Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus, capable of reducing connection power consumption in a dual-connectivity scenario. The method comprises: a terminal apparatus transmits candidate indication information to a first network apparatus, wherein the candidate indication information is used for indicating a candidate cell that can be connected to the terminal apparatus; the first network apparatus transmits target cell indication information to a second terminal apparatus; a second network apparatus transmits target cell configuration information to the first network apparatus, wherein the target cell configuration information is used for indicating an access configuration of a target cell of the second network apparatus; the first network apparatus transmits the target cell configuration information to the terminal apparatus; the terminal apparatus accesses the target cell of the second network apparatus on the basis of the target cell configuration information. On the basis of the method in the embodiments of the present application, the second network apparatus does not need to transmit a common signal, so that the terminal apparatus can determine a target cell to be accessed, thereby omitting the power consumption of signal transmission of the second network apparatus during connection.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411998734.3, filed with the Chinese Patent Office on December 31, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] To improve network quality for terminal devices, they can utilize Dual Connectivity (DC) technology to simultaneously connect to two base stations, thereby enhancing data transmission efficiency and network stability during device movement. In Dual Connectivity, the terminal device connects to a primary node (i.e., the primary base station) and then accesses a secondary node to achieve dual connectivity.

[0004] In the implementation of dual connectivity technology, terminal devices typically need to measure the common signal of multiple cells in the secondary node to identify the cell with higher signal quality among the cells in the secondary node, and then establish a connection with that cell.

[0005] In the above methods, in order to ensure that dual connectivity technology can be implemented quickly, the secondary node usually needs to continuously provide a common signal for the terminal device to perform measurements when it needs to establish a connection with the secondary node, which results in the network side consuming a lot of power. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can reduce connection power consumption in dual-connection scenarios to a certain extent.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method that can be executed by a terminal device, by a component of the terminal device (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, or processor), or by a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0009] The method includes: sending candidate indication information to a first network device; receiving target cell configuration information; and accessing the target cell of a second network device based on the target cell configuration information.

[0010] The candidate indication information is determined by the terminal device based on a cell map and is used to indicate candidate cells that the terminal device can connect to. This cell map is used to indicate the network performance of cells in the second network device. Candidate cells are cells managed by the second network device, which is the network device the terminal device intends to access when accessing the first network device, and which uses a different network standard than the first network device. Target cell configuration information indicates the access configuration of the target cell for the second network device; the target cell is a cell from the candidate cells.

[0011] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can generate candidate indication information through the cell map to indicate the candidate cells to be connected to, thereby obtaining the target cell configuration information of the second network device, and accessing the target cell of the second network device based on the target cell configuration information. In this way, the terminal device can determine the target cell of the second network device to be accessed during dual connectivity without measuring the common signal, thus achieving cell screening of the second network device without signal measurement and reducing power consumption during the access process of the second network device.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the cell map is used to indicate the mapping relationship between the cell signal quality and location of the second network device. The terminal device can also receive the cell map and determine candidate indication information based on the terminal device's location information and the cell map.

[0013] Based on the above technical solution, since the cell map can indicate the mapping relationship between cell signal quality and location, the terminal device can determine the best access cell at any time based on its own location information, thereby improving the access cell quality.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the target cell configuration information may include the synchronization signal configuration information of the target cell. The terminal device may receive a first synchronization signal from the target cell based on the target cell configuration information; and based on the first synchronization signal, access the target cell of the second network device. The first synchronization signal is used to enable the terminal device to access the target cell.

[0015] Optionally, the target cell configuration information may also include the uplink access resources of the target cell. The terminal device may determine the target cell to be accessed in the target cell based on the first synchronization signal; and access the target cell to be accessed based on the uplink access resources.

[0016] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can accurately receive the synchronization signal of the target cell based on the synchronization signal configuration information of the target cell, thereby improving the accuracy of synchronization with the target cell signal. Furthermore, the terminal device can also quickly access the target cell based on the uplink access resources of the target cell, thereby improving the access efficiency of the target cell.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the terminal device can also send cell selection information via uplink access resources. The cell selection information is used to indicate the target cell that the terminal device wishes to access among multiple target cells.

[0018] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can further filter the target cell using cell selection information, thereby further improving the communication quality of the access cell.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the terminal device can send a second synchronization signal to the second network device, and access the target cell based on the second synchronization signal and the first synchronization signal. The second synchronization signal is used to enable the terminal device to access the target cell.

[0020] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can also achieve uplink synchronization with the target cell by sending a second synchronization signal, so as to improve the reliability of communication between the terminal device and the target cell and avoid signal interference and other problems in multi-terminal device scenarios.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the terminal device may, in response to the first access indication information, access the second network device based on the target cell configuration information, wherein the first access indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device needs to access the second network device.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the terminal device may also send a second access indication message to the first network device if the current network state meets the conditions for accessing the second network device. The second access indication message is used to instruct the terminal device to request access to the second network device.

[0023] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can actively trigger the target cell access process or passively trigger the target cell access process, which can improve the flexibility of target cell access.

[0024] Secondly, this application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a first network device, or by a component of the first network device (such as a circuit, chip, chip system or processor), or by a logic node, logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of a terminal device.

[0025] The method includes: receiving candidate indication information, sending target cell indication information to a second network device, and sending target cell configuration information to a terminal device.

[0026] The candidate indication information is determined by the terminal device based on a cell map and is used to indicate candidate cells that the terminal device can connect to. This cell map indicates the network performance of cells in the second network device, and the candidate cells are cells of the second network device. The second network device is a network device with a different network standard than the first network device that the terminal device intends to access when accessing the first network device. The target cell indication information is determined by the first network device based on the candidate indication information and is used to indicate the target cell for the second network device. This target cell is a cell among the candidate cells. The target cell configuration information is determined by the second network device based on the target cell indication information and is used to indicate the access configuration of the target cell.

[0027] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can be instructed to connect to the target cell by sending target cell indication information from the first network device, thereby obtaining the target cell configuration information from the second network device. This allows the terminal device to quickly access the target cell based on the target cell configuration information without having to measure the public signal of the second network device to determine the cell to be accessed, thereby improving the access efficiency of the target cell and reducing the access power consumption on both the network side and the terminal side during the access process.

[0028] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first network device may also send a cell map to the terminal device.

[0029] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first network device may further use the candidate indication information as the target cell indication information; or, determine the target cell from the candidate cells indicated by the candidate indication information, and determine the target cell indication information based on the candidate indication information and the target cell.

[0030] Optionally, the first network device may determine the target cell based on the quality parameters of each cell indicated by the candidate indication information.

[0031] Based on the above technical solution, the first network device can perform secondary screening of the candidate cells indicated by the candidate indication information based on actual usage needs, so as to improve the flexibility of the determined target cells and improve the communication quality of the target cells accessed by the terminal device.

[0032] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first network device may also send a first access instruction information to the terminal device and a third access instruction information to the second network device when the network status of the terminal device meets the conditions for accessing the second network device.

[0033] The first access indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device needs to access the second network device, and the third access indication information is used to indicate that the second network device needs to establish a connection with the terminal device.

[0034] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first network device may also send a third access indication information to the second network device in response to the second access indication information.

[0035] The second access indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to request access to the second network device, and the third access indication information is used to instruct the second network device to establish a connection with the terminal device.

