Communication method and device

Abstract

A communication method and device, which can be applied to scenarios such as dual connectivity or carrier aggregation. In the method, a first UE accesses a first cell and a second cell, a first resource on a first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or a second resource on a first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource. In this case, first information may be exchanged between a first access network device and a second access network device, wherein the first information indicates a transmission direction when the first time unit in the first cell and / or the second cell transmits a signal of a first terminal device. Accordingly, the transmission direction that can be used when the first time unit transmits the signal of the first terminal device is predetermined, and therefore the signal of the first terminal device does not need to be scheduled in the direction opposite to the predetermined transmission direction, so as to solve the problem of uplink-downlink transmission conflict, thereby improving communication performance.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510390071.5, filed on March 28, 2025, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0004] Currently, in dual connectivity (DC) scenarios, a terminal device can simultaneously access two access network devices, one of which is the master node (MN) and the other is the secondary node (SN). Current terminal devices typically only support half-duplex mode, meaning they can only receive or transmit signals in a single time slot. This implies that in the same time slot, the terminal device can simultaneously receive signals from both access network devices or simultaneously transmit signals to both, but it does not support simultaneously receiving signals from one access network device and transmitting signals to the other.

[0005] In some scenarios, uplink and downlink transmission conflicts may occur. For example, in a DC scenario, if the MN or SN supports subband full-duplex (SBFD) resources, then in a single time slot, the MN or SN can simultaneously receive and transmit signals. This can lead to a situation where, in a single time slot, one access network device on the MN or SN is sending downlink signals to the terminal device, while another access network device is scheduling the terminal device to send uplink signals. This could result in the terminal device failing to successfully send uplink signals or failing to receive downlink signals. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus to reduce the probability of conflicts between uplink and downlink transmissions in a DC scenario.

[0007] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to the network side, such as a network-side communication device, also referred to as a network-side device or network device. The network device can be a network equipment, or other equipment including network equipment functions, or a module (e.g., circuit, chip, or chip system) within the network equipment, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network equipment functions, or a circuit or chip (e.g., GPU, AI processor, NPU, or ASIC) within the network equipment responsible for communication and / or computing functions. The network equipment can be a non-open radio access network (RAN) (open RAN, ORAN) system architecture or an ORAN architecture; or, the network equipment can be a centralized unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), or radio unit (RU) under an ORAN architecture. The network equipment may be located on the ground, or it may be a non-ground device such as a satellite or an aircraft, or located on a non-ground device such as a satellite or an aircraft. For example, the network equipment can be an access network device, and the communication device implementing the functions of the access network device can be referred to as an access network device. Taking the application of this method to a first access network device as an example, the method includes: sending first information, the first information indicating the transmission direction when transmitting signals of the first terminal device in a first time unit in a first cell and / or a second cell. Wherein, the first resource on the first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or, the second resource on the first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource. The first cell is a cell of the first access network device, and the second cell is a cell of the second access network device. The first access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the second access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device; or, the second access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the first access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device.

[0008] This can be understood as follows: by indicating the transmission direction of the first terminal device's signal when the first time unit in the first cell and / or the second cell transmits the signal, the first access network device can avoid scheduling the first terminal device's signal in the opposite direction, thereby resolving the potential conflict between uplink and downlink transmissions and improving communication performance. For example, if the first information indicates that the first time unit in the second cell transmits the first terminal device's signal in the downlink direction, then for the first access network device, since the first time unit in the second cell may be used for downlink transmission, uplink transmission will not be performed on that first time unit in the first cell, thus reducing the probability of uplink and downlink transmission conflicts.

[0009] The aforementioned terminal device can be applied to a terminal device or a component of a terminal device (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system). For example, the terminal device can be a terminal device, or a component of a terminal device (e.g., a module, a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (e.g., a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core), or a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of a terminal device.

[0010] In this embodiment of the application, for the access network device, the uplink direction can be used to receive signals from the first terminal device, and the downlink direction can be used to send signals to the first terminal device.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a signal from a first resource to a first terminal device, wherein the transmission direction indicated by the first information is a downlink direction, or the transmission direction indicated by the first information does not include an uplink direction. Alternatively, the first resource receives a signal from the first terminal device, wherein the transmission direction indicated by the first information is an uplink direction, or the transmission direction indicated by the first information does not include a downlink direction. This can be understood as the transmission direction indicated by the first information being a permissible transmission direction, and the first access network device only performing signal transmission of the first terminal device in the permissible transmission direction to reduce the probability of uplink and downlink transmission conflicts.

[0012] In one possible implementation, if both the first and second resources are SBFD resources, then the first information can indicate one or more of the following: the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource includes both uplink and downlink directions; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource is downlink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include downlink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource is uplink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include uplink; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both uplink; neither the first nor the second resource includes uplink; both the first and second resources include downlink; or, neither the first nor the second resource includes downlink. Based on this implementation, when both the first and second resources are SBFD resources, the transmission direction on the first time unit can be specified as a specific transmission direction by indicating one or more combinations of the above information in the first information. Therefore, the first access network device can avoid scheduling the signal of the first terminal device in the opposite direction to the specific transmission direction, thus resolving the problem of conflict between uplink and downlink transmissions.

