Communication methods, communication device, communication system, storage medium, and program product

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to communication methods, a communication device, a communication system, a storage medium, and a program product. A communication method comprises: receiving first information sent by a network device, the first information being used for instructing a terminal to activate a secondary cell; and determining an activation delay duration of the secondary cell on the basis of second information, the second information comprising at least one of the following: an antenna switching duration, a synchronization duration, a radio frequency warm-up duration, and a processing duration for the first information, wherein the antenna switching duration is a duration required for the terminal to switch from a first antenna to a second antenna, the first antenna is used by the terminal to perform transmission on a first carrier of a primary cell, and the second antenna is used by the terminal to perform transmission on a second carrier of the secondary cell. In other words, an activation delay duration of a secondary cell varies with different scenarios. In this way, the determined activation delay duration of the secondary cell is more accurate, thereby improving the system performance.

Description

Communication methods, communication equipment, communication systems, storage media and software products Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, communication device, communication system, storage medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0002] In wireless communication systems, the network's requirements for uplink and downlink peak data rates are becoming increasingly demanding. To address this, carrier aggregation (CA) technology has been introduced. It allows terminals to use multiple physical carriers simultaneously for data transmission, enabling larger bandwidth and thus improving transmission rates. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure provides a communication method, communication device, communication system, storage medium, and program product.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, executed by a terminal, the method comprising:

[0005] The terminal receives first information sent by a network device, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to activate a secondary cell;

[0006] The activation delay of the secondary cell is determined based on the second information, which includes at least one of the following: antenna switching time, synchronization time, radio frequency warm-up time, and processing time of the first information. The antenna switching time is the time it takes for the terminal to switch from the first antenna to the second antenna. The first antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the first carrier of the primary cell, and the second antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the second carrier of the secondary cell.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, performed by a network device, the method comprising:

[0008] Send first information to the terminal, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to activate the secondary cell;

[0009] The activation delay of the secondary cell is determined based on the second information, which includes at least one of the following: antenna switching time, synchronization time, radio frequency warm-up time, and processing time of the first information. The antenna switching time is the time it takes for the terminal to switch from the first antenna to the second antenna. The first antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the first carrier of the primary cell, and the second antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the second carrier of the secondary cell.

[0010] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication device is provided that can be used to perform the methods described in an optional implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0011] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, including a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to perform a method as described in an optional implementation of the first aspect, and the network device is configured to perform a method as described in an optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0012] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided that stores instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in an optional implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0013] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a program product is provided, including at least one of a program and instructions, wherein the program and instructions, when executed by a communication device, implement the method described in an optional implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0014] The technical solution provided in this disclosure can produce the following beneficial effects: receiving first information sent by a network device, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to activate a secondary cell; determining the activation delay of the secondary cell based on second information, the second information including at least one of the following: antenna switching time, synchronization time, radio frequency warm-up time, and processing time of the first information, wherein the antenna switching time is the time for the terminal to switch from a first antenna to a second antenna, the first antenna being used for the terminal to transmit on a first carrier of the primary cell, and the second antenna being used for the terminal to transmit on a second carrier of the secondary cell. In other words, this disclosure can determine the activation delay of the secondary cell based on at least one of the antenna switching time, synchronization time, radio frequency warm-up time, and processing time of the first information. The activation delay of the secondary cell varies depending on the scenario, thus the determined activation delay of the secondary cell is more accurate, thereby improving system performance.

[0015] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments are introduced below. The following drawings are only some embodiments of this disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of this disclosure.

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

[0018] Figure 2A is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram illustrating a combined frequency band according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 2C is a schematic diagram of carrier switching according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 2D is a schematic diagram of secondary cell activation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0024] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the chip structure proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0027] This disclosure provides a communication method, communication device, communication system, storage medium, and program product.

[0028] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method executed by a terminal, the method comprising:

[0029] The terminal receives first information sent by a network device, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to activate a secondary cell;

[0030] The activation delay of the secondary cell is determined based on the second information, which includes at least one of the following: antenna switching time, synchronization time, radio frequency warm-up time, and processing time of the first information. The antenna switching time is the time it takes for the terminal to switch from the first antenna to the second antenna. The first antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the first carrier of the primary cell, and the second antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the second carrier of the secondary cell.

[0031] In the above embodiments, the activation delay of the secondary cell may include at least one of the following: antenna switching time, synchronization time, radio frequency warm-up time, and processing time of the first information. The activation delay of the secondary cell varies for different scenarios, thus the determined activation delay of the secondary cell is more accurate, thereby improving system performance.

[0032] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first carrier is used for transmitting and / or receiving, and the second carrier is not used for receiving; or, the second carrier is used for receiving, and the first carrier is not used for transmitting and / or receiving.

[0033] In the above embodiments, the carrier aggregation cell can switch between the second carrier and the first carrier, which can avoid the performance limitations of the antenna under wide frequency spacing or the design difficulties of the duplexer, thereby optimizing the system efficiency and reliability.

[0034] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the activation delay duration of the secondary cell based on the second information includes:

[0035] If the terminal does not switch from the first antenna to the second antenna when the secondary cell is activated, the delay time for activating the secondary cell includes the antenna switching time.

[0036] In the above embodiments, if the terminal does not switch to the second antenna when the secondary cell is activated, the antenna switching time needs to be included in the activation delay of the secondary cell, so as to make the activation delay of the secondary cell more accurate.

[0037] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the activation delay duration of the secondary cell based on the second information includes:

[0038] The first carrier and the second carrier determine that the activation delay of the secondary cell does not include the synchronization duration.

[0039] In the above embodiments, if the first carrier and the second carrier are co-located, no synchronization processing is required during the activation of the secondary cell, and the synchronization duration does not need to be included in the delay duration of the activation of the secondary cell.