[0036] Based on the above technical solution, the first network device can actively trigger the target cell access process or passively trigger the target cell access process, which can improve the flexibility of target cell access.

[0037] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the target cell configuration information may include the target cell's synchronization signal configuration information.

[0038] Optionally, the target cell configuration information may also include the uplink access resources of the target cell.

[0039] Thirdly, this application provides a communication method that can be executed by a second network device, or by a component of the second network device (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, or processor), or by a logic node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0040] The method includes: receiving target cell indication information; and sending target cell configuration information to a first network device.

[0041] The target cell indication information is determined by the first network device based on the candidate indication information and is used to indicate the target cell for the second network device. The candidate indication information is determined by the terminal device based on the cell map and is used to indicate candidate cells that the terminal device can connect to. The cell map is used to indicate the network performance of the cells of the second network device. The candidate cell is a cell of the second network device, which is a network device with a different network standard than the first network device that the terminal device needs to access when accessing the first network device. The target cell configuration information is determined by the second network device based on the target cell indication information and is used to indicate the access configuration of the target cell.

[0042] Based on the above technical solution, the second network device does not need to send a public signal for the terminal device to measure; it can determine the target cell that the terminal device needs to access based on the target cell indication information, thereby improving the access efficiency of the target cell and reducing the access power consumption on the network side during the access process.

[0043] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the target cell configuration information includes the target cell's synchronization signal configuration information.

[0044] Optionally, the target cell configuration information may also include the uplink access resources of the target cell.

[0045] Based on the above technical solution, the second network device can enable the terminal device to accurately access the target cell by sending the synchronization signal configuration information (and uplink access resources) of the target cell, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal device accessing the target cell.

[0046] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second network device may also send a first synchronization signal based on the target cell.

[0047] The first synchronization signal is used to enable the terminal device to access the target cell.

[0048] Based on the above technical solution, the second network device can achieve downlink synchronization with the terminal device by sending the first synchronization signal, so as to ensure that the terminal device can communicate accurately with the terminal device after accessing the target cell and improve the communication quality of the terminal device.

[0049] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second network device can also receive cell selection information and establish a connection with the terminal device based on the target cell to be accessed indicated by the cell selection information.

[0050] Among them, the cell selection information is used to indicate the target cell that the terminal device needs to access among multiple target cells.

[0051] Based on the above technical solution, the second network device can determine the target cell that the terminal device wants to access by receiving cell selection information, so that the terminal device can flexibly select the target cell to be accessed from multiple target cells based on actual usage needs, thereby improving the flexibility of cell access.

[0052] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second network device may also receive a second synchronization signal, and based on the second synchronization signal, enable the terminal device to access the target cell.

[0053] Based on the above technical solution, the second network device can achieve uplink synchronization with the terminal device by receiving the second synchronization signal, so as to ensure that the terminal device can communicate accurately with the terminal device after accessing the target cell and improve the communication quality of the terminal device.

[0054] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second network device may, in response to the third access instruction information, send a first synchronization signal based on the target cell.

[0055] The third access indication information is used to indicate that the second network device needs to establish a connection with the terminal device.

[0056] Based on the above technical solution, the second network device can send a first synchronization signal when it is determined that the terminal device needs to access the target cell, so as to avoid consuming a lot of power due to the frequent sending of the first synchronization signal, and further reduce the power consumption of the second network device.

[0057] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, which can be the terminal device described in the first aspect. The communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module. The transceiver module is used to send candidate indication information and receive target cell configuration information. The processing module is used to access the target cell of a second network device based on the target cell configuration information.

[0058] The candidate indication information is determined by the terminal device based on a cell map and is used to indicate candidate cells that the terminal device can connect to. This cell map is used to indicate the network performance of cells belonging to the second network device. The candidate cells are cells managed by the second network device, which is a network device with a different network standard than the first network device that the terminal device intends to connect to when accessing the first network device.

[0059] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, which can be the first network device described in the second aspect. The communication device includes a transceiver module. The transceiver module is used to receive candidate indication information, send target cell indication information to a second network device, and send target cell configuration information to a terminal device.

[0060] The candidate indication information is determined by the terminal device based on a cell map and is used to indicate candidate cells that the terminal device can connect to. This cell map indicates the network performance of cells in the second network device, and the candidate cells are cells of the second network device. The second network device is a network device with a different network standard than the first network device that the terminal device intends to access when accessing the first network device. The target cell indication information is determined by the first network device based on the candidate indication information and is used to indicate the target cell for the second network device. This target cell is a cell among the candidate cells. The target cell configuration information is determined by the second network device based on the target cell indication information and is used to indicate the access configuration of the target cell.

[0061] Optionally, the communication terminal device may further include a processing module, which can be used to determine target cell indication information based on candidate indication information.

[0062] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which can be the second network device described in the third aspect. The communication device may include a transceiver module. The transceiver module is used to receive target cell indication information and to send target cell configuration information to a first network device.

[0063] The target cell indication information is determined by the first network device based on the candidate indication information and is used to indicate the target cell for the second network device. The candidate indication information is determined by the terminal device based on the cell map and is used to indicate candidate cells that the terminal device can connect to. The cell map is used to indicate the network performance of the cells of the second network device. The candidate cell is a cell of the second network device, which is a network device with a different network standard than the first network device that the terminal device needs to access when accessing the first network device. The target cell configuration information is determined by the second network device based on the target cell indication information and is used to indicate the access configuration of the target cell.

[0064] Optionally, the communication device may further include a processing module for determining target cell configuration information based on target cell indication information.

[0065] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, the communication device including a processor for implementing the methods as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0066] Optionally, the communication device further includes an interface circuit for receiving signals from other communication devices and transmitting them to the processor, or sending signals from the processor to other communication devices.

[0067] Eighthly, a communication device is provided, the communication device including a processor for implementing the methods as described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0068] Optionally, the communication device further includes an interface circuit for receiving signals from other communication devices and transmitting them to the processor, or sending signals from the processor to other communication devices.

[0069] Ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, the communication device including a processor for implementing the methods as described in the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0070] Optionally, the communication device further includes an interface circuit for receiving signals from other communication devices and transmitting them to the processor, or sending signals from the processor to other communication devices.

[0071] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a terminal device for performing the method as shown in the first aspect, a first network device for performing the method as shown in the second aspect, and a second network device for performing the method as shown in the third aspect.

[0072] Eleventhly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the methods of the first, second, or third aspects described above, and any possible implementation thereof, are performed.

[0073] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program that, when executed, causes the methods of the first, second, or third aspects and any possible implementation thereof to be performed.

[0074] The solutions provided in aspects four through twelfth above are used to implement or cooperate with the methods provided in aspects one, two or three above, and therefore can achieve the same or corresponding beneficial effects as aspects one, two or three, which will not be elaborated here. Attached Figure Description

[0075] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0076] Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0077] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0078] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0079] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0080] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0081] Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0082] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0083] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0084] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0085] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0086] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0087] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0088] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0089] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0090] In this article, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

[0091] The terms "first" and "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order of objects. For example, "first target object" and "second target object," etc., are used to distinguish different target objects, not to describe a specific order of target objects.

[0092] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0093] In the description of the embodiments in this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. For example, multiple processing units means two or more processing units; multiple systems means two or more systems.

