Information receiving method and apparatus, information sending method and apparatus, terminal, network device, and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communications, and in particular to an information receiving method and apparatus, an information sending method and apparatus, a terminal, a network device, and a storage medium. The information receiving method comprises: receiving first information sent by a first network device, wherein the first network device is a network device of a serving cell, and the first information is used for indicating a timing advance (TA) value of at least one candidate cell. On the basis of the present disclosure, a terminal can determine, on the basis of first information sent by a first network device, a candidate cell indicated by the first network device and a TA value of the candidate cell, thereby ensuring that the terminal can learn about the TA value of the candidate cell, so as to facilitate a random access-free mobility process.

Description

Information receiving and sending methods and devices, terminals, network equipment and storage media Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to information receiving methods, information sending methods, terminals, network devices, communication systems, and storage media. Background Technology

[0002] To improve the efficiency of terminal cell handover, Layer 1 / L2-triggered Mobility (LTM) is proposed.

[0003] During LTM (Local Time Management), network devices can provide terminals with one or more candidate configurations. A candidate configuration may include the configuration of one or more cells (or cell groups). The network device can subsequently control the terminal to change among the multiple candidate configurations via L1 (e.g., DCI (Downlink Control Information)) or L2 (MAC CE (Control Element)) signaling, for example, changing the working cell (or cell group) from cell (or cell group)-1 to cell (or cell group)-2.

[0004] However, some technical issues still need to be addressed during the LTM process. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of this disclosure provide methods and apparatus for receiving and sending information, terminals, network devices, and storage media to solve technical problems in the related art.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, an information receiving method is provided, executed by a terminal, the method comprising: receiving first information sent by a first network device, wherein the first network device is a network device serving a cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, an information transmission method is provided, executed by a first network device, the method comprising: sending first information to a terminal, wherein the first network device is a network device serving a cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, an information receiving apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising: a receiving module configured to receive first information sent by a first network device, wherein the first network device is a network device serving a cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

[0009] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, an information transmission apparatus is provided, executed by a first network device, the apparatus comprising: a transmission module configured to transmit first information to a terminal, wherein the first network device is a network device serving a cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

[0010] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the terminal is configured to perform the information receiving method described in the first aspect.

[0011] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the network device is configured to perform the information transmission method described in the second aspect.

[0012] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, including a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the information receiving method described in the first aspect and / or the information sending method described in the second aspect.

[0013] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided that stores instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the information receiving method of the first aspect and / or the information sending method of the second aspect.

[0014] According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a program product is provided that, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the information receiving method described in the first aspect and / or the information sending method described in the second aspect.

[0015] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a terminal can determine a candidate cell indicated by a first network device and the TA value of the candidate cell based on first information sent by a first network device, thereby ensuring that the terminal can obtain the TA value of the candidate cell in order to perform a mobility process without random access. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram illustrating an LTM process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 1C is a schematic diagram illustrating a network device obtaining TA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 1D is a schematic diagram illustrating a terminal calculation TA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 1E is a schematic diagram illustrating another terminal calculation of TA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 2A is an interactive schematic diagram of an information receiving method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 2B is an interactive schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 2C is a schematic diagram of the interaction of another network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 2D is an interactive schematic diagram of another network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 2E is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between a terminal and a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating an information structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating another information structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 3C is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another information structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 3D is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another information structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 3E is a schematic diagram illustrating a second type of information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 3F is a schematic diagram illustrating a third piece of information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 3G is a schematic diagram illustrating another type of third information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of an information receiving device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram of an information transmission device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0037] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of the chip structure proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The embodiments of this disclosure provide methods and apparatus for receiving and sending information, terminals, network devices, and storage media.

[0039] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure propose an information receiving method executed by a terminal, the method comprising: receiving first information sent by a first network device, wherein the first network device is a network device serving a cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

[0040] In the above embodiments, the terminal can determine the candidate cell indicated by the first network device and the TA value of the candidate cell based on the first information sent by the first network device, thereby ensuring that the terminal can know the TA value of the candidate cell so as to carry out a mobility process without random access (e.g., it can be called without RACH (Random Access Channel)). For example, the terminal can perform early synchronization based on the TA value (e.g., early uplink synchronization, early downlink synchronization), and then perform LTM handover after early synchronization.

[0041] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the at least one candidate cell corresponds to at least one candidate cell group; and / or, the at least one candidate cell is associated with at least one timing advance group.

[0042] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving configuration information sent by the first network device, wherein the configuration information is used to configure at least one of the following: an identifier of the timing advance group; a first timer corresponding to the timing advance group, the first timer being used for maintaining the TA value of the candidate cell associated with the timing advance group; and the association relationship between the timing advance group and the candidate cell.

[0043] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following: a first reservation field, a first identification field, and a first timing advance command (TAC) field, wherein the first identification field is used to indicate the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one candidate cell; or, the first identification field is used to indicate at least one candidate cell group corresponding to the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one candidate cell group; or, the first identification field is used to indicate at least one timing advance group associated with the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one timing advance group.

[0044] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving second information sent by the first network device, wherein the second information is used to indicate a first timer for the TA value.

[0045] In the above embodiments, the first network device can instruct the terminal to use the second instruction information to instruct the first timer, so that the terminal can update the second timer previously configured by the first network device according to the first timer. This helps to ensure that the updated TAT can be accurately used to time the validity of TA.

[0046] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes at least one of the following: maintaining the TA value according to the first timer when the second information indicates the TA value; and maintaining the TA value according to the TAT configured by the configuration information sent by the first network device when the second information does not indicate the TA value.

[0047] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, maintaining the TA value according to the first timer includes: maintaining the TA value according to the first timer when the TA value is not being maintained; and updating the second timer according to the first timer when the TA value is being maintained according to the second timer.

[0048] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving third information sent by the first network device, wherein the third information is used to indicate that the TA value has failed.

[0049] In the above embodiments, the first network device can indicate the validity of the TA to the terminal through the third indication information, so that the terminal can perform operations such as deleting the TA and stopping the TA when the TA fails. This helps to avoid continuing to use the failed TA (for example, using the failed TA for early synchronization) and affecting the communication quality.

[0050] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes at least one of the following: ignoring the third information if the third information indicates that the TA value is invalid and the terminal is not maintaining the TA; deleting the TA if the third information indicates that the TA value is invalid and the terminal is maintaining the TA; and / or stopping the TAT corresponding to the TA.

[0051] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: accessing the candidate cell based on the TA value during a condition-based Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility process.

[0052] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure propose an information transmission method executed by a first network device, the method comprising: sending first information to a terminal, wherein the first network device is a network device serving a cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

[0053] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the at least one candidate cell corresponds to at least one candidate cell group; and / or, the at least one candidate cell is associated with at least one timing advance group.

[0054] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending configuration information to the terminal, wherein the configuration information is used to configure at least one of the following: an identifier of the timing advance group; a first timer corresponding to the timing advance group, the first timer being used for maintaining the TA value of the candidate cell associated with the timing advance group; and the association relationship between the timing advance group and the candidate cell.

[0055] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following: a first structure, wherein the first information of the first structure includes a first reservation field, a first identification field, and a first timing advance command (TAC) field, wherein the first identification field is used to indicate the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one candidate cell; or, the first identification field is used to indicate at least one candidate cell group corresponding to the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one candidate cell group; or, the first identification field is used to indicate at least one timing advance group associated with the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one timing advance group.

[0056] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending second information to the terminal, wherein the second information is used to indicate a first timer for the TA value.

[0057] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving time information corresponding to the TA sent by a second network device, wherein the second network device is a candidate cell of the candidate cell; determining whether the TAT of the TA value is available based on the time information; wherein, if the TA is unavailable, sending second information to the terminal.

[0058] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending third information to the terminal, wherein the third information is used to indicate that the TA value has expired.

[0059] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving indication information sent by the second network device, wherein the second network device is a candidate cell of the candidate cell; the indication information is used to indicate that the TA is invalid, and / or, the indication information is used to indicate that the TA is valid, and / or, the indication information is used to request the first network device to send the third information to the terminal.

[0060] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the TA value is used by the terminal to access the candidate cell during a condition-based Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility process.