[0040] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the radio frequency warm-up duration is determined based on a first capability of the terminal, the first capability being used to indicate whether the terminal supports sharing radio frequency components on the first carrier and the second carrier.

[0041] In the above embodiments, if the terminal supports sharing radio frequency components on the first carrier and the second carrier, the radio frequency warm-up time can be reduced, and the activation delay time of the secondary cell can also be reduced accordingly.

[0042] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the processing time of the first information is determined according to the switching mode between the first carrier and the second carrier, the switching mode including at least one of the following: dynamic switching mode and semi-static switching mode.

[0043] In the above embodiments, the processing time of the first information is different under different handover modes, which leads to different activation delays of the secondary cell. When determining the activation delay of the secondary cell, the handover modes of the two carriers are considered, which can obtain a more accurate activation delay.

[0044] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first processing time is less than the second processing time, the first processing time is the processing time of the first information when the switching mode is the semi-static switching mode, and the second processing time is the processing time of the first information when the switching mode is the dynamic switching mode.

[0045] In the above embodiments, the first information can be processed more quickly in the semi-static switching mode, which has an advantage in information processing speed compared with the dynamic switching mode, thereby improving the timeliness and efficiency of related business processing.

[0046] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first carrier is a frequency division duplex (FDD) carrier and the second carrier is a supplementary downlink (SDL) carrier.

[0047] In the above embodiments, carrier aggregation using SDL and FDD carriers can improve spectrum efficiency, enhance coverage, and optimize uplink and downlink resource allocation.

[0048] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, both the first carrier and the second carrier are low-frequency carriers.

[0049] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method executed by a network device, the method comprising:

[0050] Send first information to the terminal, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to activate the secondary cell;

[0051] The activation delay of the secondary cell is determined based on the second information, which includes at least one of the following: antenna switching time, synchronization time, radio frequency warm-up time, and processing time of the first information. The antenna switching time is the time it takes for the terminal to switch from the first antenna to the second antenna. The first antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the first carrier of the primary cell, and the second antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the second carrier of the secondary cell.

[0052] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first carrier is used for transmitting and / or receiving, and the second carrier is not used for receiving; or, the second carrier is used for receiving, and the first carrier is not used for transmitting and / or receiving.

[0053] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, when the secondary cell is activated, the terminal does not switch from the first antenna to the second antenna, and the activation delay of the secondary cell includes the antenna switching time.

[0054] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second carrier and the first carrier are co-located, and the activation delay of the secondary cell does not include the synchronization duration.

[0055] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the radio frequency warm-up duration is determined based on a first capability of the terminal, the first capability being used to indicate whether the terminal supports sharing radio frequency components on the first carrier and the second carrier.

[0056] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the processing time of the first information is determined according to the switching mode between the first carrier and the second carrier, the switching mode including at least one of the following: dynamic switching mode and semi-static switching mode.

[0057] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first processing time is less than the second processing time, the first processing time is the processing time of the first information when the switching mode is the semi-static switching mode, and the second processing time is the processing time of the first information when the switching mode is the dynamic switching mode.

[0058] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first carrier is a frequency division duplex (FDD) carrier, and the second carrier is a supplementary downlink (SDL) carrier.

[0059] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, both the first carrier and the second carrier are low-frequency carriers.

[0060] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure propose a terminal that may include at least one of a transceiver module and a processing module; wherein the terminal may be used to execute an optional implementation of the first aspect.

[0061] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a network device that may include at least one of a transceiver module and a processing module; wherein the network device may be used to perform an optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0062] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a terminal that may include one or more processors; wherein the terminal may be used to execute an optional implementation of the first aspect.

[0063] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a network device that may include one or more processors; wherein the network device may be used to perform an optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0064] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication system that may include: a terminal and a network device; wherein the terminal is configured to perform the method described in the optional implementation of the first aspect, and the network device is configured to perform the method described in the optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0065] Eighthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in an optional implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0066] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a program product that, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the method as described in an optional implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0067] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods described in an optional implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0068] Eleventhly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a chip or chip system. The chip or chip system includes processing circuitry configured to perform the methods described in optional implementations of the first or second aspect.

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

[0070] This disclosure provides a communication method, communication device, communication system, storage medium, and program product. In some embodiments, the terms "information transmission method" and "information processing method," "communication method," etc., can be used interchangeably; the terms "information transmission device" and "information processing device," "communication device," "communication equipment," etc., can be used interchangeably; and the terms "information processing system," "communication system," etc., can be used interchangeably.

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

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

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

[0074] In this embodiment of the disclosure, unless otherwise stated, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "this," etc., can mean "one and only one," or "one or more," "at least one," etc. For example, when using articles such as "a," "an," "the," etc. in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as either a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0075] In some embodiments, "multiple" can refer to two or more.

[0076] In some embodiments, the terms “at least one of”, “one or more”, “a plurality of”, “multiple”, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0077] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

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

[0079] The prefixes "first," "second," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not impose restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the descriptive objects. The description of the descriptive objects is found in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and the use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions. For example, if the descriptive object is a "field," the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is a "level," the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers and can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the object being described is "device", then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the object being described is "information", then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0080] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0081] In some embodiments, the terms “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “if…”, “if…”, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0082] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0083] In some embodiments, devices, etc., may be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to those described in the embodiments. Terms such as “device,” “equipment,” “circuit,” “network element,” “node,” “function,” “unit,” “section,” “system,” “network,” “chip,” “chip system,” “entity,” and “subject” are interchangeable.

[0084] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in a network (e.g., access network devices, core network devices, etc.).

[0085] In some embodiments, the terms "Access Network Device (AN Device)," "Radio Access Network Device (RAN Device)," "Base Station (BS)," "Radio Base Station," "Fixed Station," "Node," "Access Point," "Transmission Point (TP)," "Reception Point (RP)," "Transmission / Reception Point (TRP)," "Panel," "Antenna Panel," "Antenna Array," "Cell," "Macro Cell," "Small Cell," "Femto Cell," "Pico Cell," "Sector," "Cell Group," "Serving Cell," "Carrier," "Component Carrier," and "Bandwidth Part (BWP)" can be used interchangeably.