[0094] In the various method embodiments of this application, the order of the sequence numbers does not imply the order of execution. The execution order should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0095] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "under the circumstances," "if," "when," and "if..." can be used interchangeably. Furthermore, these descriptions all refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require any judgment action during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0096] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0097] In this application, "sending" and "receiving" refer to the direction of signal transmission. In this application, entity A sending information to entity B can be done directly by A to B, or indirectly by A through other entities. Similarly, entity B receiving information from entity A can be done directly by entity B, or indirectly by entity B through other entities. Entities A and B can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within RAN nodes or terminals. Information sending and receiving can be information interaction between a RAN node and a terminal, such as information interaction between a base station and a terminal; information sending and receiving can also be information interaction between two RAN nodes, such as information interaction between a CU and a DU; information sending and receiving can also be information interaction between different modules within a device, such as information interaction between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or information interaction between a base station chip and other modules in the base station. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of a chip interface, such as a baseband chip outputting information to a radio frequency chip, and "receiving" can be understood as the "input" of a chip interface.

[0098] For example, "sending information to...(terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal, and may include sending information directly or indirectly to the terminal. "Receiving information from...(terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and may include receiving information directly or indirectly from the 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 understood in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0099] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and in the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / methods / implementations within each embodiment can be combined according to their inherent logical relationships to form new embodiments, implementation methods, methods, or implementation approaches. The embodiments of this application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0100] In this application, "for indicating" can include both direct and indirect indication. When describing an indication information as indicating A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0101] In this application, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementation, there are many ways to instruct the information to be instructed. For example, it can be implemented through direct instruction, such as through the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also be implemented indirectly by instructing other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be instructed. Alternatively, only a part of the information to be instructed can be indicated, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent.

[0102] The information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information messages, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific sending method. The sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be predefined, for example, according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device.

[0103] The embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as wireless local area network (WLAN), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (EDGE), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), code division multiple access 2000 (CDMA2000), time division-synchronization code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), long term evolution (LTE), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), satellite communication systems, 5th generation (5G) communication systems, or future communication network systems, etc.

[0104] The terminal device involved in the embodiments of this application can be a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, specifically referring to a subscriber unit, user equipment (UE), access terminal, cellular phone, user station, mobile station (MS), customer-premises equipment (CPE), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. The terminal device can also be a satellite phone, cellular phone, smartphone, wireless data card, personal digital assistant (PDA) computer, tablet computer, wireless modem, laptop computer, machine-type communication (MTC) device, and wireless terminal in self-driving vehicles, etc. Terminal devices can also be cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, communication devices mounted on high-altitude aircraft, drones, robots, point-of-sale (POS) machines, terminals in device-to-device (D2D) communication, terminals in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, virtual reality (VR) terminal devices, augmented reality (AR) terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, and wireless terminals in smart homes. Wireless terminals in the home (or terminal equipment in future communication networks), etc. Among these, user equipment includes vehicle user equipment.With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, an increasing number of devices that previously lacked communication capabilities—such as, but not limited to, home appliances, vehicles, tools, service equipment, and service facilities—are acquiring wireless communication functionality by being equipped with wireless communication units. This allows them to access wireless communication networks and be remotely controlled. Because these devices are equipped with wireless communication units and thus possess wireless communication capabilities, they also fall under the category of wireless communication devices. This application does not impose any limitations.

[0105] In this embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device (i.e., the terminal device) can be the terminal device itself; or it can be a device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in the terminal device or used in conjunction with the terminal device. In this embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete components.

[0106] The network devices involved in the embodiments of this application are devices in a wireless network, such as radio access network (RAN) nodes that connect terminal devices to the wireless network. Network devices can be nodes in the RAN, also known as base stations, or RAN nodes (or devices). Network devices can be base transceiver stations (BTS) in GSM or CDMA networks, Node B (NB) in WCDMA, evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or next-generation node B (gNB) in 5G networks; network devices can be base stations in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs), or access devices in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP); network devices can also be radio controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios.Optionally, the network devices in this application embodiment may include various forms of base stations, such as: relay stations, access points, devices that implement base station functions in communication systems evolved after 5G, mobile switching centers, home evolved NodeBs (HNBs), baseband units (BBUs), devices that perform base station functions in device-to-device (D2D) communication, access points (APs), wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, transmission points (TPs), or transmission and reception points (TRPs) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) systems, devices that perform base station functions in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, and may also include centralized units (CUs) and distributed units (DUs) in cloud radio access networks (C-RAN) systems, and non-terrestrial communication networks. Network devices in a Network-Nuclear-Network (NR) communication system can be deployed on high-altitude platforms or satellites. They can also be gNBs or transmission points in NR, one or more antenna panels of a base station in NR, or network nodes constituting gNBs or transmission points. Furthermore, network devices can be vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, network devices in future communication networks, network devices in future evolved PLMN networks, or network devices deployed on satellites; this application does not limit these specific applications. In addition, based on the size of the service coverage area provided, base stations can be divided into macro base stations for providing macrocells, micro base stations for providing picocells, and femto base stations for providing femtocells. With the continuous evolution of wireless communication technology, future base stations may also adopt other names.

[0107] In this embodiment of the application, the apparatus for implementing the functions of the network device (i.e., the network device) can be the network device described above; or it can be an apparatus capable of supporting the network device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system. This apparatus can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device.

[0108] The embodiments of this application can be applied to dual-connection scenarios. Referring to Figure 1, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of this application.

[0109] As shown in Figure 1, a terminal device can connect to two base stations simultaneously and perform uplink and downlink communication on one or more cells (carriers) under the two base stations, thereby improving the data transmission efficiency of the terminal and supporting application scenarios such as high-speed data transmission, load balancing, and high mobility robustness. The two base stations accessed by the terminal device can be divided into a primary base station and a secondary base station. The primary base station is also called the master node (MN), and the secondary base station is also called the secondary node (SN).

[0110] Optionally, the master node can be the first node that a terminal device connects to when it accesses the mobile communication network. It can implement control plane (CP) functions, such as radio resource control (RRC) connection, mobility management, and data transmission. The auxiliary node can be an additional node added by the terminal device based on actual usage needs after it connects to the master node. It can provide additional radio resources to improve data transmission rate, communication coverage, etc.

[0111] Optionally, the primary node and the secondary node can be base stations with different network standards. For example, the primary node can be a 5G base station and the secondary node can be a 6G base station.

[0112] In some embodiments, the dual-connection process can be initiated by the master node. Referring to Figure 2, which is a communication flowchart of a dual-connection scenario provided by an embodiment of this application.

[0113] As shown in Figure 2, when a connection is established between the terminal device and the master node, such as when the terminal device accesses the first-type network through the master node, the dual-connection establishment process may include the following steps:

[0114] (1) The master node sends cell measurement information to the terminal device based on the current location of the terminal device.

[0115] For example, the master node can send measurement information of the secondary node cells around the terminal device to the terminal device. The measurement information of the secondary node cells can be the measurement information of the public signal of the secondary node cells.

[0116] (2) The terminal device measures the signal of the surrounding auxiliary node cells based on the measurement information of the cell and determines the cell with better signal quality around the current terminal device.

[0117] (3) The terminal device reports instruction information to the master node.

[0118] Based on the instruction information, the terminal device can instruct the master node to request that the cell with better signal quality be used as the cell that the terminal device intends to connect to.

[0119] In this way, a connection can be established between the secondary node and the terminal device through the primary node.