[0061] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure provide an information receiving apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a receiving module configured to receive first information sent by a first network device, wherein the first network device is a network device serving a cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

[0062] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide an information transmission apparatus executed by a first network device, the apparatus comprising: a transmission module configured to transmit first information to a terminal, wherein the first network device is a network device serving a cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

[0063] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a terminal comprising: one or more processors; wherein the terminal is configured to perform the information receiving method described in any one of the first aspects and optional embodiments thereof.

[0064] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a network device comprising: one or more processors; wherein the network device is configured to perform the information transmission method described in any one of the second aspect and optional embodiments thereof.

[0065] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication system including a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the information receiving method according to any one of the first aspect and optional embodiments of the first aspect, and the network device is configured to implement the information sending method according to any one of the second aspect and optional embodiments of the second aspect.

[0066] Eighthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the information receiving method of any one of the first aspect and optional embodiments of the first aspect, and / or the information sending method of any one of the second aspect and optional embodiments of the second aspect.

[0067] Ninthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a program product that, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the information receiving method according to any one of the first aspect and optional embodiments of the first aspect, and / or the information sending method according to any one of the second aspect and optional embodiments of the second aspect.

[0068] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the information receiving method according to any one of the first aspect and any one of the optional embodiments of the first aspect, and / or the information sending method according to any one of the second aspect and any one of the optional embodiments of the second aspect.

[0069] It is understood that the aforementioned information receiving and sending devices, communication equipment, communication systems, storage media, program products, and computer programs are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0070] This disclosure provides methods and apparatuses for receiving and transmitting information, terminals, network devices, and storage media. In some embodiments, terms such as "information receiving and transmitting method" and "information processing method" and "communication method" can be used interchangeably; terms such as "information receiving and transmitting apparatus" and "information processing apparatus" and "communication apparatus" can be used interchangeably; and terms such as "information processing system" and "communication system" can be used interchangeably.

[0071] This disclosure is not exhaustive, but merely illustrative of some embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, each step in a particular embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a particular embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily interchanged. Furthermore, the optional implementation methods in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; moreover, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0072] In each of the disclosed embodiments, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0073] The terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0074] In the embodiments of this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, elements expressed in the singular, such as “a,” “an,” “the,” “the,” “the,” “the,” “the,” “the,” “this,” etc., may mean “one and only one,” or “one or more,” “at least one,” etc.

[0075] For example, when using articles such as "a", "an", and "the" in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as either a singular or a plural form.

[0076] In the embodiments disclosed herein, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0077] In some embodiments, the terms “at least one of”, “one or more”, “a plurality of”, “multiple”, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0078] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0079] In some embodiments, the notation "A or B" may include the following technical solutions, depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execution of A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execution of B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0080] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of this disclosure are only for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not constitute restrictions on the position, order, priority, number or content of the descriptive objects. For the description of the descriptive objects, please refer to the description in the claims or the context of the embodiments. The use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions.

[0081] For example, if the descriptive object is "field," then the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is "level," then the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers; there can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the descriptive object is "device," then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the descriptive object is "information," then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0082] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0083] In some embodiments, the terms “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “if…”, “if…”, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0084] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0085] In some embodiments, devices, etc., can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. Terms such as “device”, “equipment”, “circuit”, “network element”, “node”, “function”, “unit”, “section”, “system”, “network”, “chip”, “chip system”, “entity”, and “subject” can be used interchangeably.

[0086] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in a network (e.g., access network devices, core network devices, etc.).

[0087] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)," "radio access network device (RAN device)," "base station (BS)," "radio base station," "fixed station," "node," "access point," "transmission point (TP)," "reception point (RP)," "transmission / reception point (TRP)," "panel," "antenna panel," "antenna array," "cell," "macro cell," "small cell," "femto cell," "pico cell," "sector," "cell group," "serving cell," "carrier," "component carrier," and "bandwidth part (BWP)" can be used interchangeably.

[0088] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", "subscriber station", "mobile unit", "subscriber unit", "wireless unit", "remote unit", "mobile device", "wireless device", "wireless communication device", "remote device", "mobile subscriber station", "access terminal", "mobile terminal", "wireless terminal", "remote terminal", "handset", "user agent", "mobile client", and "client" can be used interchangeably.

[0089] In some embodiments, access network devices, core network devices, or network devices can be replaced by terminals. For example, embodiments of this disclosure can also be applied to structures where communication between access network devices, core network devices, or network devices and terminals is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (e.g., device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the structure can also be configured such that the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can be replaced with terms corresponding to communication between terminals (e.g., "sidelink"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., can be replaced with sidelink channel, and uplink link, downlink, etc., can be replaced with sidelink link.

[0090] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, core network device, or network device may also be configured to have all or some of the functions of the terminal.

[0091] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0092] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0093] Furthermore, each element, each row, or each column in the table of this disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0094] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0095] As shown in Figure 1A, the communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a network device 102. The network device can be a first network device or a second network device. For example, the network device includes at least one of the following: an access network device or a core network device.

[0096] In some embodiments, terminal 101 includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: mobile phone, wearable device, Internet of Things device, car with communication function, smart car, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, and wireless terminal device in smart home.

[0097] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that connects a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following in a 5G communication system: evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), node B (NB), home node B (HNB), home evolved node B (HeNB), radio backhaul device, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), base band unit (BBU), mobile switching center, base station in a 6G communication system, open RAN, cloud RAN, base station in other communication systems, and access node in a Wi-Fi system.

[0098] In some embodiments, a core network device may be a single device comprising one or more network elements, or it may be multiple devices or a group of devices, each comprising all or part of the aforementioned one or more network elements. Network elements may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), or a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0099] In some embodiments, the technical solutions of this disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within access network devices involved in the embodiments of this disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of Open RAN. The processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented by software or programs.

[0100] In some embodiments, the access network device may be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The CU may also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can separate the protocol layer of the access network device. Some of the protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU and centrally controlled by the CU. However, this is not the only possibility.

[0101] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0102] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1A, or to some of the main bodies, but are not limited thereto. The main bodies shown in FIG1A are illustrative. The communication system may include all or some of the main bodies in FIG1A, or it may include other main bodies outside of FIG1A. The number and form of each main body are arbitrary. Each main body may be physical or virtual. The connection relationship between the main bodies is illustrative. The main bodies may not be connected or may be connected. The connection can be in any way, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, it can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0103] The embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth (a registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems, systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems built upon them, etc. Furthermore, multiple systems can be combined (e.g., a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0104] In some embodiments, the network device may provide one or more candidate configurations for the terminal, wherein a candidate configuration may include the configuration of one or more cells (or cell groups).

[0105] Network devices can subsequently control the terminal to change multiple candidate configurations via L1 (e.g., DCI (Downlink Control Information)) and / or L2 (MAC CE (Control Element)) signaling and / or RRC signaling, for example, changing the working cell (or cell group) from cell (or cell group)-1 to cell (or cell group)-2.

[0106] For example, control signaling can be called cell change control signaling. For example, this process can be called Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility (L1 / L2-triggered Mobility, LTM) process.

[0107] For example, during LTM, network devices can receive L1 measurement reports sent by terminals. Based on the received L1 measurement results, network devices can send cell switch command signaling to terminals via MAC CE to change the serving cell of terminals.

[0108] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram illustrating an LTM process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0109] As shown in Figure 1B, the network device can send multiple LTM candidate configurations to the terminal in advance via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. When LTM is triggered, the network device sends a Cell Switch Command (e.g., carried in the MAC CE) to indicate the LTM candidate configuration corresponding to the cell the terminal needs to access. The terminal can then apply the corresponding LTM candidate configuration to access the cell indicated by the network device, thereby completing the serving cell change.

[0110] During this process, network devices send MAC CE based on L1 measurement results to trigger cell switching, which is beneficial for responding to rapid channel changes and triggering switching in a timely manner.

[0111] As shown in Figure 1B, the LTM process supports early uplink synchronization (Early UL synchronization) and early downlink synchronization (Early DL synchronization) for candidate cells. "Early" means that it is performed before the handover process.

[0112] Based on advance synchronization, RACH-less (random access-free) LTM cell switching can be supported during LTM. For example, the TA values ​​of LTM candidate cells can be obtained in advance through two methods: timing advance (TA) acquisition and terminal-based TA measurement. These methods are used to support RACH-less LTM cell switching, such as for advance synchronization. Specifically, performing advance uplink synchronization and advance downlink synchronization on candidate cells to achieve RACH-less LTM cell switching can effectively reduce data interruptions during handover.

