Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus. In the method, a first access network device receives, from a terminal, a measurement result of a source cell and a measurement result of at least one neighboring cell, wherein the measurement result of the source cell comprises channel state information of the source cell and / or reference signal received power of a downlink reference signal of the source cell, and the measurement result of each neighboring cell comprises reference signal received power of a downlink reference signal of the neighboring cell; and the first access network device sends a first message to a second access network device, wherein the first message is used by the second access network device to predict channel state information of a target cell, the first message comprises a parameter used for predicting the channel state information, and the parameter used for predicting the channel state information comprises the measurement result of the source cell and / or a measurement result of the target cell. By using the method, a second access network device can predict channel state information of a target cell on the basis of a first message, thereby obtaining accurate channel state information in a timely manner.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411997377.9, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on December 31, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0004] In mobile communication systems, when a terminal moves, the communication link between the terminal and the access network equipment changes, and the terminal will need to perform cell handover or access network equipment handover.

[0005] After a terminal accesses the target cell / target access network device, if the target access network device lacks the terminal's channel state information (CSI) or the CSI is inaccurate, in order to ensure successful data transmission with the terminal, the target access network device will schedule the terminal using low-order modulation and coding methods, resulting in a low data transmission rate for a period of time in the initial period after handover. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus to enable target access network devices to obtain accurate CSI in a timely manner.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method applied to a first access network device or a chip within the first access network device. Exemplarily, the method can be applied to the first access network device, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the first access network device, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first access network device. Taking the application of this method to a first access network device as an example, in this method, the first access network device receives measurement results from a source cell and at least one neighboring cell from a terminal. The source cell belongs to the first access network device. The measurement results of the source cell include channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell. The measurement results of each neighboring cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of that neighboring cell. The first access network device sends a first message to a second access network device. The first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of a target cell. The first message includes parameters for predicting the channel state information, including the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell. The target cell is one of the at least one neighboring cell and belongs to the second access network device.

[0008] With the above design, the first access network device sends a first message to the second access network device, enabling the second access network device to predict the channel state information of the target cell based on the first message, thus achieving timely and accurate channel state information. Furthermore, the second access network device does not need to wait for the terminal to report the channel state information of the target cell; it schedules the terminal based on the predicted channel state information of the target cell, thereby enabling high-speed data transmission between the second access network device and the terminal. Moreover, the terminal does not need to obtain and report the channel state information of neighboring cells to the source cell before handover, effectively saving the terminal's measurement overhead, reducing the complexity of cell handover, and ensuring the normal data transmission process of the terminal in the source cell, thus effectively improving the user experience during mobility.

[0009] In one possible design, the parameters used to predict channel state information also include the handover time of the terminal; the first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of the target cell at the handover time.

[0010] With the above design, the second access network device can obtain the handover time of the terminal, and then predict the channel state information of the target cell in advance based on the handover time, which is beneficial to scheduling the data transmission of the terminal and improving the data transmission rate between the second access network device and the terminal.

[0011] In one possible design, the parameters used to predict channel state information may also include the location information of the terminal and / or the speed information of the terminal.

[0012] In one possible design, before sending the first message, the first access network device receives first indication information from the second access network device, the first indication information being used to request the first access network device to provide the parameters for predicting channel state information.

[0013] With the above design, the second access network device can inform the first access network device in advance to provide parameters for predicting channel state information.

[0014] In one possible design, the first access network device sends a first request message to the second access network device, the first request message being used to request the second access network device to provide configuration information of neighboring cells; upon receiving first indication information from the second access network device, the first access network device receives a first response message from the second access network device, the first response message including the configuration information of the at least one neighboring cell and the first indication information.

[0015] With the above design, the second access network device can send the first indication information when sending configuration information of at least one neighboring cell to the first access network device.

[0016] Secondly, this application provides a communication method applied to a second access network device or a chip within the second access network device. Exemplarily, the method can be applied to a second access network device, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the second access network device, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second access network device. Taking the application of this method to a second access network device as an example, in this method, the second access network device receives a first message from a first access network device. The first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of a target cell of a terminal. The first message includes parameters for predicting the channel state information. The parameters for predicting the channel state information include the measurement results of the source cell of the terminal and / or the measurement results of the target cell. The source cell belongs to the first access network device, and the target cell belongs to the second access network device. The measurement results of the source cell include the channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell. The measurement results of the target cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell. The second access network device determines the predicted channel state information of the target cell based on the first message.

[0017] With the above design, the second access network device receives a first message from the first access network device and predicts the channel state information of the target cell based on the first message, thus achieving timely and accurate channel state information. Furthermore, the second access network device does not need to wait for the terminal to report the channel state information of the target cell; it schedules the terminal based on the predicted channel state information of the target cell, thereby enabling high-speed data transmission between the second access network device and the terminal. Moreover, the terminal does not need to obtain and report the channel state information of neighboring cells to the source cell before handover, effectively saving the terminal's measurement overhead, reducing the complexity of cell handover, and ensuring normal data transmission in the source cell, thus effectively improving the user experience during mobility.

[0018] In one possible design, the second access network device determines that the terminal has successfully switched to the target cell and schedules the terminal based on the channel state information prediction result of the target cell.

[0019] With the above design, the second access network device does not need to wait for the terminal to report the channel state information of the target cell. It can schedule the terminal based on the prediction result of the channel state information of the target cell, thereby realizing high-speed data transmission between the second access network device and the terminal.

[0020] In one possible design, the parameters used to predict channel state information also include the handover time of the terminal; the first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of the target cell at the handover time.

[0021] With the above design, the second access network device can obtain the handover time of the terminal, and then predict the channel state information of the target cell in advance based on the handover time, which is beneficial to scheduling the data transmission of the terminal and improving the data transmission rate between the second access network device and the terminal.

[0022] In one possible design, the parameters used to predict channel state information may also include the location information of the terminal and / or the speed information of the terminal.

[0023] In one possible design, when determining the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the first message, the second access network device inputs the parameters used to predict the channel state information into the channel state information prediction model to obtain the channel state information prediction result of the target cell output by the channel state information prediction model, wherein the channel state information prediction model is trained based on historical handover data of multiple terminals.

[0024] Using the above design, the second access network device can perform model reasoning based on the channel state information prediction model to determine the channel state information prediction result of the target cell.

[0025] In one possible design, the i-th terminal is any one of the plurality of terminals, where i is a positive integer; the historical handover data of the i-th terminal includes one or more of the following: the measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement time information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal. The measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal include the channel state information of the source cell of the i-th terminal and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0026] In one possible design, the historical handover data of the i-th terminal may further include one or more of the following: beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, beam direction information of the target cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the source cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the target cell of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the source cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the target cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the target cell of the i-th terminal, handover mode of the i-th terminal, speed information of the i-th terminal, and location information of the i-th terminal.

[0027] In one possible design, before receiving the first message, the second access network device sends a first indication message to the first access network device, the first indication message being used to request the first access network device to provide the parameters for predicting channel state information.

[0028] With the above design, the second access network device can inform the first access network device in advance to provide parameters for predicting channel state information.

[0029] In one possible design, the second access network device receives a first request message from the first access network device, the first request message being used to request the second access network device to provide configuration information of neighboring cells; when sending first indication information to the first access network device, the second access network device sends a first response message to the first access network device, the first response message including the configuration information of the at least one neighboring cell and the first indication information.

[0030] With the above design, the second access network device can send the first indication information when sending configuration information of at least one neighboring cell to the first access network device.

[0031] Thirdly, this application provides a communication method applied to a first access network device or a chip within the first access network device. Exemplarily, the method can be applied to the first access network device, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the first access network device, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first access network device. Taking the application of this method to a first access network device as an example, in this method, the first access network device receives measurement results from a source cell and at least one neighboring cell from a terminal. The source cell belongs to the first access network device. The measurement results of the source cell include the channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell. The measurement results of each neighboring cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of that neighboring cell. The first access network device determines a predicted channel state information result for the target cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell. The target cell is one of the at least one neighboring cell and belongs to a second access network device. The first access network device sends the predicted channel state information result of the target cell to the second access network device.

[0032] With the above design, the first access network device can predict the channel state information of the target cell and provide it to the second access network device. This allows the second access network device to obtain accurate channel state information in a timely manner. Without waiting for the terminal to report the channel state information of the target cell, the device can schedule the terminal based on the predicted channel state information, thereby enabling high-speed data transmission between the second access network device and the terminal. Furthermore, the terminal does not need to obtain and report the channel state information of neighboring cells to the source cell before handover, effectively saving measurement overhead, reducing the complexity of cell handover, and ensuring normal data transmission in the source cell, thus significantly improving the user experience during mobility.

[0033] In one possible design, when determining the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell, the first access network device determines the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on at least one of the measurement results of the source cell, the measurement results of the target cell, the location information of the terminal, the speed information of the terminal, and the handover time of the terminal.

[0034] In one possible design, when determining the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell, the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell are input into the channel state information prediction model to obtain the channel state information prediction result of the target cell, wherein the channel state information prediction model is trained based on historical handover data of multiple terminals.

[0035] Using the above design, the first access network device can perform model reasoning based on the channel state information prediction model to determine the channel state information prediction result of the target cell.

[0036] In one possible design, the i-th terminal is any one of the plurality of terminals, where i is a positive integer; the historical handover data of the i-th terminal includes one or more of the following: the measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement time information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal. The measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal include the channel state information of the source cell of the i-th terminal and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0037] In one possible design, the historical handover data of the i-th terminal may further include one or more of the following: beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, beam direction information of the target cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the source cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the target cell of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the source cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the target cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the target cell of the i-th terminal, handover mode of the i-th terminal, speed information of the i-th terminal, and location information of the i-th terminal.

[0038] In one possible design, after sending the channel state information prediction result of the target cell to the second access network device, the first access network device receives the actual channel state information of the target cell from the second access network device.

[0039] By adopting the above design, the first access network device can optimize or adjust the channel state information prediction model based on the actual channel state information of the target cell, thereby improving the prediction accuracy of the channel state information and ensuring the prediction reliability.

[0040] In one possible design, the first access network device sends a second indication message to the second access network device, the second indication message being used to request the second access network device to provide feedback on the actual channel state information of the target cell.

[0041] Using the above design, the first access network device can request the second access network device to provide the actual channel state information of the target cell.

[0042] Fourthly, this application provides a communication method applied to a second access network device or a chip within the second access network device. Exemplarily, the method can be applied to a second access network device, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the second access network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second access network device. Taking the application of this method to a second access network device as an example, in this method, the second access network device receives channel state information prediction results for a target cell from a first access network device, where the first access network device is the access network device to which the source cell of the terminal belongs, and the target cell belongs to the second access network device.

[0043] With the above design, the first access network device can predict the channel state information of the target cell and provide it to the second access network device. This allows the second access network device to obtain accurate channel state information in a timely manner. Without waiting for the terminal to report the channel state information of the target cell, the device can schedule the terminal based on the predicted channel state information, thereby enabling high-speed data transmission between the second access network device and the terminal. Furthermore, the terminal does not need to obtain and report the channel state information of neighboring cells to the source cell before handover, effectively saving measurement overhead, reducing the complexity of cell handover, and ensuring normal data transmission in the source cell, thus significantly improving the user experience during mobility.