[0120] Referring to Figure 2, the connection between the terminal device, the master node, and the slave node can be established through the following steps.

[0121] (4) The master node sends a request signaling message to the slave node to add the slave node.

[0122] The SgNB addition request signaling is used to request radio resources from the secondary node. This SgNB addition request signaling may include the terminal device's capability information and the terminal device's most recently reported measurement results of public signals, enabling the secondary node to determine the cell with which to establish a connection based on the SgNB addition request signaling.

[0123] (5) The auxiliary node sends an auxiliary node addition confirmation command to the master node.

[0124] The confirmation command added by the secondary node indicates that the current secondary node is ready for the terminal device to connect. This confirmation command may include RRC configuration information, allowing the terminal device to connect to the secondary node based on this RRC configuration information.

[0125] Optionally, the secondary node can also trigger a random access (RA) procedure to prepare radio resources for synchronization with the terminal device.

[0126] (6) The master node sends an RRC connection reconfiguration signaling message to the terminal device.

[0127] The RRC connection reconfiguration signaling can include RRC configuration information from the secondary node addition confirmation signaling, so that the terminal device can accurately access the secondary node based on the RRC configuration information.

[0128] (7) The terminal device performs RRC reconfiguration.

[0129] Secondary nodes can perform RRC reconfiguration based on RRC connection reconfiguration commands.

[0130] (8) When the terminal device completes the RRC reconfiguration, it sends an RRC connection reconfiguration completion signaling to the master node.

[0131] The RRC connection reconfiguration complete signaling is used to indicate that the current terminal device has completed the RRC reconfiguration.

[0132] (9) The master node sends a reconfiguration completion signal to the slave node.

[0133] When the master node receives an RRC connection reconfiguration complete signaling message from the terminal device, it can send a secondary node reconfiguration complete signaling message (SgNB reconfiguration complete) to the secondary node to indicate that the terminal device has completed the reconfiguration.

[0134] After completing the above process, as shown in Figure 2, the terminal device can initiate an RA to the secondary node cell to access the secondary node.

[0135] After the auxiliary node establishes a connection with the terminal device, the terminal device can access the network corresponding to the auxiliary node and perform data transmission.

[0136] Based on the above process, the terminal device can achieve synchronization with the auxiliary node and access the auxiliary node through a random access process.

[0137] In the above method, as shown in Figure 2, in order to ensure the accuracy of the measurement results of the public signal by the terminal device, the auxiliary node needs to continuously send the public signal so that the terminal device can measure the public signal at any time. In addition, in order to realize the measurement of the public signal, the terminal device also needs to continuously monitor the public signal based on certain configurations, which results in the auxiliary node access process consuming a lot of energy.

[0138] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method in which a terminal device generates candidate indication information through a cell map to indicate candidate cells to be connected to. Then, a first network device interacts with a second network device based on this candidate indication information and forwards the target cell configuration information of the second network device to the terminal device. In this way, the terminal device can determine the target cell for dual connectivity without measuring the common signal, thereby achieving cell selection for the second network device without signal measurement and reducing power consumption during the second network device's access process.

[0139] The communication method provided in this application is executed by a terminal device, a first network device, and a second network device. The terminal device in this application can be the aforementioned terminal equipment, or a module within a terminal equipment (e.g., a circuit, chip, chip system, or processor), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal equipment's functions. The first network device and the second network device in this application can be the aforementioned network equipment or a module within a network equipment (e.g., a circuit, chip, chip system, or processor), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network equipment's functions. The chip can be a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip; or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core; or a system-in-package (SIP) chip.

[0140] Figure 3 shows a schematic flowchart of a communication method 300 provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3, the method includes:

[0141] S301: The terminal device sends candidate indication information to the first network device.

[0142] The candidate indication information is determined by the terminal device based on a cell map and is used to indicate candidate cells that the terminal device can connect to. This cell map is used to indicate the network performance of cells belonging to the second network device. The candidate cells are cells managed by the second network device, which is the network device that the terminal device intends to connect to when accessing the first network device, and which uses a different network standard than the first network device.

[0143] Optionally, the mapping method between the cell map and the cell network performance can be flexibly selected based on actual usage requirements.

[0144] In some embodiments, the cell map can be used to indicate the mapping between geographical locations and accessible cells. The terminal device can determine currently connectable candidate cells based on its current geographical location and the cell map, and generate the candidate indication information.

[0145] For example, taking the current geographical location of the terminal device as (x1, y1, z1), the terminal device can determine the candidate cells that the terminal device can currently access based on the geographical location and the cell map. For example, if the candidate cells include cell f1 and cell f2, the terminal device can determine candidate indication information to indicate that the currently connectable candidate cells are cell f1 and cell f2.

[0146] In other embodiments, the cell map can also indicate the mapping relationship between parameters such as geographical location, current quality of service (QoS) requirements, and terminal device orientation, and accessible cells. This allows the cell map to further filter accessible cells based on parameters such as current service QoS requirements and terminal device orientation, improving the accuracy of the identified candidate cells.

[0147] Taking the current geographical location of the terminal device as (x1, y1, z1) as an example, if the current service QoS priority of the terminal device is low, the candidate cell determined based on the cell map can be cell f1, which is a cell with a small bandwidth; if the current service QoS priority of the terminal device is high, the candidate cell determined based on the cell map can be f2, which is a cell with a large bandwidth.

[0148] In some other embodiments, the cell map can also indicate the mapping between geographical location and cell signal quality.

[0149] For example, taking the current geographical location of the terminal device as (x1, y1, z1), the terminal device can determine the cell signal quality of each cell of the second network device based on the geographical location and cell map; and then take the cells with cell signal quality greater than the quality threshold as candidate cells that the terminal device can access.

[0150] For example, the second network device includes cells f1, f2 and f3; the terminal device determines the signal quality of cell f1 as 30, the signal quality of cell f2 as 50 and the signal quality of cell f3 as 70 based on the geographical location (x1, y1, z1) and the cell map; if the quality threshold is 60, the terminal device can use cell f3 as a candidate cell that can be accessed, and then generate candidate indication information to indicate that the currently accessible candidate cell is cell f3.

[0151] The types of parameters for cell signal quality can be flexibly selected. They can represent a statistically significant value, such as one or more parameters including reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), or signal quality parameters determined based on the aforementioned parameters. The quality threshold can also be flexibly adjusted depending on the specific cell signal quality characteristics; this application does not limit this adjustment.

[0152] Optionally, the type of the community map can also be flexibly selected, such as a function relationship, an index model, a mapping relationship table, etc. The specific choice is flexible and this application embodiment does not limit it.

[0153] Optionally, the candidate indication information can be sent actively or passively, and the specific method can be flexibly selected based on actual usage requirements.

[0154] In some embodiments, the terminal device may periodically and proactively send the candidate indication information to the first network device. For example, the terminal device may send the candidate indication information to the first network device at regular intervals, or the terminal device may send the candidate indication information to the first network device every time it moves a certain distance.

[0155] In other embodiments, the first network device may send a control command to the terminal device to request candidate indication information; the terminal device may respond to the control command by sending the candidate indication information to the first network device.

[0156] Optionally, the form in which the candidate indication information indicates the candidate cell can also be flexibly selected. For example, the candidate indication information can be in the form of the candidate cell identifier (Cell ID), cell frequency band, or other necessary prior information required for cell access. The specific form can still be flexibly selected based on actual usage requirements.