[0086] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", "subscriber station", "mobile unit", "subscriber unit", "wireless unit", "remote unit", "mobile device", "wireless device", "wireless communication device", "remote device", "mobile subscriber station", "access terminal", "mobile terminal", "wireless terminal", "remote terminal", "handset", "user agent", "mobile client", and "client" can be used interchangeably.

[0087] In some embodiments, access network devices, core network devices, or network devices can be replaced with terminals. For example, embodiments of this disclosure can also be applied to structures where communication between access network devices, core network devices, or network devices and terminals is replaced with communication between multiple terminals (e.g., device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the structure can also be configured such that the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can be replaced with terms corresponding to communication between terminals (e.g., "sidelink"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., can be replaced with sidelink channel or direct channel, and uplink link, downlink, etc., can be replaced with sidelink link or direct link.

[0088] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, core network device, or network device may also be configured to have all or some of the functions of the terminal.

[0089] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0090] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0091] Furthermore, each element, each row, or each column in the table of this disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0092] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 may include a terminal 101 and a network device 102.

[0093] In some embodiments, terminal 101 may include at least one of the following: mobile phone, wearable device, Internet of Things device, car with communication function, smart car, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, and wireless terminal device in smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0094] In some embodiments, network device 102 may include at least one of access network device and core network device.

[0095] In some embodiments, the access network device may be a node or device that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. The access network device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following in a 5G communication system: evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), node B (NB), home node B (HNB), home evolved node B (HeNB), radio backhaul device, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), base band unit (BBU), mobile switching center, base station in a 6G communication system, open RAN, cloud RAN, base station in other communication systems, and access node in a Wi-Fi system.

[0096] In some embodiments, the technical solutions of this disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within access network devices involved in the embodiments of this disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of Open RAN. The processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented by software or programs.

[0097] In some embodiments, the access network device may be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The CU may also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can separate the protocol layer of the access network device. Some protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining part or all protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU and centrally controlled by the CU. However, this is not the only possibility.

[0098] In some embodiments, the core network equipment may be a single device, multiple devices, or a group of devices. The core network may include at least one of the following: Evolved Packet Core (EPC), 5G Core Network (5GCN), and Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0099] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0100] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1, or to some of the main bodies, but are not limited thereto. The main bodies shown in FIG1 are examples. The communication system may include all or some of the main bodies in FIG1, or may include other main bodies outside of FIG1. ​​The number and form of each main body are arbitrary. Each main body may be physical or virtual. The connection relationship between the main bodies is an example. The main bodies may not be connected or may be connected. The connection can be in any way, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, it can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0101] The embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G New Radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New Radio Access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth (a registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems, systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems built upon them, etc. Furthermore, multiple systems can be combined (e.g., a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0102] In some embodiments of this disclosure, low-band (LB) carrier aggregation is achieved through handover, thereby efficiently utilizing the supplementary downlink (SDL) spectrum and low-frequency division duplexing (FDD) bands via CA. This avoids the problems faced by the UE when simultaneously transmitting / receiving these two carriers. This is due to antenna performance issues at wide frequency spacing (fractional bandwidth) or problems caused by insufficient frequency spacing between uplink and downlink in the duplexer design.

[0103] In some embodiments, the physical layer procedures and requirements for implementing low-frequency band carrier aggregation by switching include:

[0104] (1) Specify UE requirements, including at least the handover gap (if required) and the corresponding physical layer procedure that allows handover between {case 1, case 2}.

[0105] Case 1: Transmission / reception is performed on FDD carrier 1, and reception is not performed on SDL carrier 2.

[0106] Case 2: Receive on SDL carrier 2, and do not transmit / receive on FDD carrier 1.

[0107] Among them, a semi-static switching mode can be specified based on RRC configuration and coordinated as needed.

[0108] Specifies the carrier switching delay and time mask.

[0109] (2) Specify the necessary RRM requirements.

[0110] (3) Define the corresponding UE capabilities.

[0111] (4) Consider the following deployment constraints:

[0112] The carrier frequency is <1GHz in all cases;

[0113] The two carriers are deployed in a co-located and synchronized network.

[0114] Two carriers are located in a single TAG;

[0115] The SCS of the two carriers is 15kHz.

[0116] In some embodiments, the following example frequency band combination requirements may be specified: CA_n5A-n29A.

[0117] CA_n5A-n29A represents an inter-band carrier aggregation method that aggregates single carriers from the n5 band and the n29 band, ensuring that the bandwidth of both carriers meets Class A bandwidth requirements. This improves data transmission performance and network capacity. The n5 band is typically located in a low-frequency range, around 850MHz; the n29 band is also in a low-frequency range but has a different frequency range and characteristics than the n5 band.

[0118] Figure 2A is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This method can be executed by the aforementioned communication system. As shown in Figure 2A, the method may include:

[0119] Step S2101: Network device 102 sends first information to terminal 101.

[0120] In some embodiments, the terminal receives first information sent by a network device, but is not limited thereto. The terminal may also receive first information sent by other entities, in which case step S2101 may be omitted.

[0121] In some embodiments, the terminal obtains the first information specified by the protocol, in which case step S2101 can be omitted.

[0122] In some embodiments, the terminal obtains the first information from the upper layer(s), in which case step S2101 can be omitted.

[0123] In some embodiments, the terminal processes the information to obtain the first information, and step S2101 can be omitted.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first information is used to instruct the terminal to activate the secondary cell SCell.

[0125] In some embodiments, the first information may be a Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) or a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, and this disclosure does not limit the specific information.

[0126] In some embodiments, a carrier aggregation cell includes a primary cell (PCell) and a secondary cell (SCell).