[0044] In one possible design, the second access network device determines that the terminal has successfully switched to the target cell and schedules the terminal based on the channel state information prediction result of the target cell.

[0045] With the above design, the second access network device does not need to wait for the terminal to report the channel state information of the target cell. It can schedule the terminal based on the prediction result of the channel state information of the target cell, thereby realizing high-speed data transmission between the second access network device and the terminal.

[0046] In one possible design, the second access network device receives the actual channel state information of the target cell from the terminal; and sends the actual channel state information of the target cell to the first access network device.

[0047] With the above design, the second access network device can send the actual channel state information of the target cell to the first access network device, so that the first access network device can optimize or adjust the channel state information prediction model, thereby improving the prediction accuracy of the channel state information and ensuring the prediction reliability.

[0048] In one possible design, the second access network device receives second indication information from the first access network device, the second indication information being used to request the actual channel state information of the target cell.

[0049] Using the above design, the second access network device can send the actual channel status information of the target cell to the first access network device according to the second indication information from the first access network device.

[0050] Fifthly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal or a communication module / processing module in the terminal, or a circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core or a system-in-package (SIP) chip), or a circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for processing functions (such as a graphics processing unit). Taking the application of this method to a terminal as an example, the method includes: the terminal acquiring the measurement results of a source cell and the measurement results of at least one neighboring cell, wherein the source cell belongs to a first access network device, the measurement results of the source cell include the channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell, and the measurement results of each neighboring cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the neighboring cell; the terminal determines the channel state information prediction results corresponding to S neighboring cells in the at least one neighboring cell according to the measurement results of the source cell and the measurement results of the at least one neighboring cell, where S is a positive integer, and sends the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K neighboring cells in the S neighboring cells, where K is a positive integer and K≤S.

[0051] With the above design, the terminal can predict the channel state information of the target cell and provide it directly to the second access network device or through the first access network device. This allows the second access network device to obtain accurate channel state information in a timely manner, without waiting for the terminal to report the target cell's channel state information. It can then schedule the terminal based on the predicted channel state information, thereby enabling high-speed data transmission between the second access network device and the terminal. Furthermore, the terminal does not need to obtain and report the channel state information of neighboring cells to the source cell before handover, effectively saving measurement overhead, reducing cell handover complexity, and ensuring normal data transmission in the source cell, thus significantly improving the user experience during mobility.

[0052] In one possible design, the terminal receives a notification message from the first access network device, the notification message instructing the terminal to predict the channel state information of neighboring cells.

[0053] The above design can trigger the terminal to predict channel state information.

[0054] In one possible design, the notification message also indicates the identifiers of the S neighboring cells.

[0055] In one possible design, the notification message also indicates the switching time of the terminal.

[0056] In one possible design, the terminal sends capability information to the first access network device, the capability information indicating that the terminal has the ability to predict channel state information.

[0057] With the above design, the terminal can report capability information to the first access network device so that the first access network device knows that the terminal has the ability to predict channel state information.

[0058] In one possible design, the terminal sends the prediction accuracy corresponding to each of the K neighboring cells, and / or the prediction time corresponding to each of the K neighboring cells.

[0059] In one possible design, when sending the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K of the S neighboring cells, the terminal sends the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K of the S neighboring cells to the first access network device.

[0060] With the above design, the terminal can provide the channel state information prediction result to the second access network device through the first access network device, so that the second access network device can obtain accurate channel state information in a timely manner.

[0061] In one possible design, the terminal receives handover signaling from the first access network device, the handover signaling including the identifier of the target cell, the target cell belonging to the second access network device; when sending the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K of the S neighboring cells respectively, the terminal sends the channel state information prediction results of the target cell to the second access network device, the target cell belonging to the S neighboring cells.

[0062] With the above design, the terminal can directly provide the channel state information prediction results of the target cell to the second access network device, enabling the second access network device to obtain accurate channel state information in a timely manner.

[0063] In one possible design, the terminal sends the identifier of the cell whose channel state information prediction failed to the first access network device.

[0064] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a communication apparatus, comprising a transceiver unit and a processing unit; the processing unit is configured to control the operation of the transceiver unit; the transceiver unit is configured to receive measurement results from a source cell and at least one neighboring cell from a terminal, wherein the source cell belongs to a first access network device, the measurement results of the source cell include channel state information of the source cell and / or reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell, and the measurement results of each neighboring cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of that neighboring cell; and to send a first message to a second access network device, the first message being used by the second access network device to predict channel state information of a target cell, the first message including parameters for predicting channel state information, the parameters for predicting channel state information including the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell, wherein the target cell is one of the at least one neighboring cell, and the target cell belongs to the second access network device.

[0065] In one possible design, the parameters used to predict channel state information also include the handover time of the terminal; the first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of the target cell at the handover time.

[0066] In one possible design, the parameters used to predict channel state information may also include the location information of the terminal and / or the speed information of the terminal.

[0067] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is configured to receive first indication information from the second access network device before sending the first message, the first indication information being used to request the first access network device to provide the parameters for predicting channel state information.

[0068] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is configured to send a first request message to the second access network device, the first request message being used to request the second access network device to provide configuration information of neighboring cells; and upon receiving first indication information from the second access network device, receiving a first response message from the second access network device, the first response message including the configuration information of the at least one neighboring cell and the first indication information.

[0069] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a communication apparatus, which includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit; the transceiver unit is configured to receive a first message from a first access network device, the first message being used by a second access network device to predict channel state information of a target cell of a terminal, the first message including parameters for predicting the channel state information, the parameters for predicting the channel state information including measurement results of the source cell of the terminal and / or measurement results of the target cell, the source cell belonging to the first access network device, the target cell belonging to the second access network device, the measurement results of the source cell including channel state information of the source cell and / or reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell, and the measurement results of the target cell including reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell; the processing unit is configured to determine the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the first message;

[0070] In one possible design, the processing unit is further configured to determine that the terminal has successfully switched to the target cell, and schedule the terminal based on the channel state information prediction result of the target cell.

[0071] In one possible design, the parameters used to predict channel state information also include the handover time of the terminal; the first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of the target cell at the handover time.

[0072] In one possible design, the parameters used to predict channel state information may also include the location information of the terminal and / or the speed information of the terminal.

[0073] In one possible design, the processing unit is configured to, when determining the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the first message, input the parameters used to predict the channel state information into the channel state information prediction model to obtain the channel state information prediction result of the target cell output by the channel state information prediction model, wherein the channel state information prediction model is trained based on historical handover data of multiple terminals.

[0074] In one possible design, the i-th terminal is any one of the plurality of terminals, where i is a positive integer; the historical handover data of the i-th terminal includes one or more of the following: the measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement time information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal. The measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal include the channel state information of the source cell of the i-th terminal and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0075] In one possible design, the historical handover data of the i-th terminal may further include one or more of the following: beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, beam direction information of the target cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the source cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the target cell of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the source cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the target cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the target cell of the i-th terminal, handover mode of the i-th terminal, speed information of the i-th terminal, and location information of the i-th terminal.

[0076] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is configured to send first indication information to the first access network device before receiving the first message, the first indication information being used to request the first access network device to provide the parameters for predicting channel state information.

[0077] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is configured to receive a first request message from the first access network device, the first request message being used to request the second access network device to provide configuration information of neighboring cells; and when sending first indication information to the first access network device, sending a first response message to the first access network device, the first response message including the configuration information of the at least one neighboring cell and the first indication information.

[0078] Eighthly, this application provides a communication apparatus, comprising a transceiver unit and a processing unit; the transceiver unit is configured to receive measurement results from a source cell and at least one neighboring cell from a terminal, wherein the source cell belongs to a first access network device, wherein the measurement results of the source cell include channel state information of the source cell and / or reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell, and the measurement results of each neighboring cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of that neighboring cell; the processing unit is configured to determine a channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell, wherein the target cell is one of the at least one neighboring cell and the target cell belongs to a second access network device; the transceiver unit is configured to send the channel state information prediction result of the target cell to the second access network device.

[0079] In one possible design, the processing unit is configured to, when determining the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell, determine the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on at least one of the measurement results of the source cell, the measurement results of the target cell, the location information of the terminal, the speed information of the terminal, and the handover time of the terminal.

[0080] In one possible design, the processing unit is configured to, when determining the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell, input the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell into the channel state information prediction model to obtain the channel state information prediction result of the target cell, wherein the channel state information prediction model is trained based on historical handover data of multiple terminals.

[0081] In one possible design, the i-th terminal is any one of the plurality of terminals, where i is a positive integer; the historical handover data of the i-th terminal includes one or more of the following: the measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement time information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal. The measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal include the channel state information of the source cell of the i-th terminal and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0082] In one possible design, the historical handover data of the i-th terminal may further include one or more of the following: beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, beam direction information of the target cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the source cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the target cell of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the source cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the target cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the target cell of the i-th terminal, handover mode of the i-th terminal, speed information of the i-th terminal, and location information of the i-th terminal.

[0083] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is configured to receive the actual channel state information of the target cell from the second access network device after sending the channel state information prediction result of the target cell to the second access network device.

[0084] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is used to send a second indication information to the second access network device, the second indication information being used to request the second access network device to provide feedback on the actual channel state information of the target cell.

[0085] Ninthly, this application provides a communication device, which includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit; the processing unit is used to control the operation of the transceiver unit; the transceiver unit is used to receive channel state information prediction results of a target cell from a first access network device, wherein the first access network device is the access network device to which the source cell of the terminal belongs, and the target cell belongs to a second access network device.

[0086] In one possible design, a processing unit is configured to determine that the terminal has successfully switched to the target cell, and schedule the terminal based on the channel state information prediction result of the target cell.

[0087] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is used to receive actual channel state information of the target cell from the terminal; and to send the actual channel state information of the target cell to the first access network device.

[0088] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is configured to receive second indication information from the first access network device, the second indication information being used to request the actual channel state information of the target cell.

[0089] Tenthly, this application provides a communication apparatus, which includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit; the transceiver unit is configured to acquire measurement results of a source cell and measurement results of at least one neighboring cell, wherein the source cell belongs to a first access network device, the measurement results of the source cell include channel state information of the source cell and / or reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell, and the measurement results of each neighboring cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the neighboring cell; the processing unit is configured to determine channel state information prediction results corresponding to S neighboring cells among the at least one neighboring cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and the measurement results of the at least one neighboring cell, where S is a positive integer; the transceiver unit is configured to transmit the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K neighboring cells among the S neighboring cells, where K is a positive integer and K≤S.

[0090] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is configured to receive a notification message from the first access network device, the notification message indicating that the terminal predicts the channel state information of neighboring cells.

[0091] In one possible design, the notification message also indicates the identifiers of the S neighboring cells.