[0157] Optionally, the terminal device may also send capability information of the terminal device to the first network device. This capability information may be the capability information required for the terminal device to access the second network device, so as to improve the accuracy of the terminal device's access to the second network device.

[0158] For example, the capability information of the terminal device may include a list of frequency bands supported by the terminal device to ensure that the terminal device can work normally on the appropriate frequency band after accessing the second network device.

[0159] As another example, the capability information of the terminal device may also include the radio access technology (RAT) support capability of the terminal device, so as to ensure that the network device with which the first network device interacts is a second network device that the terminal device can access.

[0160] As an example, the capability information of the terminal device may also include the multiple input multiple output (MIMO) capability of the terminal device, so that the second network device can select the most suitable MIMO configuration when communicating with the terminal device, thereby optimizing the transmission performance after the terminal device is connected.

[0161] It should be noted that the above information is only an illustrative example of the terminal device's capabilities. In actual applications, the terminal device's capabilities may include more or less information, and the specific information can be flexibly selected based on the actual network architecture, relevant protocols, etc.

[0162] S302: The first network device determines the target cell indication information based on the candidate indication information.

[0163] The target cell indication information is used to indicate the target cell of the second network device, and the target cell is a cell among the candidate cells indicated by the candidate indication information.

[0164] Optionally, the first network device may directly use the candidate indication information sent by the terminal device as the target cell indication information.

[0165] Alternatively, the first network device can also determine the target cell from the candidate cells indicated by the candidate indication information, and then determine the target cell indication information, so as to further filter the candidate cells through the first network device and improve the accuracy of the target cell.

[0166] For example, the first network device can determine the target cell based on the quality parameters of the candidate cells indicated by the candidate indication information. The quality parameters can be parameters such as the signal quality of the candidate cells. For example, the first network device can determine the candidate cell with the best or better signal quality among the candidate cells as the target cell.

[0167] For example, the first network device may determine the target cell based on the busy level (such as currently available resources) of the candidate cells indicated by the candidate indication information, such as determining the candidate cell with a lower busy level as the target cell.

[0168] As an example, the first network device may also determine the candidate cell with the fewest access terminals as the target cell based on the number of access terminals indicated by the candidate indication information.

[0169] S303: The first network device sends target cell indication information to the second network device.

[0170] Optionally, in conjunction with the above description of S301, if the information sent by the terminal device also includes the terminal device's capability information, the first network device can send the terminal device's capability information to the second network device so that the second network device can optimize the resource allocation for the terminal device based on the terminal device's capability information.

[0171] Optionally, the first network device may determine the second network device to which the target cell belongs from among multiple network devices based on the determined target cell indication information, and then send the target cell indication information to the second network device.

[0172] S304: The second network device determines the target cell configuration information based on the target cell indication information.

[0173] Optionally, the second network device can determine the target cell indicated by the target indication information based on the target indication information, and then determine the target cell configuration information.

[0174] Optionally, the target cell configuration information can be understood as the configuration information required to access the target cell, such as the configuration information of the synchronization signal sent when the target cell synchronizes with the terminal device (such as the frequency of the synchronization signal, the period of the synchronization signal, etc.).

[0175] In some embodiments, the target cell configuration information may further include the uplink access resources of the target cell, so that the terminal device can achieve uplink synchronization on the target cell based on the uplink access resources of the target cell and provide access information to the second network device.

[0176] Optionally, the uplink access resources of the target cell may include configuration information of the physical random access channel (PRACH), selection of the preamble sequence, time and frequency position, etc.

[0177] Optionally, the target cell configuration information may also include measurement configuration information to indicate the frequency band, cell, and measurement events that the terminal device should measure when measuring the signal of the cell, so as to improve the accuracy of the terminal device when measuring the signal quality of the target cell.

[0178] S305: The second network device sends the target cell configuration information to the first network device.

[0179] S306: The first network device sends the target cell configuration information to the terminal device.

[0180] Optionally, since the terminal device has not yet established a connection with the second network device, the second network device can send the target cell configuration information to the first network device, and the first network device can forward the target cell configuration information to the terminal device.

[0181] S307: The terminal device accesses the target cell of the second network device based on the target cell configuration information.

[0182] Optionally, based on the above description, since the target cell configuration information can indicate the configuration information of the target cell's synchronization signal, the terminal device can receive the first synchronization signal of the target cell based on the target cell configuration information, and achieve time and frequency synchronization with the second network device based on the first synchronization signal, thereby accurately accessing the target cell.

[0183] Optionally, the first synchronization signal may include primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and / or reference signals (RS).

[0184] Among them, PSS and SSS are used by terminal devices for symbol timing synchronization, symbol boundary detection and cell ID identification; PBCH carries master information block (MIB) information, which includes system information of the second network device, such as system bandwidth; RS can be downlink channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) and other signals, used by terminal devices for channel estimation and quality measurement.

[0185] The terminal device can receive the first synchronization signal based on the target cell configuration information, and complete symbol and frame level synchronization based on PSS / SSS; it can obtain the MIB by decoding PBCH, thereby obtaining the system configuration information of the second network device.

[0186] The terminal device can determine the time reference for the signal transmitted by the second network device based on the first synchronization signal, thereby achieving time synchronization with the second network device and receiving data from the second network device at the correct time. Based on the first synchronization signal, it can also correct the carrier frequency offset and achieve frequency synchronization with the second network device to correctly adjust the signal from the second network device.

[0187] Optionally, the synchronization of the terminal device based on the first synchronization signal can be understood as downlink synchronization between the terminal device and the second network device. In some embodiments, the terminal device may also send a second synchronization signal to the second network device to achieve uplink synchronization with the second network device based on the second synchronization signal, thereby improving the communication performance between the terminal device and the second network device.

[0188] For example, the terminal device can obtain the system information and configuration parameters of the second network device based on downlink synchronization, and send a second synchronization signal to the second network device; the second network device can send a feedback signal based on the second synchronization signal, and the terminal device can adjust communication parameters such as the signal transmission time based on the feedback signal of the second synchronization signal, thereby determining that the uplink signal of the terminal device can be correctly aligned at the second network device, reducing or eliminating the propagation delay problem between the terminal device and the second network device.

[0189] Optionally, the second synchronization signal may include a preamble sequence. Upon receiving the preamble sequence, the second network device may determine the timing advance (TA) value of the terminal device, so that the terminal device can adjust the signal transmission time based on the TA value, ensuring that the uplink signal of the terminal device can be correctly aligned at the second network device, thereby avoiding mutual interference between signals of multiple terminal devices.

[0190] Optionally, when the terminal device is synchronizing with the target cell of the second network device, such as when performing the aforementioned uplink synchronization (and downlink synchronization), it can access the target cell through a random access procedure.

[0191] When a terminal device is performing uplink synchronization with a target cell, it can send a preamble sequence for random access to a second network device through the target cell to request radio resources for the uplink between the terminal device and the target cell, thereby establishing an RRC connection with the second network device through the target cell, i.e., accessing the target cell of the second network device.

[0192] This application provides a communication method. Based on this method, a terminal device can determine the target cell for accessing the second network device based on the cell map of the second network device. For example, the terminal device can send candidate indication information so that the first network device determines and sends target cell indication information to the second network device, and then the second network device sends target cell configuration information based on the target cell indication information. In this way, the terminal device can directly access the second network device based on the target cell configuration information without having to periodically measure the public signal of the second network device to determine the cell to access.

