Method and apparatus for using carrier under multi-carrier switching

Abstract

The present application provides a method and apparatus for using a carrier under multi-carrier switching. The method comprises: receiving a switching configuration, sent by a base station, for a first frequency and a second frequency; and on the basis of the switching configuration, using the first frequency to transmit a signal within a first time period, and using the second frequency to transmit a signal within a second time period.

Description

Carrier usage methods and devices under multi-carrier switching

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510137581.1, filed on February 7, 2025, entitled “Carrier Usage Method and Apparatus under Multi-Carrier Switching”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method and apparatus for using carriers under multi-carrier switching. Background Technology

[0004] In some carrier aggregation (CA) or dual connectivity (DC) combinations, due to limitations in antenna size and cost considerations for both the terminal and the base station, a single antenna or RF resource may be used for signal transmission and reception across multiple frequency bands or carriers. To achieve a certain antenna gain, it is necessary to introduce transmit antenna switching, receive antenna switching, transmit RF resource switching, or receive RF resource switching to allow the same antenna or RF resource to be applied to multiple frequency bands or carriers in a time-division manner.

[0005] When switching between multiple frequency bands or carriers, the terminal needs to perform measurements and / or synchronization to better operate on a particular frequency band or carrier. However, in practical applications, the switching between multiple frequency bands or carriers often affects measurements and / or synchronization. Therefore, it is necessary to provide corresponding solutions to address the measurement and / or synchronization issues encountered by the terminal during these switching operations. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a carrier usage method and apparatus under multi-carrier switching, which is used to solve the measurement and / or synchronization problems when a terminal switches between multiple frequency bands or multiple carriers.

[0007] In a first aspect, a carrier usage method under multi-carrier handover is provided, comprising: receiving a handover configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency sent by a base station; using the first frequency to transmit signals during a first time period and using the second frequency to transmit signals during a second time period according to the handover configuration.

[0008] In a second aspect, a carrier usage method under multi-carrier switching is provided, comprising: sending a switching configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency to a terminal, wherein the switching configuration is used to instruct the terminal to use the first frequency to transmit signals during a first time period and to use the second frequency to transmit signals during a second time period.

[0009] Thirdly, a carrier usage device under multi-carrier switching is provided, comprising: a receiving module for receiving a switching configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency sent by a base station; and a communication module for transmitting signals using the first frequency during a first time period and using the second frequency during a second time period according to the switching configuration.

[0010] Fourthly, a carrier usage device under multi-carrier switching is provided, comprising: a transmitting module, which transmits a switching configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency to a terminal, the switching configuration being used to instruct the terminal to transmit signals using the first frequency during a first time period and using the second frequency during a second time period.

[0011] Fifthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein when instructions in the storage medium are executed by a processor of an electronic device, the electronic device is enabled to perform the method as described in the first or second aspect.

[0012] A sixth aspect provides a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program operable to cause a computer to perform some or all of the steps of the method described in the first aspect, or to perform some or all of the steps of the method described in the second aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of this application;

[0015] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a carrier usage method under multi-carrier switching according to an embodiment of this application;

[0016] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the interrupt duration in one embodiment of this application;

[0017] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the interruption duration in one embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the interrupt duration in one embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a carrier usage method under multi-carrier switching according to an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a carrier usage device under multi-carrier switching according to an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a carrier usage device under multi-carrier switching according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To support wireless signal coverage across different frequency bands, base stations and terminals deploy multiple antennas to cover low-frequency, mid-frequency, and high-frequency wireless signal reception and transmission. Different types of antennas have varying bandwidth coverage capabilities, which can be described using fractional bandwidth to describe the antenna's performance stability at different frequencies. Regardless of the antenna type, there is a trade-off between antenna gain and fractional bandwidth. High-gain antennas tend to be designed with narrower antennas and smaller fractional bandwidths, while wideband antennas often have lower antenna gain because better radiation characteristics in a specific direction limit the bandwidth.

[0024] In some CA or DC combinations, due to limitations in antenna size and cost considerations for terminals and base stations, the same antenna or RF resource may be used for signal transmission and reception across multiple frequency bands or carriers. However, to achieve a certain antenna gain, the antenna fractional bandwidth needs to be kept below a certain empirical value, thus limiting the antenna radiation bandwidth and potentially preventing it from encompassing multiple component carriers or frequency bands. Related technologies can introduce time-division switching of transmit antennas, receive antennas, transmit RF resources, or receive RF resources to enable the same antenna or RF resource to be applied to multiple carriers or frequency bands in a time-division manner.

[0025] The introduction of transmit or receive switching between different frequency ranges will affect measurement, data transmission and reception, and uplink / downlink synchronization on a certain carrier or frequency band. New methods are needed to address these issues during transmit or receive switching. This application provides a solution based on this principle.

[0026] Measurements include, but are not limited to, physical layer measurements for link quality inspection or beam management, and radio resource management (RRM) measurements for mobility management. The former are often short-term measurements, while the latter are typically long-term measurements. Both are performed based on a reference signal (RS) configured by the base station for the terminal. When the frequency of the RS to be measured differs from the frequency of the serving cell or serving carrier used for data transmission and reception, the terminal may need to utilize gaps configured by the base station to perform such measurements. The base station configures one or more gaps using a gap pattern. Interruptions occur during gap occasions, disrupting all uplink and downlink control channels and traffic channels, thus impacting throughput. Excessive interruptions can lead to throughput degradation.

[0027] Synchronization includes, but is not limited to, uplink synchronization and downlink synchronization. The terminal needs to perform basic downlink time-frequency synchronization on a specific carrier or frequency based on the synchronization signal to ensure the demodulation performance of subsequent downlink signals and the channel. Furthermore, downlink synchronization provides a prerequisite for further uplink synchronization; after the terminal completes downlink synchronization, it can determine the uplink transmission timing based on the timing advance information indicated by the base station.

[0028] In addition, the terminal needs to perform automatic gain control (AGC) at the operating frequency to adjust the gain factor according to the changes in the received signal strength, ensuring that the adjusted input power falls within the linear operating range of the receiver, thereby guaranteeing the subsequent signal reception and demodulation performance.

[0029] The aforementioned measurements, synchronization, and AGC all need to be performed based on downlink RS, and therefore will be affected by receiver handover. This application will provide a solution.

[0030] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this application, the technical solutions in this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of one or more embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the protection scope of this application.

[0031] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in this application and the claims are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, in this application and the claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of this application. The wireless communication system shown in Figure 1 includes a terminal (User equipment, UE) 11 and a network-side device 12. The terminal 11 can be, for example, a mobile phone, tablet computer, wearable device, aircraft, vehicle-mounted equipment, etc., and is not limited here. The network-side device 12 (which can be referred to as the network side, network node, etc.) can be, for example, an access network device or a core network device (also referred to as a core network node, core network function, or core network element, etc.). The access network device can be, for example, a base station, and the core network device can be, for example, a Mobility Management Entity (MME) or an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), etc., and is not limited here. In various embodiments of this application, the network-side device 12 can be described using a base station as an example.

[0033] The technical solutions provided by the various embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a carrier usage method under multi-carrier handover according to an embodiment of this application. The method shown in Figure 2 can be executed by a terminal; in other words, the method shown in Figure 2 can be executed by software or hardware installed on the terminal. The method includes the following steps.

[0035] S202: Receive the switching configuration for the first frequency and the second frequency sent by the base station.

[0036] S204: According to the switching configuration, the first frequency is used to transmit the signal during the first time period, and the second frequency is used to transmit the signal during the second time period.

[0037] In a multi-carrier handover scenario, the terminal can receive a handover configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency sent by the base station. The handover configuration may include a first time period and a second time period. The handover configuration instructs the terminal to use the first frequency to transmit signals during the first time period and the second frequency to transmit signals during the second time period. After receiving the handover configuration, the terminal can use the first frequency to transmit signals during the first time period and the second frequency to transmit signals during the second time period, according to the handover configuration.

[0038] In some implementations, the first frequency may be a first carrier, a first cell, or a first frequency band. The second frequency may be a second carrier, a second cell, or a second frequency band. In one example, for instance, the first frequency is the first carrier and the second frequency is the second carrier, or the first frequency is the first cell and the second frequency is the second cell, or the first frequency is the first frequency band and the second frequency is the second frequency band.

[0039] In some implementations, the handover configuration received by the terminal may include at least one of the following: a receive handover configuration; a transmit handover configuration; or a configuration where both receive and transmit are switched.

[0040] In some implementations, the terminal uses a first frequency / second frequency to transmit signals, including at least one of the following: receiving signals; transmitting signals; receiving and transmitting signals.

[0041] In the case where the handover configuration includes a receive handover configuration, the terminal can receive signals using a first frequency during a first time period and a second frequency during a second time period, according to the handover configuration. In the case where the handover configuration includes a transmit handover configuration, the terminal can transmit signals using a first frequency during a first time period and a second frequency during a second time period, according to the handover configuration. In the case where the handover configuration includes both receive and transmit handover configurations, the terminal can receive and / or transmit signals using a first frequency during a first time period and a second frequency during a second time period, according to the handover configuration.

[0042] In some implementations, the terminal receiving the handover configuration for the first frequency and the second frequency sent by the base station may include at least one of the following: receiving Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling sent by the base station, the RRC signaling carrying the handover configuration for the first frequency and the second frequency; receiving Media Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) signaling sent by the base station, the MAC CE signaling carrying the handover configuration for the first frequency and the second frequency; and receiving Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling sent by the base station, the DCI signaling carrying the handover configuration for the first frequency and the second frequency.

[0043] In other words, the base station can indicate the handover configuration of the first frequency and the second frequency to the terminal through at least one of RRC signaling, DCI signaling and MAC CE signaling.