[0092] In one possible design, the notification message also indicates the switching time of the terminal.

[0093] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is used to send capability information to the first access network device, the capability information indicating that the terminal has the ability to predict channel state information.

[0094] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is used to send the prediction accuracy corresponding to each of the K neighboring cells, and / or the prediction time corresponding to each of the K neighboring cells.

[0095] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is configured to send the channel state information prediction results corresponding to the K neighboring cells out of the S neighboring cells to the first access network device when sending the channel state information prediction results corresponding to the K neighboring cells out of the S neighboring cells respectively.

[0096] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is configured to receive handover signaling from the first access network device, the handover signaling including the identifier of the target cell, the target cell belonging to the second access network device; and when sending the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K of the S neighboring cells, the transceiver unit sends the channel state information prediction results of the target cell, the target cell belonging to the S neighboring cells, to the second access network device.

[0097] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to send the identifier of the cell where the channel state information prediction failed to the first access network device.

[0098] Eleventhly, this application provides a communication device that includes a method for implementing any of the possible designs of the first to fifth aspects described above. For example, the communication device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the operation involved in performing any of the possible designs of the first to fifth aspects described above. The module, unit, or means can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0099] In a twelfth aspect, this application provides a communication device including an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory stores part or all of the necessary computer program or instructions for implementing the functions involved in any of the possible designs in the first to fifth aspects described above. The one or more processors are executable to carry out the computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement any possible design or implementation of any of the possible designs in the first to fifth aspects described above. The interface circuit is used to implement communication functions within the communication device and / or communication functions between the communication device and other devices or components.

[0100] In one possible design, the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0101] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0102] In a thirteenth aspect, this application provides a communication system comprising a first access network device, a second access network device, and a terminal, wherein the first access network device is configured to perform a method in any possible design of the first or third aspect described above, the second access network device is configured to perform a method in any possible design of the second or fourth aspect described above, and the terminal is configured to perform a method in any possible design of the fifth aspect described above.

[0103] In a fourteenth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when read and executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the possible designs in the first to fifth aspects described above.

[0104] In a fifteenth aspect, this application provides a computer program product that, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the possible designs in the first to fifth aspects described above. Attached Figure Description

[0105] Figure 1 shows a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram;

[0106] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a CU-DU separation architecture used in an access network device;

[0107] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of a random access procedure;

[0108] Figure 4 shows a flowchart of LTM handover between different distributed units under the same gNB;

[0109] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the data transmission rate before and after terminal handover;

[0110] Figure 6 shows an overview flowchart of a communication method;

[0111] Figure 7 shows an overview flowchart of another communication method;

[0112] Figure 8 shows an overview flowchart of yet another communication method;

[0113] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to this application;

[0114] Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of another communication device in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0115] The specific implementations of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments. However, the implementations of this application may also include combining these embodiments without departing from the scope of this application, such as using other embodiments and making structural changes. Therefore, the detailed description of the following embodiments should not be understood in a limiting sense. The terminology used in the embodiment section of this application is only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and is not intended to limit this application.

[0116] The embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WIMAX) communication systems, 5G systems or new radio (NR) systems, or to future communication systems or other similar communication systems, or ultra-wideband (UWB) systems, or wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems.

[0117] Figure 1 illustrates a possible, non-limiting system diagram. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a wireless access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system may also include an Internet 300. The wireless access network 100 may include at least one wireless access network device (110a and 110b in Figure 1) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1). The terminal connects wirelessly to the wireless access network device, and the wireless access network device connects wirelessly or via a wired connection to the core network. The core network device and the wireless access network device can be independent physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the wireless access network device can be integrated into the same physical device, or a single physical device can integrate some of the functions of the core network device and some of the functions of the wireless access network device. Terminals can be interconnected with each other, and wireless access network devices can be interconnected via wired or wireless connections. Figure 1 is only a schematic diagram; the communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0118] Radio access network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. Radio access network equipment can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (CRAN). Radio access network equipment can also be a communication system integrating two or more of the above systems. Radio access network equipment can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or an indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node, or a donor node, etc.

[0119] Furthermore, the wireless access network equipment can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station. For example, it can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0120] In this embodiment, the access network device can adopt a CU-DU separation architecture, which can also be called a distributed deployment architecture. For example, see Figure 2 below, which is a schematic diagram of a CU-DU separation architecture adopted by an access network device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the access network device can logically include one CU and one or more DUs. Each DU can be connected to the CU through the F1 interface, and information interaction between different DUs can be completed based on the forwarding of the CU. The CU and DU can be physically set together or physically separated, and are not limited thereto. Among them, the CU can support the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer; the DU can support the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer protocol, the media access control (MAC) layer protocol, and the physical layer (PHY) layer protocol.

[0121] The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the wireless access network equipment. For ease of description, the wireless access network equipment will be referred to as access network equipment below. It is understood that access network equipment can be called a communication device. For example, access network equipment can be understood as a device with access network equipment functions. For example, a device with access network equipment functions can be an access network equipment; or some components in the access network equipment, such as CU, DU, etc. It can also be a device that can support the access network equipment to realize this function, such as a chip system, hardware circuit, software module, or hardware circuit plus software module. This device can be installed in the access network equipment or can be used in conjunction with the access network equipment. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0122] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, MTC, IoT, virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc.

[0123] The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal. It is understood that a terminal can be referred to as a communication device. For example, a terminal can be understood as a device with terminal functions. For example, a device with terminal functions can be a terminal itself; it can also be a device capable of supporting the terminal in implementing that function, such as a chip system, hardware circuit, software module, or hardware circuit plus software module. This device can be installed in a terminal or can be used in conjunction with a terminal.

[0124] Access network devices and terminals can be fixed in location or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the access network devices and terminals.

[0125] The roles of access network devices and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile access network device. For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 via 120i, drone 120i is an access network device; however, for access network device 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Alternatively, 110a and 120i can also communicate via an interface protocol between access network devices. In this case, 120i is also an access network device relative to 110a. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with access network device functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0126] The network architecture described in this application is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this application and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this application. As network architectures evolve and new service scenarios emerge, the technical solutions provided in this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0127] In this application, "sending information" can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or it can also be understood as one logical module within a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "access network device sending information" can be understood as the access network device sending information to another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the access network device sending information to logical module 2 in the access network device.

[0128] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "access network device receiving information" can be understood as the access network device receiving information from another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the access network device receiving information from logical module 2 in the access network device.

[0129] In this application, phrases such as "sending information to... (e.g., a terminal)" or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as indicating that the destination of the information is a terminal. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to a terminal. Similarly, phrases such as "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)," "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)," or "receiving information sent by (e.g., a terminal)," or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings, can be understood as indicating that the source of the information is a terminal. This can include receiving information directly or indirectly from a terminal. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be interpreted similarly and will not be elaborated further here.

[0130] The following is a brief description of the technical concepts involved in this application:

[0131] (1) CSI

[0132] The terminal can measure downlink reference signals (e.g., channel state information-reference signal, CSI-RS) sent by the access network equipment, and perform channel information estimation and calculation. The terminal can calculate at least one of the following pieces of information and feed it back to the access network equipment: precoding matrix index (PMI), channel quality information (CQI), and rank indicator (RI). All of this information is collectively referred to as CSI. Using CSI, the access network equipment can more rationally determine which method to use for scheduling uplink and downlink data transmission from the terminal. For example, when the channel condition is good, the base station can schedule the transmission of a data packet with more data content, or schedule a higher-order modulation and coding scheme, to improve data transmission capacity.

[0133] (2) Random Access (RA)

[0134] Random access is also called the RACH procedure because it uses a random access channel (RACH) to complete the access process. A terminal can obtain a TA (Telematic Access Target) through the random access procedure.

[0135] Figure 3 illustrates the random access process using the gNB as the access network device and the UE as the terminal. The gNB allocates resources for random access to the UE, including preamble indication.

[0136] Step 301: The UE sends the gNB preamble.

[0137] Step 302: The gNB sends a random access response to the UE. This random access response message includes the UE's TA (Transmission Timing). Specifically, the gNB can calculate the UE's TA based on the time the preamble was received. Furthermore, the UE subsequently uses the TA indicated in step 302 to adjust its uplink transmission time.

[0138] (3) Artificial intelligence (AI)

[0139] Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology proposed in the 1950s that simulates the human brain to perform complex calculations. With the improvement of data storage and computing power, AI has been increasingly used. For example, AI is applied to communication systems to improve network performance and user experience through intelligent data collection and analysis.

[0140] The process of training an AI model using collected data is called "AI model training"; after obtaining the AI ​​model, the process of obtaining the output result based on the input content is called "AI model inference".

[0141] (4) No random access handover process

[0142] In mobile communication systems, when a terminal moves, the communication link between the terminal and the access network equipment changes, and the terminal will need to perform cell handover or access network equipment handover.

[0143] During the process of a terminal accessing a target cell or target access network device, it typically performs a random access procedure, as shown in Figure 3. Through random access, the terminal obtains the TA corresponding to the target cell. This process is also called the uplink synchronization process with the target cell / target access network device. After completing uplink synchronization, the terminal can achieve normal communication with the target cell / target access network device and avoid uplink interference.

[0144] However, since the random access process takes a period of time to complete (usually tens of milliseconds or even hundreds of milliseconds), the industry has introduced cell handover technology that eliminates random access. For example, the terminal can obtain the uplink synchronization information of the target cell before the handover is executed. During the handover process, the random access process is no longer executed, reducing the handover latency and improving the user's service experience during the mobile process.

[0145] Taking L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM) handover technology as an example, Figure 4 shows the specific process of LTM handover. Here, L1 refers to the physical layer, and L2 includes the MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, and SDAP layer.

[0146] L1 / L2 triggered mobility handover refers to handover-related operations primarily performed at L1 (physical layer) and L2 (e.g., MAC layer). For example, the terminal sends L1 measurement results to the access network device via physical layer control signaling (e.g., carried on the physical uplink control channel, PUCCH). The access network device's physical layer reads the L1 measurement results, and based on the L1 measurement results, the access network device makes a handover decision and sends it to the terminal via L2 signaling. The L2 signaling can be a media access control element (MAC CE).

[0147] In cross-network device handover technology, the source cell and the target cell belong to different access network devices, such as different gNBs or different DUs under the same gNB. Figure 4 below illustrates LTM handover between different distributed units under the same gNB as an example. In the following process, it is assumed that DU1 and DU2 are two DUs managed by the CU. The UE initially accesses the cell under DU1 and then hands over from the cell under DU1 to the cell under DU2. Here, DU1 is the source DU and DU2 is the target DU.

[0148] Step 401: CU and DU2 establish UE context.

[0149] Specifically, DU2 provides the CU with configuration information for at least one cell managed by DU2, enabling the CU to configure it as at least one candidate cell and provide it to the UE in step 402. The configuration information for each candidate cell may include, but is not limited to, configuration information used by the UE after accessing the cell, such as uplink physical channel configuration, downlink physical channel configuration, measurement configuration, bearer configuration, CSI-RS configuration, etc. The CSI-RS configuration may include the time-domain and frequency-domain locations of CSI-RS resources.