[0193] In this way, based on the above method, the terminal device can directly determine the target cell to be accessed and the configuration information of the target cell without measuring the common signal of the second network device, thereby omitting the power consumption of the common signal transmission of the second network device and the power consumption of the common signal monitoring of the terminal device, and improving the access efficiency of the terminal device.

[0194] In some embodiments, the cell map can be managed and maintained by a second network device. The first network device can obtain the cell map of the second network device from the second network device and send the cell map to the terminal device so that the terminal device can determine candidate indication information based on the cell map.

[0195] For example, as shown in FIG4, it may also include S401: the first network device may send the cell map to the terminal device.

[0196] Based on the above description of S301, the method for indicating cell performance using the cell map can be flexibly selected according to actual usage requirements. Taking the cell map indicating the mapping relationship between cell signal quality and location of the second network device as an example, when the terminal device receives the cell map, it can determine the candidate cell with higher signal quality corresponding to the current location based on the terminal device's current location information and the cell map, and then generate candidate indication information.

[0197] The method for determining the candidate indication information and its specific content can be found in the relevant description of the candidate indication information in section S301 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0198] Optionally, the first network device can determine, based on the current geographical location of the terminal device, a network device that the terminal device can currently access and that has a different network standard than the first network device, in order to determine a second network device that the terminal device can access, and then obtain a cell map from the second network device and send the cell map to the terminal device.

[0199] Optionally, the access method for the terminal device to access the second network device can be flexibly selected based on the actual scenario, such as flexibly selecting based on the number of target cells corresponding to the target cell configuration information.

[0200] In some embodiments, the target cell configuration information may only indicate the configuration information of one target cell. In this scenario, in conjunction with the above description of S306, when the terminal device needs to access the second network device, as shown in Figure 5, the terminal device can access the target cell of the second network device through the following steps:

[0201] S501: The second terminal device sends synchronization information through the target cell.

[0202] S502: The terminal device achieves downlink synchronization with the target cell of the second network device based on the synchronization signal.

[0203] S503: The terminal device accesses the target cell via random access.

[0204] In this way, the terminal device can access the target cell of the second network device through random access based on downlink synchronization with the target cell of the second network device. The specific synchronization process and access process can be referred to the relevant description of S307 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0205] In other embodiments, the target cell configuration information may indicate the configuration information of multiple target cells. In this scenario, when the terminal device needs to access the second network device, the second network device can send synchronization signals through multiple target cells; the terminal device can select one target cell to be accessed from the multiple target cells based on the synchronization signals sent by the multiple cells, and access the target cell to be accessed.

[0206] For example, the terminal device can measure the synchronization signals of the multiple target cells, determine the target cell with the highest signal quality among the multiple target cells, use the target cell with the highest signal quality as the target cell to be accessed, and access the cell.

[0207] For example, if the second network device determines that there are multiple target cells indicated by the target cell indication information, the target cell configuration information it sends may include the uplink access resources of each target cell. As shown in Figure 6, the terminal device can access the target cell of the second network device through the following steps:

[0208] S601: The second terminal device sends synchronization information through multiple target cells.

[0209] S602: The terminal device measures the synchronization signal of each target cell, determines the target cell with the best signal quality, and uses the target cell with the best signal quality as the target cell to be accessed.

[0210] For example, the terminal device can measure the synchronization signal of each target cell to determine the signal quality of each target cell, thereby identifying the target cell with the best signal quality.

[0211] S603: The terminal device performs random access on the target cell based on the uplink access resources of the target cell to be accessed, and accesses the target cell to be accessed.

[0212] Optionally, the second network device can determine the cell to be accessed by the terminal device based on the cell for random access by the terminal device, and establish a connection with the terminal device through the target cell to be accessed.

[0213] For example, during the process of random access on the target cell to be accessed, the terminal device will send a preamble sequence on the channel of the target cell to be accessed. The second network device can determine the target cell to be accessed selected by the terminal device based on the channel where the preamble sequence is located, and then establish a connection with the terminal device based on the target cell to be accessed.

[0214] Based on the above description, since the candidate indication information sent by the terminal device may indicate multiple candidate cells, the target cell indication information determined by the first network device based on the candidate indication information may also indicate multiple cells. When the target cell indication information indicates multiple cells, the target cell configuration information may include the configuration information of multiple target cells. Therefore, when the target cell indication information indicates multiple cells, the terminal device can further filter out the target cells to be connected from the multiple target cells based on the synchronization signals of the multiple target cells, thereby improving the data transmission performance between the terminal device and the second network device.

[0215] In some embodiments, when a terminal device is connected to a first network device, S301 to S306 described above can be executed to prepare the terminal device and the second network device for access. Thus, when the terminal device needs to access the second network device, S307 described above can be executed directly to access the second network device, such as accessing the target cell of the second network device, thereby improving the access efficiency of the terminal device when it needs to access the second network device.

[0216] Optionally, the access process of the second network device can be triggered by the terminal device or by the first network device connected to the terminal device.

[0217] For example, if the first network device determines that the terminal device can access the second network device, it may send a first access instruction message to the network device to indicate that the terminal device needs to access the second network device and trigger the network access process of the terminal device; at the same time, the first network device may send a third access instruction message to the second network device to indicate that the second network device needs to establish a connection with the terminal device and trigger the network access process of the second network device.

[0218] As shown in Figure 7, when the first network device determines that the terminal device needs to access the second network device, the target cell access procedure can be triggered through the following steps:

[0219] S701: The first network device sends a first access instruction information to the terminal device and sends a third access instruction information to the second network device.

[0220] S702: The terminal device responds to the first access instruction information and initiates the target cell access procedure.

[0221] S703: The second network device responds to the third access instruction information and initiates the target cell access procedure.

[0222] The access process for the target cell can be referred to in the above descriptions of S307, Figure 5 and Figure 6. This is only an illustrative explanation.

[0223] Taking the scenario shown in Figure 5 as an example, the above process can be as shown in Figure 8. The terminal device can respond to the first access instruction information and monitor the synchronization information of the target cell based on the target cell configuration information; the second network device can respond to the third access instruction information and execute the above S501; when the terminal device detects the synchronization information of the target cell, it executes the above S502 and S503 to access the target cell.

[0224] Optionally, the first network device can determine whether the terminal device needs to access the second network device based on parameters such as the current network status of the terminal device.

[0225] For example, if the first network device can determine that the terminal device needs to access the second network device when there is a sudden large bandwidth data transmission at the terminal device.

[0226] For example, if the terminal device determines that it needs to access the second network device, it can send a second access indication message to the first network device to indicate that it needs to access the second network device. Upon receiving the second access indication message, the first network device can respond to the second access indication message by sending a third access indication message to the second network device to indicate that the second terminal device needs to establish a connection with the terminal device, thus triggering the access process of the second network device.

[0227] As shown in Figure 9, when a terminal device determines that it needs to access a second network device, the target cell access procedure can be triggered through the following steps:

[0228] S901: The terminal device sends a second access instruction to the first network device and initiates the target cell access process.

[0229] S902: In response to the second access indication information, the first network device sends a third access indication information to the second network device.