[0127] In some embodiments, the carrier aggregation cell is a cell formed by carrier aggregation of the second carrier and the first carrier. The terminal can send and / or receive data through the first carrier of the primary cell and receive data through the second carrier of the secondary cell.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the first carrier of the main cell, which can be understood as the first antenna being used for the terminal to send and / or receive data on the first carrier of the main cell.

[0129] In some embodiments, the second antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the second carrier of the secondary cell. This can be understood as the second antenna being used for the terminal to receive data on the second carrier of the secondary cell.

[0130] In some embodiments, when a terminal transmits and / or receives data on a first carrier, it needs to switch its antenna to the first antenna.

[0131] In some embodiments, when the terminal receives data on the second carrier, it needs to switch the antenna to the second carrier.

[0132] In some embodiments, the terminal does not transmit and / or receive simultaneously in the primary cell and the secondary cell.

[0133] In some embodiments, the first carrier is used for transmission and / or reception, and the second carrier is not used for reception. This can be understood as the terminal transmitting and / or receiving on the first carrier, but not receiving on the second carrier.

[0134] In some embodiments, the second carrier is used for receiving, and the first carrier is not used for transmitting and / or receiving.

[0135] This can be understood as the terminal receiving on the second carrier but not transmitting and / or receiving on the first carrier. Specifically, "not transmitting and / or receiving on the first carrier" means neither transmitting nor receiving on the first carrier.

[0136] In some embodiments, the first carrier may be an FDD carrier, and the second carrier may be an SDL carrier.

[0137] In some embodiments, the terminal may transmit and / or receive on an FDD carrier, but not on an SDL carrier.

[0138] In some embodiments, the terminal may receive on an SDL carrier and transmit and / or receive on an FDD carrier.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first carrier and the second carrier may be low-frequency carriers. For example, the first carrier is a low-frequency FDD carrier and the second carrier is a low-frequency SDL carrier. For instance, the frequencies of both the first carrier and the second carrier are less than 1 GHz.

[0140] For example, the first carrier may be the n5 band, and the second carrier may be the SDL n29 band. The frequency band combination after aggregating the first carrier and the second carrier is the n5 band + SDL n29 band. Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of a combined frequency band according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2B, the n29 band is 717MHz to 728MHz, the n5 band includes the n5 UL band and the n5 DL band, the n5 UL band is 824MHz to 849MHz, and the n5 DL band is 869MHz to 894MHz.

[0141] In some embodiments, the terminal can switch between a primary cell and a secondary cell. When the terminal transmits and / or receives data in the primary cell, it transmits and / or receives data on the first carrier. After switching to the secondary cell, the terminal receives data on the second carrier.

[0142] Figure 2C is a schematic diagram of carrier switching according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2C, the transceiver is a transceiver device, the first carrier corresponds to the nX frequency band (for example, nX can be n9), and the second carrier corresponds to the n29 frequency band. During the transmission time interval (TTI) N1, the terminal transmits and / or receives data on the nX frequency band; during TTI N2, the terminal receives data on the n29 frequency band; and during TTI N3, the terminal transmits and / or receives data on the nX frequency band. This can be understood as follows: during TTI N1, the terminal transmits and / or receives on the first carrier but not on the second carrier; during TTI N2, the terminal receives on the second carrier but not on the first carrier; and during TTI N3, the terminal transmits and / or receives on the first carrier but not on the second carrier.

[0143] In some embodiments, the primary cell may send first information to the terminal, instructing the terminal to activate the secondary cell. After the terminal activates the secondary cell, it can receive data in the secondary cell, that is, receive data on the second carrier.

[0144] Step S2102: Terminal 101 determines the activation delay of the secondary cell based on the second information.

[0145] In some embodiments, the second information may include at least one of the following: antenna switching duration, synchronization duration, radio frequency warm-up duration, and processing duration of the first information.

[0146] In some embodiments, the "activation delay duration" may also be referred to as "activation delay", "activation time", "activation delay", etc., and this disclosure does not limit it.

[0147] In some embodiments, the antenna switching duration is the time it takes for the terminal to switch from the first antenna to the second antenna.

[0148] In some embodiments, if the terminal has not switched to the second antenna when the secondary cell is activated, the time for the terminal to perform antenna switching needs to be included in the activation delay of the secondary cell.

[0149] In some embodiments, if the terminal does not switch from the first antenna to the second antenna when the secondary cell is activated, the activation delay of the secondary cell is determined to include the antenna switching time.

[0150] In some embodiments, "start activating secondary cell" can be understood as the start of the activation process of secondary cell, for example, the moment when the first information is received. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0151] For example, the first piece of information is MAC CE, and the activation delay of the secondary cell can be calculated using formula (1): T activation_time =T annte_swtiching +T FirstSSB +T MAC +T RF (1)

[0152] Among them, T activation_time The activation delay of the secondary cell, T FirstSSB T is the time when the terminal first receives the synchronization signal block (PSS / SSS PBCH Block, SSB) transmission after decoding the first information. annte_swtiching T is the antenna switching duration. MAC T represents the processing time of MAC CE. RF This refers to the radio frequency warm-up time.

[0153] In some embodiments, if the terminal has switched to the second antenna when the secondary cell is activated, the activation delay of the secondary cell does not include the antenna switching time.

[0154] For example, the first piece of information is MAC CE, and the activation delay of the secondary cell can be calculated using formula (2): T activation_time =T FirstSSB +T MAC +T RF (2)

[0155] In some embodiments, if the first carrier and the second carrier are co-located, the delay time for determining the activation of the secondary cell does not include the synchronization time.

[0156] In some embodiments, "the first carrier and the second carrier are co-located" can be understood as network devices where the first carrier and the second carrier are located in the same geographical location.

[0157] In some embodiments, the first carrier and the second carrier can be kept synchronized in the time domain and the frequency domain.