[0150] It should be understood that DU2 can also be called a candidate DU. When the source DU (DU1 in Figure 4) determines that the target cell is a cell managed by DU2 when performing a handover decision, DU2 can be called the target DU.

[0151] Step 402: The CU sends the configuration information of at least one candidate cell to the UE via DU1.

[0152] Step 403: The UE sends the L1 measurement results of different cells to DU1 through the communication resources of the source cell. The L1 measurement results include: the L1 measurement results of the source cell and the L1 measurement results of at least one candidate cell. The source cell is a cell under DU1. The L1 measurement results of the source cell may include, but are not limited to, the reference signal receiving power (RSRP) of the downlink reference signal of the source cell, and / or the CSI of the source cell. The L1 measurement results of each candidate cell may include, but are not limited to, the reference signal receiving power of the downlink reference signal of the candidate cell; optionally, the L1 measurement results of each candidate cell may also include the CSI of the candidate cell.

[0153] Step 404: DU1 sends a physical downlink control channel order (PDCCH order) to the UE.

[0154] The PDCCH command instructs the UE to send a preamble to at least one candidate cell, which is used by the access network equipment to which at least one candidate cell belongs to calculate the TA.

[0155] It is understood that the UE can send a preamble to one or more cells among at least one cell based on the configuration information of at least one cell. The following explanation only uses the example of the UE sending a preamble to a candidate cell managed by DU2. In addition, although the UE also needs to send a preamble during LTM handover (similar to the random access process), since this process is not performed during the handover execution but before the handover, the subsequent handover process can still be called a handover without random access.

[0156] Step 405: The UE sends a preamble to the candidate cell.

[0157] Step 406: DU2 sends the calculated TA of the candidate cell to DU1 via CU.

[0158] Step 407: DU1 makes a handover decision based on the L1 measurement results of different cells.

[0159] For example, DU1 determines the target cell based on the L1 measurement results of different cells. For example, the target cell is a cell under DU2, and the target cell is one of at least one candidate cell.

[0160] Step 408: DU1 sends the identifier of the target cell to the UE via LTM handover signaling. This LTM handover signaling is carried by the communication resources of the source cell.

[0161] Furthermore, the LTM handover command can also indicate the beam direction information used by the UE when communicating with the target cell, as well as the TA of the target cell. The TA of the target cell is obtained through step 406 described above. For example, if the L1 measurement results of the target cell indicate that the RSRP of the target cell's reference signal (e.g., synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB)#1) is high, then the beam direction indicated by the beam direction information in the LTM handover command corresponds to the direction of the target cell's reference signal (e.g., SSB#1).

[0162] Step 409: DU1 sends an LTM cell handover notification message to DU2 via CU. This LTM cell handover notification message includes the identifier of the target cell and the beam direction information used by the UE when communicating with the target cell. Optionally, the LTM cell handover notification message may also include the CSI of the target cell.

[0163] Step 410: The UE performs an LTM handover and sends an uplink signal to the target cell.

[0164] For example, the UE uses the configuration information of the target cell received in step 402 to access the target cell, and after successful access, it begins uplink and downlink data transmission with the target cell. Further, the UE can use the beam direction information indicated in step 407 to perform uplink and downlink data transmission with the target cell, and use the TA indicated in step 407 to perform the uplink synchronization process with the target cell.

[0165] Step 411: DU2 sends an access success message to CU.

[0166] As can be seen, although DU1 can provide DU2 with the CSI of the target cell in step 409 above, the CSI is no longer accurate when the UE switches to the target cell, which makes DU2 unable to make an accurate scheduling decision, resulting in a reduction in the data transmission rate between the target cell and the UE.

[0167] Furthermore, before handover, the UE needs to measure the CSI-RS from the candidate cell to obtain the candidate cell's CSI, which may affect the communication rate between the UE and the source cell, thus impacting the normal communication process between the UE and the source cell. For example, in some scenarios, the frequency corresponding to the CSI-RS resource of the candidate cell is different from the frequency of the source cell. When measuring the CSI-RS of the candidate cell, the UE needs to adjust the receiver's frequency to the candidate cell's frequency, causing data transmission interruption between the UE and the source cell.

[0168] Based on the above, it can be seen that the data transmission rate between the terminal and the access network equipment is low for a period of time after the handover. The data transmission rate will gradually increase after the terminal successfully completes the measurement and reporting of CSI, as shown in Figure 5.

[0169] Therefore, in order to enable the target access network device to obtain accurate CSI in a timely manner, this application provides the following communication method as shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8. It is understood that the following embodiments are described with a first access network device, a second access network device, and a terminal as the execution entities. The first access network device is the source access network device, and the second access network device is the target access network device. Taking the first access network device as an example, the first access network device can be referred to as a first communication device. For example, the first access network device can be understood as a device having the functions of a first access network device, or some components in the first access network device, such as CU, DU, etc., or it can be a device that supports the first access network device in realizing this function, such as a chip system, hardware circuit, software module, or hardware circuit plus software module. This device can be installed in the first access network device or can be used in conjunction with the first access network device. Similarly, the second access network device can also have similar extensions as described above, which will not be repeated here. The terminal can be referred to as a communication device. For example, the terminal can be understood as a device with terminal functions. For example, a device with terminal functionality can be a terminal or a device that enables the terminal to perform this function, such as a chip system, hardware circuit, software module, or hardware circuit plus software module. This device can be installed in the terminal or can be used in conjunction with the terminal.

[0170] In this embodiment, the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. In this embodiment, neighboring cells and candidate cells may be interchangeable.

[0171] It is understood that in this application, the source cell (or target cell) performs a certain operation, that is, the access network equipment to which the source cell (or target cell) belongs performs a certain operation. For example, the source cell obtains parameter A, that is, the access network equipment to which the source cell belongs obtains parameter A. As another example, the target cell receives signal X, that is, the access network equipment to which the target cell belongs receives signal X. Similarly, communication between the terminal and the cell is communication between the terminal and the access network equipment to which the cell belongs.

[0172] It is understood that, in this application, communication between the first access network device and the second access network device can mean that the first access network device communicates directly with the second access network device, or that the first access network device communicates with the second access network device via other network devices. Taking the first access network device sending a message to the second access network device as an example: In one example, assuming the first access network device is the source gNB and the second access network device is the target gNB, the first access network device sending a message to the second access network device is equivalent to the source gNB sending a message to the target gNB. In another example, assuming the first access network device is the source DU and the second access network device is the target DU, and the source DU and the target DU are managed by the same CU, the first access network device sending a message to the second access network device is equivalent to the source DU sending a message to the target DU via the CU.

[0173] In this embodiment of the application, in order to enable the target access network device to obtain accurate CSI in a timely manner, the first access network device, the second access network device or the terminal can predict the channel state information of the target cell based on the channel state information prediction model. The communication methods shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7 below can all adopt this channel state information prediction model. In addition, the channel state information prediction model may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0174] The following first introduces the process of determining the channel state information prediction model, which may include, but is not limited to, the following two stages:

[0175] Phase 1: Collect historical handover data from multiple terminals.

[0176] For example, the following description uses the example of a data collection network element collecting historical handover data of the i-th terminal. The i-th terminal can be any one of multiple terminals. The data collection network element can be an operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) network element or other network elements, such as core network equipment or an over-the-top service (OTT) server. The OAM network element can also be referred to as a network device with OAM functionality; this application does not limit this to any particular type.

[0177] Suppose that the i-th terminal hands over from its source cell to its target cell, where the source cell belongs to access network device A and the target cell belongs to access network device B. For example, access network device A and access network device B can be two different access network devices (e.g., gNB) or two different DUs under the same access network device. The handover method for the i-th terminal can be a handover method without random access or other handover methods based on random access; this application does not limit this.

[0178] The historical handover data of the i-th terminal may include, but is not limited to, the following:

[0179] The measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement time information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal, the beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the beam direction information of the target cell of the i-th terminal, the downlink reference signal transmission power of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the downlink reference signal transmission power of the target cell of the i-th terminal, the reference signal reception power of the source cell of the i-th terminal relative to the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, the reference signal reception power of the target cell of the i-th terminal relative to the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, the uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the uplink reference signal power control parameters of the target cell of the i-th terminal, the handover mode of the i-th terminal, the speed information of the i-th terminal, the location information of the i-th terminal, and the identifier of the i-th terminal.

[0180] The following provides further explanation of some of the above parameters:

[0181] (1) Measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal and measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0182] For example, the measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal include the channel state information of the source cell of the i-th terminal and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell of the i-th terminal. The downlink reference signal may be an SSB, a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), or other types of downlink reference signals.

[0183] Similarly, the measurement results of the target cell for the i-th terminal may include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell for the i-th terminal. Optionally, the measurement results of the target cell for the i-th terminal may also include the channel state information of the target cell for the i-th terminal.

[0184] (2) Measurement time information of the source cell of the i-th terminal and measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0185] For example, the measurement time information of the source cell of the i-th terminal can be understood as the time when the i-th terminal receives the downlink reference signal of the source cell of the i-th terminal, or the time when the i-th terminal sends the measurement result of the source cell of the i-th terminal, or the time when the source cell of the i-th terminal receives the measurement result of the source cell of the i-th terminal.

[0186] Similarly, the measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal can be understood as the time when the i-th terminal receives the downlink reference signal of the target cell of the i-th terminal, or the time when the i-th terminal sends the measurement result of the target cell of the i-th terminal, or the time when the source cell of the i-th terminal receives the measurement result of the target cell of the i-th terminal, or the time when the target cell of the i-th terminal receives the measurement result of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0187] It is understandable that the measurement result of the target cell of the i-th terminal can be provided by the source cell of the i-th terminal. The source cell of the i-th terminal can also obtain the measurement result of the target cell reported by the i-th terminal, as described in step 403 above. In this case, the measurement result of the target cell of the i-th terminal is the result reported by the i-th terminal to its source cell before the i-th terminal switches to its target cell. The measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal can be the time when the i-th terminal receives the downlink reference signal of the target cell before switching to it, or the time when the i-th terminal sends the measurement result of its target cell; or the measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal can be the time when the source cell of the i-th terminal receives the measurement result of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0188] The measurement result of the target cell of the i-th terminal can also be provided by the target cell of the i-th terminal. The measurement result of the target cell of the i-th terminal is reported by the i-th terminal to the target cell after the i-th terminal hands over to it. The measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal can be the time when the i-th terminal receives the downlink reference signal of the target cell of the i-th terminal after the i-th terminal hands over to it, or the time when the i-th terminal sends the measurement result of the target cell of the i-th terminal; or the measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal can be the time when the target cell of the i-th terminal receives the measurement result of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0189] The measurement result of the target cell of the i-th terminal can also be provided by the i-th terminal. The measurement result of the target cell of the i-th terminal is obtained by the i-th terminal measuring the downlink reference signal of the target cell of the i-th terminal after the i-th terminal hands over to the target cell. The measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal can be the time when the i-th terminal receives the downlink reference signal of the target cell of the i-th terminal after the i-th terminal hands over to the target cell, or the time when the i-th terminal sends the measurement result of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0190] (3) Beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal and beam direction information of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0191] The beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal is used to indicate the beam direction used by the i-th terminal when communicating with the source cell. For example, the beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal may include a beam identifier, or a reference signal identifier corresponding to the beam direction, or a transmission configuration indicator state (TCI state) identifier corresponding to the beam direction.

