the cell of the second network device.

20. The method as described in claim 19, characterized in that, The resource configuration is used to indicate the first resource, and the method further includes: The first resource is used to receive the first information sent from the terminal device.

21. The method as described in claim 19 or 20, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the prediction information of the at least one beam, a first beam is selected from the at least one beam; The first beam is used to send the second information to the terminal device.

22. The method according to any one of claims 19-21, characterized in that, The resource configuration includes the correspondence between resources and beams, and the method further includes: Receive first information from the terminal device; Determine the second beam corresponding to the resource used by the terminal device to send the first information, and use the second beam to send the second information to the terminal device.

23. The method as described in claim 22, characterized in that, The resource configuration includes at least one of the following: random access resources, or configuration of authorized CG resources.

24. The method according to any one of claims 19-23, characterized in that, The resource configuration includes the correspondence between the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and the beam; the method further includes: Based on the prediction information of the at least one beam, a third beam is selected from the at least one beam; Scheduling information is transmitted on the PDCCH corresponding to the third beam, and the scheduling information is used to indicate the resources used to transmit the first information.

25. The method according to any one of claims 19-24, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive prediction information for at least one beam.

26. The method according to any one of claims 19-25, characterized in that, The determination of resource allocation includes: The resource configuration is determined based on the prediction information of the at least one beam.

27. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send first information to the first network device, the first information including the time information of the beam of the cell of the second network device, the first information being used for handover.

28. The method as described in claim 27, characterized in that, The beam is one or more optimal beams.

29. The method as described in claim 27 or 28, characterized in that, The first information includes the time point at which the beam appears.

30. The method according to any one of claims 27-29, characterized in that, The first piece of information is used to determine the time to trigger the switch.

31. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive first information from the terminal device, the first information including the beam timing information of the cell of the second network device; The switching is determined based on the first information.

32. The method as described in claim 31, characterized in that, The beam is one or more optimal beams.

33. The method as described in claim 31 or 32, characterized in that, The first information includes the time point at which the beam appears.

34. The method according to any one of claims 31-33, characterized in that, The first piece of information is used to determine the time to trigger the switch.

35. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes units or modules for performing the method described in any one of claims 1-15 or any one of claims 27-30.

36. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes units or modules for performing the method described in any one of claims 16-18, any one of claims 19-26, or any one of claims 31-34.

37. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes the method described in any one of claims 1-15, any one of claims 16-18, any one of claims 19-26, claims 27-30, or any one of claims 31-34 to be implemented.

38. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface being used to communicate with external or internal devices, and the processor being used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-15, any one of claims 16-18, any one of claims 19-26, claims 27-30, or any one of claims 31-34.

39. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed, it causes the method described in any one of claims 1-15, any one of claims 16-18, any one of claims 19-26, claims 27-30, or any one of claims 31-33 to be implemented.

40. A communication system, characterized in that, The method includes a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-15 or any one of claims 27-30, and the network device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 16-18, any one of claims 19-26, or any one of claims 31-34.

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