[0044] In one possible implementation, taking the first and second frequencies as cells or carriers as an example, the scenario where the base station instructs the terminal on the handover configuration and the terminal performs the handover according to the handover configuration is as follows: To increase system throughput, the base station configures the terminal to operate on multiple cells or carriers aggregated in CA or DC mode. Each of these multiple cells or carriers corresponds to a frequency bandwidth, and the frequency bandwidths corresponding to different cells or different carriers may overlap or not overlap. The duplexing mode of these multiple cells or multiple carriers may include, but is not limited to, Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Supplementary Down Link (SDL), and Supplementary Up Link (SUL), and the duplexing mode of different cells or different carriers may be the same or different.

[0045] For example: Cell 1 or carrier 1 is FDD, and Cell 2 or carrier 2 is SDL.

[0046] For example: cell 1 or carrier 1 is FDD, cell 2 or carrier 2 is FDD.

[0047] For example: Cell 1 or carrier 1 is TDD, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is FDD.

[0048] For example: Cell 1 or carrier 1 is TDD, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is SDL.

[0049] For example: Cell 1 or carrier 1 is TDD, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is TDD.

[0050] The base station configures an Rx switching pattern for the terminal, instructing the terminal to perform receive and / or transmit operations on cell 1 or carrier 1 during time period T1, and to perform receive and / or transmit operations on cell 2 or carrier 2 during time period T2. In one example, the terminal uses its antenna or radio frequency resources for cell 1 or carrier 1 during time period T1, and uses its antenna or radio frequency resources for cell 2 or carrier 2 during time period T2.

[0051] Since the terminal can switch between different frequencies (different carriers, different cells, or different frequency bands) according to the base station's switching configuration, it can operate on different carriers in the manner configured by the base station, thereby avoiding any impact on measurement and / or synchronization, and enabling measurement, data reception, and synchronization information acquisition on different carriers.

[0052] In some implementations, before receiving the switching configuration for the first and second frequencies sent by the base station, the terminal may include the following steps: reporting capability information to the base station, the capability information being used to indicate how the terminal supports multi-carrier aggregation of the first and second frequencies.

[0053] When reporting capability information, a terminal can determine its capabilities based on factors such as whether the first and second frequencies overlap, and the terminal's duplex mode within both frequencies. For example, cell 1 or carrier 1 might be in frequency band 1, while cell 2 or carrier 2 might be in frequency band 2. The terminal can then report its capabilities to the base station based on factors such as frequency overlap between frequency bands 1 and 2, and the terminal's duplex mode within both bands. After the terminal reports its capabilities, the base station can send a handover configuration for the first and second frequencies to the terminal, matching the terminal's capabilities. This enables the terminal to perform handover according to the base station's configuration.

[0054] In some implementations, the capability information reported by the terminal may include at least one of the following: whether the terminal supports switching between a first frequency and a second frequency; whether the terminal supports uninterrupted switching between a first frequency and a second frequency; and whether the terminal supports interrupted switching between a first frequency and a second frequency.

[0055] For example, the capability information reported by the terminal could be that the terminal supports switching between the first frequency and the second frequency and supports interrupted switching between the first frequency and the second frequency, or the terminal supports switching between the first frequency and the second frequency and supports uninterrupted switching between the first frequency and the second frequency, or the terminal does not support switching between the first frequency and the second frequency.

[0056] The aforementioned handover can be a receive handover, a transmit handover, or a handover that includes both receive and transmit. That is, when reporting its capability information, the terminal can report whether it supports transmit handover and / or receive handover, or whether it supports transmit handover, receive handover, or both receive and transmit handover.

[0057] In some implementations, when a terminal receives a handover configuration from a base station and switches between a first frequency and a second frequency, it may perform at least one of the following operations: determine whether there is an interruption in the handover between the first frequency and the second frequency; determine a reference frequency, which is used to provide receive timing information in advance for uplink transmission timing on the first frequency and / or the second frequency; determine first information on the second frequency, which includes at least one of a power scaling factor, time synchronization information, and frequency synchronization information; receive Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status indication information for the second frequency sent by the base station, and perform TCI status handover according to the TCI status indication information.

[0058] By performing at least one of the above operations, the terminal can easily switch between the first and second frequencies, avoiding any impact on measurement and / or synchronization. The following will illustrate how the terminal performs these operations using examples from various implementations.

[0059] (i) Determine whether there is an interruption in the switching between the first frequency and the second frequency (e.g., whether the receive switching pattern (Rx switching pattern) contains a gap).

[0060] When determining whether there is an interrupt between the first frequency and the second frequency, the terminal may, in some embodiments, include at least one of the following schemes 1-1 to 1-3.

[0061] Option 1-1: Determine whether there is an interruption in the handover between the first and second frequencies based on the reported capability information.

[0062] As previously mentioned, the capability information reported by the terminal indicates how the terminal supports multi-carrier aggregation of the first and second frequencies. The terminal can determine whether an interruption exists during handover between the first and second frequencies based on the reported capability information. In one example, if the capability information includes support for interrupted handover between the first and second frequencies, it can be determined that an interruption exists during handover. If the capability information includes that the terminal does not support interrupted handover between the first and second frequencies, it can be determined that no interruption exists during handover. In other words, if the terminal reports support for interrupted handover, then an interruption exists; otherwise, no interruption exists.

[0063] Scheme 1-2: Determine whether there is an interruption in the handover between the first frequency and the second frequency based on the RRC signaling sent by the base station.

[0064] The base station can semi-statically configure the handover between the first and second frequencies to the terminal via RRC signaling to determine whether an interruption exists. The terminal can determine this based on the base station's RRC signaling. For example, if the base station configures the handover between the first and second frequencies via RRC signaling to indicate an interruption, then an interruption exists; otherwise, it does not.

[0065] Option 1-3: Determine whether there is an interruption in the switching between the first frequency and the second frequency according to the system's predefined method.

[0066] The system can predefine whether an interruption exists during the handover between the first and second frequencies. When determining whether an interruption exists during the handover, the terminal can do so according to the system's predefined method. For example, if the system predefines that an interruption exists during the handover, then an interruption exists; otherwise, no interruption exists.

[0067] After determining whether there is an interruption in the handover between the first frequency and the second frequency, if an interruption exists, the terminal can further determine information related to the interruption. In some embodiments, the terminal can perform at least one of the following operations: determine the interruption duration; determine the interruption time domain range (or interruption location); determine the channel or signal transmission affected by the interruption.

[0068] When determining the interrupt duration, the terminal may include at least one of the following in some implementations: determining the interrupt duration as X time units predefined by the system, such as milliseconds, seconds, frames, subframes, time slots, symbols, etc.; determining the interrupt duration based on the interrupt duration capability type reported to the base station, with different interrupt duration capability types corresponding to different interrupt durations; or determining the interrupt duration as Y time units semi-statically configured by the base station, such as milliseconds, seconds, frames, subframes, time slots, symbols, etc., where Y and X may be the same or different.

[0069] In some implementations, when determining the interruption time domain range, the terminal may include at least one of the following: defining the interruption time domain range as a first duration preceding the switching point, where the first duration equals the interruption duration; for example, the base station and terminal default to an interruption occurring within t0 time units preceding the switching point (which can be indicated by the base station through switching configuration or other means), i.e., within t0 time units preceding the switching point, as shown in Figure 3, where t0 is the interruption duration; defining the interruption time domain range as a first duration following the switching point, where the first duration equals the interruption duration; for example, the base station and terminal default to an interruption occurring within t0 time units following the switching point, i.e., within t0 time units following the switching point, as shown in Figure 4, where t0 is the interruption duration; and defining the interruption time domain range as a time interval between the first and second time periods, such as the switching configuration indicated by the base station to the terminal. In the pattern, there is an interval of t2 time units between T1 (i.e., the first time period) and T2 (i.e., the second time period). This interval is the interruption duration, and the time domain position of this interval is the interruption time domain range, as shown in Figure 5.

[0070] When determining the channel or signal transmission affected by the interruption, the terminal may, in some implementations, include at least one of the following: receiving downlink channels or signals of all cells or carriers on a first frequency; transmitting uplink channels or signals of all cells or carriers on a first frequency; receiving downlink channels or signals of all cells or carriers on a second frequency; transmitting uplink channels or signals of all cells or carriers on a second frequency; receiving uplink or downlink channels or signals of a first cell or a first carrier; and transmitting uplink channels or signals of a second cell or a second carrier.

[0071] For example, cell 1 or carrier 1 is in frequency band 1, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is in frequency band 2. When a terminal performs an interrupted handover between frequency band 1 and frequency band 2, the channel or channel transmission affected by the interruption may include at least one of the following: reception of downlink channels and signals on all cells or carriers in frequency band 1; transmission of uplink channels and signals on all cells or carriers in frequency band 1; reception of downlink channels and signals on all cells or carriers in frequency band 2; transmission of uplink channels and signals on all cells or carriers in frequency band 2; reception of uplink and downlink channels and signals on cell 1 or carrier 1; and transmission of uplink channels and signals on cell 2 or carrier 2.

[0072] (ii) Determine the reference frequency, which is the uplink transmission timing information provided in advance on the first frequency and / or the second frequency.

[0073] In some implementations, when determining a reference frequency, the terminal may include at least one of the following: determining the primary secondary cell (PCell) or primary auxiliary cell (PSCell) in the first frequency and the second frequency as the reference frequency; or determining the frequency in the first frequency and the second frequency that has downlink reception enabled as the reference frequency.

[0074] To facilitate understanding of how the terminal determines the reference frequency, the following will use Examples 1 and 2 as examples for explanation.

[0075] Example 1: (Adaptive adjustment of the reference cell when SDL cells are included)

[0076] Cell 1 or carrier 1 is located in frequency band 1, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is located in frequency band 2. When cell 1 or carrier 1 is in FDD or TDD mode, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is in SDL mode, if cell 1 or carrier 1 and cell 2 or carrier 2 are in the same Timing Advance Group (TAG), the terminal maintains only the same TA for cell 1 or carrier 1 and cell 2 or carrier 2. Based on this TA and the downlink timing information of the reference cell or reference carrier, the uplink transmission timing of the terminal on cell 1 or carrier 1 is determined. Since cell 2 or carrier 2 is in SDL mode, the terminal only receives downlink transmissions in it, so there is no need to determine the uplink transmission timing of cell 2 or carrier 2.