[0192] Similarly, the beam direction information of the target cell of the i-th terminal is used to indicate the beam direction used by the i-th terminal when communicating with the target cell. The content of this information can be referred to the content of the beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. In addition, it is understood that the source cell of the i-th terminal can also determine the beam direction information of the target cell of the i-th terminal based on the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell reported by the i-th terminal.

[0193] (4) The reference signal received power of the source cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, and the reference signal received power of the target cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal.

[0194] For example, the uplink reference signal may be a sounding reference signal (SRS) or other types of uplink reference signals.

[0195] (5) The downlink reference signal transmission power of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the downlink reference signal transmission power of the target cell of the i-th terminal, and the uplink reference signal power control parameters of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0196] For example, the downlink reference signal measurement result of the source cell of the i-th terminal may include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell of the i-th terminal, wherein the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell is related to the downlink reference signal transmitted power of the source cell. The difference between the downlink reference signal transmitted power and the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell of the i-th terminal can reflect the distance between the i-th terminal and the access network device A, and the measurement result of the source cell of the i-th terminal is directly related to this distance. Therefore, the historical handover data of the i-th terminal may also include the downlink reference signal transmitted power of the source cell of the i-th terminal.

[0197] Similarly, the measurement result of the uplink reference signal of the source cell for the i-th terminal may include the reference signal received power of the source cell for the i-th terminal's uplink reference signal, wherein the reference signal received power of the source cell for the i-th terminal's uplink reference signal is related to the transmit power of the i-th terminal's uplink reference signal. The difference between the transmit power of the i-th terminal's uplink reference signal and the reference signal received power of the source cell for the i-th terminal's uplink reference signal can also reflect the distance between the i-th terminal and access network device A. Since the measurement result of the source cell for the i-th terminal is directly related to this distance, the historical handover data of the i-th terminal may also include the uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell for the i-th terminal, wherein the uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell for the i-th terminal may include parameters for controlling the transmit power of the uplink reference signal.

[0198] Similarly, the historical handover data of the i-th terminal may also include the downlink reference signal transmission power of the target cell of the i-th terminal and the uplink reference signal power control parameters of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0199] For example, the historical handover data of the i-th terminal can be collected in, but is not limited to, the following ways:

[0200] Method 1: The data collection network element collects the first part of the historical handover data of the i-th terminal from access network device A, and the data collection network element collects the second part of the historical handover data of the i-th terminal from access network device B.

[0201] For example, the first portion of the historical handover data of the i-th terminal may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:

[0202] The measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement time information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the downlink reference signal transmission power of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the reference signal reception power of the source cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, the uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the handover mode of the i-th terminal, the speed information of the i-th terminal, the location information of the i-th terminal, and the identifier of the i-th terminal.

[0203] The second part of the historical handover data for the i-th terminal may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:

[0204] The downlink reference signal transmission power of the target cell for the i-th terminal, the reference signal reception power of the target cell for the i-th terminal in relation to the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, the uplink reference signal power control parameters of the target cell for the i-th terminal, and the identifier of the i-th terminal.

[0205] As can be seen from the above parameter descriptions, the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal, and the beam direction information of the target cell of the i-th terminal can belong to either the first part of the data or the second part of the data. That is, these parameters can be provided by access network device A, access network device B, or both; this application does not limit this. Furthermore, both the first and second parts of the data can include the identifier of the i-th terminal, so that the data collection network element can associate the two parts of data, or in other words, to enable the data collection network element to confirm that the two parts of the data refer to the same terminal, i.e., the i-th terminal.

[0206] Method 2: Access network device A sends the first part of the historical handover data of the i-th terminal to access network device B, and access network device B sends the first part and the second part of the historical handover data of the i-th terminal to the data collection network element.

[0207] For the data in the first and second parts, please refer to method 1 above.

[0208] Method 3: The data collection network element collects the historical handover data of the i-th terminal from the i-th terminal. In this case, the historical handover data of the i-th terminal may include one or more of the following: the reference signal received power of the source cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal and the reference signal received power of the target cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal.

[0209] The second stage involves training a model based on historical handover data collected from multiple terminals to obtain a channel state information prediction model. This second stage can also be referred to as the "AI model training" process.

[0210] The network element used to perform model training may be the same as or different from the data collection network element mentioned above; this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0211] For example, the process of training an AI model (e.g., a channel state information prediction model) by collecting historical handover data from multiple terminals generally includes the following steps: data preprocessing, feature selection, model selection and training, and validation and testing.

[0212] During the data preprocessing stage, the network elements that perform model training perform data cleaning and outlier detection on the collected data, such as removing outlier data, to ensure data quality and the effectiveness of model training.

[0213] During the feature selection phase, the network elements performing model training extract representative features from the preprocessed data. These features may include measurement results from the source cell, measurement time information from the source cell, etc.

[0214] During the model selection and training phase, the network elements performing model training choose appropriate machine learning or deep learning models, such as support vector machines, decision trees, and neural networks, and design the model according to the nature of the problem (such as prediction, classification, or regression). Then, the processed data is used to train the model, and the model parameters are adjusted so that it can accurately predict channel state information.

[0215] During the verification and testing phase, the network element performing model training evaluates the trained channel state information prediction model using a data validation set and a test set. Evaluation metrics can include parameters such as prediction accuracy. The data validation set and test set can be obtained from historical handover data collected from multiple terminals. If the verification and testing results meet expectations, the trained channel state information prediction model can be deployed on devices that use the model for inference.

[0216] The aforementioned channel state information prediction model can be deployed to a first access network device, a second access network device, or a terminal. The following, in conjunction with the embodiments shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8, further illustrates how inference can be performed based on the channel state information prediction model to enable the target access network device to obtain accurate CSI in a timely manner.

[0217] In the embodiments shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8 below, it is assumed that the terminal switches from a source cell under a first access network device to a target cell under a second access network device; that is, the source cell belongs to the first access network device, and the target cell belongs to the second access network device. In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the second access network device deploys a channel state information prediction model, or in other words, the second access network device has the ability to predict channel state information. In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, the first access network device deploys a channel state information prediction model, or in other words, the first access network device has the ability to predict channel state information. In the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the terminal deploys a channel state information prediction model, or in other words, the terminal has the ability to predict channel state information.

[0218] As shown in Figure 6, this application provides a communication method, which includes:

[0219] Step 601: The terminal sends the measurement results of the source cell and at least one neighboring cell to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the measurement results of the source cell and at least one neighboring cell from the terminal.

[0220] In this case, at least one neighboring cell may belong entirely or partially to the second access network device. The following explanation is based on the example of at least one neighboring cell belonging entirely to the second access network device.

[0221] For example, the terminal can receive the downlink reference signal of the source cell and determine the measurement result of the source cell based on the received downlink reference signal of the source cell. The terminal can also obtain configuration information of at least one neighboring cell. Further, the terminal measures the downlink reference signal of at least one neighboring cell based on the configuration information of the at least one neighboring cell to obtain the measurement result of at least one neighboring cell. For example, the measurement result of the source cell includes the channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell, and the measurement result of each neighboring cell includes the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of that neighboring cell. Optionally, the measurement result of each neighboring cell may also include the channel state information of that neighboring cell. For example, each of the above measurement results can be understood as a measurement result at the reference signal level or as a beam-level measurement result.

[0222] In one example, the terminal can obtain configuration information of at least one neighboring cell based on the relevant content in steps 401 and 402 of Figure 4 above.

[0223] In another example, the first access network device may send a first request message to the second access network device. This first request message requests the second access network device to provide neighboring cell configuration information; or, in other words, it requests the second access network device to provide neighboring cell configuration information to the terminal. Exemplarily, the first request message may be a handover request message. The second access network device then sends a first response message to the first access network device, wherein the first response message includes configuration information for at least one neighboring cell. Exemplarily, the first response message may be a handover request acknowledgement message. The first access network device then sends configuration information for at least one neighboring cell to the terminal.

[0224] Furthermore, after the first access network device receives the measurement results of the source cell and at least one neighboring cell from the terminal, the first access network device can determine the target cell based on the received measurement results of the source cell and at least one neighboring cell, wherein the target cell is one of the at least one neighboring cell. For example, please refer to the relevant content in step 407 of Figure 4 above.

[0225] Step 602: The first access network device sends a first message to the second access network device, and correspondingly, the second access network device receives the first message from the first access network device.

[0226] For example, the first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of the target cell. The first message includes parameters for predicting the channel state information, including measurement results of the source cell and / or measurement results of the target cell. The target cell is one of at least one neighboring cell and belongs to the second access network device. For example, the first message is a handover notification message, such as an LTM cell handover notification message. This LTM cell handover notification message may also include the identifier of the target cell, etc. See step 409 above for details.

[0227] For example, the parameters used to predict channel state information may further include the terminal's handover time, and the first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of the target cell at the handover time. The terminal's handover time can be determined by the first access network device. For example, the terminal's handover time can be understood as the time when the first access network device notifies the terminal of the target cell. For example, the terminal's handover time can be one or more moments, or one or more time periods. The terminal's handover time can also be referred to as the terminal's handover timing, prediction time, or prediction time period.

[0228] In addition, the parameters used to predict channel state information may also include one or more of the following parameters: source cell measurement time information, target cell measurement time information, source cell beam direction information, target cell beam direction information, source cell downlink reference signal transmission power, source cell uplink reference signal reception power for the terminal, source cell uplink reference signal power control parameters, terminal handover mode, terminal speed information, and terminal location information. The source cell measurement time information refers to the reception time of the source cell's downlink reference signal provided by the terminal, or the transmission time of the source cell's measurement results provided by the terminal, or the time when the first access network device receives the source cell's measurement results. The target cell measurement time information refers to the reception time of the target cell's downlink reference signal provided by the terminal, or the transmission time of the target cell's measurement results provided by the terminal, or the time when the first access network device receives the target cell's measurement results.

[0229] Furthermore, in one possible implementation, the second access network device may send a first indication message to the first access network device, the first indication message being used to request the first access network device to provide parameters for predicting channel state information. Alternatively, the first indication message may be used to instruct the second access network device to deploy a channel state information prediction model, or in other words, the second access network device may have the capability to predict channel state information.

[0230] In one example, a first access device sends a first request message to a second access network device, wherein the first request message requests the second access network device to provide configuration information of neighboring cells. After receiving the first request message, the second access network device sends a first response message to the first access network device, the first response message including configuration information of at least one neighboring cell and first indication information. Then, the first access network device sends a first message to the second access network device based on the first indication information.