[0113] For example, LTM can support Subsequent LTM. When the terminal does not release the LTM candidate configuration after each LTM Cell Switch, it can continue to perform subsequent Cell Switches after mobility execution without RRC reconfiguration or reset. Supporting Subsequent LTM can effectively reduce signaling overhead.

[0114] In some embodiments, network devices and terminals can communicate based on a separate architecture. In the separate architecture, network devices (e.g., access network devices) may include CUs (Centralized Units) and DUs (Distributed Units). In LTM scenarios, intra-CU inter-DU LTM and intra-DU LTM can be implemented. Furthermore, inter-CU LTM, condition-triggered LTM, and event-triggered L1 measurement reporting can also be implemented.

[0115] In some embodiments, regarding condition-triggered mobility procedures, the terminal may perform them based on network-preconfigured conditions and preconfigured cells (or cell groups) corresponding to those conditions. For example, when the terminal meets preconfigured conditions (e.g., a specific measurement event), the terminal changes the serving cell (or cell group) to the preconfigured cell (or cell group).

[0116] The condition-triggered mobility process includes at least one of the following:

[0117] CHO (Conditional Handover);

[0118] CPA (Conditional PSCell Addition, adding conditions for primary and secondary cells (or cell groups);

[0119] CPC (Conditional PSCell Change).

[0120] For example, the terminal can also change the configuration of a specific cell (or cell group) after the pre-configured conditions are met according to network instructions. For example, the configuration of the terminal's PCell can be changed from candidate cell (or cell group) configuration-1 to candidate cell (or cell group) configuration-2.

[0121] It should be noted that condition-triggered mobility processes are not limited to the above types, but may also include other cases, such as Conditional LTM.

[0122] For example, condition-triggered LTM can be used for changes to the MCG (Master Cell group) and / or changes to or additions to the SCG (Secondary Cell group).

[0123] For example, condition-triggered LTMs can be used for PCell changes and / or PSCell changes or additions.

[0124] For example, condition-triggered LTMs can be used for any one or more of the addition, modification, and / or deletion of SCells.

[0125] The following examples illustrate the acquisition of TA (e.g., advance TA acquisition) during mobility.

[0126] In some embodiments, when configured by the network, a UL TA acquisition (e.g., referred to as an early TA) procedure for one or more cells different from the current serving cell can be initiated. If the cell has the same NTA as the current serving cell or NTA=0, an early TA acquisition procedure is not required. The network may request the UE to perform early TA acquisition for candidate cells before cell handover.

[0127] For example, the advance TA acquisition process can be triggered by a PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) command or implemented through UE-based TA measurement configured by RRC. In the former case, the gNB to which the candidate cell belongs calculates the TA value and sends it to the gNB to which the serving cell belongs. When an LTM cell handover is triggered, the serving cell sends the TA value in the LTM Cell Switching Command MAC CE. In the latter case, the terminal performs TA measurement on the candidate cell after RRC configuration, but the exact timing of the terminal's TA measurement depends on the terminal's implementation. The terminal applies its own measured TA value and performs LTM without random access upon receiving a cell handover command. The network can also send the TA value in the LTM Cell Switching Command MAC CE without prior TA acquisition.

[0128] In some embodiments, the network device can obtain the TA based on a random access procedure. For example, for a random access procedure for an LTM candidate cell used to obtain the UL TA in advance, a CFRA (Contention Free Random Access) triggered by a PDCCH command can be used. The terminal sends MSG1 (a message in the random access procedure) to the cell without monitoring the response to MSG1. In order to support UE power ramp, the terminal can also perform a network-instructed MSG1 retransmission.

[0129] Figure 1C is a schematic diagram illustrating a network device obtaining TA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0130] As shown in Figure 1C, the network device of the serving cell can assign a preamble to the terminal. When the terminal needs to access a candidate cell, it can send the preamble to the network device of the candidate cell. The candidate cell can determine the TA with the terminal by receiving the preamble.

[0131] In some embodiments, the terminal may calculate TA based on measurements.

[0132] Figure 1D is a schematic diagram illustrating a terminal calculation TA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0133] As shown in Figure 1D, the network devices of cell #1 and cell #2 simultaneously send signals to the terminal. The terminal can determine the uplink TA in cell #1 based on the reception time of the signal sent by the network device of cell #1, for example, it is called TA_Cell_1.

[0134] The terminal can also determine the deviation between the timing of the signal sent to the network device in cell #1 and the timing of the signal received from the network device in cell #2, for example, called the receiving timing deviation Rx_Diff.

[0135] The terminal can calculate the uplink TA in cell #1 based on TA_Cell_1 and Rx_Diff, for example, TA_Cell_2, where (TA_Cell_2) / 2 = (TA_Cell_1) / 2 + Rx_Diff.

[0136] Figure 1E is a schematic diagram illustrating another terminal calculation of TA according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0137] As shown in Figure 1E, considering the time difference (e.g., Tx_Diff) between the network devices of cell #1 and cell #2, TA_Cell_2 can be calculated based on TA_Cell_1, Rx_Diff, and Tx_Diff, where (TA_Cell_2) / 2 = (TA_Cell_1) / 2 + Rx_Diff - Tx_Diff.

[0138] In some embodiments, the terminal can maintain the TA value. For example, after obtaining the TA value indicated by the network, the terminal can start a time-alignment timer (TAT). During the operation of this timer, the terminal considers the TA value to be valid and uses the TA value for synchronization, communication, and other operations.

[0139] In some embodiments, a TA can correspond to a single cell, for example, maintaining one TA for one cell and communicating based on the maintained TA in that cell; or, a TA can correspond to a single beam, for example, maintaining one TA for one beam and communicating based on the maintained TA on that beam; or, a TA can correspond to multiple beams, for example, maintaining one TA for multiple beams and communicating based on the maintained TA on these multiple beams; or, a TA can correspond to multiple cells, for example, maintaining one TA for multiple cells and communicating based on the maintained TA on these multiple cells. For example, multiple cells can include traditional cells (e.g., cells that are not candidate cells during LTM handover) or candidate cells. For example, multiple cells can form a cell group, for example, the cell group can be called a TAG (time advance group). For example, one TAG can correspond to one TAT, and the TA corresponding to the TAG can be maintained through its corresponding TAT.

[0140] As can be seen from the embodiments described above, the LTM process can be triggered by a network device, such as the network device sending a Cell Switch Command to the terminal. Alternatively, the LTM process can be a Conditional LTM (e.g., C-LTM for short), where the terminal triggers the LTM when it determines that the conditions are met. This process does not require the network device to send information to trigger it.

[0141] In situations where it's necessary to obtain the TA in advance (e.g., for pre-synchronization before the LTM process), if the LTM process is triggered by the network device, the network device can send the TA to the terminal via the Cell Switch Command. However, in the case of C-LTM, since the network device does not need to send the Cell Switch Command to the terminal, the terminal cannot obtain the TA via the Cell Switch Command. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify how the terminal determines the TA.

[0142] Figure 2A is an interactive schematic diagram of an information receiving method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0143] In some embodiments, the information receiving method can be performed by a terminal, for example, the terminal can receive information sent by a first network device.

[0144] As shown in Figure 2A, the information receiving method may include the following steps:

[0145] In step S201, the terminal receives the first information sent by the first network device.

[0146] In some embodiments, the first network device is the network device serving the cell.

[0147] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

[0148] For example, a candidate cell can be an LTM candidate cell, or a candidate cell can be a neighboring cell.

[0149] In some embodiments, the first information may indicate the TA of a candidate cell or the TA of multiple candidate cells.

[0150] For a candidate cell, it can correspond to one TA or multiple TAs. For example, a TA can correspond to a single cell, in which case a candidate cell can correspond to one TA; or a TA can correspond to a beam, and a candidate cell can contain multiple beams, in which case a candidate cell can correspond to multiple TAs. Specifically, multiple beams in a candidate cell correspond to multiple TAs.

[0151] In step S202, the terminal determines the TA value of at least one candidate cell based on the first information.