[0013] In one possible implementation, if the first resource is an SBFD resource and the second resource is a non-SBFD resource, then the first information may indicate one or more of the following: the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource includes an uplink direction and a downlink direction, the downlink direction is used to send signals to the first terminal device, and the uplink direction is used to receive signals from the first terminal device; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include the downlink direction; the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource does not include the uplink direction; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both uplink directions; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include the uplink direction; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both downlink directions; or, the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include the downlink direction. Based on this implementation, when the first resource is an SBFD resource and the second resource is a non-SBFD resource, the transmission direction on the first time unit can be specified as a specific transmission direction by indicating one or more combinations of the above information in the first information. This prevents the scheduling of signals from the first terminal device in the opposite direction to the specific transmission direction, thus resolving the problem of conflict between uplink and downlink transmissions.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the method further includes receiving second information, the second information indicating whether the first terminal device supports simultaneously receiving and transmitting signals within a time unit. Based on this implementation, the first access network device can determine whether the first terminal device supports SBFD resource capabilities. If not, it needs to suppress uplink and downlink transmission conflicts to reduce the probability of uplink and downlink transmission conflicts.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the first information can be carried in multiple messages. In one implementation, the first information may be included in an SN addition request message or an SN reconfiguration complete message, or in an SN modification request message or an SN modification confirm message. For example, when the first access network device is a master node, the first information can be sent to the second access network device via these messages. In another implementation, the first information may be included in an SN addition request acknowledge message, or in an SN modification request acknowledge message. For example, when the first access network device is a secondary node, the first information can be sent to the second access network device via these messages. This implementation provides multiple ways to transmit the first information, offering greater flexibility.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving third information, which indicates the transmission direction of a frequency unit in at least one time unit within the second cell. If the third information is the same as the fourth information, a first message is sent. The fourth information indicates the transmission direction of a frequency unit in at least one time unit within the first cell. The first message requests that the second cell be added as a secondary cell for the first terminal device, or in other words, requests that the second access network device be added as a secondary node for the first terminal device. For example, if the first access network device is the primary node, it can request to add the second access network device as a secondary node only after confirming that the resource configuration of the second cell is the same as that of the primary cell. This ensures that the resource configurations of the first cell and the second cell serving the first terminal device are consistent, simplifying the network-side configuration and management process. Furthermore, the first terminal device does not need to perform additional adaptation or switching for different resource configurations, reducing implementation complexity. Alternatively, the first message can confirm a secondary cell for the first terminal device, or in other words, confirm a secondary node for the first terminal device. For example, when the first access network device is a secondary node, it can be confirmed as a secondary node for the first terminal device only if the resource configuration of the second cell is the same as that of the first cell. In this way, the resource configuration of the first cell and the second cell serving the first terminal device is consistent, which helps to simplify the configuration and management process on the network side. Furthermore, the first terminal device does not need to perform additional adaptation or switching for different resource configurations, which reduces the complexity of implementation.

[0017] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network side, such as a network device. For an introduction to the network device, please refer to the description in the first aspect. Taking the application of this method to a second access network device as an example, the method includes: receiving first information, the first information indicating the transmission direction of a first time unit when transmitting a signal related to a first terminal device. Wherein, a first resource on the first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or, a second resource on the first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource. The first cell is a cell of the first access network device, and the second cell is a cell of the second access network device. The first access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the second access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device; or, the second access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the first access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device.

[0018] In this application, the downlink direction is used for the second access network device to send signals to the first terminal device, and the uplink direction is used for the second access network device to receive signals from the first terminal device.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: transmitting a signal from a second resource to a first terminal device. The transmission direction is downlink, or the transmission direction does not include uplink. Alternatively, the second resource receives a signal from the first terminal device. The transmission direction is uplink, or the transmission direction does not include downlink.

[0020] In one possible implementation, when both the first resource and the second resource are SBFD resources, the first information may indicate one or more of the following: the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource includes both uplink and downlink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource is downlink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include downlink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource is uplink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include uplink; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both uplink; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include uplink; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both downlink; or, the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include downlink.

[0021] In one possible implementation, when the first resource is an SBFD resource and the second resource is a non-SBFD resource, the first information may indicate one or more of the following: the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource includes both uplink and downlink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include downlink; the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource does not include uplink; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both uplink; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include uplink; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both downlink; or, the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include downlink.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the method further includes receiving second information, the second information being used to indicate whether the first terminal device supports simultaneously receiving and transmitting signals in a time unit.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the first information is included in the SN Add Request message or the SN Reconfiguration Complete message; or, the first information is included in the SN Modification Request message or the SN Modification Confirmation message; or, the first information is included in the SN Add Request Confirmation message; or, the first information is included in the SN Modification Request Confirmation message.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving third information, the third information indicating the transmission direction of a frequency unit in at least one time unit within the second cell. If the third information is the same as the fourth information, a first message is sent, the fourth information indicating the transmission direction of a frequency unit in at least one time unit within the first cell; wherein the first message requests that the second cell be added as a secondary cell for the first terminal device; or, the first message confirms its designation as a secondary cell for the first terminal device.

[0025] For the technical effects of the second aspect's implementation method, please refer to the introduction of the technical effects of the first aspect and its corresponding implementation method.

[0026] Thirdly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network side, such as a network device. For a description of the network device, please refer to the description in the first aspect. Taking the application of this method to a first access network device as an example, the method includes: sending first information, the first information indicating the transmission direction when transmitting a signal of a first terminal device in a first time unit in a first cell and / or a second cell. Wherein, the first resource on the first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or, the second resource on the first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource. The first cell is the primary cell (PCell) of the first terminal device, and the second cell is the secondary cell (SCell) of the first terminal device; or, the second cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the first cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device.

[0027] This can be understood as follows: Based on the first information, the transmission direction of the first terminal device's signal transmitted in the first time unit of the first cell and / or the second cell is predetermined. Therefore, the first access network device can avoid scheduling the first terminal device's signal in the opposite direction to this predetermined transmission direction, resolving the problem of uplink and downlink transmission conflicts and improving communication performance. For example, if the first information indicates that the first time unit of the second cell transmits the first terminal device's signal in the downlink direction, then for the first access network device, since the first time unit in the second cell may be used for downlink transmission, uplink transmission will not be performed on that first time unit in the first cell, thus reducing the probability of uplink and downlink transmission conflicts.

[0028] The first cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the second cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device. This can be understood as the first cell and the second cell being different cells corresponding to the same access network device. For example, the access network device provides a first cell and a second cell, with the first cell serving as the primary cell of the first terminal device and the second cell as the secondary cell. Another example is that the CU connects two DUs, namely DU1 and DU2. The first cell is the cell of DU1, where DU1 serves as the primary node of the first terminal device, and the second cell is the cell of DU2, where DU2 serves as the secondary node of the first terminal device.

[0029] In this application, the downlink direction is used for the first access network device to send signals to the first terminal device, and the uplink direction is used for the first access network device to receive signals from the first terminal device.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a signal from the first resource to the first terminal device, wherein the transmission direction is downlink, or the transmission direction does not include uplink. Alternatively, the first resource receives a signal from the first terminal device, wherein the transmission direction is uplink, or the transmission direction does not include downlink.

[0031] In one possible implementation, when both the first resource and the second resource are SBFD resources, the first information may indicate one or more of the following: the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource includes both uplink and downlink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource is downlink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include downlink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource is uplink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include uplink; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both uplink; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include uplink; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both downlink; or, the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include downlink.