[0231] In another example, before the first access device requests neighbor cell configuration information from the second access network device, or after the second access network device has deployed its channel state information prediction model, the second access network device may send a first indication message to the first access network device. Then, the first access network device sends a first message to the second access network device based on the first indication message.

[0232] In another example, the second access device sends a first indication message and a first identifier (e.g., a data collection ID) to the first access network device. Subsequently, the first access device may send a first request message to the second access network device, requesting the second access network device to provide configuration information for neighboring cells. After receiving the first request message, the second access network device sends a first response message to the first access network device, which includes configuration information for at least one neighboring cell and the first identifier. Then, the first access network device sends a first message to the second access network device based on the first indication message and the first identifier.

[0233] Step 603: The second access network device determines the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the first message.

[0234] For example, when determining the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the first message, the second access network device can input the parameters used to predict the channel state information into the channel state information prediction model to obtain the channel state information prediction result of the target cell output by the channel state information prediction model.

[0235] In addition, the second access network device can also input other parameters into the channel state information prediction model. These other parameters may include one or more of the following: the downlink reference signal transmission power of the target cell, the reference signal reception power of the uplink reference signal of the target cell for the terminal, and the uplink reference signal power control parameters of the target cell.

[0236] It is understandable that the deployment of a channel state information prediction model by the second access network device can be understood as either the target DU deploying the channel state information prediction model or the target CU deploying the channel state information prediction model. If the target DU deploys the channel state information prediction model, the target DU sends the parameters used to predict the channel state information to the target DU, and the target DU inputs the parameters used to predict the channel state information into the channel state information prediction model to obtain the channel state information prediction result of the target cell output by the channel state information prediction model. Scheduling decisions can then be made based on the channel state information prediction result of the target cell, as detailed in step 604 below. If the target CU deploys the channel state information prediction model, the target CU inputs the parameters used to predict the channel state information into the channel state information prediction model to obtain the channel state information prediction result of the target cell output by the channel state information prediction model, and sends the channel state information prediction result of the target cell to the target DU. The target DU can then make scheduling decisions based on the channel state information prediction result of the target cell, as detailed in step 604 below.

[0237] Optionally, in step 604, the second access network device determines that the terminal has successfully switched to the target cell, and schedules the terminal based on the channel state information prediction result of the target cell.

[0238] For example, the first access network device can send a handover command to the terminal, the handover command including the identifier of the target cell. The terminal performs a cell handover based on the handover command, sending an uplink signal to the target cell. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the uplink signal from the terminal from the target cell, or the second access network device receives the uplink signal from the terminal. Upon receiving the uplink signal from the terminal, the second access network device determines that the terminal has successfully handed over to the target cell. For example, the second access network device can determine, based on the configuration information of the target cell provided to the terminal, that the terminal sent the uplink signal based on that configuration information, thereby determining that the terminal has successfully handed over to the target cell.

[0239] Furthermore, the second access network device schedules the terminal based on the channel state information prediction result of the target cell, without waiting for the terminal to report the channel state information of the target cell, thus enabling high-speed data transmission between the terminal and the second access network device. For example, if the channel state information prediction result of the target cell indicates a relatively good channel state, the second access network device can schedule a higher-order modulation and coding scheme to achieve a higher data transmission rate.

[0240] Optionally, after step 604, the second access network device can receive actual channel state information of the target cell from the terminal. Then, the second access network device can optimize or adjust the aforementioned channel state information prediction model based on the actual channel state information of the target cell, thereby improving the prediction accuracy of the channel state information and ensuring prediction reliability.

[0241] With the above design, the target access network device (i.e., the second access network device) can predict the channel state information of the target cell, obtain accurate channel state information in a timely manner, and schedule the terminal based on the predicted channel state information of the target cell, without waiting for the terminal to report the channel state information of the target cell. This enables high-speed data transmission between the second access network device and the terminal. Furthermore, the terminal does not need to obtain the channel state information of neighboring cells and report it to the source cell before handover, effectively saving the terminal's measurement overhead, reducing the complexity of cell handover, and ensuring the normal data transmission process of the terminal in the source cell, thus effectively improving the user experience during mobility.

[0242] As shown in Figure 7, this application provides a communication method, which includes:

[0243] Step 701: The terminal sends the measurement results of the source cell and at least one neighboring cell to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the measurement results of the source cell and at least one neighboring cell from the terminal.

[0244] For details, please refer to the relevant content in step 601 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0245] Step 702: The first access network device determines the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell, wherein the target cell is one of at least one neighboring cell and the target cell belongs to the second access network device.

[0246] For example, the predicted channel state information (CSA) result of the target cell can be understood as the predicted CSA result of the target cell at the terminal's handover time. The terminal's handover time can be determined by the first access network device. For instance, the terminal's handover time can be understood as the moment when the first access network device notifies the terminal of the target cell. For example, the terminal's handover time can be one or more moments, or one or more time periods. The terminal's handover time can also be referred to as the terminal's handover timing, prediction time, or prediction time period.

[0247] For example, the first access network device inputs the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell into the channel state information prediction model to obtain the channel state information prediction result of the target cell output by the channel state information prediction model.

[0248] In addition, the first access network device can also input other parameters into the channel state information prediction model. These other parameters may include one or more of the following: source cell measurement time information, target cell measurement time information, source cell beam direction information, target cell beam direction information, source cell downlink reference signal transmission power, source cell uplink reference signal reception power for the terminal, source cell uplink reference signal power control parameters, terminal handover mode, terminal speed information, and terminal location information. Specifically, the source cell measurement time information refers to the reception time of the source cell's downlink reference signal provided by the terminal, or the transmission time of the source cell's measurement results provided by the terminal, or the time when the first access network device receives the source cell's measurement results. The target cell measurement time information refers to the reception time of the target cell's downlink reference signal provided by the terminal, or the transmission time of the target cell's measurement results provided by the terminal, or the time when the first access network device receives the target cell's measurement results.

[0249] Step 703: The first access network device sends the channel state information prediction result of the target cell to the second access network device. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the channel state information prediction result of the target cell from the first access network device.

[0250] For example, the first access network device carries the channel state information prediction result of the target cell through the handover notification message. For example, the handover notification message is an LTM cell handover notification message. The LTM cell handover notification message may also include the identifier of the target cell, etc. For details, please refer to step 409 above.

[0251] Optionally, in step 704, the second access network device determines that the terminal has successfully switched to the target cell and schedules the terminal based on the channel state information prediction result of the target cell.

[0252] For details, please refer to the relevant content in step 604 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0253] Optionally, after step 704, the second access network device receives the actual channel state information of the target cell from the terminal. Then, the second access network device can send the actual channel state information of the target cell of the terminal to the first access network device, so that the first access network device can optimize or adjust the aforementioned channel state information prediction model based on the actual channel state information of the target cell, thereby improving the prediction accuracy of the channel state information and ensuring prediction reliability.

[0254] In one possible implementation, the first access network device sends a second indication message to the second access network device. This second indication message requests the second access network device to provide the actual channel state information (ASIA) of the target cell. Alternatively, the second indication message instructs the second access network device to provide the ASIA of the target cell to the first access network device after a successful handover. It can also be understood as requesting the second access network device to cooperate in collecting ASIA, or requesting the second access network device to assist in optimizing the ASIA prediction model. Furthermore, after receiving the ASIA of the target cell from the terminal, the second access network device sends the ASIA of the target cell to the first access network device based on the second indication message.

[0255] In one example, a first access device sends a first request message to a second access network device, wherein the first request message is used to request the second access network device to provide configuration information of neighboring cells, and the first request message carries second indication information.

[0256] In another example, before the first access device requests the neighbor cell configuration information from the second access network device, or after the first access network device has deployed the channel state information prediction model, the first access network device may send a second indication message to the second access network device.

[0257] In another example, the first access device sends a second request message to the second access network device. For example, the second request message is a data collection request message, and it includes second indication information. Optionally, the second request message may also include a second identifier (e.g., a data collection identifier). Subsequently, the first access device may send a first request message to the second access network device, wherein the first request message is used to request the second access network device to provide neighbor cell configuration information, and it may also include the second identifier.

[0258] With the above design, the source access network device (i.e., the first access network device) can predict the channel state information of the target cell and provide it to the target access network device (i.e., the second access network device). This allows the second access network device to obtain accurate channel state information in a timely manner. Without waiting for the terminal to report the channel state information of the target cell, it can schedule the terminal based on the predicted channel state information of the target cell, thereby enabling high-speed data transmission between the second access network device and the terminal. Furthermore, the terminal does not need to obtain and report the channel state information of neighboring cells to the source cell before handover, effectively saving the terminal's measurement overhead, reducing the complexity of cell handover, and ensuring normal data transmission in the source cell, thus significantly improving the user experience during mobility.

[0259] As shown in Figure 8, this application provides a communication method, which includes:

[0260] Step 801: The terminal acquires the measurement results of the source cell and at least one neighboring cell.

[0261] For example, the terminal can receive the downlink reference signal of the source cell and determine the measurement result of the source cell based on the received downlink reference signal of the source cell. The terminal can also obtain configuration information of at least one neighboring cell. Further, the terminal measures the downlink reference signal from at least one neighboring cell based on the configuration information of the at least one neighboring cell, thereby obtaining the measurement result of at least one neighboring cell. Wherein, the source cell belongs to the first access network device, and the measurement result of the source cell includes the channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell. The measurement result of each neighboring cell includes the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of that neighboring cell. Optionally, the measurement result of each neighboring cell may also include the channel state information of that neighboring cell. For example, each of the above measurement results can be understood as a measurement result at the reference signal level or as a beam-level measurement result.

[0262] In addition, the terminal can also send the measurement results of the source cell and at least one neighboring cell to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the measurement results of the source cell and at least one neighboring cell from the terminal.

[0263] Step 802: The terminal determines the channel state information prediction results corresponding to S neighboring cells in at least one neighboring cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and the measurement results of at least one neighboring cell, where S is a positive integer.

[0264] For example, the terminal inputs the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of at least one neighboring cell into the channel state information prediction model to obtain the channel state information prediction results corresponding to at least one neighboring cell output by the channel state information prediction model. The channel state information prediction model can refer to the relevant content mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0265] In addition, the terminal can input other parameters into the channel state information prediction model. These other parameters may include one or more of the following: measurement time information of the source cell, measurement time information of each neighboring cell, beam direction information of the source cell, beam direction information of each neighboring cell, downlink reference signal transmission power of the source cell, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell, terminal handover mode, terminal speed information, terminal location information, downlink reference signal transmission power of each neighboring cell, and uplink reference signal power control parameters of each neighboring cell. The measurement time information of the source cell refers to the time when the terminal receives the downlink reference signal from the source cell, or the time when the terminal transmits the measurement results of the source cell. The measurement time information of each neighboring cell refers to the time when the terminal receives the downlink reference signal from that neighboring cell, or the time when the terminal transmits the measurement results of that neighboring cell.