[0077] After the base station configures the downlink handover pattern between cell 1 or carrier 1 and cell 2 or carrier 2 for the terminal, the terminal will perform downlink handover according to the configuration. In one example, the terminal performs receive and / or transmit operations on cell 1 or carrier 1 during time period T1, and performs receive operations on cell 2 or carrier 2 during time period T2.

[0078] When a terminal aggregates cell 1 or carrier 1 with cell 2 or carrier 2 using CA (Collaboration Aspect) mode, cell 1 or carrier 1 is the PCell or PSCell, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is the secondary cell (SCell). The terminal uses one of the following methods to determine which cell or carrier within the TAG (Tag) is used as the reference cell or carrier to provide downlink timing information: always using the PCell or PSCell as the reference cell or carrier; or, depending on a dynamic or semi-static change in the switching pattern, always using the cell or carrier that enables downlink reception as the reference cell or carrier. In one example, cell 1 or carrier 1 is used as the reference cell or carrier during time period T1, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is used as the reference cell or carrier during time period T2.

[0079] Example 2: (Adaptive adjustment of the reference cell when SDL cells are not included)

[0080] Cell 1 or carrier 1 is in frequency band 1, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is in frequency band 2. When cell 1 or carrier 1 is in FDD or TDD mode, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is also in FDD or TDD mode, if cell 1 or carrier 1 and cell 2 or carrier 2 are in the same TAG, the terminal maintains only the same TAG for cell 1 or carrier 1 and cell 2 or carrier 2. Based on this TAG and the downlink timing information of the reference cell or reference carrier, the uplink transmission timing of the terminal on cell 1 or carrier 1 and on cell 2 or carrier 2 is determined.

[0081] After the base station configures the downlink handover switching pattern between cell 1 or carrier 1 and cell 2 or carrier 2 for the terminal, the terminal will perform downlink handover according to the configuration. In one example, the terminal performs receive and / or transmit operations on cell 1 or carrier 1 during time period T1, and performs receive and / or transmit operations on cell 2 or carrier 2 during time period T2.

[0082] When a terminal aggregates cell 1 or carrier 1 with cell 2 or carrier 2 using CA (Collaboration Aspect) mode, cell 1 or carrier 1 is designated as PCell or PSCell, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is designated as SCell. The terminal uses one of the following methods to determine which cell or carrier within the TAG (Tag) is used as the reference cell or carrier to provide downlink timing information: always using PCell or PSCell as the reference cell or carrier; or, depending on a dynamic or semi-static change in the switching pattern, always using the cell or carrier that enables downlink reception as the reference cell or carrier. In one example, cell 1 or carrier 1 is used as the reference cell or carrier during time period T1, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is used as the reference cell or carrier during time period T2.

[0083] (iii) Determine first information on the second frequency, the first information including at least one of power scaling factor, time synchronization information and frequency synchronization information.

[0084] When determining the first information on the second frequency, the terminal may, in some embodiments, include at least one of the following schemes 3-1 and 3-2.

[0085] Option 3-1: Measure the first downlink signal or channel at the second frequency, and determine the first information based on the measurement results.

[0086] In Scheme 3-1, when the terminal switches from the first frequency to the second frequency, the terminal always performs a measurement of the first downlink signal or channel on the second frequency in order to determine the first information based on the measurement results.

[0087] The first downlink signal or channel may include at least one of the following: a synchronization signal and a PBCH block (SSB); a periodic tracking reference signal (TRS); an aperiodic TRS; a periodic channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS); or an aperiodic CSI-RS.

[0088] Option 3-2: Determine whether the terminal meets the first condition; if the terminal meets the first condition, determine the first information based on historical information during the downlink reception period on the second frequency; if the terminal does not meet the first condition, measure the first downlink signal or channel on the second frequency, and determine the first information based on the measurement results.

[0089] In scheme 3-2, when the terminal switches from the first frequency to the second frequency, it can determine whether to perform a measurement of the first downlink signal or channel on the second frequency based on a first condition. In one example, the terminal can determine whether it meets the first condition (or the first criterion). If it does, the first information can be determined based on historical information during the downlink reception period on the second frequency, i.e., the previous historical information is used to determine the first information, without needing to perform a measurement of the first downlink signal or channel on the first frequency. If it does not meet the condition, the measurement of the first downlink signal or channel is performed on the first frequency to determine the first information based on the measurement result. The first downlink signal or channel is the same as the first downlink signal or channel in scheme 3-1 above, and may include at least one of the following: SSB; periodic TRS; aperiodic TRS; periodic CSI-RS; aperiodic CSI-RS.

[0090] In some implementations, when determining whether a terminal meets a first condition, it may include at least one of the following: determining whether a first time interval does not exceed a first time threshold, wherein the first time interval may include at least one of the following: the time interval between the end time of the terminal's last downlink reception on the second frequency and the start time of the current handover to the second frequency; the time interval between the end time of the terminal's last reception of a first downlink signal or channel on the second frequency and the start time of the current handover to the second frequency; the time interval between the end time of the terminal's last reception of any downlink signal or channel on the second frequency and the start time of the current handover to the second frequency; determining whether the terminal has performed cell identification or detection on the second frequency within a second time threshold preceding the start time of the current handover to the second frequency; determining whether the terminal meets the cell identification or detection criteria for the second frequency within a second time threshold preceding the start time of the current handover to the second frequency; determining whether the terminal has received a second downlink signal or channel on the second frequency within a third time threshold preceding the start time of the current handover to the second frequency; and determining whether the terminal has reported a measurement report of the second frequency to the base station within a fourth time threshold preceding the start time of the current handover to the second frequency.

[0091] The first, second, third, and fourth time thresholds can be the same or different, and can be determined by at least one of the following: predefined by the system, for example, the system predefined the first time threshold as 480ms, 2400ms, 160ms, etc., and the second, third, or fourth time threshold as 4s, 5s, etc.; semi-statically configured by the base station through RRC signaling, for example, the base station configured the first time threshold as 480ms, 2400ms, 160ms, etc., and the second, third, or fourth time threshold as 4s, 5s, etc.; or equal to the existing measurement duration configured by the base station to the terminal, such as the SSB Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) configured through the Measurement Object (MO), the SSB period configured through the serving cell configuration signaling, the TRS period configured through the serving cell configuration signaling, the deactivation cell measurement period configured through the MO, etc.

[0092] The second downlink signal or channel may include at least one of the following: SSB; (periodic or aperiodic) CSI-RS; (periodic or aperiodic) TRS; Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS); Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH); Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0093] Measurement reports may include at least one of the following: L3 measurement reports; L1 measurement reports, such as Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), or Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI); and CSI measurement reports.

[0094] For the aforementioned first condition, a terminal satisfying the first condition may include at least one of the following: the first time interval does not exceed the first time threshold; within the second time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the second frequency, the terminal has performed cell identification or detection on the second frequency; within the second time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the second frequency, the terminal satisfies the cell identification or detection indicators for the second frequency; within the third time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the second frequency, the terminal has received a second downlink signal or channel on the second frequency; within the fourth time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the second frequency, the terminal has reported a measurement report of the second frequency to the base station.

[0095] For the aforementioned first condition, if the terminal does not meet the first condition, it may include at least one of the following: the first time interval exceeds the first time threshold; within the second time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the second frequency, the terminal has not performed cell identification or detection on the second frequency; within the second time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the second frequency, the terminal does not meet the cell identification or detection indicators for the second frequency; within the third time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the second frequency, the terminal has not received a second downlink signal or channel from the second frequency; within the fourth time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the second frequency, the terminal has not reported a measurement report of the second frequency to the base station.

[0096] To facilitate understanding of how the terminal determines the first information, the following description uses Examples 3 and 4 as examples.

[0097] Example 3: (Whether AGC is needed for cell 1 after downlink switching to cell 1, corresponding to the case where the first information is the power scaling factor)

[0098] Cell 1 or carrier 1 is in frequency band 1, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is in frequency band 2. The base station configures the terminal to perform CA or DC on cell 1 or carrier 1 and cell 2 or carrier 2. The base station instructs the terminal via RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI to perform a switching pattern for downlink handover between cell 1 or carrier 1 and cell 2 or carrier 2. According to the switching pattern, the terminal performs receive and / or transmit operations on cell 1 or carrier 1 during time period T1, and performs receive and / or transmit operations on cell 2 or carrier 2 during time period T2.

[0099] When a terminal switches from cell 1 or carrier 1 to cell 2 or carrier 2 for downlink reception, the terminal needs to determine the power scaling factor on cell 2 or carrier 2. The terminal can determine the power scaling factor after the switchback based on historical information from the previous downlink reception period on cell 2 or carrier 2, or it can re-perform measurements based on the downlink signal after the switchback to cell 2 or carrier 2 to determine the power scaling factor. In one example, at least one of the following schemes 3-1 and 3-2 can be used.

[0100] Option 3-1: When a downlink reception handover occurs between cells or carriers, the terminal always performs AGC based on downlink signal measurements on the cell or carrier being handed over to to determine the power scaling factor. In one instance, the terminal needs to receive downlink signals on one or more consecutive RS occasions.

[0101] Option 3-2: When a downlink reception handover occurs between cells or carriers, the terminal determines, according to a first condition (or a first criterion), whether AGC based on downlink signal measurements needs to be performed on the cell or carrier being handed over to to determine the power scaling factor. The downlink signal may be an SSB, periodic TRS, aperiodic TRS, periodic CSI-RS, or aperiodic CSI-RS, etc. The first condition may include at least one of the following conditions 1 to 5.