[0158] In some embodiments, the first carrier and the second carrier may be located in a single Timing Advance Group (TAG).

[0159] In some embodiments, the subcarrier spacing (SCS) of both the first carrier and the second carrier is 15 kHz.

[0160] In some embodiments, if the first carrier and the second carrier are co-located, they use the same clock source and synchronization mechanism to ensure signal transmission and reception. That is, the time and frequency synchronization information of the first and second carriers is consistent, eliminating the need for additional time for SSB search and synchronization. The terminal has already completed time and frequency synchronization with the network device on the first carrier (primary carrier). Since the synchronization information of the co-located carrier (secondary carrier) is the same as that of the first carrier, the terminal can directly utilize the synchronization information of the first carrier to quickly access and process the second carrier (secondary carrier) without waiting for the SSB of the second carrier to be received for resynchronization, thus eliminating the need for T... FirstSSB .

[0161] For example, if the terminal does not switch from the first antenna to the second antenna when the secondary cell is activated, the first information is MAC CE, and if the first carrier and the second carrier are co-located, the activation delay of the secondary cell can be calculated using formula (3): T activation_time =T annte_swtiching +T MAC +T RF (3)

[0162] For example, if the terminal has switched from the first antenna to the second antenna when the secondary cell activation begins, the first information is MAC CE, and the second carrier and the first carrier are co-located, then the activation delay of the secondary cell can be calculated using formula (4): T activation_time =T MAC +T RF (4)

[0163] In some embodiments, the radio frequency warm-up duration is determined based on a first capability of the terminal, which indicates whether the terminal supports sharing radio frequency components on the first carrier and the second carrier.

[0164] In some embodiments, if the terminal supports sharing radio frequency components on the first carrier and the second carrier, the radio frequency preset duration T RFThis will decrease, and the activation latency of secondary cells will also decrease accordingly. For example, T RF It can be less than 0.5 milliseconds.

[0165] In some embodiments, the processing time of the first information is determined according to the switching mode between the first carrier and the second carrier, the switching mode including at least one of the following: dynamic switching mode and semi-static switching mode.

[0166] In some embodiments, the processing time of the first information is the time required for the terminal to process or parse the first information, which can be understood as the time required for the terminal to obtain the configuration information for activating the secondary cell from the first information.

[0167] In some embodiments, dynamic switching mode indicates that the first information is dynamically indicated, and semi-static switching mode indicates that the first information is semi-persistently configured and indicated by downlink control information (DCI).

[0168] In some embodiments, the first processing time is less than the second processing time. The first processing time is the processing time of the first information when the switching mode is a semi-static switching mode, and the second processing time is the processing time of the first information when the switching mode is a dynamic switching mode.

[0169] For example, if the handover mode is a semi-handover processing mode, the terminal already has certain pre-configured information when handover, and does not need to temporarily obtain a large amount of configuration details from the first information. When receiving the DCI instruction, the terminal can quickly make a decision and perform corresponding operations based on the existing semi-persistent configuration and the simple instruction in the DCI, skipping some cumbersome configuration steps and processing procedures. The processing time of the first information, i.e., the first processing time, will be relatively short. If the handover mode is a dynamic handover mode, the terminal needs to obtain all the configuration information from the first information, and the processing time of the first information, i.e., the second processing time, will be relatively long. Therefore, if the handover mode is a semi-static handover mode, after the processing time of the first information is shortened, the activation delay of the secondary cell will also be shortened accordingly. Taking the first information as MAC CE as an example, T in formulas (1) to (4) MAC It will shorten, thus shortening T simultaneously. activation_time .

[0170] Figure 2D is a schematic diagram of secondary cell activation according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 2D, in the LB-CA scenario, if the Scell ​​is not activated before antenna switching, additional antenna switching time is required; that is, the activation delay of the secondary cell includes the antenna switching time. If the radio frequency operation can be shared between DL (downlink) and SDL, the radio frequency warm-up time can be reduced. If the two carriers are co-located carriers, no synchronization time is required; that is, the synchronization time can be omitted.

[0171] In some embodiments, if the terminal receives a secondary cell activation command in time slot n, and the Scell ​​has not yet been activated before antenna switching, the terminal can activate the secondary cell no later than [date missing]. Within the time slot, valid Channel State Information (CSI) reports are transmitted to the active secondary cell, and operations related to the activation command are performed. Among these, T... HARQ T is the time between downlink data transmission and acknowledgment. activation_time T can be determined using the methods described above. CSI_reporting It is the time to complete a CSI report, and slot length is the length of a time slot.

[0172] Using the above method, the activation delay of the secondary cell can be determined based on at least one of the following: antenna switching time, synchronization time, radio frequency warm-up time, and processing time of the first information. The activation delay of the secondary cell may include antenna switching time, synchronization time, radio frequency warm-up time, and processing time of the first information, or it may include antenna switching time, radio frequency warm-up time, and processing time of the first information, or it may include radio frequency warm-up time and processing time of the first information. The activation delay of the secondary cell is different for different scenarios. In this way, the determined activation delay of the secondary cell is more accurate, thereby improving system performance.

[0173] In some embodiments, steps S2101 and S2102 are optional steps.

[0174] In some embodiments, other alternative implementations may be described before or after the specification corresponding to FIG2A.

[0175] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc., are not limited to the names described in the embodiments. Terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0176] In some embodiments, the terms "codebook," "codeword," and "precoding matrix" can be used interchangeably. For example, a codebook can be a collection of one or more codewords / precoding matrices.

[0177] In some embodiments, the terms "uplink", "uplink", and "physical uplink" can be used interchangeably, as can the terms "downlink", "downlink", and "physical downlink", as well as the terms "sidelink", "sidelink", "sidelink communication", "sidelink communication", "direct connection", "direct link", "direct communication", and "direct link communication".