[0032] In one possible implementation, when the first resource is an SBFD resource and the second resource is a non-SBFD resource, the first information may indicate one or more of the following: the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource includes an uplink direction and a downlink direction, the downlink direction is used to send signals to the first terminal device, and the uplink direction is used to receive signals from the first terminal device; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include the downlink direction; the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource does not include the uplink direction; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both uplink directions; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include the uplink direction; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both downlink directions; or, the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include the downlink direction.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the method further includes receiving second information, the second information being used to indicate whether the first terminal device supports simultaneously receiving and transmitting signals in a time unit.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the first information is included in the SN Add Request message or the SN Reconfiguration Complete message; or, the first information is included in the SN Modification Request message or the SN Modification Confirmation message; or, the first information is included in the SN Add Request Confirmation message; or, the first information is included in the SN Modification Request Confirmation message.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving third information, the third information indicating the transmission direction of a frequency unit in at least one time unit within the second cell. If the third information is the same as the fourth information, a first message is sent, the fourth information indicating the transmission direction of a frequency unit in at least one time unit within the first cell; wherein the first message requests that the second cell be added as a secondary cell for the first terminal device; or, the first message confirms its designation as a secondary cell for the first terminal device.

[0036] For the technical effects of the third aspect's implementation method, please refer to the introduction of the technical effects of the first aspect and its corresponding implementation method.

[0037] Fourthly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network side, such as a network device. For a description of the network device, please refer to the description in the first aspect. Taking the application of this method to a second access network device as an example, the method includes: receiving first information, the first information indicating the transmission direction when transmitting a signal of a first terminal device in a first time unit in a first cell and / or a second cell. Wherein, the first resource on the first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or, the second resource on the first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource; the first cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the second cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device; or, the second cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the first cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device.

[0038] In this application, the downlink direction is used for the first access network device to send signals to the first terminal device, and the uplink direction is used for the first access network device to receive signals from the first terminal device.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a signal from a second resource to a first terminal device, wherein the transmission direction is downlink, or the transmission direction does not include uplink. Alternatively, the second resource receives a signal from the first terminal device, wherein the transmission direction is uplink, or the transmission direction does not include downlink.

[0040] In one possible implementation, when both the first resource and the second resource are SBFD resources, the first information may indicate one or more of the following: the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource includes both uplink and downlink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource is downlink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include downlink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource is uplink; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include uplink; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both uplink; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include uplink; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both downlink; or, the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include downlink.

[0041] In one possible implementation, when the first resource is an SBFD resource and the second resource is a non-SBFD resource, the first information may indicate one or more of the following: the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource includes an uplink direction and a downlink direction, the downlink direction is used to send signals to the first terminal device, and the uplink direction is used to receive signals from the first terminal device; the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include the downlink direction; the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource does not include the uplink direction; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both uplink directions; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include the uplink direction; the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources are both downlink directions; or, the transmission directions corresponding to both the first and second resources do not include the downlink direction.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the method further includes receiving second information, the second information being used to indicate whether the first terminal device supports simultaneously receiving and transmitting signals in a time unit.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the first information is included in the SN Add Request message or the SN Reconfiguration Complete message; or, the first information is included in the SN Modification Request message or the SN Modification Confirmation message; or, the first information is included in the SN Add Request Confirmation message; or, the first information is included in the SN Modification Request Confirmation message.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving third information, the third information indicating the transmission direction of a frequency unit in at least one time unit within the second cell. If the third information is the same as the fourth information, a first message is sent, the fourth information indicating the transmission direction of a frequency unit in at least one time unit within the first cell; wherein the first message requests that the second cell be added as a secondary cell for the first terminal device; or, the first message confirms its designation as a secondary cell for the first terminal device.

[0045] For the technical effects of the implementation of the fourth aspect, please refer to the introduction of the technical effects of the first aspect, the third aspect and their corresponding implementations.

[0046] Fifthly, a communication device is provided. The communication device can be a first access network device as described in the first or third aspect above, and the communication device possesses the functions of the first access network device. For example, the communication device can implement the functions described in the first or third aspect above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to performing the operations involved in the first or third aspect above, and the modules, units, or means can be implemented by software, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Alternatively, the communication device can be a second access network device as described in the second or fourth aspect above, and the communication device possesses the functions of the second access network device. For example, the communication device can implement the functions described in the second or fourth aspect above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to performing the operations involved in the second or fourth aspect above, and the modules, units, or means can be implemented by software, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The communication device is, for example, an access network device, or other device including access network device functions, or a chip system (or chip or circuit) or other functional module capable of implementing the functions of the access network device, and the chip system or functional module is, for example, disposed within the access network device. In one optional implementation, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also called a transceiver module). The transceiver unit is capable of transmitting and receiving functions. When the transceiver unit performs the transmitting function, it can be called a transmitting unit (sometimes also called a transmitting module); when the transceiver unit performs the receiving function, it can be called a receiving unit (sometimes also called a receiving module). The transmitting unit and the receiving unit can be the same functional module, which is called the transceiver unit and can perform both transmitting and receiving functions; or, the transmitting unit and the receiving unit can be different functional modules, and the transceiver unit is a collective term for these functional modules.

[0047] In one optional implementation, the communication device is a first access network device, and the transceiver unit (or the transmitting unit) is used to transmit first information, which indicates the transmission direction when transmitting signals of the first terminal device in a first time unit in a first cell and / or a second cell. Wherein, the first resource on the first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or, the second resource on the first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource. The first cell is a cell of the first access network device, and the second cell is a cell of the second access network device. The first access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the second access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device; or, the second access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the first access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device.

[0048] In one optional implementation, the communication device is a second access network device, and the transceiver unit (or the receiving unit) is used to receive first information, which indicates the transmission direction of the first time unit when transmitting signals related to the first terminal device. Wherein, the first resource on the first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or, the second resource on the first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource. The first cell is a cell of the first access network device, and the second cell is a cell of the second access network device. The first access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the second access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device; or, the second access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the first access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device.

[0049] In one optional implementation, the communication device is a first access network device, and the transceiver unit (or the transmitting unit) is used to transmit first information, which indicates the transmission direction when transmitting signals of the first terminal device in a first time unit in a first cell and / or a second cell. Wherein, the first resource on the first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or, the second resource on the first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource. The first cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the second cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device; or, the second cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the first cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device.

[0050] In one optional implementation, the communication device is a second access network device, and the transceiver unit (or the receiving unit) is used to receive first information, which indicates the transmission direction when transmitting signals of the first terminal device in a first time unit in a first cell and / or a second cell. Wherein, the first resource on the first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or, the second resource on the first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource; the first cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the second cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device; or, the second cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the first cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device.