[0152] In some embodiments, the first information may be carried in at least one of the following: RRC signaling, MAC CE, and DCI. The following embodiments mainly illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure by using the example of the first information being carried in the MAC CE.

[0153] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a terminal can determine the candidate cell indicated by the first network device and the TA value of the candidate cell based on the first information sent by the first network device, thereby ensuring that the terminal can know the TA value of the candidate cell so as to perform a mobility process without random access (e.g., it can be called without RACH (Random Access Channel)). For example, the terminal can perform early synchronization based on the TA value (e.g., early uplink synchronization, early downlink synchronization), and then perform LTM handover after early synchronization.

[0154] In some embodiments, after determining the TA value of a candidate cell based on the first information, the terminal can access the candidate cell in condition-based LTM (C-LTM) based on the TA value. For example, it can first perform advance synchronization in the candidate cell based on the TA value, and then perform C-LTM handover to access the candidate cell.

[0155] In other words, the embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to C-LTM scenarios. In such scenarios, since LTM is triggered by the terminal based on conditions, it does not require the network device to send a Cell Switch Command to the terminal to trigger it. Therefore, even if the terminal cannot obtain the TA through the Cell Switch Command, it can obtain the TA through the first information, thereby successfully performing early synchronization so that C-LTM can proceed smoothly in the future.

[0156] In some embodiments, at least one candidate cell includes at least one of the following:

[0157] One candidate cell;

[0158] Multiple candidate communities.

[0159] For example, the first information can indicate a candidate cell and indicate the TA value for this candidate cell, so that the terminal can perform advance synchronization in this candidate cell based on the TA value.

[0160] For example, the first information can indicate multiple candidate cells and specify the TA value for each of these candidate cells. Alternatively, multiple candidate cells can share a single TA value, allowing the terminal to perform advance synchronization in any of the candidate cells based on that TA value. Or, the indication information can specify a separate TA value for each candidate cell, allowing the terminal to perform advance synchronization in the corresponding candidate cell based on that TA value.

[0161] For example, multiple candidate cells can form a candidate cell group or a timing advance group (TAG).

[0162] The first piece of information can indicate the TA value for the candidate cell group, and the terminal can perform advance synchronization in any cell of the candidate cell group based on the TA value.

[0163] The first piece of information can indicate the TA value for the TAG, and the terminal can perform advance synchronization in any cell of the TAG based on the TA value.

[0164] For example, there can be multiple candidate cell groups, and the first information can indicate TA values ​​for these multiple candidate cell groups. Alternatively, multiple candidate cell groups can share a single TA value, allowing the terminal to perform advance synchronization in any of the multiple candidate cell groups based on that TA value. Or, the indication information can indicate a separate TA value for each candidate cell group, allowing the terminal to perform advance synchronization in any cell within that candidate cell group based on its corresponding TA value.

[0165] For example, a candidate cell group can have multiple tags, and the first information can indicate TA values ​​for these multiple tags. Alternatively, multiple tags can share a single TA value, allowing the terminal to perform advance synchronization in any of the multiple tags based on that TA value. Or, the indication information can indicate a separate TA value for each of the multiple tags, allowing the terminal to perform advance synchronization in any cell within the corresponding tag based on that TA value.

[0166] In some embodiments, at least one candidate cell corresponds to at least one candidate cell group; and / or, the at least one candidate cell is associated with at least one timing advance group (TAG).

[0167] For example, a candidate cell group contains at least one candidate cell;

[0168] For example, a timed advance group is associated with at least one candidate cell.

[0169] For example, a TAG being associated with at least one candidate cell can mean that the TAG is directly associated with at least one candidate cell (e.g., the TAG is associated with at least one candidate cell), or it can mean that the TAG is indirectly associated with at least one candidate cell, for example, the TAG is directly associated with at least one beam (e.g., the TAG is associated with at least one beam), and the at least one beam is the beam of at least one candidate cell.

[0170] Taking multiple candidate cells as examples, the relevant configuration of the TAG can be carried in at least one of the following:

[0171] LTM configuration (LTM-Config);

[0172] LTM candidate configuration;

[0173] The cell group configuration of the serving cell (e.g., MAC-CellGroupConfig), such as the cell group configuration of the serving cell, can be included outside the LTM candidate configuration.

[0174] It should be noted that a TAG can contain only candidate cells, or it can contain both candidate cells and traditional cells (e.g., cells that are not candidate cells during LTM handover). For example, if a TAG only contains candidate cells, then the TAG can be called a candidate TAG (e.g., Candidate TAG, such as C-TAG, CTAG, etc.). The CTAG can have a unique identifier, for example, different from the identifier of a TAG that contains traditional cells; or, if a TAG contains both candidate cells and traditional cells, the TAG can share the same identifier as a TAG that only contains traditional cells.

[0175] In some embodiments, the first network device may send configuration information to the terminal.

[0176] For example, configuration information can be used to configure at least one of the following:

[0177] The TAG identifier;

[0178] The first timer (e.g., the first TAT) corresponding to the TAG is used to maintain the TA value of the candidate cell associated with the timing advance group;

[0179] The relationship between TAGs and candidate cells.

[0180] Taking multiple candidate cells corresponding to TAGs as an example, a TAG can be associated with multiple candidate cells. The first network device can configure at least one TAG for the terminal and provide the configuration information corresponding to the TAG. For example, the configuration information is as follows:

[0181] The configuration information includes the identifier of the TAG (e.g., tag-Id mentioned above) to specify the TAG that the configuration information targets.

[0182] The configuration information can configure the association between TAGs and candidate cells. For example, the candidate cells included in a TAG can be recorded in a list (such as ltm-CandidateIdList-r18 mentioned above). It should be noted that the configuration method of the association is not limited to configuring the candidate cells included in the TAG in the TAG configuration in the example above. For example, LTM candidate cells and the TAGs to which the LTM candidate cells belong can also be configured in the LTM candidate configuration.

[0183] The configuration information can configure the TAT of the TAG (such as the timeAlignmentTimer mentioned above). The TAT can be used to maintain the TA of the TAG.

[0184] For example, terminal maintenance of TA includes at least one of the following: storing TA; starting the TAT corresponding to TA; keeping the TAT corresponding to TA running.

[0185] For example, during the TAT operation, the terminal determines that the TA corresponding to the TAG is valid; if the TAT times out, it determines that the TA corresponding to the TAG is invalid.

[0186] For example, for a TA that is not maintained (also known as a TA that has stopped maintenance), the terminal can perform at least one of the following: delete the TA, stop the TAT corresponding to the TA, or delete the TAT corresponding to the TA.

[0187] It should be noted that the content configured in the configuration information is not limited to the above items, and this disclosure does not limit the specific content configured in the configuration information.

[0188] The structure of the first information is illustrated by several embodiments below.

[0189] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following: a first reservation field, a first identifier field, and a first Timing Advance Command (TAC) field, wherein the first identifier field is used to indicate at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of at least one candidate cell; or, the first identifier field is used to indicate at least one candidate cell group corresponding to the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one candidate cell group; or, the first identifier field is used to indicate at least one timing advance group associated with the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one timing advance group.

[0190] For example, the content indicated by the first identifier field and the content indicated by the first TAC field can be predefined (e.g., agreed upon by the protocol).

[0191] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating an information structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0192] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3A, the first information may include a first reserved field, for example, which may be denoted as R. For example, the length of the reserved field is 1 bit, and the value may be set to 0.

[0193] The first information may also include a first identification field, which is used to indicate at least one candidate cell. For example, the first identification field may be a Target Config ID, as shown in Figure 3A, which is an identifier used to indicate a candidate configuration (config). Since the candidate configuration is associated with the candidate cell, it is indirectly used to indicate the candidate cell. For example, the length of the first identification field is 3 bits.

[0194] The first information may also include a first TAC field, which may indicate the TA value of at least one candidate cell. For example, as shown in Figure 3A, the length of the first TAC field may be greater than one byte (oct), for example, part of it may be located in the first byte (oct1) along with the first reserved field and the first identifier field, and another part may be located in the second byte (oct2).