[0230] S903: The second network device responds to the third access instruction information and initiates the target cell access procedure.

[0231] The access process for the target cell can be referred to in the above descriptions of S307, Figure 5 and Figure 6. This is only an illustrative explanation.

[0232] Taking the scenario shown in Figure 6 as an example, the above process can be as shown in Figure 10. After sending the second access instruction information, the terminal device can monitor the synchronization information of the target cell based on the target cell configuration information; the second network device can respond to the third access instruction information and execute the above S601; the terminal device can execute the above S602 and S603 when it detects the synchronization information of the target cell to access the target cell.

[0233] The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application has been described above. The execution subject used to perform the above communication method will be described below.

[0234] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1100 can be a terminal device in any of the method embodiments in Figures 3 to 10. As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 1100 includes a transceiver module 1110 and a processing module 1120.

[0235] The transceiver module 1110 is used to send candidate indication information and receive target cell configuration information.

[0236] The processing module 1120 is used to access the target cell of the second network device based on the target cell configuration information.

[0237] The candidate indication information is determined by the terminal device based on a cell map and is used to indicate candidate cells that the terminal device can connect to. This cell map is used to indicate the network performance of cells belonging to the second network device. The candidate cells are cells managed by the second network device, which is a network device with a different network standard than the first network device that the terminal device needs to access when accessing the first network device. In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 1310 is also used to receive indication information, which is used to instruct the first terminal device.

[0238] In some possible implementations, cell maps are used to indicate the mapping between cell signal quality and location of the second network device.

[0239] The transceiver module 1110 is also used to receive cell maps.

[0240] The processing module 1120 determines candidate indication information based on the location information of the terminal device and the cell map.

[0241] In some possible implementations, the target cell configuration information may include the target cell's synchronization signal configuration information.

[0242] The transceiver module 1110 is used to receive the first synchronization signal of the target cell based on the target cell configuration information.

[0243] The processing module 1120 is used to access the target cell of the second network device based on the first synchronization signal.

[0244] The first synchronization signal is used to enable the terminal device to access the target cell.

[0245] Optionally, the target cell configuration information may also include the uplink access resources of the target cell.

[0246] The processing module 1120 is used to determine the target cell to be accessed in the target cell based on the first synchronization signal; and to access the target cell to be accessed based on the uplink access resources.

[0247] In some possible implementations, the transceiver module 1110 is also used to send cell selection information via uplink access resources.

[0248] Among them, the cell selection information is used to indicate the target cell that the terminal device needs to access among multiple target cells.

[0249] In some possible implementations, transceiver module 1110 is also used to send a second synchronization signal to a second network device.

[0250] The processing module 1120 is used to access the target cell based on the second synchronization signal and the first synchronization signal.

[0251] The second synchronization signal is used to enable the terminal device to access the target cell.

[0252] In some possible implementations, the processing module 1120 is used to access the second network device in response to the first access indication information, based on the target cell configuration information. The first access indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device needs to access the second network device.

[0253] In some possible implementations, the transceiver module 1110 is also used to send second access indication information to the first network device when the current network state meets the conditions for accessing the second network device.

[0254] The second access indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to request access to the second network device.

[0255] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device 1200 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1200 can be the first network device in any of the method embodiments in Figures 3 to 10. As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 1200 includes a transceiver module 1210.

[0256] The transceiver module 1210 is used to receive candidate indication information, send target cell indication information to the second network device, and send target cell configuration information to the terminal device.

[0257] The candidate indication information is determined by the terminal device based on a cell map and is used to indicate candidate cells that the terminal device can connect to. This cell map indicates the network performance of cells in the second network device, and the candidate cells are cells of the second network device. The second network device is a network device with a different network standard than the first network device that the terminal device intends to access when accessing the first network device. The target cell indication information is determined by the first network device based on the candidate indication information and is used to indicate the target cell for the second network device. This target cell is a cell among the candidate cells. The target cell configuration information is determined by the second network device based on the target cell indication information and is used to indicate the access configuration of the target cell.

[0258] Optionally, as shown in FIG12, the communication device 1200 may further include a processing module 1220.

[0259] The processing module 1220 is used to determine the target cell indication information based on the candidate indication information.

[0260] In some possible implementations, the transceiver module 1210 is also used to send a cell map to the terminal device.

[0261] In some possible implementations, the processing module 1220 is also used to use the candidate indication information as the target cell indication information; or, to determine the target cell from the candidate cells indicated by the candidate indication information, and to determine the target cell indication information based on the candidate indication information and the target cell.

[0262] In some possible implementations, the processing module 1220 is used to determine the target cell based on the quality parameters of each cell indicated by the candidate indication information.

[0263] In some possible implementations, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to send a first access indication message to the terminal device and a third access indication message to the second network device when the network status of the terminal device meets the conditions for accessing the second network device.

[0264] The first access indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device needs to access the second network device, and the third access indication information is used to indicate that the second network device needs to establish a connection with the terminal device.

[0265] In some possible implementations, the transceiver module 1210 is also configured to send a third access indication information to the second network device in response to the second access indication information.

[0266] The second access indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to request access to the second network device, and the third access indication information is used to instruct the second network device to establish a connection with the terminal device.

[0267] In some possible implementations, the target cell configuration information may include the target cell's synchronization signal configuration information.

[0268] Optionally, the target cell configuration information may also include the uplink access resources of the target cell.

[0269] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device 1300 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1300 can be a second network device in any of the method embodiments in Figures 3 to 10. As shown in Figure 13, the communication device 1300 includes a transceiver module 1310.

[0270] The transceiver module 1310 is used to receive target cell indication information and send target cell configuration information to the first network device.

[0271] The target cell indication information is determined by the first network device based on the candidate indication information and is used to indicate the target cell for the second network device. The candidate indication information is determined by the terminal device based on the cell map and is used to indicate candidate cells that the terminal device can connect to. The cell map is used to indicate the network performance of the cells of the second network device. The candidate cell is a cell of the second network device, which is a network device with a different network standard than the first network device that the terminal device needs to access when accessing the first network device. The target cell configuration information is determined by the second network device based on the target cell indication information and is used to indicate the access configuration of the target cell.

[0272] Optionally, as shown in FIG13, the communication device may further include a processing module 1320.

[0273] The processing module 1320 is used to determine the target cell configuration information based on the target cell indication information.

[0274] In some possible implementations, the target cell configuration information includes the target cell's synchronization signal configuration information.

[0275] Optionally, the target cell configuration information may also include the uplink access resources of the target cell.

[0276] In some possible implementations, the transceiver module 1310 is also used to transmit a first synchronization signal based on the target cell.

[0277] The first synchronization signal is used to enable the terminal device to access the target cell.

[0278] In some possible implementations, the transceiver module 1310 is also used to receive cell selection information.

[0279] The processing module 1320 is used to establish a connection between the target cell to be accessed and the terminal device based on the cell selection information indicated.

[0280] Among them, the cell selection information is used to indicate the target cell that the terminal device needs to access among multiple target cells.

[0281] In some possible implementations, the transceiver module 1310 is also used to receive a second synchronization signal.

[0282] The processing module 1320 is used to enable the terminal device to access the target cell based on the second synchronization signal.

[0283] In some possible implementations, the transceiver module 1310 is used to send a first synchronization signal based on the target cell in response to third access indication information.