[0051] In an alternative embodiment, the communication device further includes a storage unit (sometimes also called a storage module), and the processing unit is configured to couple with the storage unit and execute programs or instructions in the storage unit to enable the communication device to perform the functions of the first access network device described in the first or third aspect above, or to enable the communication device to perform the functions of the second access network device described in the second or fourth aspect above.

[0052] A sixth aspect provides a communication device comprising a memory and one or more processors. The memory stores part or all of a computer program or instructions necessary for implementing the functions described in the first or third aspect. The one or more processors are executable to carry out the computer program or instructions, causing the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first or third aspect. Alternatively, the memory stores part or all of a computer program or instructions necessary for implementing the functions described in the second or fourth aspect. The one or more processors are executable to carry out the computer program or instructions, causing the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the second or fourth aspect.

[0053] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other communication devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0054] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0055] The aforementioned communication device may be an access network device, or a module (such as a circuit, chip, or chip system) in the access network device, or a circuit or chip (such as a GPU, AI processor, NPU, or ASIC) in the access network device that is responsible for communication and / or computing functions, or a logical node or logical module that can realize all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0056] A seventh aspect provides a communication system comprising a first access network device and a second access network device. Optionally, the communication system may further include a terminal device. The first access network device is used to perform the method described in the first or third aspect by the first access network device. The second access network device is used to perform the method described in the second or fourth aspect by the second access network device. For example, the first access network device can be implemented using the communication device described in the fifth or sixth aspect, such as the first access network device being (or including) the communication device described in the fifth or sixth aspect. For example, the second access network device can be implemented using the communication device described in the fifth or sixth aspect, such as the second access network device being (or including) the communication device described in the fifth or sixth aspect.

[0057] In some scenarios, the first access network device and the second access network device can be different devices; for example, the first cell and the second cell are provided by different access network devices. In this scenario, the first access network device is used to transmit first information. The second access network device is used to receive the first information. The first information indicates the transmission direction when transmitting the signal of the first terminal device in the first time unit of the first cell and / or the second cell. Wherein, the first resource on the first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or, the second resource on the first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource. The first cell is the cell of the first access network device, and the second cell is the cell of the second access network device. The first access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the second access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device; or, the second access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the first access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device.

[0058] In other scenarios, the first access network device and the second access network device can be different units of the same device. For example, the first cell and the second cell are provided by the same access network device, but the first cell and the second cell are different cells within the cells provided by that access network device. For instance, the first access network device can be one DU (Dedicated Unit) of that access network device, and the second access network device can be another DU of that access network device. In this scenario, the first access network device is used to transmit first information. The second access network device is used to receive the first information. The first information indicates the transmission direction when transmitting signals of the first terminal device in the first cell and / or the first time unit in the second cell. Wherein, the first resource on the first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD (Single-Time Function Deployment) resource, and / or, the second resource on the first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource. The first cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the second cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device; or, the second cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the first cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device.

[0059] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method performed by the first access network device or the second access network device in the preceding aspects to be implemented.

[0060] Ninthly, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, causes the methods described in the above aspects to be implemented.

[0061] In a tenth aspect, a chip system is provided, including a processor and an interface, the processor being configured to call and execute instructions from the interface to enable the chip system to implement the methods described above.

[0062] Regarding the technical effects of the implementation methods in aspects five through ten, please refer to the description of the technical effects of any one of aspects one through four and their corresponding implementation methods. Attached Figure Description

[0063] Figures 1A to 1C are example diagrams of resource allocation methods in related technologies;

[0064] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of one SN addition process;

[0065] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of two typical protocol stacks provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0067] Figure 5 is a diagram showing the network element function division and protocol layer structure of the O-RAN equipment provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0068] Figure 6 is an example diagram of an ORAN system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figures 7A to 7C are schematic diagrams of scenarios provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0070] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figures 9A to 9C illustrate examples of conflict situations provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0072] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figures 11A and 11B are some other flowcharts of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0074] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0076] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0077] The following explanations of some terms or concepts used in the embodiments of this application are provided to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0078] (1) Time Division Duplexing (TDD) and SBFD

[0079] TDD is a wireless communication duplexing technology that uses time division to achieve uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) transmission on the same frequency band. It's important to understand that uplink and downlink are relative; if the transmission from the network device to the terminal device is uplink, then the transmission from the terminal device to the network device is downlink, and vice versa (this is used as an example in this paper). Figure 1A shows an example of a TDD configuration. The horizontal direction represents the time domain, and the vertical direction represents the frequency domain. The dashed section represents a set of time-frequency resources used for downlink data or control information transmission, referred to as downlink resources, and the time domain range occupied by these resources is called the downlink time slot (DL slot). The rhombus-shaped section represents a set of time-frequency resources used for uplink data or control information transmission, referred to as uplink resources, and the time domain range occupied by these resources is called the uplink time slot (UL slot). As can be seen, in this configuration, DL typically occupies most of the time resources, resulting in poor UL coverage and high UL transmission latency, which cannot meet the requirements of low-latency services.

[0080] The SBFD mechanism was proposed for time division duplexing (TDD) to reduce UL latency and improve UL coverage. To improve uplink coverage performance and reduce uplink transmission latency, SBFD or single-frequency full-duplex (SFFD) technologies have been proposed. In this application, SBFD can be replaced with SFFD.

[0081] In an SBFD system, a component carrier (CC) is divided into multiple non-overlapping subbands. The transmission directions of different subbands can be the same or different.

[0082] For ease of understanding, please refer to Figure 1B, which shows example diagrams of two typical SBFD configurations, namely (a) and (b) in Figure 1B. In Figure 1B, DL represents downlink resources, UL represents uplink resources, and the time period containing both DL and UL can be called an SBFD time slot or symbol. The time period containing only uplink resources is called an uplink time slot or uplink symbol, and the time period containing only downlink resources is called a downlink time slot or downlink symbol. As can be seen from Figure 1B, uplink and downlink transmissions use different frequency domain resources (subbands). Thus, within the same time unit of SBFD, both uplink and downlink frequency domain resources exist. Terminal devices and network devices can transmit uplink data through the frequency domain resources corresponding to UL in this time unit, and simultaneously transmit downlink data through the frequency domain resources corresponding to DL in the same time unit, thereby achieving flexible scheduling of communication.