[0195] It should be noted that the length of the first TAC field is not limited to the cases shown in Figures 3A to 3B. The length of the first TAC field can also be set to less than or equal to 1 byte, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0196] Figure 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating another information structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0197] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3B, the first identifier field in the first information can indicate multiple (e.g., N) candidate cells. For example, as shown in FIG3B, it can indicate multiple Target Config IDs, that is, identifiers used to indicate candidate configurations (config). Since candidate configurations are associated with candidate cells, they are indirectly used to indicate multiple candidate cells. The length of the first identifier field is 3 bits, and it can indicate up to 8 candidate cells, for example, N≤8 in FIG3B.

[0198] The TAC field in the first information can also indicate TA values ​​for multiple candidate cells. For example, in Figure 3B, Timing Advance Command 1 is used to indicate TA values ​​for the candidate cell corresponding to Target Config ID 1, and Timing Advance Command N is used to indicate TA values ​​for the candidate cell corresponding to Target Config ID N.

[0199] Figure 3C is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another information structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0200] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3C, the first information may include a first reserved field, for example, which may be denoted as R. For example, the length of the reserved field is 1 bit, and the value may be set to 0.

[0201] The first information may also include a first identifier field, which is used to indicate at least one candidate cell group and / or at least one TAG. For example, taking the first identifier field as indicating at least one TAG (e.g., denoted as CTAG), the first identifier field can be the CTAG ID, as shown in Figure 3A, which is the identifier used to indicate the CTAG. For example, the length of the first identifier field is 3 bits.

[0202] The first information may also include a first TAC field, which may indicate the TA value of at least one candidate cell group or the TA value of the at least one TAG. For example, as shown in Figure 3C, the length of the first TAC field may be greater than 1 byte (oct). For example, a part of it may be located in the first byte (oct1) along with the first reserved field and the first identifier field, and another part may be located in the second byte (oct2).

[0203] It should be noted that the length of the first TAC field is not limited to the cases shown in Figures 3C to 3D. The length of the first TAC field can also be set to less than or equal to 1 byte, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0204] Figure 3D is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another information structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0205] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3D, the first identifier field in the first information can indicate multiple (e.g., N) cell groups, for example, as shown in FIG3D, it can indicate multiple CTAG IDs. The length of the first identifier field is 3 bits, and it can indicate up to 8 cell groups, for example, N≤8 in FIG3D.

[0206] The first TAC field in the first information can also indicate TA values ​​for multiple TAGs (e.g., CTAG). For example, in Figure 3D, Timing Advance Command 1 is used to indicate TA values ​​for the CTAG corresponding to CTAG ID 1, and Timing Advance Command N is used to indicate TA values ​​for the CTAG corresponding to CTAG ID N.

[0207] In some embodiments, the first network device may send second information to the terminal.

[0208] For example, a terminal may receive second information sent by a first network device, wherein the second information is used to indicate a first timer value for a TA.

[0209] In some embodiments, the first network device may receive time information for generating TA sent by the second network device, wherein the second network device is a candidate cell of the candidate cell.

[0210] For example, the first network device can determine whether the TAT of the TA value is available based on time information, and then send the second information to the terminal if the TA is unavailable.

[0211] For example, the first network device can compare the time when the second network device generates the TA (e.g., denoted as t1) with the time when the first network device configures the TAT for the terminal (e.g., denoted as t2). When the absolute value of the difference between t1 and t2 is relatively large (e.g., greater than a threshold), it can be determined that the TAT of the TA value (the TAT currently used to time the TA (e.g., can be denoted as the second TAT), which can be the TAT configured for the terminal by the network device through RRC signaling, or the TAT indicated to the terminal by the first information) is unavailable (invalid). Then, the second information can be sent to the terminal to indicate the first timer.

[0212] For example, in the case of a first timer indicating the TA value in the second information, the terminal can maintain the TA value according to the first timer.

[0213] For example, since the first network device can pre-configure the TAT for the terminal through configuration information (e.g., LTM configuration), in the case of a first timer where the second information does not indicate the TA value, the terminal can maintain the TA value according to the TAT configured in the configuration information (e.g., LTM configuration) sent by the first network device.

[0214] Figure 3E is a schematic diagram illustrating a second type of information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0215] As shown in Figure 3E, the second information can be carried in the first information. For example, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 3C, the first timer (e.g., the Time Alignment Timer in Figure 3E) can occupy 3 bits in the third byte, and the other bits in the third byte are reserved bits.

[0216] For example, when the first network device sends the second information, it can first determine whether the TA value has been indicated for the CTAG. If the TA value has not been indicated, the TA value can be indicated through the Timing Advance Command in Figure 3E, and the TAT used to maintain the TA can be indicated in the Time Alignment Timer. If the TA value has been indicated, the TAT used to maintain the TA can be indicated in the Time Alignment Timer in Figure 3E, but the Timing Advance Command can not be indicated, or the Timing Advance Command can be set to indicate a specific value. In this case, the terminal can determine that the TA value has not been updated.

[0217] In some embodiments, when the terminal is not maintaining a TA value, it maintains the TA value according to a first timer (e.g., a first TAT). When the terminal is maintaining a TA value according to a second timer (e.g., a second TAT), it updates the second timer according to the first timer, and can also maintain the TA according to the updated second timer.

[0218] For example, after receiving the second information, the terminal can determine whether it is maintaining the TA based on the second timer (e.g., whether there is a second timer used to time the validity of the TA). If the TA is not being maintained (e.g., there is no second timer used to time the validity of the TA, or the second timer has expired), then the first timer can be determined as the TA's TAT, and the TA can be maintained based on the first timer (e.g., starting the first timer to time and determine the validity of the TA). If the TA is being maintained based on the second timer (e.g., there is a second timer used to time the validity of the TA, or the second timer has not expired), then the first timer can be used as the new TAT to update the second timer. The terminal can then maintain the TA according to the updated TAT. For example, after the TAT is updated, the updated TAT is restarted, and the TA is maintained according to the updated TAT.

[0219] Since there may be a time interval between the time when the first network device configures the TAT (e.g., the second timer) for the terminal and the time when the second network device determines the TA of the candidate cell, if the time interval is relatively large (e.g., greater than a threshold), the timing duration of the TAT configured by the first network device for the terminal cannot be accurately used to time the validity of the TA.

[0220] Therefore, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the first network device can instruct the terminal to use the second instruction information to instruct the first timer, so that the terminal can update the second timer previously configured by the first network device according to the first timer, which helps to ensure that the updated TAT can be accurately used to time the validity of TA.

[0221] For example, if TA is valid, it means that the TAT corresponding to TA is running and has not expired.

[0222] In some embodiments, the first network device may send third information to the terminal.

[0223] For example, the terminal can receive third information sent by the first network device, wherein the third information is also used to indicate that the TA value is invalid.

[0224] Figure 2B is an interactive schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0225] As shown in Figure 2B, in some embodiments, the first network device can receive indication information sent by the second network device, wherein the second network device is a candidate cell of the candidate cell.

[0226] The indication information sent by the second network device to the first network device can indicate that the TA is invalid, and / or, can be used to request the first network device to send third information to the terminal.

[0227] After receiving the indication information sent by the second network device, the first network device can determine that the TA of the candidate cell of the second network device has failed, and can also send third information to the terminal according to the request of the second network device.

[0228] Figure 2C is a schematic diagram of the interaction of another network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2D is a schematic diagram of the interaction of yet another network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0229] In some embodiments, the first network device and the second network device may be network devices in a separate architecture.

[0230] For example, as shown in Figure 2C, the first network device and the second network device are located in different DUs, but in the same CU. The DU where the second network device is located (e.g., referred to as the second DU) can send indication information to the CU, and then the CU sends the indication information and / or the generation time of the TA of the candidate cell to the DU where the first network device is located (e.g., referred to as the first DU).

[0231] For example, as shown in Figure 2D, the first network device and the second network device are located in different CUs. For example, the CU where the second network device is located is denoted as the second CU, and the CU where the first network device is located is denoted as the first CU. The DU where the second network device is located can send indication information and / or the generation time of the TA of the candidate cell to the second CU. The second CU sends the indication information and / or the generation time of the TA of the candidate cell to the first CU, and then the first CU sends the indication information and / or the generation time of the TA of the candidate cell to the DU where the first network device is located.

[0232] If the first network device and the second network device are located in different CUs, the DU where the first network device is located sends indication information and / or the generation time of the TA of the candidate cell to the CU where the first network device is located. Then the CU of the first network device sends the indication information and / or the generation time of the TA of the candidate cell to the CU where the second network device is located. The CU of the second network device then sends the indication information and / or the generation time of the TA of the candidate cell to the DU where the second network device is located.