[0266] In one possible implementation, prior to step 802, the terminal may further receive a notification message from the first access network device, the notification message instructing the terminal to predict the channel state information of neighboring cells. In response to this notification message, the terminal can determine the predicted channel state information for at least one neighboring cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and the measurement results of at least one neighboring cell.

[0267] It is understood that the terminal can obtain the channel state information prediction results for all or some of the neighboring cells in at least one neighboring cell. However, the channel state information prediction for some neighboring cells may fail. For example, if the prediction accuracy of the channel state information for a neighboring cell is less than a prediction accuracy threshold, then the prediction of the channel state information for that neighboring cell fails. The prediction accuracy threshold may also be carried in a notification message or indicated to the terminal through other means; this application does not limit this.

[0268] In another possible implementation, prior to step 802, the terminal may also receive a notification message from the first access network device. This notification message instructs the terminal to predict the channel state information of neighboring cells and also indicates the identifiers of S neighboring cells out of at least one. In response to this notification message, the terminal can obtain the predicted channel state information for each of the S neighboring cells based on the measurement results of the source cell and the measurement results of the S neighboring cells.

[0269] Furthermore, combining the two possible implementation methods mentioned above, the notification message can also indicate the handover time of the terminal. Consequently, the terminal can predict the channel state information of neighboring cells at that handover time. The handover time of the terminal can be determined by the first access network device. For example, the handover time of the terminal can be understood as the time when the first access network device notifies the terminal of the target cell. For example, the handover time of the terminal can be one or more moments, or one or more time periods. The handover time of the terminal can also be called the handover timing, prediction time, or prediction time period.

[0270] For example, the notification message mentioned above may be an RRC message, a MAC CE message, or downlink control information (DCI), and this application does not limit it to any particular type.

[0271] In some embodiments, the terminal may also send capability information to the first access network device, indicating that the terminal has the capability to predict channel state information or that the terminal supports predicting channel state information. Furthermore, the first access network device can activate the terminal to enable prediction of channel state information for neighboring cells through the aforementioned notification message.

[0272] Understandably, the first access network device may also choose not to send notification messages, allowing the terminal to autonomously predict and report channel state information.

[0273] Step 803: The terminal sends the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K neighboring cells out of S neighboring cells, where K is a positive integer and K≤S.

[0274] For example, the terminal also sends the prediction accuracy corresponding to each of the K neighboring cells, and / or the prediction time corresponding to each of the K neighboring cells.

[0275] Understandably, a terminal can send the channel state information prediction results of all or part of at least one neighboring cell. For example, a terminal can report the channel state information prediction results of neighboring cells with prediction accuracy greater than or equal to the prediction accuracy threshold. Optionally, the terminal can also report the identifiers of neighboring cells with prediction accuracy less than the prediction accuracy threshold, that is, the identifiers of cells where channel state information prediction failed.

[0276] In one possible implementation, the terminal sends the channel state information (CSI) prediction results for K neighboring cells out of S neighboring cells to the first access network device. Optionally, the terminal also sends the identifiers of cells whose CSI prediction failed to the first access network device. For example, the terminal sends the following to the first access network device: CSI of cell 1, prediction accuracy of cell 1 is 90%, and CSI prediction of cell 2 failed.

[0277] Step 803 is illustrated by taking the example of the terminal sending the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K neighboring cells to the first access network device.

[0278] Step 804: The first access network device sends the channel state information prediction result of the target cell to the second access network device, and correspondingly, the second access network device receives the channel state information prediction result of the target cell from the first access network device.

[0279] Based on the above, the first access network device can receive measurement results from the source cell and at least one neighboring cell from the terminal, and determine the target cell based on these measurements. The target cell is one of the at least one neighboring cell, and belongs to the second access network device. After determining the target cell, the first access network device sends the channel state information prediction result of the target cell to the second access network device. The channel state information prediction result of the target cell is derived from the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K neighboring cells.

[0280] Furthermore, in some embodiments, if the terminal sends the prediction time corresponding to the channel state information prediction result of the target cell to the first access network device, the first access network device may send the channel state information prediction result of the target cell, as well as the prediction time, to the second access network device.

[0281] In addition, step 804 may refer to the relevant content in step 703 above.

[0282] Optionally, in step 805, the second access network device determines that the terminal has successfully switched to the target cell and schedules the terminal based on the channel state information prediction result of the target cell.

[0283] For details, please refer to the relevant content in step 604 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0284] As an optional embodiment, before step 803, the terminal may receive handover signaling from the first access network device. This handover signaling includes the identifier of the target cell, which belongs to the second access network device. Then, based on the handover command, the terminal performs a cell handover and sends the channel state information (CSO) prediction result of the target cell to the second access network device, where the target cell belongs to S neighboring cells. At this time, the terminal sends the CSO prediction results corresponding to K of the S neighboring cells, which can be understood as the terminal sending the CSO prediction result of the target cell to the second access network device, where the target cell belongs to S neighboring cells and K=1. The second access network device then determines that the terminal has successfully handover to the target cell and schedules the terminal based on the CSO prediction result of the target cell.

[0285] It is understandable that the first access network device sending the channel state information prediction result of the target cell from the terminal to the second access network device (i.e., steps 803 and 804 above) is one of two parallel options, along with the terminal directly sending the channel state information prediction result of the target cell to the second access network device.

[0286] Furthermore, after the terminal accesses the target cell, it measures the downlink reference signal of the target cell to determine the actual channel state information (CSO) of the target cell. Then, the terminal can optimize or adjust the aforementioned CSO prediction model based on the actual CSO of the target cell, thereby improving the prediction accuracy and ensuring prediction reliability.

[0287] With the above design, the terminal can predict the channel state information of the target cell and provide it directly to the target access network device (i.e., the second access network device) or through the first access network device. This allows the second access network device to obtain accurate channel state information in a timely manner, without waiting for the terminal to report the channel state information of the target cell. It can then schedule the terminal based on the predicted channel state information of the target cell, thereby enabling high-speed data transmission between the second access network device and the terminal. Furthermore, the terminal does not need to obtain and report the channel state information of neighboring cells to the source cell before handover, effectively saving measurement overhead, reducing the complexity of cell handover, and ensuring normal data transmission in the source cell, thus significantly improving the user experience during mobility.

[0288] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, each communication device (e.g., a terminal, a first access network device, or a second access network device, etc.) includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0289] Figures 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the various communication devices in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0290] As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 900 includes a processing unit 910 and a transceiver unit 920.

[0291] When the communication device 900 is used to implement the function of the first access network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG6 above:

[0292] Processing unit 910 is used to control the operation of transceiver unit 920; transceiver unit 920 is used to receive measurement results of a source cell and at least one neighboring cell from a terminal, wherein the source cell belongs to the first access network device, the measurement results of the source cell include the channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell, and the measurement results of each neighboring cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of that neighboring cell; and to send a first message to a second access network device, wherein the first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of a target cell, the first message includes parameters for predicting the channel state information, the parameters for predicting the channel state information include the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell, wherein the target cell is one of the at least one neighboring cell, and the target cell belongs to the second access network device.

[0293] In one possible design, the parameters used to predict channel state information also include the handover time of the terminal; the first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of the target cell at the handover time.

[0294] In one possible design, the parameters used to predict channel state information may also include the location information of the terminal and / or the speed information of the terminal.

[0295] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is configured to receive first indication information from the second access network device before sending the first message, the first indication information being used to request the first access network device to provide the parameters for predicting channel state information.

[0296] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is configured to send a first request message to the second access network device, the first request message being used to request the second access network device to provide configuration information of neighboring cells; and upon receiving first indication information from the second access network device, receiving a first response message from the second access network device, the first response message including the configuration information of the at least one neighboring cell and the first indication information.

[0297] When the communication device 900 is used to implement the function of the second access network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG6 above:

[0298] Transceiver unit 920 is configured to receive a first message from a first access network device, the first message being used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of a target cell of a terminal. The first message includes parameters for predicting the channel state information, the parameters for predicting the channel state information including the measurement results of the source cell of the terminal and / or the measurement results of the target cell, the source cell belonging to the first access network device, the target cell belonging to the second access network device, the measurement results of the source cell including the channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell, and the measurement results of the target cell including the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell; processing unit 910 is configured to determine the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the first message;

[0299] In one possible design, the processing unit 910 is further configured to determine that the terminal has successfully switched to the target cell, and schedule the terminal based on the channel state information prediction result of the target cell.

[0300] In one possible design, the parameters used to predict channel state information also include the handover time of the terminal; the first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of the target cell at the handover time.

[0301] In one possible design, the parameters used to predict channel state information may also include the location information of the terminal and / or the speed information of the terminal.

[0302] In one possible design, the processing unit 910 is configured to, when determining the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the first message, input the parameters used to predict the channel state information into the channel state information prediction model to obtain the channel state information prediction result of the target cell output by the channel state information prediction model, wherein the channel state information prediction model is trained based on historical handover data of multiple terminals.

[0303] In one possible design, the i-th terminal is any one of the plurality of terminals, where i is a positive integer; the historical handover data of the i-th terminal includes one or more of the following: the measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement time information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal. The measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal include the channel state information of the source cell of the i-th terminal and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0304] In one possible design, the historical handover data of the i-th terminal may further include one or more of the following: beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, beam direction information of the target cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the source cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the target cell of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the source cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the target cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the target cell of the i-th terminal, handover mode of the i-th terminal, speed information of the i-th terminal, and location information of the i-th terminal.

[0305] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is configured to send first indication information to the first access network device before receiving the first message, the first indication information being used to request the first access network device to provide the parameters for predicting channel state information.

[0306] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is configured to receive a first request message from the first access network device, the first request message being used to request the second access network device to provide configuration information of neighboring cells; and when sending first indication information to the first access network device, sending a first response message to the first access network device, the first response message including the configuration information of the at least one neighboring cell and the first indication information.

[0307] When the communication device 900 is used to implement the function of the first access network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG7 above:

[0308] The transceiver unit 920 is configured to receive measurement results from a source cell and at least one neighboring cell from a terminal, wherein the source cell belongs to the first access network device, and the measurement results of the source cell include the channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell, and the measurement results of each neighboring cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of that neighboring cell; the processing unit 910 is configured to determine the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell, wherein the target cell is one of the at least one neighboring cell and the target cell belongs to the second access network device; the transceiver unit 920 is configured to send the channel state information prediction result of the target cell to the second access network device.

[0309] In one possible design, the processing unit 910 is configured to determine the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on at least one of the following when determining the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell: the measurement results of the source cell, the measurement results of the target cell, the location information of the terminal, the speed information of the terminal, and the handover time of the terminal.

[0310] In one possible design, the processing unit 910 is configured to, when determining the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell, input the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell into the channel state information prediction model to obtain the channel state information prediction result of the target cell, wherein the channel state information prediction model is trained based on historical handover data of multiple terminals.