[0083] In SFFD, uplink and downlink transmissions can be performed simultaneously on the same time-frequency resource. For example, within a single time unit, the entire CC can be used for both transmission and reception. For clarity, please refer to Figure 1C, which illustrates one possible SFFD configuration. In Figure 1C, DL represents downlink resources, and UL represents uplink resources. As can be seen from Figure 1C, uplink and downlink transmissions can be performed simultaneously on the same time-frequency resource, thus enhancing uplink coverage performance and reducing uplink latency.

[0084] Currently, a common approach is to use a full-duplex subband scheme on the network device side and a half-duplex scheme on the terminal device side. Network device-side full-duplex means that in a TDD system, the network device uses different subbands for uplink and downlink to achieve both receiving and transmitting on a single symbol. This allows the network device to simultaneously transmit and receive signals on the same time domain resources, thereby enhancing uplink coverage and reducing uplink latency. Terminal device-side half-duplex means that in a TDD system, the terminal device can only receive or transmit on a single symbol, not simultaneously. This scheme increases the available uplink transmission resources for the terminal device, effectively improving UL coverage and reducing UL latency.

[0085] (2) DC

[0086] DC (Distributed Control) is a technology that allows a terminal device to simultaneously utilize resources provided by different access network devices. Specifically, DC refers to a terminal device simultaneously accessing two access network devices. One access network device is the master node (MN), and the other is the secondary node (SN). The one or more cells provided by the MN to the terminal device are called the master cell group (MCG), and the one or more cells provided by the SN to the terminal device are called the secondary cell group (SCG). Here, the MCG can be understood as a group of cells associated with the MN, and the SCG can be understood as a group of cells associated with the SN. For example, the MCG may include master cells, and optionally, the MCG may also include one or more secondary cells; the SCG may include primary secondary cells (PSCells), and optionally, the SCG may also include one or more SCells. Here, the PCell can be understood as the master cell of the MCG, the PSCell as the master cell of the SCG, and the SCell as the secondary cell of the MCG or SCG. Optionally, MN can be an access network device connected to the control plane and the core network, or MN can be an access network device carrying the control plane connection; SN can be an access network device not connected to the control plane and the core network, or SN can be an access network device other than MN among the two access network devices. SN can provide additional auxiliary radio resources for the terminal.

[0087] For example, a DC can be a new radio-dual connectivity (NR-DC), which refers to a 5G communication system where a terminal device can simultaneously connect to two different access network devices, such as a gNB. In this configuration, the core network typically uses a 5G core network (5GC), and the primary and secondary nodes can communicate with each other via the Xn interface. Furthermore, NR-DC can also be applied to situations where a single gNB acts as both a primary and secondary node, and multiple MCGs and SCGs can be configured on this basis. Alternatively, a DC can also be used in other dual connectivity scenarios, such as Intra-E-UTRA dual connectivity within the evolved-universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) standard, or multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) scenarios.

[0088] Please refer to Figure 2, which shows a schematic diagram of an SN addition procedure, which includes the following steps:

[0089] S201: The MN sends an SN addition request message, which is received by the SN. The SN addition request message may contain information related to user plane resource configuration, protocol data unit (PDU) session-level network slice information, and the configuration information of the requested SCG. Optionally, if it is necessary to update the security key in the SN, the SN addition request message may also include the new SN security key.

[0090] S202: The SN sends an SN addition request acknowledge message, and the MN receives the SN addition acknowledge message. Optionally, the SN addition acknowledge message may include configuration information of the new SCG's radio bearer (ratio bearer) or data forwarding address information, such as an Xn-U address indication. Xn-U is the user plane interface used between the two base stations for transmitting user plane data. Optionally, if the MN requests activation or deactivation of the SCG, the SN may indicate whether the SCG is activated or deactivated in the SN addition acknowledge message.

[0091] S203: Optionally, the MN sends data forwarding address information, and the SN receives this data forwarding address information. For example, this data forwarding address information is the MN's Xn-U address indication. Optionally, for SN-terminated bearers using MCG resources, the MN provides Xn-U downlink transport network layer (Xn-U DL TNL) address information to ensure that data can be correctly transmitted through the Xn interface.

[0092] S204: The MN initiates the RRC reconfiguration process, that is, the MN sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device. This RRC reconfiguration message may include the SN's RRC reconfiguration message, used to notify the SN of its RRC configuration information.

[0093] S205: The terminal device applies the new configuration and sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the MN.

[0094] Optionally, if the terminal device is unable to complete the configuration in the (partial) RRC reconfiguration message, the terminal device executes the reconfiguration failure procedure.

[0095] S206: Optional, MN indicates to SN that SN reconfiguration is complete.

[0096] S207: Optional, the SN's RRC configuration information may include a random access channel (RACH) configuration. In this case, the terminal device will execute a random access procedure on the SN's cell. After the random access procedure is completed, the terminal device establishes uplink synchronization with the SN and can start uplink data transmission.

[0097] (3) Carrier aggregation (CA). Carrier aggregation refers to providing communication services to terminal devices through multiple component carriers (CCs) to increase data transmission bandwidth. Multiple carriers can provide services to terminal devices simultaneously. By aggregating multiple component carriers (CCs), communication bandwidth can be improved and peak data rates can be increased. Component carriers can also be simply referred to as carriers. Each carrier can have at least one serving cell component carrier working for the terminal device. In carrier aggregation technology, there is usually one carrier as the primary cell (PCell), and other serving cells as secondary cells (Scells). Secondary cells can be activated or deactivated during use. For example, if there is no data transmission for a period of time, the network can deactivate the secondary cell, and then reactivate it when data is sent again.

[0098] (4) In the embodiments of this application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, refers to "singular nouns or plural nouns", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b or c means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0099] (5) In the embodiments of this application, "when," "if," and "if" all refer to the device making a corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require the device to perform a judgment action, nor do they imply any other limitations. Unless otherwise specified, "if" and "if" can be substituted, and "when" and "in the case of" can be substituted. "When" and "if" / "if" can be substituted.

[0100] (6) In the embodiments of this application, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority, or importance of multiple objects. Furthermore, the numbering of steps in the various embodiments described in this application is only to distinguish different steps and is not used to limit the order of steps. In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplarily" and "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being better or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the term "example" is intended to present a concept in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, "of," "corresponding (relevant)," and "corresponding" can sometimes be used interchangeably; it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent when their differences are not emphasized.