[0233] Figure 2E is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between a terminal and a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0234] As shown in Figure 2E, in some embodiments, the first network device can receive indication information sent by the second network device, which can indicate the failure and / or validity of TA, wherein the second network device is a candidate cell of the candidate cell.

[0235] The first network device can determine whether the TA (Transmission Terminal) is invalid based on the indication information sent by the second network device. For example, if the second network device determines that the TA is invalid, it sends a third message to the terminal.

[0236] In some embodiments, if the terminal indicates that the TA value is invalid and the terminal does not maintain the TA, the third information can be ignored.

[0237] In some embodiments, when the third information indicates that the TA value is invalid, and the terminal is maintaining the TA, deletes the TA, and / or stops the TAT corresponding to the TA.

[0238] Since there may be a time interval between the time when the first network device configures the TAT (e.g., the second timer) for the terminal and the time when the second network device determines the TA of the candidate cell, if the time interval is relatively large (e.g., greater than a threshold), the TA of the candidate cell may have expired.

[0239] Therefore, according to the embodiments of this disclosure, the first network device can indicate the validity of the TA to the terminal through the third indication information, so that the terminal can perform operations such as deleting the TA and stopping the TAT when the TA fails, which helps to avoid continuing to use the failed TA (e.g., using the failed TA for early synchronization) and affecting the communication quality.

[0240] Figure 3F is a schematic diagram illustrating one type of third information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3G is a schematic diagram illustrating another type of third information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0241] For example, as shown in Figure 3F, the third information can be included in the first information. For instance, the reserved field in Figure 3C can also be used as the third information. In this case, the reserved field can be denoted as Y, with a value of 1 indicating that the TA corresponding to the CTAG ID is valid, and a value of 0 indicating that the TA corresponding to the CTAG ID is invalid. When the value of Y is 0, the value of TAC can be set to a specific value (e.g., FFF, 000, etc.), and the specific value does not indicate any TA value.

[0242] For example, as shown in Figure 3G, the third information can be included in the first information. For example, the TAC in Figure 3C can also be used as the third information. In this case, when the value of TAC is a specific value (e.g., FFF, 000, etc.), it can be used to indicate that the TA corresponding to the CTAG ID is invalid. The specific value does not indicate any TA value. When the value of TAC is a non-specific value, the terminal can determine that the TA is valid. The valid TA value is the value indicated by TAC.

[0243] It should be noted that the information sent by the second network device to the first network device, and the information sent by the first network device to the terminal, can include, in addition to the indication information, first information, second information, and third information as described in the previous embodiments, identification information. For example, the identification information may include at least one of the following:

[0244] The identifiers include at least one candidate cell identifier, at least one candidate configuration identifier, at least one TAG identifier, terminal identifier, serving CU (or source CU, i.e., the CU where the network device of the serving cell is located), serving DU (or source DU, i.e., the DU where the network device of the serving cell is located), candidate CU (i.e., the CU where the network device of the candidate cell is located), candidate DU (i.e., the DU where the network device of the candidate cell is located), and candidate node (e.g., candidate cell, network device of the candidate cell).

[0245] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of steps S201 to S202. For example, step S201 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, step S202 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, and step S201+S202 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0246] In some embodiments, steps S201 and S202 may be performed in an alternate order or simultaneously.

[0247] In some embodiments, step S201 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0248] In some embodiments, step S202 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0249] In some embodiments, other alternative implementations may be described before or after the specification corresponding to FIG2A.

[0250] The technical solutions of this disclosure will be illustrated by several further embodiments below.

[0251] In some embodiments, network devices can configure the structure of MAC CE for a terminal to transmit TA for candidate cells via RRC signaling.

[0252] In some embodiments, the TA-related configuration of a candidate cell can be carried in the LTM configuration (LTM-Config), or in the LTM candidate (LTM-Candidate) configuration, or in the MAC-CellGroupConfig of the serving cell (e.g., this configuration is outside the LTM candidate configuration).

[0253] In some embodiments, the TA-related configuration of a candidate cell can be per TAG, that is, one TAG corresponds to one TA. Here, one TAG can correspond to multiple LTM Candidates. The TAG can be a TAG dedicated to the candidate cell (CTAG), or it can be a TAG that shares the same set of IDs as the TAGs of traditional serving cells (e.g., PCell, PSCell).

[0254] For example, the TA configuration of a candidate cell can also be configured through a specific IE (Information Element).

[0255] For example, network devices can configure one or more of the following for each candidate TAG: TAG ID, TAT, and one or more LTM Candidate IDs (LTM Candidate ID List). Multiple candidate TAGs can be configured on the network side. For instance, ltm-CandidateIdList indicates one or more candidate cells (represented by associated candidate IDs) corresponding to this TAG (whose ID is tag-Id), and it can also be configured with its corresponding TAT, such as timeAlignmentTimer. Both timeAlignmentTimer and ltm-CandidateIdList are optional configuration options.

[0256] For example, the relevant IE browser can be shown below:

[0257] In the example above, the LTM candidate ID (e.g., the candidate cell ID) is included in the TAG configuration. However, the configuration method is not limited to this; the TAG associated with each LTM candidate cell can also be indicated in the LTM configuration. For example, the network device can configure the candidate TAG associated with each LTM candidate cell in each LTM candidate. For instance, the network side can configure the candidate TAG configuration separately, which includes its corresponding TAG ID and TAT configuration.

[0258] In some embodiments, the MAC CE carrying a candidate TAC may also carry a candidate cell and / or a set of candidate cells and / or candidate TAGs.

[0259] For example, as shown in Figures 3A to 3D, the MAC CE of a candidate TAC may include the following information fields:

[0260] A reserved field, for example denoted as R, has a length of 1 bit and can be set to 0.

[0261] The identifier field, also known as the target configuration identifier field, can indicate the index of the candidate configuration for LTM cell handover. The index of the candidate configuration is associated with the value of the LTM identifier (ltm-CandidateId) minus 1 (because the index of the candidate configuration starts from 0, while ltm-CandidateId starts from 1). For example, the length of this field is 3 bits.

[0262] The TAC field is used to indicate the TA corresponding to a candidate cell or cell group.

[0263] For example, in Figures 3A and 3B, the TAC field indicates the TA value of the LTM candidate cell (e.g., the PCell or PSCell associated with the candidate configuration).

[0264] For example, in Figures 3C and 3D, the TAC field indicates the TA value of the LTM candidate TAG (e.g., the cell in which is an LTM candidate cell) associated with the LTM candidate cell (e.g., the PCell or PSCell associated with the candidate configuration).

[0265] For example, these TAs can be relative TAs or absolute TAs.

[0266] For example, absolute TA refers to the absolute TA value of candidate cells and / or candidate TAGs.

[0267] For example, relative TA refers to the TA offset value relative to the current PTAG (the TAG where the primary cell is located);

[0268] For example, relative TA refers to the TA offset value relative to the TA currently maintained by the terminal for this TAG.

[0269] For example, the structural design of the candidate TA Command MAC CE can be referred to Figures 3A to 3D in the previous embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0270] In some embodiments, the network device may send indication information (e.g., including second information and third information) to the terminal. The indication information may be used to update the TAT of the candidate cell (e.g., through the second information) or to indicate that the TA of the candidate cell has failed (e.g., through the third information).

[0271] For example, the network equipment serving the cell can provide the terminal with the TAT corresponding to the candidate cell TA through the MAC CE carrying the TAC. In this case, the MAC CE can be called the second information.

[0272] If the terminal carries the TAT in the received MAC CE, the UE uses the TAT in the MAC CE to maintain the TA; otherwise, it uses the TAT configured by the network device through RRC to maintain the TA.

[0273] For example, when the terminal is maintaining the TA based on the TAT, the terminal can update the TAT used to maintain the TA according to the TA in the MAC CE, and can also restart the TAT and perform scheduled actions according to the TAT indicated by the MAC CE. For an example of the structure of the MAC CE, please refer to Figure 3E, which will not be elaborated here.