[0102] Condition 1: Determine the time interval between the end time of the last downlink reception performed by the terminal on the carrier or cell and the start time of the current handover to the carrier or cell; the time interval between the end time of the last reception of the first downlink signal or channel on the carrier or cell and the start time of the current handover to the carrier or cell; and the time interval between the end time of the last reception of any downlink signal or channel on the carrier or cell and the start time of the current handover to the carrier or cell. Compare at least one of these three time intervals with a first time threshold. Based on the comparison result, determine whether to perform AGC based on downlink signal measurement on the cell or carrier to determine the power scaling factor.

[0103] In one instance, if the time interval does not exceed a first time threshold, AGC is not required, and the power scaling factor is determined using previous historical information. If the time interval exceeds the first time threshold, AGC is required, i.e., downlink signals are received on the cell or carrier to determine the power scaling factor. For example, downlink signals need to be received on one or more consecutive RS occasions. The first time threshold can be predefined by the system, semi-statically configured by the base station via RRC signaling, or equal to the existing measurement duration configured by the base station to the terminal.

[0104] Condition 2: Determine whether the terminal has performed cell identification or detection on the carrier or cell within a second time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the carrier or cell.

[0105] In one instance, if cell identification or detection has been performed, AGC is unnecessary; the power scaling factor is determined using previous historical information. If cell identification or detection has not been performed, AGC is required, i.e., downlink signals are received on the cell or carrier to determine the power scaling factor. For example, downlink signals need to be received on one or more consecutive RS occasions. The second time threshold can be predefined by the system, semi-statically configured by the base station via RRC signaling, or equal to the existing measurement duration configured by the base station to the terminal.

[0106] Condition 3: Determine whether the terminal meets the cell identification or detection criteria for the carrier or cell within a second time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the carrier or cell.

[0107] In one instance, if the cell identification criteria are met, AGC is not required, and the power scaling factor is determined using previous historical information. If the cell identification criteria are not met, AGC is required, i.e., downlink signals are received on the cell or carrier to determine the power scaling factor. For example, downlink signals need to be received on one or more consecutive RS occasions. The second time threshold can be predefined by the system, semi-statically configured by the base station via RRC signaling, or equal to the existing measurement duration configured by the base station to the terminal.

[0108] Condition 4: Determine whether the terminal has received a second downlink signal or channel from the carrier or cell within the third time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the carrier or cell.

[0109] The second downlink signal or channel can be SSB, CSI-RS, TRS, DMRS, PDSCH, or PDCCH, etc. If the second downlink signal or channel has been received, AGC is not required; the power scaling factor is determined using previous historical information. If the second downlink signal or channel has not been received, AGC is required, i.e., downlink signals are received on the cell or carrier to determine the power scaling factor. For example, downlink signals need to be received on one or more consecutive RS occasions. The third time threshold can be predefined by the system, semi-statically configured by the base station via RRC signaling, or equal to the existing measurement duration configured by the base station to the terminal.

[0110] Condition 5: Determine whether the terminal has reported a measurement report of the carrier or cell to the base station within the fourth time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the carrier or cell.

[0111] The measurement report can be at least one of L3, L1, and CSI measurement reports. If the terminal has reported a measurement report, AGC is not required, and the power scaling factor is determined using previous historical information. If no measurement report has been reported, AGC is required, i.e., downlink signals are received on the cell or carrier to determine the power scaling factor. For example, downlink signals need to be received on one or more consecutive RS occasions. The fourth time threshold can be predefined by the system, semi-statically configured by the base station via RRC signaling, or equal to the existing measurement duration configured by the base station to the terminal.

[0112] Example 4: (Whether AGC is needed for cell 1 after downlink switching to cell 1, corresponding to the case where the first information is time synchronization information and / or frequency synchronization information)

[0113] Cell 1 or carrier 1 is in frequency band 1, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is in frequency band 2. The base station configures the terminal to perform CA or DC on cell 1 or carrier 1 and cell 2 or carrier 2. The base station instructs the terminal via RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI to perform a switching pattern for downlink handover between cell 1 or carrier 1 and cell 2 or carrier 2. According to the switching pattern, the terminal performs receive and / or transmit operations on cell 1 or carrier 1 during time period T1, and performs receive and / or transmit operations on cell 2 or carrier 2 during time period T2.

[0114] When a terminal switches from cell 1 or carrier 1 to cell 2 or carrier 2 to perform downlink reception, the terminal needs to determine the time and / or frequency synchronization information on cell 2 or carrier 2. The terminal can determine the time and / or frequency synchronization information after the switch back to cell 2 or carrier 2 based on historical information from the previous downlink reception period on cell 2 or carrier 2, or it can re-perform measurements based on the downlink signal after switching back to cell 2 or carrier 2 to determine the time and / or frequency synchronization information. In one example, at least one of the following schemes 3-3 and 3-4 can be used.

[0115] Option 3-3: When a downlink reception handover occurs between cells or carriers, the terminal must always perform AGC based on downlink signal measurements on the cell or carrier being handed over to to determine time and / or frequency synchronization information. In one example, the terminal needs to receive downlink signals on one or more consecutive RS occasions.

[0116] Option 3-4: When a downlink reception handover occurs between cells or carriers, the terminal determines, according to a first condition (or a first criterion), whether it is necessary to perform downlink signal-based measurements to determine time and / or frequency synchronization information on the cell or carrier being handed over to. The downlink signal may be an SSB, periodic TRS, aperiodic TRS, periodic CSI-RS, or aperiodic CSI-RS, etc. The first condition may include at least one of the following conditions 1 to 5.

[0117] Condition 1: Determine the time interval between the end time of the last downlink reception performed by the terminal on the carrier or cell and the start time of the current handover to the carrier or cell, the time interval between the end time of the last reception of the first downlink signal or channel on the carrier or cell and the start time of the current handover to the carrier or cell, and the time interval between the end time of the last reception of any downlink signal or channel on the carrier or cell and the start time of the current handover to the carrier or cell. Compare at least one of these three time intervals with a first time threshold, and determine whether to perform downlink signal-based measurement to determine time and / or frequency synchronization information for the cell or carrier based on the comparison result.

[0118] In one instance, if the time interval does not exceed a first time threshold, no measurement is required, and previous historical information is used to determine time and / or frequency synchronization information. If the time interval exceeds the first time threshold, measurement is required, i.e., downlink signals are received on the cell or carrier to determine time and / or frequency synchronization information. For example, downlink signals need to be received on one or more consecutive RS occasions. The first time threshold can be predefined by the system, semi-statically configured by the base station via RRC signaling, or equal to the existing measurement duration configured by the base station to the terminal.

[0119] Condition 2: Determine whether the terminal has performed cell identification or detection on the carrier or cell within a second time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the carrier or cell.

[0120] In one instance, if cell identification or detection has been performed, no measurement is required; previous historical information is used to determine time and / or frequency synchronization information. If cell identification or detection has not been performed, measurement is required, i.e., receiving downlink signals on the cell or carrier to determine time and / or frequency synchronization information. For example, downlink signals need to be received on one or more consecutive RS occasions. The second time threshold can be predefined by the system, semi-statically configured by the base station via RRC signaling, or equal to the existing measurement duration configured by the base station to the terminal.

[0121] Condition 3: Determine whether the terminal meets the cell identification or detection criteria for the carrier or cell within a second time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the carrier or cell.

[0122] In one instance, if the cell identification criteria are met, no measurement is required; previous historical information is used to determine time and / or frequency synchronization information. If the cell identification criteria are not met, measurement is required, i.e., receiving downlink signals on the cell or carrier to determine time and / or frequency synchronization information. For example, downlink signals need to be received on one or more consecutive RS occasions. The second time threshold can be predefined by the system, semi-statically configured by the base station via RRC signaling, or equal to the existing measurement duration configured by the base station to the terminal.

[0123] Condition 4: Determine whether the terminal has received a second downlink signal or channel from the carrier or cell within the third time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the carrier or cell.

[0124] The second downlink signal or channel can be SSB, CSI-RS, TRS, DMRS, PDSCH, or PDCCH, etc. If the second downlink signal or channel has been received before, no measurement is required; the previous historical information is used to determine the time and / or frequency synchronization information. If the second downlink signal or channel has not been received before, measurement is required, i.e., downlink signals are received on the cell or carrier to determine the time and / or frequency synchronization information. For example, downlink signals need to be received on one or more consecutive RS occasions. The third time threshold can be predefined by the system, semi-statically configured by the base station via RRC signaling, or equal to the existing measurement duration configured by the base station to the terminal.

[0125] Condition 5: Determine whether the terminal has reported a measurement report of the carrier or cell to the base station within the fourth time threshold preceding the start time of this handover to the carrier or cell.

[0126] The measurement report can be at least one of L3, L1, and CSI measurement reports. If the terminal has reported a measurement report, no measurement is required; previous historical information is used to determine time and / or frequency synchronization information. If no measurement report has been reported, measurement is required, i.e., receiving downlink signals on the cell or carrier to determine time and / or frequency synchronization information. For example, downlink signals need to be received on one or more consecutive RS occasions. The fourth time threshold can be predefined by the system, semi-statically configured by the base station via RRC signaling, or equal to the existing measurement duration configured by the base station to the terminal.

[0127] (iv) Perform TCI state switching based on the TCI state indication information for the second frequency sent by the base station.

[0128] When a terminal switches from a first frequency to a second frequency, it can perform a TCI state switch based on the TCI state indication information for the second frequency sent by the base station. The TCI state indication information includes at least the beam information of the target TCI state. The target TCI state can be a downlink TCI state, an uplink TCI state, or a combined TCI state. The beam information of the target TCI state includes at least a Quasi-Co Location (QCL) type, such as QCL-TypeA, QCL-TypeB, QCL-TypeC, or QCL-TypeD. Specifically, when the target TCI state is a downlink TCI state or a combined TCI state, the TCI state indication information can be used to indicate the downlink receive beam information of the second frequency; when the target TCI state is an uplink TCI state or a combined TCI state, the TCI state indication information can be used to indicate the uplink transmit beam information of the second frequency.