[0101] (7) In the embodiments of this application, "storage" or "preservation" may refer to storage in one or more memories. The one or more memories may be separately configured or integrated into an encoder or decoder, processor, or communication device. Alternatively, some of the memories may be separately configured, while others may be integrated into a decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and this is not limited.

[0102] (8) In the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission by other units or modules via the air interface. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the sender of the information being YY, which may include direct reception from YY via the air interface or indirect reception from YY via other units or modules via the air interface. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can be performed between devices, such as between access network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0103] (9) In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" may include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing a certain instruction information for the purpose of instructing A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly instructs A, or indirectly instructs A.

[0104] In this embodiment, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementations, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be instructed. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent. Furthermore, the information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information units, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information units can be the same or different.

[0105] (10) In this application, “predefined” may mean a standard protocol predefined, or it may mean that the devices have agreed or negotiated in advance. Here, “protocol” may refer to standard protocols in the field of communications, such as 4th generation (4G) network protocols, 5th generation (5G) network protocols, new radio (NR) protocols, 5.5G network protocols, and related protocols applied in future communication networks. This application does not limit this.

[0106] The terms and concepts involved in the embodiments of this application have been introduced above. The technical features involved in the embodiments of this application are described below.

[0107] With the rapid development of 5G New Radio (NR), a variety of communication needs have emerged. For example, emerging services such as virtual reality (VR) and Industry 4.0 require support for low latency and high uplink capacity. However, as mentioned above, current TDD systems have poor UL coverage and high uplink transmission latency, thus failing to meet the needs of emerging services such as VR and Industry 4.0.

[0108] To improve UL coverage performance and reduce uplink transmission latency, resource configuration methods such as SBFD and SFFD have been introduced. For ease of description, the following mainly uses SBFD as an example. However, currently, a common approach is to use full-duplex subband on the network device side and half-duplex on the terminal device side, meaning that the terminal device can only receive or transmit on a single symbol, not simultaneously. When only one access network device is connected, the access network device can decide whether the terminal device should receive or transmit within a single time unit.

[0109] However, in a DC (Data Center) scenario, a terminal device can simultaneously access two access network devices, and resource scheduling conflicts may arise between these two devices. For example, one access network device might send a signal to the terminal device in one time unit, while another access network device schedules the terminal device to perform uplink transmission in the same time unit. Conflicts within a time unit can include intra-band conflicts and inter-band conflicts. For instance, an intra-band conflict might involve one access network device scheduling uplink transmission in one sub-band of a time unit, while another access network device performs downlink transmission in the same sub-band of the same time unit. Similarly, an inter-band conflict might involve one access network device scheduling uplink transmission in one sub-band of a time unit, while another access network device performs downlink transmission in a different sub-band of the same time unit.

[0110] A conflict occurs between the uplink and downlink transmissions of a terminal device (link direction conflict), causing the terminal device to either fail to send uplink signals or fail to receive downlink signals, thus reducing communication performance. Therefore, resolving this conflict is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0111] Based on this, in the technical solution provided by the embodiments of this application, the transmission direction of the first terminal device's signal transmitted by the first time unit in the first cell and / or the second cell is indicated by the first information. Since the transmission direction that the first time unit can execute is predetermined, the signal of the first terminal device will not be scheduled in the opposite direction to the predetermined transmission direction, thereby solving the problem of uplink and downlink transmission conflicts and improving communication performance. For example, if the first information indicates that the transmission direction of the first time unit in the second cell is downlink, the first time unit in the second cell may be used for downlink transmission. Therefore, uplink transmission will not be performed on the first time unit in the first cell, reducing the probability of uplink and downlink transmission conflicts.

[0112] The communication method provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems. For example, it can be applied to fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, and also to fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems, such as 5G New Radio (NR) systems, or to various communication systems evolving after 5G, such as future communication systems. The method provided in this application can also be applied to Bluetooth systems, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Long Range Radio (LoRa) systems, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems. The method provided in this application can be applied to terrestrial networks (TN), non-terrestrial networks (NTN), or converged communication systems of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. NTN can refer to a network device located at a high altitude relative to the user equipment (UE). NTN can be an NTN integrated with 4G, 5G, and any future generation of communication systems, such as NR NTN, IoT NTN, etc. NTN communication systems can be, for example, satellite communication systems, and can also include drones, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), and other airborne access network equipment; this application does not limit this.

[0113] Figure 3 illustrates a possible, non-limiting system diagram. As shown in Figure 3, the communication system 10 includes a RAN 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system may also include the Internet. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 3, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 3, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in Figure 3). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 may be different physical devices, or they may be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and wireless access network logical functions.

[0114] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), cloud RAN (CRAN), virtualized RAN (vRAN), artificial intelligence radio access network (AI RAN), or a WiFi system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system integrating two or more of the above systems. RAN 100 can also be an NTN system, and can be in transparent or regenerative mode, earth fixed cell, or earth moving cell.

[0115] In this embodiment, RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 3 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 3 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0116] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station (base transceiver station, BTS), a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation Node B (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node, wireless relay node, or wireless backhaul node in a WiFi system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 3, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 3, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or, in a CRAN scenario, a radio controller, CU, and / or DU. Multiple base stations can support networks using the same access technology or networks using different access technologies. A base station can contain one or more co-located or non-co-located transmission and reception points. Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, the access network equipment can be a roadside unit. The RAN node in this application can also implement all or part of its functions through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node can also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of an access node, or a circuit or chip (such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), artificial intelligence (AI) processor, neural network processing unit (NPU), or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) responsible for communication and / or computing functions in an access node. The RAN node can communicate with terminal devices, or it can communicate with terminal devices through relay stations. Terminal devices can communicate with multiple RAN nodes in different access technologies.

[0117] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be CUs, DUs, CUs (control plane, CP), CUs (user plane, UP), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). Furthermore, RAN nodes can also be computing units, providing computing power for tasks (such as model inference and / or model training), and can also be used to implement one or more of the following: task partitioning, scheduling, and orchestration. The functions of the computing unit can be implemented by a separate module independent of other units (e.g., CUs, DUs, RUs), or by one or more other units (e.g., one or more of CUs, DUs, RUs).

[0118] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, computing unit, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, computing unit, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, computing unit, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0119] Optionally, in various embodiments of this application, if the access network device is a distributed architecture, for example, the access network device includes CU and DU, or includes CU-CP, CU-UP and DU, then the access network device sends information to the UE, specifically the DU included in the access network device sends information to the UE; the access network device receives information from the UE, specifically the DU included in the access network device receives information from the UE.