[0274] For example, a MAC CE can carry the identifier of at least one cell (e.g., a TAG) and indicate that the TA value corresponding to at least one cell is invalid. When a terminal receives this MAC CE, if the terminal has not maintained the TA corresponding to at least one cell, it can ignore the invalid TA value indicated by the MAC CE. If the terminal is maintaining (currently maintaining or about to maintain) the TA corresponding to at least one cell, the terminal determines that the TA corresponding to at least one cell is invalid based on the MAC CE, and can then delete the maintained TA value and stop the TAT used to maintain the TA. For examples of the structure of a MAC CE, please refer to Figures 3F to 3G, which will not be repeated here.

[0275] In some embodiments, the network device of the candidate cell (e.g., referred to as the second network device) may send indication information to the network device of the serving cell (e.g., referred to as the first network device) to indicate that the TA of the candidate cell has failed. It may also request the first network device to send indication information (e.g., referred to as the third information) to the terminal to instruct the terminal to delete the TA maintained for the candidate cell.

[0276] In some embodiments, the first network device may also obtain the generation time of the TA of the candidate cell, and may also determine the transmission time of the TAT used to maintain the TA of the candidate cell (e.g., transmitted via LTM configuration) to be sent to the terminal. Then, it can determine whether the TAT of the TA value of the candidate cell is available based on the generation time and the transmission time. If it is not available, it can send third information to the terminal.

[0277] In some embodiments, the first network device and the second network device may be network devices in a separate architecture.

[0278] For example, the first network device and the second network device are located in different DUs but in the same CU. The DU where the second network device is located can send indication information to the CU, and then the CU sends the indication information and / or the generation time of the TA of the candidate cell to the DU where the first network device is located.

[0279] For example, the first network device and the second network device are located in different CUs. For instance, the CU where the second network device is located is referred to as the second CU, and the CU where the first network device is located is referred to as the first CU. The DU where the second network device is located can send indication information and / or the generation time of the TA of the candidate cell to the second CU. The second CU sends the indication information and / or the generation time of the TA of the candidate cell to the first CU, and then the first CU sends the indication information and / or the generation time of the TA of the candidate cell to the DU where the first network device is located.

[0280] If the first network device and the second network device are located in different CUs, the DU where the candidate cell is located sends indication information and / or the generation time of the candidate cell's TA to the CU where the candidate cell is located. Then, the CU of the candidate cell sends the indication information and / or the generation time of the candidate cell's TA to the CU where the serving cell is located. The CU of the serving cell then sends the indication information and / or the generation time of the candidate cell's TA to the DU where the serving cell is located.

[0281] It should be noted that the information sent by the second network device to the first network device, and the information sent by the first network device to the terminal, can, in addition to indicating the TA or whether the TA is invalid, as pointed out in the previous embodiments, also carry identification information. For example, the identification information includes at least one of the following:

[0282] The identifiers include at least one candidate cell identifier, at least one candidate configuration identifier, at least one TAG identifier, terminal identifier, serving CU (or source CU, i.e., the CU where the network device of the serving cell is located), serving DU (or source DU, i.e., the DU where the network device of the serving cell is located), candidate CU (i.e., the CU where the network device of the candidate cell is located), candidate DU (i.e., the DU where the network device of the candidate cell is located), and candidate node (e.g., candidate cell, network device of the candidate cell).

[0283] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc., are not limited to the names described in the embodiments. Terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0284] In some embodiments, the terms "uplink", "uplink", and "physical uplink" can be used interchangeably, as can the terms "downlink", "downlink", and "physical downlink", as well as the terms "sidelink", "sidelink", "sidelink communication", "sidelink communication", "direct connection", "direct link", "direct communication", and "direct link communication".

[0285] In some embodiments, the terms “downlink control information (DCI),” “downlink (DL) assignment,” “DL DCI,” “uplink (UL) grant,” and “UL DCI” can be used interchangeably.

[0286] In some embodiments, terms such as "physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)" and "DL data" can be used interchangeably, as can terms such as "physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)" and "UL data".

[0287] In some embodiments, the terms “radio”, “wireless”, “radio access network (RAN)”, “access network (AN)”, and “RAN-based” can be used interchangeably.

[0288] In some embodiments, the terms "component carrier (CC)," "cell," "frequency carrier," and "carrier frequency" can be used interchangeably.

[0289] In some embodiments, “get,” “obtain,” “receive,” “transmit,” “bidirectional transmission,” and “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from higher layers, obtaining through self-processing, or autonomous implementation, among other meanings.

[0290] In some embodiments, terms such as “send,” “transmit,” “report,” “distribute,” “transfer,” “bidirectional transmission,” “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably.

[0291] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain," "preset," "default," "set," "indicated," "a certain," "any," and "first" can be used interchangeably. "Certain A," "preset A," "default A," "set A," "indicated A," "a certain A," "any A," and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-defined in a protocol or the like, or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or instruction, or as specific A, a certain A, any A, or first A, but are not limited thereto.

[0292] Corresponding to the aforementioned embodiments of the information receiving method and information sending method, this disclosure also provides embodiments of the information receiving device and the information receiving device.

[0293] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an information receiving device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the information receiving device can be disposed in and / or applied to a terminal. As shown in Figure 4, the information receiving device includes: a receiving module 401 and a processing module 402.

[0294] In some embodiments, the receiving module is configured to receive first information sent by a first network device, wherein the first network device is a network device serving a cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

[0295] In some embodiments, the at least one candidate cell corresponds to at least one candidate cell group; and / or, the at least one candidate cell is associated with at least one timing advance group.

[0296] In some embodiments, the receiving module is further configured to receive configuration information sent by the first network device, wherein the configuration information is used to configure at least one of the following: the identifier of the timing advance group; a first timer corresponding to the timing advance group, the first timer being used for maintaining the TA value of the candidate cell associated with the timing advance group; and the association relationship between the timing advance group and the candidate cell.

[0297] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following: a first reservation field, a first identification field, and a first timing advance command (TAC) field, wherein the first identification field is used to indicate the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one candidate cell; or, the first identification field is used to indicate at least one candidate cell group corresponding to the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one candidate cell group; or, the first identification field is used to indicate at least one timing advance group associated with the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one timing advance group.

[0298] In some embodiments, the receiving module is further configured to receive second information sent by the first network device, wherein the second information is used to indicate a first timer for the TA value.

[0299] In some embodiments, the processing module is configured to: maintain the TA value according to the first timer when the second information indicates the TA value; and maintain the TA value according to the TAT configured by the configuration information sent by the first network device when the second information does not indicate the TA value.

[0300] In some embodiments, the processing module is configured to maintain the TA value according to the first timer when the TA value is not being maintained; and to update the second timer according to the first timer and maintain the TA according to the updated second timer when the TA value is being maintained according to the second timer.

[0301] In some embodiments, the receiving module is further configured to receive third information sent by the first network device, wherein the third information is used to indicate that the TA value has failed.

[0302] In some embodiments, the processing module is configured to: ignore the third information if the third information indicates that the TA value is invalid and the terminal is not maintaining the TA; delete the TA if the third information indicates that the TA value is invalid and the terminal is maintaining the TA; and / or stop the TAT of the TA.

[0303] In some embodiments, the processing module is configured to access the candidate cell based on the TA value during a condition-based Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility process.

[0304] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an information transmission device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the information transmission device can be configured and / or applied to a network device (e.g., a first network device). As shown in Figure 5, the information transmission device includes: a transmission module 501, a processing module 502, and a receiving module 503.

[0305] In some embodiments, the sending module is configured to send first information to the terminal, wherein the first network device is a network device serving a cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

[0306] In some embodiments, the at least one candidate cell corresponds to at least one candidate cell group; and / or, the at least one candidate cell is associated with at least one timing advance group.

[0307] In some embodiments, the sending module is further configured to send configuration information to the terminal, wherein the configuration information is used to configure at least one of the following: the identifier of the timing advance group; a first timer corresponding to the timing advance group, the first timer being used for maintaining the TA value of the candidate cell associated with the timing advance group; and the association relationship between the timing advance group and the candidate cell.

[0308] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following: a first reservation field, a first identification field, and a first timing advance command (TAC) field, wherein the first identification field is used to indicate the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one candidate cell; or, the first identification field is used to indicate at least one candidate cell group corresponding to the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one candidate cell group; or, the first identification field is used to indicate at least one timing advance group associated with the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one timing advance group.