[0178] In some embodiments, the terms “downlink control information (DCI),” “downlink (DL) assignment,” “DL DCI,” “uplink (UL) grant,” and “UL DCI” can be used interchangeably.

[0179] In some embodiments, terms such as "physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)" and "DL data" can be used interchangeably, as can terms such as "physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)" and "UL data".

[0180] In some embodiments, the terms “radio”, “wireless”, “radio access network (RAN)”, “access network (AN)”, and “RAN-based” can be used interchangeably.

[0181] In some embodiments, the terms "search space", "search space set", "search space configuration", "search space set configuration", "control resource set (CORESET)", and "CORESET configuration" can be used interchangeably.

[0182] In some embodiments, the terms "synchronization signal (SS)," "synchronization signal block (SSB)," "reference signal (RS)," "pilot," and "pilot signal" can be used interchangeably.

[0183] In some embodiments, terms such as “moment,” “point in time,” “time,” and “time location” can be used interchangeably, as can terms such as “duration,” “segment,” “time window,” “window,” and “time.”

[0184] In some embodiments, the terms "component carrier (CC)," "cell," "frequency carrier," and "carrier frequency" can be used interchangeably.

[0185] In some embodiments, the terms “resource block (RB)”, “physical resource block (PRB)”, “sub-carrier group (SCG)”, “resource element group (REG)”, “PRB pair”, “RB pair”, “resource element (RE)”, and “sub-carrier” can be used interchangeably.

[0186] In some embodiments, terms such as wireless access scheme and waveform can be used interchangeably.

[0187] In some embodiments, the terms "precoding", "precoder", "weight", "precoding weight", "quasi-co-location (QCL)", "transmission configuration indication (TCI) status", "spatial relation", "spatial domain filter", "transmission power", "phase rotation", "antenna port", "antenna port group", "layer", "the number of layers", "rank", "resource", "resource set", "resource group", "beam", "beam width", "beam angle", "antenna", "antenna element", and "panel" can be used interchangeably.

[0188] In some embodiments, the terms “frame”, “radio frame”, “subframe”, “slot”, “sub-slot”, “mini-slot”, “symbol”, “symbol”, and “transmission time interval (TTI)” can be used interchangeably.

[0189] In some embodiments, "acquire," "get," "obtain," "receive," "transmit," "bidirectional transmission," and "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, acquiring from protocols, acquiring from higher layers, obtaining through self-processing, or autonomous implementation. Protocols include, for example, at least one of the 3GPP protocol, Wi-Fi protocol, and audio and / or video protocols.

[0190] In some embodiments, terms such as “send,” “transmit,” “report,” “distribute,” “transmit,” “bidirectional transmission,” “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably.

[0191] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain," "preset," "default," "set," "indicated," "a certain," "any," and "first" can be used interchangeably. "Certain A," "preset A," "default A," "set A," "indicated A," "a certain A," "any A," and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-defined in a protocol or the like, or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or instruction, or as specific A, a certain A, any A, or first A, but are not limited thereto.

[0192] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be made by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or by a true or false value (boolean), or by a comparison of numerical values ​​(e.g., a comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0193] In some embodiments, "not expecting to receive" can be interpreted as not receiving on time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources, or as not performing subsequent processing on the data and / or instructions received; "not expecting to send" can be interpreted as not sending, or as sending but not expecting the receiver to respond to the sent content.

[0194] In some embodiments, if an arrow in the interaction diagram representing the sending of information, signaling, etc. from one subject to another passes through other subjects, it can be interpreted as the information being forwarded from one subject to another via other subjects, or it can be interpreted as the information being sent from one subject to another without passing through other subjects.

[0195] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the present disclosure relates to a communication method that can be executed by a terminal. The method may include:

[0196] Step S3101: Receive the first information.

[0197] The optional implementation of step S3101 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0198] Step S3102: Determine the activation delay of the secondary cell based on the second information.

[0199] The optional implementation of step S3102 can be found in the optional implementation of step S2102 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0200] In some embodiments, the first carrier is used for transmitting and / or receiving, and the second carrier is not used for receiving; or, the second carrier is used for receiving, and the first carrier is not used for transmitting and / or receiving.

[0201] In some embodiments, determining the activation delay of the secondary cell based on the second information includes:

[0202] If the terminal does not switch from the first antenna to the second antenna when the secondary cell is activated, the delay time for activating the secondary cell includes the antenna switching time.

[0203] In some embodiments, determining the activation delay of the secondary cell based on the second information includes:

[0204] The first carrier and the second carrier are co-located, and the delay time for determining the activation of the secondary cell does not include the synchronization time.

[0205] In some embodiments, the radio frequency warm-up duration is determined based on a first capability of the terminal, the first capability being used to indicate whether the terminal supports sharing radio frequency components on the first carrier and the second carrier.

[0206] In some embodiments, the processing time of the first information is determined based on the switching mode between the first carrier and the second carrier, and the switching mode includes at least one of the following: dynamic switching mode and semi-static switching mode.

[0207] In some embodiments, the first processing time is less than the second processing time, the first processing time is the processing time of the first information when the switching mode is the semi-static switching mode, and the second processing time is the processing time of the first information when the switching mode is the dynamic switching mode.

[0208] In some embodiments, the first carrier is a frequency division duplex (FDD) carrier, and the second carrier is a supplementary downlink (SDL) carrier.

[0209] In some embodiments, both the first carrier and the second carrier are low-frequency carriers.

[0210] In some embodiments, this disclosure pertains to the FDD-SDL band in semi-static switching mode:

[0211] Case 1: Transmission / reception is performed on FDD carrier 1, and reception is not performed on SDL carrier 2.

[0212] Case 2: Receive on SDL carrier 2, and do not transmit / receive on FDD carrier 1.

[0213] In some embodiments, this disclosure focuses on co-location scenarios with only a single TAG and SCS aligned to 15 kHz.