[0129] In some implementations, the terminal receiving TCI status indication information for a second frequency sent by the base station may include at least one of the following: receiving MAC CE signaling sent by the base station, wherein the MAC CE signaling carries TCI status indication information for the second frequency; or receiving DCI signaling sent by the base station, wherein the DCI signaling carries TCI status indication information for the second frequency.

[0130] In other words, the base station can send TCI status indication information to the terminal through at least one of MAC CE signaling and DCI signaling.

[0131] In some implementations, the terminal receiving TCI status indication information for the second frequency sent by the base station may further include: receiving TCI status indication information for the second frequency sent by the base station within a first time period.

[0132] In one instance, when a base station instructs a terminal to switch between a first frequency and a second frequency via a switching configuration, it can send TCI status indication information for the second frequency to the terminal within a first time period (corresponding to the first frequency). In other words, the base station can indicate the TCI status indication information for the second frequency to the terminal in advance, which allows the terminal to prepare for TCI status switching in advance based on the TCI status indication information.

[0133] After receiving the TCI status indication information, the terminal can perform a TCI status switch based on the TCI status indication information. In some embodiments, this may include: if the terminal can simultaneously and independently determine the beam direction for the first frequency and the second frequency, performing a TCI status switch based on the TCI status indication information within a first time period; if the terminal cannot simultaneously and independently determine the beam direction for the first frequency and the second frequency, performing a TCI status switch based on the TCI status indication information within a second time period.

[0134] Whether a terminal can independently determine the beam direction for both the first and second frequencies simultaneously depends on the terminal's phase shifter structure. For example, if the terminal has independent phase shifters applied to the first and second frequencies respectively, then the terminal can independently determine the beam direction for both frequencies simultaneously. Conversely, if the terminal does not have independent phase shifters applied to the first and second frequencies respectively, i.e., the terminal uses a common phase shifter for both frequencies, then the terminal cannot independently determine the beam direction for both frequencies simultaneously.

[0135] When the terminal can independently determine the beam direction for both the first and second frequencies simultaneously, it can perform TCI state switching based on the TCI state indication information within a first time period to reduce latency. When the terminal cannot independently determine the beam direction for both frequencies simultaneously, due to limitations of the common phase shifter, it needs to perform TCI state switching based on the TCI state indication information within a second time period. In this case, the terminal requires a processing delay to achieve the TCI state switching.

[0136] In one example, to inform the base station whether the terminal can independently determine the beam direction for both a first and a second frequency simultaneously, and the differences in processing behavior when the terminal performs TCI state switching under different capabilities, the terminal can report beam capability indication information to the base station. This beam capability indication information indicates whether the terminal can independently determine the beam direction for both the first and a second frequency simultaneously. Alternatively, the terminal may not report the relevant capabilities to the base station. Both the base station and the terminal assume that the terminal cannot independently determine the beam direction for both the first and a second frequency simultaneously. When the terminal's downlink reception is applied to the first frequency, the terminal cannot perform TCI state switching for the second frequency.

[0137] When the terminal is able to independently determine the beam direction for both the first and second frequencies simultaneously, when the terminal performs a TCI state switch based on the TCI state indication information during the first time period, it may include: determining a beam direction that matches the TCI state indication information during the first time period, for example, by using an independent phase shifter corresponding to the second frequency to generate a beam direction that matches the TCI state indication information; and performing a TCI state switch based on the determined beam direction at the start of the second time period, at which time the terminal can transmit signals using the beam direction that matches the TCI state indication information on the second frequency.

[0138] When the terminal cannot simultaneously and independently determine the beam direction for the first frequency and the second frequency, and the terminal performs TCI state switching according to the TCI state indication information during the second time period, the TCI state switching can be achieved through a two-step TCI state switching process, which may include the following steps.

[0139] Step 1: Execute MAC CE processing and / or Hybrid Automatic Repeat request-ACK knowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback for TCI status indication information within the first time period.

[0140] In one example, if the TCI status indication information is sent by the base station via MAC CE, the terminal performs MAC CE processing and HARQ-ACK feedback for the TCI status indication information within the first time period. If the TCI status indication information is sent by the base station via DCI, the terminal only needs to perform HARQ-ACK feedback for the TCI status indication information within the first time period. The MAC CE processing delay is 3ms or other values. The HARQ-ACK feedback processing delay is T. HARQ This refers to the latency of the terminal's HARQ-ACK response to the TCI status indication information. If the TCI status indication information is sent by the base station via MAC CE, then both of these processing delays exist. If the TCI status indication information is sent by the base station via DCI, then there is no MAC CE processing delay.

[0141] Step 2: During the second time period, perform TCI state switching according to the TCI state indication information. After that, the terminal can transmit signals on the second frequency using a beam direction that matches the TCI state indication information.

[0142] When the terminal performs a TCI state switch during the second time period, the switchover delay includes at least the QCL switchover delay. Specifically, when the QCL type indicated by the TCI state indication information is QCL-TypeD, the QCL switchover delay is the beam switching delay. When the QCL type indicated by the TCI state indication information is QCL-TypeA, QCL-TypeB, or QCL-TypeC, the QCL switchover delay is the information update delay for QCL-TypeA, QCL-TypeB, or QCL-TypeC. The information is the channel information from the RRU or AAU at the second frequency to the terminal, such as time synchronization information, frequency information, delay spread information, and power information.

[0143] In some implementations, the QCL handover delay can be determined based on at least one of the following: whether the target TCI state indicated in the TCI state indication information is a state known to the terminal (whether it is known); whether the target TCI state indicated in the TCI state indication information is in the active TCI state list configured by the base station.

[0144] In one instance, when the target TCI state indicated in the TCI state indication information is a state known to the terminal, the QCL handover latency can be determined by the following formula: TO k *(T first-signal +T signal-proc +OL*T signal ) / slot length.

[0145] Among them, TO k The value is either 1 or 0, and TO is set to either 1 or 0 if the target TCI state is in the active TCI state list configured by the base station. k Equal to 0, otherwise TO k Equal to 1, T first-signal T is the time delay from the start of the second time period to the terminal receiving the first signal for the first time. signal-proc T is the processing delay of the terminal on the first signal. signal It is the configuration of the transmission period of the first signal, which can be, for example, an SSB.

[0146] When the target TCI state indicated in the TCI state indication information is not a state known to the terminal, the QCL handover delay can be determined by the following formula: (T L1-RSRP +TO uk *(T first-signal +T signal-proc +OL*T signal )) / slot length.

[0147] Among them, TL1-RSRP This is the time required for the terminal execution layer 1 reference signal received power L1-RSRP measurement, TO uk The value is either 1 or 0, and TO is set to either 1 or 0 if the target TCI state is in the active TCI state list configured by the base station. uk Equal to 0, otherwise TO uk Equal to 1, T first-signal T is the time delay from the start of the second time period to the terminal receiving the first signal for the first time. signal-proc T is the processing delay of the terminal on the first signal. signal It is the configuration of the transmission period of the first signal, which can be, for example, an SSB.

[0148] To facilitate understanding of how the terminal performs TCI state switching based on TCI state indication information, an example will be used below for illustration.

[0149] Example 5

[0150] Cell 1 or carrier 1 is in frequency band 1, and cell 2 or carrier 2 is in frequency band 2. The base station configures the terminal to perform CA or DC on cell 1 or carrier 1 and cell 2 or carrier 2. The base station instructs the terminal via RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI to perform a switching pattern for downlink handover between cell 1 or carrier 1 and cell 2 or carrier 2. According to the switching pattern, the terminal performs receive and / or transmit operations on cell 1 or carrier 1 during time period T1, and performs receive and / or transmit operations on cell 2 or carrier 2 during time period T2.

[0151] When a terminal switches from cell 1 or carrier 1 to cell 2 or carrier 2 to perform downlink reception, the terminal needs to know the DL TCI state information for receiving downlink channels or signals on cell 2 or carrier 2 and / or the UL TCI state information for transmitting uplink channels or signals on cell 2 or carrier 2.

[0152] Whether the terminal can use independent phase shifters in band 1 and band 2 to generate a suitable receiving beam direction depends on the phase shifter structure of the terminal.

[0153] In one example, if the terminal has independent phase shifters applied to frequency band 1 and frequency band 2 respectively, then even if the terminal is still operating within the downlink reception time period T1 of cell 1 or carrier 1, if the terminal receives a TCI state indication from the base station for cell 2 or carrier 2, the terminal can still prepare the phase shifter applied to frequency band 2 in advance, adapting its state to the beam direction indicated by the TCI state indication. Therefore, when the terminal switches its downlink reception from cell 1 or carrier 1 to cell 2 or carrier 2, i.e., from the start of time period T2, the terminal can immediately receive downlink transmissions from cell 2 or carrier 2 using a reception beam direction matching the TCI state indication.

[0154] In one example, if the terminal uses a common phase shifter for both frequency band 1 and frequency band 2, then when the terminal is still operating within the downlink reception time period T1 of cell 1 or carrier 1, even if the terminal receives a TCI state indication for cell 2 or carrier 2 from the base station, because the common phase shifter is still used for the beam direction of carrier 1 or cell 1, the terminal cannot immediately perform the TCI state indication preparation work for cell 2 or carrier 2. It can only perform the TCI state indication preparation work for cell 2 or carrier 2 when the downlink reception switches from cell 1 or carrier 1 to cell 2 or carrier 2, that is, from the beginning of time period T2. Therefore, a processing delay τ is required.

[0155] To inform the base station of the differences in the capabilities and processing behaviors of the two terminals, the terminal reports beam capability indications for band 1 and band 2 to the base station, indicating whether the terminal can independently determine the beam direction for both band 1 and band 2 simultaneously. In one example, if indication state 1 indicates that the terminal can independently determine the beam direction for both band 1 and band 2 simultaneously, then even if the downlink reception of the terminal is applied to band 1, the terminal can still perform TCI state switching for band 2. If indication state 2 indicates that the terminal cannot independently determine the beam direction for both band 1 and band 2 simultaneously, then when the downlink reception of the terminal is applied to band 1, the terminal cannot perform TCI state switching for band 2.