[0284] The third access indication information is used to indicate that the second network device needs to establish a connection with the terminal device.

[0285] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device 1400 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1400 can be the terminal device, the first network device, or the second network device described above. The communication device 1400 includes a processor 1410.

[0286] The processor 1410 implements the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application through logic circuits or by executing code instructions.

[0287] Optionally, the communication device 1400 may also include interface circuitry 1420. Processor 1410 and interface circuitry 1420 are coupled to each other. It is understood that interface circuitry 1420 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0288] Optionally, the communication device 1400 may also include a memory 1430 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1410, or storing input data required by the processor 1410 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1410 executes instructions.

[0289] The aforementioned processor 1410 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by software instructions. The aforementioned processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules may reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory; the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0290] This application also provides a communication system, including a terminal device and other communication devices communicating with the terminal device, a first network device and other communication devices communicating with the first network device, and a second network device and other communication devices communicating with the second network device.

[0291] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for implementing the methods in the above-described method embodiments. When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer can implement the methods in the above-described method embodiments.

[0292] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the methods in the above method embodiments to be executed.

[0293] This application also provides a chip, including a processor connected to a memory for storing computer programs, and the processor for executing the computer programs stored in the memory, so that the chip performs the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0294] It should be understood that, in the embodiments of this application, for a technical feature, the technical features in that technical feature are distinguished by "first", "second" and "third", and there is no order of precedence or size among the technical features described by "first", "second" and "third".

[0295] Furthermore, the term "and / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship. The term "at least one" in this application can represent "one" and "two or more." For example, A, B, and C can represent: A existing alone, B existing alone, C existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, A and C existing simultaneously, C and B existing simultaneously, and A, B, and C existing simultaneously.

[0296] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0297] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0298] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0299] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0300] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0301] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0302] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to terminal devices, including: The terminal device sends candidate indication information to the first network device. The candidate indication information is determined by the terminal device based on the cell map and is used to indicate the candidate cells that the terminal device can connect to. The cell map is used to indicate the network performance of the cells of the second network device. The candidate cells are cells managed by the second network device. The second network device is the network device that the terminal device wants to connect to when it connects to the first network device. The network standard of the second network device is different from that of the first network device. Receive target cell configuration information, the target cell configuration information being used to indicate the access configuration of the target cell of the second network device, the target cell being a cell among the candidate cells; Based on the target cell configuration information, the target cell of the second network device is accessed.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cell map is used to indicate the mapping relationship between cell signal quality and location of the second network device, and the method further includes: Receive the cell map; Based on the location information of the terminal device and the cell map, the candidate indication information is determined.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The target cell configuration information includes the synchronization signal configuration information of the target cell; the step of accessing the target cell of the second network device based on the target cell configuration information includes: Based on the target cell configuration information, the first synchronization signal of the target cell is received, and the first synchronization signal is used to enable the terminal device to access the target cell. Based on the first synchronization signal, the target cell of the second network device is accessed.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The target cell configuration information also includes the uplink access resources of the target cell; the target cell that accesses the second network device based on the first synchronization signal includes: Based on the first synchronization signal, the target cell to be accessed in the target cell is determined; Based on the uplink access resources, access the target cell to be accessed.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Cell selection information is sent through the uplink access resources, and the cell selection information is used to indicate the target cell that the terminal device needs to access among the plurality of target cells.

6. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The target cell for accessing the second network device based on the first synchronization signal includes: Send a second synchronization signal to the second network device, the second synchronization signal being used to enable the terminal device to access the target cell; Access to the target cell is based on the second synchronization signal and the first synchronization signal.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The step of accessing the second network device based on the target cell configuration information includes: In response to the first access indication information, the terminal device accesses the second network device based on the target cell configuration information. The first access indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device needs to access the second network device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the current network status meets the conditions for accessing the second network device, a second access indication message is sent to the first network device. The second access indication message is used to instruct the terminal device to request access to the second network device.

9. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first network device, including: Receive candidate indication information, which is determined by the terminal device based on the cell map and is used to indicate candidate cells that the terminal device can connect to. The cell map is used to indicate the network performance of the cells of the second network device. The candidate cells are cells of the second network device. The second network device is the network device that the terminal device needs to access when it accesses the first network device. The network standard of the second network device is different from that of the first network device. Send target cell indication information to the second network device. The target cell indication information is determined by the first network device based on the candidate indication information and is used to indicate the target cell of the second network device. The target cell is a cell in the candidate cells. The target cell configuration information is sent to the terminal device. The target cell configuration information is determined by the second network device based on the target cell indication information and is used to indicate the access configuration of the target cell.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: The cell map is sent to the terminal device.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: The candidate indication information is used as the target cell indication information; or, The target cell is determined from the candidate cells indicated by the candidate indication information, and the target cell indication information is determined based on the candidate indication information and the target cell.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, Determining the target cell from the candidate cells indicated by the candidate indication information includes: The target cell is determined based on the quality parameters of each cell indicated by the candidate indication information.

13. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the network status of the terminal device meets the conditions for accessing the second network device, a first access indication message is sent to the terminal device and a third access indication message is sent to the second network device. The first access indication message is used to indicate that the terminal device needs to access the second network device, and the third access indication message is used to indicate that the second network device needs to establish a connection with the terminal device.

14. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: In response to the second access indication information, a third access indication information is sent to the second network device. The second access indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to request access to the second network device, and the third access indication information is used to instruct the second network device to establish a connection with the terminal device.

15. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The target cell configuration information includes the synchronization signal configuration information of the target cell.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The target cell configuration information also includes the uplink access resources of the target cell.

17. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second network device, the method includes: The system receives target cell indication information, which is determined by a first network device based on candidate indication information and is used to indicate the target cell of the second network device. The candidate indication information is determined by a terminal device based on a cell map and is used to indicate candidate cells that the terminal device can connect to. The cell map is used to indicate the network performance of the cells of the second network device. The candidate cells are cells of the second network device. The second network device is the network device that the terminal device needs to access when it accesses the first network device. The first network device and the second network device have different network standards. Send target cell configuration information to the first network device, the target cell configuration information being used to indicate the access configuration of the target cell.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The target cell configuration information includes the synchronization signal configuration information of the target cell.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The target cell configuration information also includes the uplink access resources of the target cell.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17-19, characterized in that, The method further includes: A first synchronization signal is sent based on the target cell, and the first synchronization signal is used to enable the terminal device to access the target cell.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive cell selection information, which is used to indicate the target cell that the terminal device needs to access among a plurality of target cells; Based on the cell selection information, the target cell to be accessed is connected to the terminal device.

22. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives a second synchronization signal and, based on the second synchronization signal, accesses the target cell.

23. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The step of sending the first synchronization signal based on the target cell includes: In response to the third access indication information, a first synchronization signal is sent based on the target cell. The third access indication information is used to indicate that the second network device needs to establish a connection with the terminal device.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Any module of the following: a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8; a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 16; or a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 17 to 23.

25. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor, the processor being configured to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, or the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 16, or the method as described in any one of claims 17 to 23.

26. A communication system, characterized in that, The system includes a terminal device, a first network device, and a second network device. The terminal device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, the first network device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 16, and the second network device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 17 to 23.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, include: The computer-readable medium stores a computer program; When the computer program is run by the processor, the method of any one of claims 1 to 23 is performed.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program, which, when executed, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 23 to be performed.

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