[0309] In some embodiments, the sending module is further configured to send second information to the terminal, wherein the second information is used to indicate a first timer for the TA value.

[0310] In some embodiments, the receiving module is configured to receive time information corresponding to the TA sent by a second network device, the second network device being a candidate cell of the candidate cell; the processing module is configured to determine whether the TAT of the TA value is available based on the time information; wherein, if the TA is unavailable, the sending module is configured to send second information to the terminal.

[0311] In some embodiments, the sending module is further configured to send third information to the terminal, wherein the third information is used to indicate that the TA value has expired.

[0312] In some embodiments, the receiving module is configured to receive indication information sent by the second network device, wherein the second network device is a candidate cell of the candidate cell; the indication information is used to indicate that the TA is invalid, and / or, the indication information is used to indicate that the TA is valid, and / or, the indication information is used to request the first network device to send the third information to the terminal.

[0313] In some embodiments, the TA value is used by the terminal to access the candidate cell during a condition-based Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility process.

[0314] For the device embodiments, since they basically correspond to the method embodiments, the relevant parts can be referred to in the description of the method embodiments. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can understand and implement this without any creative effort.

[0315] This disclosure also provides an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. Alternatively, another apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network functional node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0316] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0317] In this embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), or a Deep Learning Processing Unit (DPU).

[0318] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 6100 proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device 6100 can be a network device (e.g., access network device, core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., user equipment, etc.), a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 6100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0319] As shown in Figure 6A, the communication device 6100 includes one or more processors 6101. The processor 6101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 6100 can be used to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 6101 can be used to invoke instructions to cause the communication device 6100 to execute any of the above methods.

[0320] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more transceivers 6102. When the communication device 6100 includes one or more transceivers 6102, the transceiver 6102 performs at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps S201, S202, but not limited thereto) in the above method, such as sending and / or receiving, while the processor 6101 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., steps S201, S202, but not limited thereto). In optional embodiments, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, interface, etc., can be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, sending unit, transmitter, sending circuit, etc., can be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0321] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more memories 6103 for storing data. Optionally, all or part of the memories 6103 may be located outside the communication device 6100. In optional embodiments, the communication device 6100 may include one or more interface circuits 6104. Optionally, the interface circuits 6104 are connected to the memories 6103 and can be used to receive data from the memories 6103 or other devices, and to send data to the memories 6103 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 6104 can read data stored in the memories 6103 and send the data to the processor 6101.

[0322] The communication device 6100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 6100 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 6100 may not be limited by FIG. 6A. The communication device may be a standalone device or a part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the IC collection may also include storage components for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0323] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of the structure of chip 6200 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For cases where the communication device 6100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of chip 6200 shown in Figure 6B, but it is not limited thereto.

[0324] Chip 6200 includes one or more processors 6201. Chip 6200 is used to perform any of the methods described above.

[0325] In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more interface circuits 6202. Optionally, terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pin can be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more memories 6203 for storing data. Optionally, all or part of the memories 6203 may be located outside chip 6200. Optionally, interface circuit 6202 is connected to memory 6203, and interface circuit 6202 can be used to receive data from memory 6203 or other devices, and interface circuit 6202 can be used to send data to memory 6203 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 6202 can read data stored in memory 6203 and send the data to processor 6201.

[0326] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 6202 performs at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps S201, S202, but not limited thereto) in the above-described method, such as sending and / or receiving. For example, the interface circuit 6202 performing the communication steps (e.g., sending and / or receiving) in the above-described method means that the interface circuit 6202 performs data interaction between the processor 6201, the chip 6200, the memory 6203, or the transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 6201 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., steps S201, S202, but not limited thereto).

[0327] The modules and / or devices described in the various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be combined or separated arbitrarily as needed. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0328] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on the communication device 6100, cause the communication device 6100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0329] This disclosure also provides a program product that, when executed by the communication device 6100, causes the communication device 6100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0330] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

Claims

1. An information receiving method, characterized in that, The method, executed by a terminal, includes: The system receives first information sent by a first network device, wherein the first network device is a network device serving a cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least one candidate cell corresponds to at least one candidate cell group; and / or, the at least one candidate cell is associated with at least one timing advance group.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive configuration information sent by the first network device, wherein the configuration information is used to configure at least one of the following: The identifier of the timing advance group; The first timer corresponding to the advance timing group is used for maintaining the TA value of the candidate cell associated with the advance timing group; The relationship between the timed advance group and the candidate cells.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of the following: First reserved domain; First identifier field; First timed advance command TAC field; Wherein, the first identifier field is used to indicate the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one candidate cell; or, the first identifier field is used to indicate at least one candidate cell group corresponding to the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one candidate cell group; or, the first identifier field is used to indicate at least one timing advance group associated with the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one timing advance group.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives second information sent by the first network device, wherein the second information is used to indicate a first timer for the TA value.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes at least one of the following: When the second information indicates the first timer of the TA value, the TA value is maintained according to the first timer; In the absence of a first timer indicating the TA value in the second information, the TA value is maintained according to the TAT configured in the configuration information sent by the first network device.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Maintaining the TA value according to the first timer includes: If the TA value is not maintained, the TA value is maintained according to the first timer; While the TA value is being maintained according to the second timer, the second timer is updated according to the first timer, and the TA is maintained according to the updated second timer.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives third information sent by the first network device, wherein the third information is used to indicate that the TA value is invalid.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes at least one of the following: If the third information indicates that the TA value is invalid, and the terminal does not maintain the TA, the third information is ignored; If the third information indicates that the TA value is invalid, and the terminal is maintaining the TA, delete the TA, and / or stop the TAT corresponding to the TA.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: During a condition-based Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility process, access to the candidate cell is made based on the TA value.

11. A method for sending information, characterized in that, Performed by a first network device, the method includes: Send first information to the terminal, wherein the first network device is the network device of the serving cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The at least one candidate cell corresponds to at least one candidate cell group; and / or, the at least one candidate cell is associated with at least one timing advance group.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send configuration information to the terminal, wherein the configuration information is used to configure at least one of the following: The identifier of the timing advance group; The first timer corresponding to the advance timing group is used for maintaining the TA value of the candidate cell associated with the advance timing group; The relationship between the timed advance group and the candidate cells.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of the following: First reserved domain; First identifier field; First timed advance command TAC field; Wherein, the first identifier field is used to indicate the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one candidate cell; or, the first identifier field is used to indicate at least one candidate cell group corresponding to the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one candidate cell group; or, the first identifier field is used to indicate at least one timing advance group associated with the at least one candidate cell, and the first TAC field is used to indicate the TA value of the at least one timing advance group.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message to the terminal, wherein the second message is used to indicate a first timer for the TA value.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the time information corresponding to the TA sent by the second network device, wherein the second network device is a candidate cell of the candidate cell; Determine whether the TAT of the TA value is available based on the time information; In the event that the TAT is unavailable, a second message is sent to the terminal.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: A third message is sent to the terminal, wherein the third message is used to indicate that the TA value is invalid.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal receives indication information sent by the second network device, wherein the second network device is a candidate cell of the candidate cell; the indication information is used to indicate that the TA is invalid, and / or, the indication information is used to indicate that the TA is valid, and / or, the indication information is used to request the first network device to send the third information to the terminal.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that, The TA value is used by the terminal to access the candidate cell during a condition-based Layer 1 / Layer 2 triggered mobility process.

20. An information receiving device, characterized in that, The device includes: The receiving module is configured to receive first information sent by a first network device, wherein the first network device is a network device serving a cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

21. An information transmitting device, characterized in that, Performed by a first network device, the apparatus includes: The sending module is configured to send first information to the terminal, wherein the first network device is the network device of the serving cell, and the first information is used to indicate the timing advance TA value of at least one candidate cell.

22. A terminal, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; The terminal is used to execute the information receiving method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

23. A network device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; The network device is used to perform the information transmission method according to any one of claims 11 to 19.

24. A communication system, characterized in that, The device includes a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the information receiving method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and the network device is configured to implement the information sending method according to any one of claims 11 to 19.

25. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed on the communication device, the communication device performs the information receiving method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and / or the information sending method according to any one of claims 11 to 19.

26. A program product, characterized in that, When the above-described program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device performs the information receiving method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and / or the information sending method according to any one of claims 11 to 19.

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