[0311] In one possible design, the i-th terminal is any one of the plurality of terminals, where i is a positive integer; the historical handover data of the i-th terminal includes one or more of the following: the measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement time information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal. The measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal include the channel state information of the source cell of the i-th terminal and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

[0312] In one possible design, the historical handover data of the i-th terminal may further include one or more of the following: beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, beam direction information of the target cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the source cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the target cell of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the source cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the target cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the target cell of the i-th terminal, handover mode of the i-th terminal, speed information of the i-th terminal, and location information of the i-th terminal.

[0313] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is configured to receive the actual channel state information of the target cell from the second access network device after sending the channel state information prediction result of the target cell to the second access network device.

[0314] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is used to send a second indication information to the second access network device, the second indication information being used to request the second access network device to provide feedback on the actual channel state information of the target cell.

[0315] When the communication device 900 is used to implement the function of the second access network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG7 above:

[0316] The processing unit 910 is used to control the operation of the transceiver unit 920; the transceiver unit 920 is used to receive the channel state information prediction result of the target cell from the first access network device, wherein the first access network device is the access network device to which the source cell of the terminal belongs, and the target cell belongs to the second access network device.

[0317] In one possible design, the processing unit 910 is used to determine that the terminal has successfully switched to the target cell, and to schedule the terminal based on the channel state information prediction result of the target cell.

[0318] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is used to receive the actual channel state information of the target cell from the terminal; and to send the actual channel state information of the target cell to the first access network device.

[0319] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is used to receive second indication information from the first access network device, the second indication information being used to request the actual channel state information of the target cell.

[0320] When the communication device 900 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiment shown in FIG8 above:

[0321] The transceiver unit 920 is used to acquire the measurement results of the source cell and the measurement results of at least one neighboring cell, wherein the source cell belongs to the first access network device, and the measurement results of the source cell include the channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell, and the measurement results of each neighboring cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of that neighboring cell; the processing unit 910 is used to determine the channel state information prediction results corresponding to S neighboring cells among the at least one neighboring cell based on the measurement results of the source cell and the measurement results of the at least one neighboring cell, where S is a positive integer; the transceiver unit 920 is used to transmit the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K neighboring cells among the S neighboring cells, where K is a positive integer and K≤S.

[0322] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is configured to receive a notification message from the first access network device, the notification message indicating that the terminal predicts the channel state information of neighboring cells.

[0323] In one possible design, the notification message also indicates the identifiers of the S neighboring cells.

[0324] In one possible design, the notification message also indicates the switching time of the terminal.

[0325] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is used to send capability information to the first access network device, the capability information indicating that the terminal has the ability to predict channel state information.

[0326] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is used to transmit the prediction accuracy corresponding to each of the K neighboring cells, and / or the prediction time corresponding to each of the K neighboring cells.

[0327] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is used to send the channel state information prediction results corresponding to the K neighboring cells in the S neighboring cells to the first access network device when sending the channel state information prediction results corresponding to the K neighboring cells in the S neighboring cells respectively.

[0328] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is configured to receive handover signaling from the first access network device, the handover signaling including the identifier of the target cell, the target cell belonging to the second access network device; and when sending the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K of the S neighboring cells, the transceiver unit 920 sends the channel state information prediction results of the target cell, the target cell belonging to the S neighboring cells, to the second access network device.

[0329] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 920 is also used to send the identifier of the cell that failed to predict channel state information to the first access network device.

[0330] For some possible designs and beneficial effects of the communication device 900, please refer to the relevant content in the embodiments shown in Figures 6 to 8 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0331] As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010 and an interface circuit 1020. The processor 1010 and the interface circuit 1020 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1020 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a memory 1030 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1010, or storing input data required by the processor 1010 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1010 executes instructions.

[0332] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement the above method embodiment, the processor 1010 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 910, and the interface circuit 1020 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 920.

[0333] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0334] This application provides another example of a device, the notification device including at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one processor and the at least one memory coupled together, the at least one memory for storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the above embodiments. Taking a communication device including a processor and a memory as an example, as shown in FIG10, the communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010 and a memory 1030. The processor 1010 and the memory 1030 are coupled together, the memory 1030 stores instructions, and when the instructions stored in the memory 1030 are executed by the processor 1010, the communication device 1000 performs the methods performed by the various communication devices in the above embodiments.

[0335] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in the aforementioned terminal or access network device. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the terminal or access network device.

[0336] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0337] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0338] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between the preceding and following related objects. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0339] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first access network device or a chip in the first access network device, and the method includes: The device receives measurement results from a source cell and at least one neighboring cell from a terminal. The source cell belongs to the first access network device. The measurement results of the source cell include the channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell. The measurement results of each neighboring cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of that neighboring cell. A first message is sent to a second access network device. The first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of a target cell. The first message includes parameters for predicting the channel state information. The parameters for predicting the channel state information include the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell. The target cell is one of the at least one neighboring cell and belongs to the second access network device.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The parameters used to predict channel state information also include the terminal's handover time; The first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of the target cell at the handover time.

3. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before sending the first message, the method further includes: The system receives a first indication message from the second access network device, the first indication message being used to request the first access network device to provide the parameters for predicting channel state information.

4. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a first request message to the second access network device, the first request message being used to request the second access network device to provide configuration information of neighboring cells; Receive first indication information from the second access network device, including: Receive a first response message from the second access network device, the first response message including configuration information of the at least one neighboring cell and the first indication information.

5. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a second access network device or a chip in a second access network device, and the method includes: A first message is received from a first access network device. The first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of the target cell of the terminal. The first message includes parameters for predicting the channel state information. The parameters for predicting the channel state information include the measurement results of the source cell of the terminal and / or the measurement results of the target cell. The source cell belongs to the first access network device, and the target cell belongs to the second access network device. The measurement results of the source cell include the channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell. The measurement results of the target cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell. The channel state information prediction result of the target cell is determined based on the first message.

6. The method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, Also includes: Once it is determined that the terminal has successfully switched to the target cell, the terminal is scheduled according to the channel state information prediction result of the target cell.

7. The method as described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The parameters used to predict channel state information also include the terminal's handover time; The first message is used by the second access network device to predict the channel state information of the target cell at the handover time.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, Determining the channel state information prediction result of the target cell based on the first message includes: The parameters used to predict channel state information are input into the channel state information prediction model to obtain the channel state information prediction result of the target cell output by the channel state information prediction model, wherein the channel state information prediction model is trained based on historical handover data of multiple terminals.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The i-th terminal is any one of the plurality of terminals, where i is a positive integer; The historical handover data of the i-th terminal includes one or more of the following: the measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement time information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal. The measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal include the channel state information of the source cell of the i-th terminal and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell of the i-th terminal. The measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

10. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The historical handover data of the i-th terminal also includes one or more of the following: beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, beam direction information of the target cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the source cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the target cell of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the source cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the target cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the target cell of the i-th terminal, handover mode of the i-th terminal, speed information of the i-th terminal, and location information of the i-th terminal.

11. The method according to any one of claims 5-10, characterized in that, Before receiving the first message, the method further includes: Send a first indication message to the first access network device, the first indication message being used to request the first access network device to provide the parameters for predicting channel state information.

12. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a first request message from the first access network device, the first request message being used to request the second access network device to provide neighbor cell configuration information; Sending first indication information to the first access network device, including: A first response message is sent to the first access network device. The first response message includes the configuration information of the at least one neighboring cell and the first indication information.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first access network device or a chip in the first access network device, and the method includes: The device receives measurement results from a source cell and at least one neighboring cell, wherein the source cell belongs to the first access network device, and the measurement results of the source cell include the channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell, and the measurement results of each neighboring cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of that neighboring cell. Based on the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell, the channel state information prediction result of the target cell is determined, wherein the target cell is one of the at least one neighboring cell and the target cell belongs to the second access network device; The channel state information prediction result of the target cell is sent to the second access network device.

14. The method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, Based on the measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell, the channel state information prediction result of the target cell is determined, including: The measurement results of the source cell and / or the measurement results of the target cell are input into the channel state information prediction model to obtain the channel state information prediction result of the target cell. The channel state information prediction model is trained based on historical handover data of multiple terminals.

15. The method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The i-th terminal is any one of the plurality of terminals, where i is a positive integer; The historical handover data of the i-th terminal includes one or more of the following: the measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement time information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, the measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal, and the measurement time information of the target cell of the i-th terminal. The measurement results of the source cell of the i-th terminal include the channel state information of the source cell of the i-th terminal and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell of the i-th terminal. The measurement results of the target cell of the i-th terminal include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the target cell of the i-th terminal.

16. The method as described in claim 15, characterized in that, The historical handover data of the i-th terminal also includes one or more of the following: beam direction information of the source cell of the i-th terminal, beam direction information of the target cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the source cell of the i-th terminal, downlink reference signal transmission power of the target cell of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the source cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, reference signal reception power of the target cell of the i-th terminal for the uplink reference signal of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the source cell of the i-th terminal, uplink reference signal power control parameters of the target cell of the i-th terminal, handover mode of the i-th terminal, speed information of the i-th terminal, and location information of the i-th terminal.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized in that, After sending the channel state information prediction result of the target cell to the second access network device, the method further includes: Receive actual channel state information of the target cell from the second access network device.

18. The method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second indication message to the second access network device, the second indication message being used to request the second access network device to provide feedback on the actual channel state information of the target cell.

19. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a terminal or a chip in a terminal, and the method includes: The measurement results of a source cell and at least one neighboring cell are obtained, wherein the source cell belongs to a first access network device, the measurement results of the source cell include the channel state information of the source cell and / or the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the source cell, and the measurement results of each neighboring cell include the reference signal received power of the downlink reference signal of the neighboring cell. Based on the measurement results of the source cell and the measurement results of the at least one neighboring cell, determine the channel state information prediction results corresponding to S neighboring cells in the at least one neighboring cell, where S is a positive integer; Send the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K neighboring cells out of the S neighboring cells, where K is a positive integer and K≤S.

20. The method as described in claim 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal receives a notification message from the first access network device, the notification message instructing the terminal to predict the channel state information of neighboring cells.

21. The method as described in claim 20, characterized in that, The notification message also indicates the identifiers of the S neighboring cells.

22. The method as described in claim 20 or 21, characterized in that, The notification message also indicates the handover time for the terminal.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19-22, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal sends capability information to the first access network device, the capability information indicating that the terminal has the ability to predict channel state information.

24. The method according to any one of claims 19-23, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send the prediction accuracy corresponding to each of the K neighboring cells, and / or the prediction time corresponding to each of the K neighboring cells.

25. The method according to any one of claims 19-24, characterized in that, Send the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K neighboring cells out of the S neighboring cells, including: The channel state information prediction results corresponding to K of the S neighboring cells are sent to the first access network device.

26. The method according to any one of claims 19-24, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive handover signaling from the first access network device, the handover signaling including the identifier of the target cell, the target cell belonging to the second access network device; Send the channel state information prediction results corresponding to K neighboring cells out of the S neighboring cells, including: The channel state information prediction result of the target cell is sent to the second access network device, wherein the target cell belongs to the S neighboring cells.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes units or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes at least one processor; the at least one processor is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a program that, when run on the device, causes the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a program or instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

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