[0120] The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement. For example, the protocol layers of the access network device can be separated, with some protocol layer functions centrally controlled by the CU, and the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU. For example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (such as the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and / or the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer); the DU can be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as one or more of the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, or Physical (PHY) layer). As another example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers above the PDCP layer (such as the RRC and / or SDAP layers), and the DU can be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as one or more of the RLC, MAC, or PHY layers).

[0121] For example, please refer to Figure 4, which shows two typical protocol stack diagrams provided in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 4(a), the access network device is divided into CU and DU. The CU is configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer and above protocol layers (e.g., RRC layer and / or SDAP layer); the DU is configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (e.g., RLC layer, MAC layer, and / or PHY layer). Communication between the CU and DU is based on the F1 interface. As shown in Figure 4(b), the network device is divided into CU and DU. The CU includes CU-CP and CU-UP. CU-CP is used to implement the control plane functions of the CU, and CU-UP is used to implement the user plane functions of the CU. CU-CP and CU-UP can communicate based on the E1 interface. CU-CP and DU communicate based on the F1 interface supporting the control plane (also called F1-C), and CU-UP and DU communicate based on the F1 interface of the user plane (also called F1-U). CU-CP is configured to implement the control plane and RRC layer functions of the PDCP layer, and CU-UP is configured to implement the user plane and SDAP layer functions of the PDCP layer. DU is configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as RLC, MAC, and / or PHY layers).

[0122] For example, Figure 5 illustrates the network element function partitioning and protocol layer structure of an O-RAN device. As shown in Figure 5, the CU is a logical node that carries the RRC layer, SDAP layer, PDCP layer, and other control functions of the access network device. The CU connects to network nodes such as the core network through interfaces, which can be interfaces such as E2 interfaces. Optionally, the CU can have some core network functions. The CU (e.g., PDCP layer and higher layers) connects to the DU (e.g., RLC layer and lower layers) through interfaces, which can be interfaces such as F1 interfaces. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., F1 interfaces) can provide control plane (CP) and user plane (UP) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). F1AP is the application protocol of the F1 interface, which defines the signaling procedures of F1 in some examples. The F1 interface supports control plane F1-C and user plane F1-U.

[0123] In some examples, the CU can be split into CU-CP and CU-UP. CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC and PDCP-C layers, used to implement the CU's control plane functions. CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements in the core network can be Access and Mobility Function (AMF) network elements, such as the AMF in a 5G system. CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP and PDCP-U layers, used to implement the CU's user plane functions. CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions, such as the UPF in a 5G system.

[0124] The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency. Functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0125] In some examples, a DU is a logical node that carries the RLC layer, MAC layer, higher physical (higher PHY, or PHY-high) layer, and other functionalities. In some examples, a DU can control at least one RU. A DU connects to an RU via interfaces, which can be fronthaul interfaces.

[0126] In some examples, the CU may not have a PDCP layer, i.e., it only includes the RRC layer. CU-CP does not have PDCP-C. CU-UP may not have PDCP-U, or may not have CU-UP at all. In some examples, the DU may not have an RLC layer, only a MAC and a higher PHY layer. Furthermore, in some examples, it may not have a CU and may only include the DU.

[0127] In some examples, the higher PHY layer includes the PHY layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation. In some examples, the RU is a logical node carrying both lower physical layer (lower PHY or PHY-low) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, the RU can be a TRP, RRH, or other similar entity. In some examples, the lower-PHY includes the PHY processing, such as fast fourier transform (FFT), inverse fast fourier transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering. The RU communicates with one or more UEs via a radio link.

[0128] The DU and RU can be co-located or separate. The DU and RU exchange control plane and user plane information via a lower-layer split CUS-plane (LLS-CUS) interface through a fronthaul link. LLS-CUS may include LLS-C and LLS-U interfaces providing the control plane (C-plane) and user plane (U-plane), respectively. In some examples, the control plane (C-plane) refers to real-time control between the DU and RU. The DU and RU exchange management information via an LLS-M interface on the fronthaul link; the management plane (m-plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and RU. The DU and RU can cooperate to implement PHY layer functions. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, the DU may be configured to implement baseband functions, and the RU may be configured to implement mid-frequency functions. For example, DU is configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and RU is configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level functions and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer may include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer may include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0129] When the RAN is O-RAN, it can also have artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. For example, O-RAN includes an intelligent controller. The intelligent controller can be a non-real-time RAN intelligent controller (RIC / non-RT RIC / NRT RIC) or a near-real-time RAN intelligent controller (RIC / near-RT RIC / nRT RIC). A non-real-time RIC can be used to implement non-real-time intelligent management of RAN functions, enabling workflows including model training and model updates, and guiding applications / functions in the nRT RIC based on policies. A near-real-time RIC can be used to implement near-real-time intelligent management of the RAN. Through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface, near-real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources are achieved.

[0130] In this application embodiment, the communication device used to implement the functions of the access network device can be referred to as an access network device. This access network device can be an access network device itself, or it can be a device capable of supporting the access network device in implementing this function, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in the access network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment are described using the example of an access network device as the means to implement the functions of the access network device.

[0131] In this embodiment, the terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. The terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, access station, UE station, remote station, wireless communication device, or user device, etc. A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, and can be a fixed device, mobile device, handheld device (e.g., mobile phone), wearable device, vehicle-mounted device, or a wireless device (e.g., communication module, modem, or chip system, etc.) built into the aforementioned devices. The terminal is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as satellite communication, scene sensing, cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine / machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, self-driving, remote medical care, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, drones, robots, and indoor commercial scenarios (such as mobile phone screen mirroring, file sharing, and video transmission from mobile phones to VR glasses). Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, and communication modules.When a terminal is used in V2X, it can also be called a V2X device, such as a smart car, digital car, unmanned car, driverless car, pilotless car, or automobile, self-driving car, battery EV, hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), range-extended electric vehicle (REEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), new energy vehicle, or roadside unit (RSU). The terminal can also be a device in D2D communication, such as an electricity meter or water meter. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. The terminal typically contains a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication function. Furthermore, it can also contain modules, circuits, or chips (such as GPUs, AI processors, NPUs, or ASICs) that perform corresponding communication and / or computing functions. The terminal can also be configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication and / or computing functions.

[0132] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the terminal can also be a terminal in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important component of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection.