[0156] Alternatively, the terminal may not report relevant capabilities to the base station. Both the base station and the terminal assume that the terminal cannot independently determine the beam direction for both band 1 and band 2 at the same time. When the downlink reception of the terminal is applied to band 1, the terminal cannot perform TCI state switching for band 2.

[0157] If the terminal cannot independently determine the beam direction for both frequency band 1 and frequency band 2 simultaneously, it cannot perform TCI state switching for frequency band 2 when downlink reception is applied to frequency band 1. Therefore, when the terminal receives a TCI state indication for cell 2 or carrier 2 within time period T1, it needs to process a delay τ within time period T2 to complete TCI state switching for cell 2 or carrier 2, i.e., switching the beam direction for downlink transmission received on cell 2 or carrier 2 to the target beam direction indicated by the TCI state indication.

[0158] The aforementioned TCI state indication contains beam-related information, such as QCL-typeD information.

[0159] The target TCI state indicated in the above TCI state indication can be a DL TCI state, a UL TCI state, or a joint TCI state. When it is a UL TCI state or a joint TCI state, it indicates the uplink transmit beam information of cell 2 or carrier 2. When it is a DL TCI state or a joint TCI state, it indicates the downlink receive beam information of cell 2 or carrier 2. In the above process, the UE needs to process the transmit beam information based on a common or independent phase shifter.

[0160] When the base station gives the terminal a TCI state indication for cell 2 or carrier 2 within time period T1, the terminal can use the two-step TCI state switching procedure to complete the TCI state switching for cell 2 or carrier 2.

[0161] In one example, the first step is for the terminal to perform MAC CE processing and / or HARQ-ACK feedback for the TCI state indication within time period T1. The MAC CE processing latency is 3ms or other values. The HARQ-ACK feedback processing latency is THARQ, which is the latency for the terminal to provide HARQ-ACK feedback for the TCI state indication. If the TCI state indication is sent via MAC CE, both processing latencies exist. If the TCI state indication is sent via DCI, there is no MAC CE processing latency.

[0162] In one example, the second step involves the terminal performing QCL handover delay based on the TCI state indication within time period T2. When the TCI state indication indicates QCL-Type D, the QCL handover delay is the beam switching delay. When the TCI state indication indicates QCL-Type A / B / C, the QCL handover delay is the QCL-Type A / B / C information update delay, where the information is the channel information from the RRU or AAU of cell 2 or carrier 2 to the terminal, such as time synchronization information, frequency information, delay spread information, and power information. The magnitude of the QCL handover delay corresponding to the second step can be determined based on whether the TCI state indicated in the TCI state indication is known or whether it is in the active TCI state list, as described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0163] In this embodiment, in a multi-carrier handover scenario, the terminal can receive a handover configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency sent by the base station. Then, according to this handover configuration, it transmits signals using the first frequency during a first time period and uses the second frequency during a second time period, i.e., it performs transmission and / or reception switching between the first and second frequencies according to the handover configuration. Thus, since the terminal can switch according to the base station's handover configuration, it can operate on different carriers in a manner configured by the base station, thereby avoiding any impact on measurement and / or synchronization, and enabling measurement, data reception, and synchronization information acquisition on different carriers.

[0164] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a carrier usage method under multi-carrier handover according to an embodiment of this application. The method shown in Figure 6 can be executed by a base station; in other words, it can be executed by software or hardware installed in the base station. The method includes the following steps.

[0165] S602: Send a switching configuration for the first frequency and the second frequency to the terminal. The switching configuration is used to instruct the terminal to use the first frequency to transmit signals during a first time period and to use the second frequency to transmit signals during a second time period.

[0166] In a multi-carrier handover scenario, the base station can send a handover configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency to the terminal. The handover configuration may include a first time period and a second time period, instructing the terminal to use the first frequency to transmit signals during the first time period and the second frequency to transmit signals during the second time period.

[0167] In some implementations, the first frequency may be a first carrier, a first cell, or a first frequency band. The second frequency may be a second carrier, a second cell, or a second frequency band. In one example, for instance, the first frequency is the first carrier and the second frequency is the second carrier, or the first frequency is the first cell and the second frequency is the second cell, or the first frequency is the first frequency band and the second frequency is the second frequency band.

[0168] In some implementations, the handover configuration sent by the base station may include at least one of the following: a receive handover configuration; a transmit handover configuration; or a configuration where both receive and transmit are switched.

[0169] In some implementations, the handover configuration sent by the base station instructs the terminal to transmit signals using a first frequency / second frequency, including at least one of the following: receiving signals; transmitting signals; receiving and transmitting signals.

[0170] Where the handover configuration includes a receive handover configuration, the handover configuration instructs the terminal to receive signals using a first frequency during a first time period and to receive signals using a second frequency during a second time period. Where the handover configuration includes a transmit handover configuration, the handover configuration instructs the terminal to transmit signals using a first frequency during a first time period and to transmit signals using a second frequency during a second time period. Where the handover configuration includes a configuration that switches both receive and transmit signals, the handover configuration instructs the terminal to receive and / or transmit signals using a first frequency during a first time period and to receive and / or transmit signals using a second frequency during a second time period.

[0171] In some implementations, the base station sending a handover configuration for the first frequency and the second frequency to the terminal may include at least one of the following: sending RRC signaling to the terminal, the RRC signaling carrying the handover configuration; sending MAC CE signaling to the terminal, the MAC CE signaling carrying the handover configuration; and sending DCI signaling to the terminal, the DCI signaling carrying the handover configuration.

[0172] In other words, the base station can indicate the handover configuration of the first frequency and the second frequency to the terminal through at least one of RRC signaling, DCI signaling and MAC CE signaling.

[0173] Since the base station can send a switching configuration for the first and second frequencies to the terminal, which instructs the terminal to switch between different frequencies (different carriers, different cells, or different frequency bands), the terminal can operate on different carriers in the manner configured by the base station, thereby avoiding any impact on measurement and / or synchronization, and enabling measurement, data reception, and synchronization information acquisition on different carriers.

[0174] In some implementations, before sending the handover configuration for the first frequency and the second frequency to the terminal, the base station may include the following steps: receiving capability information reported by the terminal, the capability information being used to indicate how the terminal supports multi-carrier aggregation of the first frequency and the second frequency.

[0175] When reporting capability information, a terminal can determine its capabilities based on factors such as whether the first and second frequencies overlap, and the terminal's duplex mode within both frequencies. For example, cell 1 or carrier 1 might be in frequency band 1, while cell 2 or carrier 2 might be in frequency band 2. The terminal can then report its capabilities to the base station based on factors such as frequency overlap between frequency bands 1 and 2, and the terminal's duplex mode within both bands. After receiving the capability information reported by the terminal, the base station can send a handover configuration for the first and second frequencies to the terminal, matching the terminal's capability information. This enables the terminal to perform handover according to the base station's handover configuration.

[0176] In some implementations, the capability information received by the base station may include at least one of the following: whether the terminal supports handover between a first frequency and a second frequency; whether the terminal supports uninterrupted handover between a first frequency and a second frequency; and whether the terminal supports interrupted handover between a first frequency and a second frequency.

[0177] For example, the capability information received by the base station could be that the terminal supports switching between the first frequency and the second frequency, and supports interrupted switching between the first frequency and the second frequency; or the terminal supports switching between the first frequency and the second frequency, and supports uninterrupted switching between the first frequency and the second frequency; or the terminal does not support switching between the first frequency and the second frequency.

[0178] The aforementioned handover can be a receive handover, a transmit handover, or a handover that includes both receive and transmit. That is, when reporting its capability information, the terminal can report whether it supports transmit handover and / or receive handover, or whether it supports transmit handover, receive handover, or both receive and transmit handover.

[0179] In some implementations, the base station may also send TCI status indication information for a second frequency to the terminal. This TCI status indication information is used by the terminal to perform a TCI status switch. The TCI status indication information includes at least the beam information of the target TCI state. The target TCI state can be a downlink TCI state, an uplink TCI state, or a combined TCI state. The beam information of the target TCI state includes at least a Quasi-Co Location (QCL) type, such as QCL-TypeA, QCL-TypeB, QCL-TypeC, or QCL-TypeD. Specifically, when the target TCI state is a downlink TCI state or a combined TCI state, the TCI status indication information can be used to indicate the downlink receive beam information of the second frequency; when the target TCI state is an uplink TCI state or a combined TCI state, the TCI status indication information can be used to indicate the uplink transmit beam information of the second frequency.

[0180] After the base station sends TCI status indication information to the terminal, the terminal can perform TCI status switching according to the TCI status indication information. The implementation method of the terminal performing TCI status switching can be referred to the corresponding content in the embodiment shown in Figure 2, and will not be repeated here.

[0181] In some implementations, when a base station sends TCI status indication information for a second frequency to a terminal, it may include at least one of the following: sending MAC CE signaling to the terminal, wherein the MAC CE signaling carries TCI status indication information for the second frequency; or sending DCI signaling to the terminal, wherein the DCI signaling carries TCI status indication information for the second frequency.

[0182] In some implementations, the base station sending TCI status indication information for the second frequency to the terminal may further include: sending TCI status indication information for the second frequency to the terminal within a first time period.

[0183] In one example, when a base station instructs a terminal to switch between a first frequency and a second frequency via a handover configuration, it can send TCI status indication information for the second frequency to the terminal within a first time period (corresponding to the first frequency). That is, the base station can indicate the TCI status indication information for the second frequency to the terminal in advance, allowing the terminal to prepare for TCI status switching based on this information. After receiving the TCI status indication information, the terminal can perform TCI status switching according to the information. The implementation method for the terminal to perform TCI status switching based on the TCI status indication information can be found in the corresponding content of the embodiment shown in Figure 2, and will not be repeated here.