[0214] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2B, an example of a frequency band combination is: n5 frequency band + SDL n29 frequency band.

[0215] In some embodiments, corresponding requirements are specified due to a switch from Case 1 to Case 2 or vice versa, during which transmission / reception will not occur simultaneously between PCell and SCell. As shown in Figure 2C, the switch is from Case 1 to Case 2, and then back to Case 1.

[0216] In some embodiments, regarding SDL secondary cell activation, the traditional secondary cell activation procedure differs from the LB-CA activation procedure in the following ways:

[0217] If antenna switching occurs before SCell activation, the antenna switching time needs to be added to the total SCell activation delay;

[0218] Since the network is deployed in a co-located manner, the time required for frequency and timing tracking can be omitted;

[0219] If the switching mode is a semi-persistent configuration and indicated by DCI, MAC CE processing time can be reduced;

[0220] The radio frequency warm-up time can be further reduced.

[0221] In some embodiments, when a SCell is active, this disclosure is applicable to UEs that have configured at least one downlink SCell in the LB-CA.

[0222] In some embodiments, the delay at which a UE can activate an inactive SCell depends on specified conditions.

[0223] In some embodiments, upon receiving the SCell activation command for time slot n, if the antenna switching occurs before activation is complete, the UE should be able to [operate] no later than [the specified time]. Within the time slot, transmit a valid CSI report for the active SCell and perform operations related to the activation command.

[0224] Wherein: T HARQ It is the time between downlink data transmission and acknowledgment, in milliseconds, T. activation_time This is the SCell activation delay, in milliseconds (T). activation_time Through the following formula T annte_swtiching +T MAC +T RF Calculated.

[0225] Among them, T annte_swtiching In LB-CA scenario, T is the time required for the UE to switch antennas between downlink / uplink and SDL. MAC This is the processing time of MAC CE, T RF This is the UE's radio frequency warm-up time. If the UE supports LB-CA radio frequency component sharing, T RF It can be less than 0.5 milliseconds.

[0226] In some embodiments, under the LB-CA scenario, the UE's activation behavior for an inactive SCell includes:

[0227] Case 1: Transmission / reception is performed on FDD carrier 1, and reception is not performed on SDL carrier 2.

[0228] Case 2: Receive on SDL carrier 2, and do not transmit / receive on FDD carrier 1.

[0229] In some embodiments, if one of the carriers has not been activated before the antenna switching, the antenna switching delay can be included in the total SCell activation time.

[0230] In some embodiments, if the carriers are co-located and the network deployment is synchronized, the synchronization time at SCell activation can be omitted.

[0231] In some embodiments, the radio frequency warm-up time can be shortened based on the UE's capabilities (e.g., sharing radio frequency components under LB-CA).

[0232] In some embodiments of this disclosure, a communication system is provided, which may include a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal may execute the communication method executed by the terminal in the foregoing embodiments of this disclosure; and the network device may execute the communication method executed by the network device in the foregoing embodiments of this disclosure.

[0233] This disclosure also provides an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. Alternatively, another apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network functional node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0234] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), and the functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), which can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0235] In this embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a Digital Signal Processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be hardware circuits designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as ASICs, such as Neural Network Processing Units (NPUs), Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), and Deep Learning Processing Units (DPUs).

[0236] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 4A, the terminal 101 may include at least one of a transceiver module 4101, a processing module 4102, etc. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 4101 is configured to receive first information sent by a network device, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to activate a secondary cell; the processing module 4102 is configured to determine the activation delay duration of the secondary cell based on second information, the second information including at least one of the following: antenna switching duration, synchronization duration, radio frequency warm-up duration, and processing duration of the first information, wherein the antenna switching duration is the duration for the terminal to switch from a first antenna to a second antenna, the first antenna being used for the terminal to transmit on a first carrier of the primary cell, and the second antenna being used for the terminal to transmit on a second carrier of the secondary cell. Optionally, the transceiver module 4101 may be used to perform at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps S2101, S3101, but not limited thereto) performed by the terminal 101 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here. Optionally, the processing module 4102 can be used to execute at least one of the other steps (such as step S2102, step S3102, but not limited thereto) executed by the terminal 101 in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0237] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with a transceiver.

[0238] In some embodiments, the processing module may be a single module or may include multiple sub-modules. Optionally, the multiple sub-modules may each perform all or part of the steps required by the processing module. Optionally, the processing module may be interchangeable with a processor.

[0239] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 4B, the network device 102 may include at least one of a transceiver module 4201, a processing module 4202, etc. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 4201 is configured to send first information to a terminal, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to activate a secondary cell; wherein the activation delay of the secondary cell is determined according to second information, the second information including at least one of the following: antenna switching duration, synchronization duration, radio frequency warm-up duration, and processing duration of the first information, wherein the antenna switching duration is the duration for the terminal to switch from the first antenna to the second antenna, the first antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the first carrier of the primary cell, and the second antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the second carrier of the secondary cell. Optionally, the transceiver module 4201 may be used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the network device 102 in any of the above methods (e.g., steps S2101, steps S3101, but not limited thereto), which will not be elaborated here. Optionally, the processing module 4202 can be used to perform at least one of the other steps performed by the network device 102 in any of the above methods, which will not be described in detail here.

[0240] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with a transceiver.

[0241] In some embodiments, the processing module may be a single module or may include multiple sub-modules. Optionally, the multiple sub-modules may each perform all or part of the steps required by the processing module. Optionally, the processing module may be interchangeable with a processor.

[0242] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 5100 proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device 5100 can be a network device (e.g., access network device, core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., user equipment, etc.), a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the first device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 5100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0243] As shown in Figure 5A, the communication device 5100 includes one or more processors 5101. The processor 5101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, IoT devices, IoT device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. The communication device 5100 is used to execute any of the above methods.

[0244] In some embodiments, the communication device 5100 further includes one or more memories 5102 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 5102 may also be located outside the communication device 5100.

[0245] In some embodiments, the communication device 5100 further includes one or more transceivers 5103. When the communication device 5100 includes one or more transceivers 5103, the transceivers 5103 perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (e.g., steps S2101, S3101, but not limited thereto), and the processor 5101 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., steps S2102, S3102, but not limited thereto).

[0246] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, transmitting circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0247] In some embodiments, the communication device 5100 may include one or more interface circuits. Optionally, the interface circuit is connected to the memory 5102, and the interface circuit can be used to receive signals from the memory 5102 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 5102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit can read instructions stored in the memory 5102 and send the instructions to the processor 5101.

[0248] The communication device 5100 described in the above embodiments may be a first device or an Internet of Things (IoT) device, but the scope of the communication device 5100 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 5100 may not be limited by FIG. 5A. The communication device may be a standalone device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the IC collection may also include storage components for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, IoT device, smart IoT device, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, first device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0249] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the structure of chip 5200 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For cases where the communication device 5100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of chip 5200 shown in Figure 5B, but it is not limited thereto.

[0250] Chip 5200 includes one or more processors 5201, which are used to perform any of the above methods.

[0251] In some embodiments, chip 5200 further includes one or more interface circuits 5203. Optionally, the interface circuit 5203 is connected to memory 5202, and the interface circuit 5203 can be used to receive signals from memory 5202 or other devices, and the interface circuit 5203 can be used to send signals to memory 5202 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 5203 can read instructions stored in memory 5202 and send the instructions to processor 5201.

[0252] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 5203 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (e.g., steps S2101, S3101, but not limited thereto), and the processor 5201 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., steps S2102, S3102, but not limited thereto).

[0253] In some embodiments, the terms interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, transceiver, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0254] In some embodiments, chip 5200 further includes one or more memories 5202 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 5202 may be located outside of chip 5200.

[0255] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on the communication device 5100, cause the communication device 5100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0256] This disclosure also provides a program product that, when executed by the communication device 5100, causes the communication device 5100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product may be a computer program product.

[0257] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method, executed by a terminal, includes: The terminal receives first information sent by a network device, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to activate a secondary cell. The activation delay of the secondary cell is determined based on the second information, which includes at least one of the following: antenna switching time, synchronization time, radio frequency warm-up time, and processing time of the first information. The antenna switching time is the time it takes for the terminal to switch from the first antenna to the second antenna. The first antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the first carrier of the primary cell, and the second antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the second carrier of the secondary cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first carrier is used for transmitting and / or receiving, and the second carrier is not used for receiving; or, The second carrier is used for receiving, and the first carrier is not used for transmitting and / or receiving.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The step of determining the activation delay of the secondary cell based on the second information includes: If the terminal does not switch from the first antenna to the second antenna when the secondary cell is activated, the delay time for activating the secondary cell includes the antenna switching time.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The step of determining the activation delay of the secondary cell based on the second information includes: The first carrier and the second carrier are co-located, and the delay time for determining the activation of the secondary cell does not include the synchronization time.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The radio frequency warm-up time is determined based on a first capability of the terminal, which indicates whether the terminal supports sharing radio frequency components on the first carrier and the second carrier.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The processing time of the first information is determined based on the switching mode between the first carrier and the second carrier, and the switching mode includes at least one of the following: dynamic switching mode and semi-static switching mode.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first processing time is less than the second processing time. The first processing time is the processing time of the first information when the switching mode is the semi-static switching mode, and the second processing time is the processing time of the first information when the switching mode is the dynamic switching mode.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The first carrier is a frequency division duplex (FDD) carrier, and the second carrier is a supplementary downlink (SDL) carrier.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Both the first carrier and the second carrier are low-frequency carriers.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, Performed by a network device, the method includes: Send first information to the terminal, the first information being used to instruct the terminal to activate the secondary cell; The activation delay of the secondary cell is determined based on the second information, which includes at least one of the following: antenna switching time, synchronization time, radio frequency warm-up time, and processing time of the first information. The antenna switching time is the time it takes for the terminal to switch from the first antenna to the second antenna. The first antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the first carrier of the primary cell, and the second antenna is used for the terminal to transmit on the second carrier of the secondary cell.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first carrier is used for transmitting and / or receiving, and the second carrier is not used for receiving; or, The second carrier is used for receiving, and the first carrier is not used for transmitting and / or receiving.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, When the secondary cell is activated, the terminal does not switch from the first antenna to the second antenna, and the activation delay of the secondary cell includes the antenna switching time.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10-12, characterized in that, The first carrier and the second carrier are co-located, and the activation delay of the secondary cell does not include the synchronization duration.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10-13, characterized in that, The radio frequency warm-up time is determined based on a first capability of the terminal, which indicates whether the terminal supports sharing radio frequency components on the first carrier and the second carrier.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10-14, characterized in that, The processing time of the first information is determined based on the switching mode between the first carrier and the second carrier, and the switching mode includes at least one of the following: dynamic switching mode and semi-static switching mode.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first processing time is less than the second processing time. The first processing time is the processing time of the first information when the switching mode is the semi-static switching mode, and the second processing time is the processing time of the first information when the switching mode is the dynamic switching mode.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10-16, characterized in that, The first carrier is a frequency division duplex (FDD) carrier, and the second carrier is a supplementary downlink (SDL) carrier.

18. The method according to any one of claims 10-17, characterized in that, Both the first carrier and the second carrier are low-frequency carriers.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is used to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1-9 and 10-18.

20. A communication system, characterized in that, The device includes a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the communication method of any one of claims 1-9, and the network device is configured to implement the communication method of any one of claims 10-18.

21. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed on the communication device, the communication device performs the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-9 and 10-18.

22. A program product comprising at least one of a program and instructions, characterized in that, When at least one of the programs or instructions is executed by the communication device, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1-9 and 10-18.

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