[0184] For a terminal, it may or may not be able to independently determine the beam direction for both the first and second frequencies simultaneously, depending on the terminal's phase shifter structure. To enable the base station to understand the terminal's ability to independently determine the beam direction for both frequencies simultaneously, and the differences in processing behavior during TCI state switching under different capabilities, the terminal can report beam capability indication information to the base station. That is, the base station can receive the beam capability indication information reported by the terminal, which indicates whether the terminal can independently determine the beam direction for both the first and second frequencies simultaneously.

[0185] Alternatively, the terminal may not report the relevant capabilities to the base station. Both the base station and the terminal assume that the terminal cannot independently determine the beam direction for the first frequency and the second frequency at the same time. When the downlink reception of the terminal is applied to the first frequency, the terminal cannot perform TCI state switching for the second frequency.

[0186] In this embodiment of the application, in a multi-carrier handover scenario, the base station can send a handover configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency to the terminal. This handover configuration instructs the terminal to transmit signals using the first frequency during a first time period and the second frequency during a second time period. Thus, since the base station can instruct the terminal to switch configurations, the terminal can operate on different carriers in the manner configured by the base station, thereby avoiding any impact on measurement and / or synchronization, and enabling measurement, data reception, and synchronization information acquisition on different carriers.

[0187] The foregoing has described specific embodiments of this application. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims may be performed in a different order than that shown in the embodiments and may still achieve the desired results. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the specific or sequential order shown to achieve the desired results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0188] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 7, at the hardware level, the electronic device includes a processor, an internal bus, a network interface, and a memory. The memory may include RAM, such as high-speed random-access memory (RAM), or non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. Of course, the electronic device may also include other hardware required for other services.

[0189] The processor, network interface, and memory can be interconnected via an internal bus, which can be an ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) bus, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus, or an EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) bus, etc. This bus can be categorized as an address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, Figure 7 uses only a single bidirectional arrow, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0190] Memory is used to store programs. Programs may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. Memory may include main memory and non-volatile memory, and provides instructions and data to the processor.

[0191] The processor reads the corresponding computer program from non-volatile memory into memory and then runs it, forming a carrier usage device under multi-carrier handover at the logical level. The processor executes the program stored in memory and performs the following operations: receiving a handover configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency sent by the base station; transmitting signals using the first frequency in a first time period and transmitting signals using the second frequency in a second time period according to the handover configuration.

[0192] Alternatively, it can be used to perform the following operations: send a switching configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency to a terminal, the switching configuration being used to instruct the terminal to transmit signals using the first frequency during a first time period and using the second frequency during a second time period.

[0193] The method performed by the carrier utilization device under multi-carrier switching as disclosed in the embodiment shown in Figure 7 of this application can be applied to a processor or implemented by a processor. The processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, including a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Network Processor (NP), etc.; it can also be 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 this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in 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 module can reside in a mature storage medium in the field, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0194] The electronic device can also perform the methods of FIG2 and FIG6, and realize the functions of the carrier usage device under multi-carrier switching in the embodiments shown in FIG2 and FIG6, which will not be described again in this application.

[0195] Of course, in addition to software implementation, the electronic device of this application does not exclude other implementation methods, such as logic devices or a combination of hardware and software, etc. In other words, the execution subject of the following processing flow is not limited to each logic unit, but can also be hardware or logic devices.

[0196] This application also proposes a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the programs including instructions that, when executed by a portable electronic device including multiple applications, enable the portable electronic device to perform the methods of the embodiments shown in Figures 2 and 6, and to perform the following operations: receiving a switching configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency sent by a base station; transmitting a signal using the first frequency during a first time period and transmitting a signal using the second frequency during a second time period according to the switching configuration.

[0197] Alternatively, it can be used to perform the following operations: send a switching configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency to a terminal, the switching configuration being used to instruct the terminal to transmit signals using the first frequency during a first time period and using the second frequency during a second time period.

[0198] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a carrier utilization device 80 under multi-carrier switching according to an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 8, in a software implementation, the carrier utilization device 80 under multi-carrier switching may include: a receiving module 81 and a communication module 82, wherein: the receiving module 81 receives a switching configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency sent by a base station; the communication module 82 uses the first frequency to transmit signals during a first time period and uses the second frequency to transmit signals during a second time period according to the switching configuration.

[0199] The carrier usage device 80 under multi-carrier switching provided in this application can also execute the method of FIG2 and realize the function of the carrier usage device 80 under multi-carrier switching in the embodiment shown in FIG2, which will not be described again here.

[0200] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a carrier usage device 90 under multi-carrier switching according to an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 9, in a software implementation, the carrier usage device 90 under multi-carrier switching may include: a transmitting module 91, wherein the transmitting module 91 transmits a switching configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency to a terminal, the switching configuration being used to instruct the terminal to use the first frequency to transmit signals during a first time period and to use the second frequency to transmit signals during a second time period.

[0201] The carrier usage device 90 under multi-carrier switching provided in this application can also execute the method of FIG6 and realize the function of the carrier usage device 90 under multi-carrier switching in the embodiment shown in FIG6, which will not be described again here.

[0202] This application also proposes a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program operable to cause a computer to perform some or all of the steps in the above-described embodiments of the carrier usage method under multi-carrier switching.

[0203] In summary, the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

[0204] The systems, apparatus, modules, or units described in the above embodiments can be implemented by computer chips or entities, or by products having certain functions. A typical implementation device is a computer. A computer can be, for example, a personal computer, laptop computer, cellular phone, camera phone, smartphone, personal digital assistant, media player, navigation device, email device, game console, tablet computer, wearable device, or any combination of these devices.

[0205] Computer-readable media includes both permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can store information using any method or technology. Information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, modules of programs, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase-change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile optical disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic tape, magnetic magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transferable medium that can be used to store information accessible by a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transient computer-readable media, such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0206] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0207] The various embodiments in this application are described in a progressive manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the system embodiments are basically similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions of the method embodiments.

Claims

1. A method for using a carrier under multi-carrier switching, comprising: Receive the switching configuration for the first and second frequencies sent by the base station; According to the switching configuration, the first frequency is used to transmit the signal during a first time period, and the second frequency is used to transmit the signal during a second time period.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the first frequency is a first carrier, a first cell, or a first frequency band, and the second frequency is a second carrier, a second cell, or a second frequency band.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the switching configuration includes at least one of the following: Configuration for receiving switching; configuration for transmitting switching; configuration for switching both receiving and transmitting.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted signal comprises at least one of the following: Receive signals; transmit signals; receive and transmit signals.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The terminal reports capability information to the base station, the capability information being used to indicate how the terminal supports multi-carrier aggregation of the first frequency and the second frequency.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the capability information includes at least one of the following: Does the terminal support switching between the first frequency and the second frequency? Does the terminal support uninterrupted switching between the first frequency and the second frequency? Does the terminal support interrupted switching between the first frequency and the second frequency? 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the switching comprises at least one of the following: Receive switching; transmit switching; both receive and transmit switching.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving base station transmits a switching configuration for the first frequency and the second frequency, comprising at least one of the following: Receive Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling sent by the base station, wherein the RRC signaling carries the handover configuration; The system receives Media Access Control Unit (MAC) CE signaling from the base station, wherein the MAC CE signaling carries the handover configuration. The system receives downlink control information (DCI) signaling sent by the base station, the DCI signaling carrying the handover configuration.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the method further comprises at least one of the following: Determine whether there is an interruption in the switching between the first frequency and the second frequency; A reference frequency is determined, which is used to provide reception timing information in advance for uplink transmission timing on the first frequency and / or the second frequency; Determine first information at the second frequency, the first information including at least one of power scaling factor, time synchronization information and frequency synchronization information; The system receives Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status indication information for the second frequency sent by the base station, and performs TCI status switching according to the TCI status indication information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether an interruption exists in the switching between the first frequency and the second frequency comprises at least one of the following: Based on the reported capability information, it is determined whether there is an interruption in the switching between the first frequency and the second frequency, wherein... If the capability information includes that the terminal supports interrupted switching between the first frequency and the second frequency, then the switching between the first frequency and the second frequency is interrupted; if the capability information includes that the terminal does not support interrupted switching between the first frequency and the second frequency, then the switching between the first frequency and the second frequency is not interrupted. The system determines whether there is an interruption in the handover between the first frequency and the second frequency based on the RRC signaling sent by the base station, wherein the RRC signaling is used to semi-statically configure the terminal to determine whether there is an interruption in the handover between the first frequency and the second frequency; The system determines whether there is an interruption in the switching between the first frequency and the second frequency according to a predefined method.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein if an interruption occurs during the switching between the first frequency and the second frequency, the method further comprises at least one of the following: Determine the duration of the interruption; Determine the time domain range of the interruption; Determine the channel or signal transmission affected by the interruption.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the interruption duration comprises at least one of the following: The interrupt duration is determined to be X time units predefined by the system; The interruption duration is determined based on the interruption duration capability type reported to the base station, and different interruption duration capability types correspond to different interruption durations; The interruption duration is determined to be Y time units of the semi-static configuration of the base station.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the interrupt time domain range includes at least one of the following: The first duration preceding the switching point is defined as the interrupt time domain range, and the first duration is equal to the interrupt duration. The first duration after the switching point is defined as the interrupt time domain range, and the first duration is equal to the interrupt duration. If there is a time interval between the first time period and the second time period, the time interval is determined as the interruption time domain range.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the interruption affects channel or signal transmission, comprising at least one of the following: Reception of downlink channels or signals of all cells or carriers on the first frequency; The transmission of uplink channels or signals of all cells or carriers on the first frequency; The reception of downlink channels or signals for all cells or carriers on the second frequency; The transmission of uplink channels or signals for all cells or carriers on the second frequency; Reception of uplink or downlink channels or signals in the first cell or on the first carrier; Transmission of uplink channels or signals on the second cell or second carrier.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the reference frequency comprises at least one of the following: The primary cell PCell or primary auxiliary cell PSCell in the first frequency and the second frequency are determined as the reference frequency; The frequency that enables downlink reception in the first frequency and the second frequency is determined as the reference frequency.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the first information at the second frequency comprises at least one of the following: The first downlink signal or channel is measured at the second frequency, and the first information is determined based on the measurement results; Determine whether the terminal meets the first condition; if the terminal meets the first condition, determine the first information based on historical information during the time period of downlink reception on the second frequency; if the terminal does not meet the first condition, measure the first downlink signal or channel on the second frequency, and determine the first information based on the measurement result.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first downlink signal or channel comprises at least one of the following: Synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel PBCH block SSB; Periodic tracking reference signal TRS; Aperiodic TRS; Periodic Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); Aperiodic CSI-RS.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether the terminal satisfies the first condition comprises at least one of the following: Determine whether the first time interval does not exceed a first time threshold, wherein the first time interval is at least one of the following: the time interval between the end time of the last downlink reception performed by the terminal on the second frequency and the start time of the current switch to the second frequency; the time interval between the end time of the last reception of the first downlink signal or channel on the second frequency and the start time of the current switch to the second frequency; the time interval between the end time of the last reception of any downlink signal or channel on the second frequency and the start time of the current switch to the second frequency. Within a second time threshold preceding the start time of this switch to the second frequency, determine whether the terminal has performed cell identification or detection on the second frequency; Within a second time threshold preceding the start time of this switch to the second frequency, determine whether the terminal meets the cell identification or detection criteria for the second frequency; Within a third time threshold preceding the start time of this switch to the second frequency, determine whether the terminal has received a second downlink signal or channel from the second frequency; Within a fourth time threshold preceding the start time of this switch to the second frequency, determine whether the terminal has reported a measurement report of the second frequency to the base station.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the terminal satisfies the first condition, comprising at least one of the following: The first time interval does not exceed the first time threshold; Within a second time threshold preceding the start time of this switch to the second frequency, the terminal has performed cell identification or detection on the second frequency; Within a second time threshold preceding the start time of this switch to the second frequency, the terminal meets the cell identification or detection criteria for the second frequency; Within a third time threshold preceding the start time of this switch to the second frequency, the terminal has received a second downlink signal or channel from the second frequency; Within the fourth time threshold preceding the start time of this switch to the second frequency, the terminal reports a measurement report of the second frequency to the base station.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the terminal does not satisfy the first condition, comprising at least one of the following: The first time interval exceeds the first time threshold; Within a second time threshold preceding the start time of this switch to the second frequency, the terminal has not performed cell identification or detection on the second frequency; Within a second time threshold preceding the start time of this switch to the second frequency, the terminal does not meet the cell identification or detection criteria for the second frequency; Within the third time threshold preceding the start time of this switch to the second frequency, the terminal has not received a second downlink signal or channel from the second frequency; Within the fourth time threshold preceding the start time of this switch to the second frequency, the terminal has not reported any measurement reports of the second frequency to the base station.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the first time threshold, the second time threshold, the third time threshold and the fourth time threshold are predefined by the system, or semi-statically configured by the base station through RRC signaling, or equal to the existing measurement duration configured by the base station to the terminal; The second downlink signal or channel includes at least one of SSB, CSI-RS, TRS, demodulation reference signal DMRS, physical downlink shared channel PDSCH, and physical downlink control channel PDCCH; The measurement report includes at least one of the L3 measurement report, L1 measurement report, and CSI measurement report.

22. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the TCI status indication information for the second frequency sent by the base station includes at least one of the following: Receive MAC CE signaling sent by the base station, wherein the MAC CE signaling carries the TCI status indication information; The system receives DCI signaling sent by the base station, wherein the DCI signaling carries the TCI status indication information.

23. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the TCI status indication information for the second frequency sent by the base station includes: Receive the TCI status indication information for the second frequency sent by the base station during the first time period.

24. The method of claim 22 or 23, wherein the TCI status indication information includes beam information of a target TCI status, the target TCI status being a downlink TCI status, an uplink TCI status, or a combined TCI status, and the beam information includes a quasi-co-located QCL type.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein performing TCI state switching according to the TCI state indication information comprises: When the terminal is able to independently determine the beam direction for both the first frequency and the second frequency simultaneously, TCI state switching is performed according to the TCI state indication information during the first time period. If the terminal cannot simultaneously and independently determine the beam direction for the first frequency and the second frequency, a TCI state switch is performed according to the TCI state indication information during the second time period.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising: The terminal reports beam capability indication information to the base station. The beam capability indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal can independently determine the beam direction for the first frequency and the second frequency at the same time.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein performing TCI state switching according to the TCI state indication information within the first time period includes: Within the first time period, determine the beam direction that matches the TCI status indication information; At the start of the second time period, a TCI state switch is performed based on the determined beam direction.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein performing TCI state switching according to the TCI state indication information during the second time period includes: During the first time period, perform MAC CE processing and / or hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) feedback for the TCI status indication information; During the second time period, a TCI state switch is performed based on the TCI state indication information.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the delay in performing the TCI state switching includes the QCL switching delay; in, When the QCL type indicated by the TCI status indication information is QCL-TypeD, the QCL switching delay is the beam switching delay. When the QCL type indicated by the TCI status indication information is QCL-TypeA, QCL-TypeB, or QCL-TypeC, the QCL switching delay is the information update delay of QCL-TypeA, QCL-TypeB, or QCL-TypeC.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the QCL switching delay is determined according to at least one of the following: Whether the target TCI state indicated in the TCI state indication information is a state known to the terminal; Whether the target TCI state indicated in the TCI state indication information is in the active TCI state list configured by the base station.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein when the target TCI state indicated in the TCI state indication information is a state known to the terminal, the QCL handover delay is: TO k *(T first-signal +T signal-proc +OL*T signal ) / slot length; If the target TCI state indicated in the TCI state indication information is not a state known to the terminal, the QCL handover delay is: (T L1-RSRP +TO uk *(T first-signal +T signal-proc +OL*T signal )) / slot length; in, T first-signal T is the time delay from the start of the second time period to the terminal receiving the first signal for the first time. signal-proc T is the processing delay of the terminal on the first signal. signal This is the configuration of the transmission cycle of the first signal, TO k The value is equal to 1 or 0, provided that the target TCI state is in the active TCI state list configured by the base station. k Equal to 0, otherwise TO k Equal to 1, T L1-RSRP This is the time required for the terminal execution layer 1 reference signal received power L1-RSRP measurement, TO uk The value is equal to 1 or 0, provided that the target TCI state is in the active TCI state list configured by the base station. uk Equal to 0, otherwise TO uk It equals 1.

32. A method for using a carrier under multi-carrier switching, comprising: A switching configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency is sent to the terminal, the switching configuration being used to instruct the terminal to transmit signals using the first frequency during a first time period and using the second frequency during a second time period.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the first frequency is a first carrier, a first cell, or a first frequency band, and the second frequency is a second carrier, a second cell, or a second frequency band.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the switching configuration includes at least one of the following: Configuration for receiving switching; configuration for transmitting switching; configuration for switching both receiving and transmitting.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the transmitted signal comprises at least one of the following: Receive signals; transmit signals; receive and transmit signals.

36. The method of claim 32, further comprising: The terminal receives capability information reported by the terminal, which indicates how the terminal supports multi-carrier aggregation of the first frequency and the second frequency.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the capability information includes at least one of the following: Does the terminal support switching between the first frequency and the second frequency? Does the terminal support uninterrupted switching between the first frequency and the second frequency? Does the terminal support interrupted switching between the first frequency and the second frequency? 38. The method of claim 37, wherein the switching comprises at least one of the following: Receive switching; transmit switching; both receive and transmit switching.

39. The method according to any one of claims 32 to 38, wherein sending the switching configuration for the first frequency and the second frequency to the terminal comprises at least one of the following: Send RRC signaling to the terminal, wherein the RRC signaling carries the handover configuration; Send a MAC CE signaling message to the terminal, the MAC CE signaling message carrying the handover configuration; A DCI signaling message is sent to the terminal, the DCI signaling message carrying the handover configuration.

40. The method of claim 32, further comprising: The terminal is sent TCI status indication information for the second frequency, which is used by the terminal to perform TCI status switching.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein sending TCI status indication information for the second frequency to the terminal comprises at least one of the following: Send a MAC CE signaling message to the terminal, wherein the MAC CE signaling message carries the TCI status indication information; A DCI signaling message is sent to the terminal, the DCI signaling message carrying the TCI status indication information.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein sending TCI status indication information for the second frequency to the terminal comprises: During the first time period, TCI status indication information for the second frequency is sent to the terminal.

43. The method according to any one of claims 40 to 42, wherein the TCI status indication information includes beam information of a target TCI status, the target TCI status being a downlink TCI status, an uplink TCI status, or a combined TCI status, and the beam information includes a quasi-co-located QCL type.

44. The method of any one of claims 40 to 42, wherein the method further comprises: The terminal receives beam capability indication information reported by the terminal, which indicates whether the terminal can independently determine the beam direction for both the first frequency and the second frequency simultaneously.

45. A carrier utilization device under multi-carrier switching, comprising: The receiving module receives the switching configuration for the first frequency and the second frequency sent by the base station; The communication module transmits signals using the first frequency during a first time period and the second frequency during a second time period, according to the switching configuration.

46. ​​A carrier utilization device under multi-carrier switching, comprising: The transmitting module sends a switching configuration for a first frequency and a second frequency to the terminal. The switching configuration is used to instruct the terminal to transmit signals using the first frequency during a first time period and using the second frequency during a second time period.

47. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein instructions in the storage medium, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, enable the electronic device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 44.

48. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program operable to cause a computer to perform some or all of the steps of the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 44.

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