[0133] The various terminals described above, if located in a vehicle (e.g., placed inside or installed inside a vehicle), can all be considered vehicle-mounted terminals, also known as on-board units (OBUs). The terminal in this application can also be an on-board module, on-board unit, on-board component, on-board chip, or on-board unit built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle can implement the methods of this application through the built-in on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip, or on-board unit.

[0134] In this application embodiment, the communication device used to implement the terminal function can be a terminal device, which can be a terminal equipment or a device capable of supporting the terminal equipment to implement the function, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in the terminal equipment. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the terminal equipment used to implement the terminal equipment function is described as an example. Furthermore, for ease of description, the terminal equipment in this application embodiment is described using a UE as an example.

[0135] Core network equipment refers to equipment within the Network Controller (CN) that provides service support to terminals. For example, core network equipment can be devices that process and forward user signaling and data, and can be used to implement functions such as mobility management, data processing, session management, policy and charging. The names of the equipment implementing core network functions may differ in systems using different access technologies, and this application does not limit this. Taking a 5G system as an example, the core network equipment may include, for example, access and mobility management functions (AMF), session management functions (SMF), policy control functions (PCF), or user plane functions (UPF), etc.

[0136] In this application embodiment, a network element can also be referred to as an entity or a functional entity. For example, an AMF network element can also be referred to as an AMF entity or an AMF functional entity. Optionally, the device name mentioned in this application embodiment can omit "network element". For example, AMF network element and AMF have the same meaning.

[0137] Figure 6 illustrates an example of an ORAN system. As shown in Figure 6, the O-RAN system may include access network equipment, terminal equipment, and core network equipment. The O-RAN system may include components other than those shown in Figure 6. As shown in Figure 6, the access network equipment communicates with the core network equipment via a backhaul link and with the terminal equipment via an air interface. For example, a BBU in the access network equipment may communicate with the core network via a backhaul link, and an RU in the access network equipment may communicate with at least one terminal equipment via an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU via a fronthaul link; the BBU and RU may be co-located or not. The BBU includes at least one of at least one CU and at least one DU, which can communicate via at least one midhaul link. The RU can implement the functions of a lower PHY and RF. The BBU can communicate with the CN via a backhaul link, and the RU can communicate with at least one terminal equipment via an air interface. The BBU can communicate with at least one RU via a fronthaul link; the BBU and RU may be co-located or not.

[0138] Table 1 shows an example of the protocol layer functions that a network element in an ORAN system can implement. The correspondence between network elements in an ORAN system and their implementable protocol layer functions can be found in Table 1. For example, the O-CU-CP can be configured to implement the functions of the RRC and PDCP control planes, and so on.

[0139] Table 1

[0140] The solutions in this application are applicable to scenarios involving multiple cells serving the UE, such as DC scenarios, CA scenarios, or other scenarios, as well as combinations of various scenarios. Please refer to Figures 7A to 7C, which illustrate several examples of application scenarios to which the embodiments of this application are applicable.

[0141] As shown in Figure 7A, this scenario is an example of a DC scenario. The terminal device simultaneously accesses a first access network device and a second access network device, and is provided by a first cell and a second cell. The first cell is the cell of the first access network device, and the second cell is the cell of the second access network device. This can be understood as the first cell and the second cell belonging to different access network devices. If the first access network device acts as the master node of the terminal device, and the second access network device acts as the slave node, the first and second access network devices can exchange first information to indicate the transmission direction of the first time unit within the first and / or second cell when transmitting the terminal device's signal. Therefore, the transmission direction that the first time unit can execute is predetermined. This prevents the scheduling of the terminal device's signal in the opposite direction, thus resolving the conflict between uplink and downlink transmissions and improving communication performance.

[0142] As shown in Figure 7B, this scenario is an example of a CA (Cybernetic Association) scenario. A terminal device accesses an access network device, which comprises multiple cells and provides services to the terminal device through these cells, as shown in Figure 7B as the first cell and the second cell. The first cell is the primary cell of the terminal device, and the second cell is its secondary cell, or vice versa. In this scenario, the access network device can determine first information—that is, the transmission direction when the first time unit within the first cell and / or the second cell is used to transmit the terminal device's signal—thereby avoiding scheduling the terminal device's signal in the opposite direction of that transmission direction, thus resolving the link direction conflict problem.

[0143] If the access network equipment adopts a distributed architecture, as shown in Figure 7C, the access network equipment may include CU, DU1, and DU2, with DU1 and DU2 both connected to the CU. The terminal equipment is located in a first cell and a second cell, where the first cell is the cell of DU1 and the second cell is the cell of DU2. This can be understood as the first cell and the second cell belonging to different cells within the same access network equipment. If the first cell serves as the primary cell for the terminal equipment and the second cell as the secondary cell, DU1 and DU2 can exchange first information to indicate the transmission direction of the first time unit within the first cell and / or the second cell when transmitting the terminal equipment's signal. Therefore, the transmission direction that the first time unit can execute is predetermined, and the terminal equipment's signal can be avoided in the opposite direction, thus resolving the conflict between uplink and downlink transmissions and improving communication performance.

[0144] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. Those skilled in the art will understand that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems. When applying the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application to other communication systems, the devices, components, modules, etc., in the embodiments can be replaced with corresponding devices, components, modules in other communication systems, without limitation.

[0145] The method provided in the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0146] The method in this embodiment can be executed by a first access network device and a second access network device. The steps executed by the first access network device (or the second access network device) can be performed by an access network device, a component of the access network device (such as a communication module, baseband chip, or other processing unit or processor), or a logic module or software that performs some or all of the functions of the access network device. For example, the steps executed by the first access network device (or the second access network device) can be performed by the access network device, or by a CU, DU, or RU that performs some of the functions of the access network device.

[0147] The various embodiments described herein can be applied to the architectures shown in Figures 3 to 6. For example, the first access network device (or second access network device) described in the various embodiments of this document can be the access network device shown in Figures 3 to 6. The various embodiments of this document can be applied to the scenario shown in Figure 7A. For example, the first access network device described in the various embodiments of this document can be the first access network device shown in Figure 7A, and the second access network device can be the second access network device shown in Figure 7A. The various embodiments of this document can be applied to the scenario shown in Figure 7B. For example, the first access network device described in the various embodiments of this document can be the CU or DU1 shown in Figure 7B, and the second access network device can be the CU, DU1, or DU2 shown in Figure 7B.

[0148] In the embodiments of this application, the solutions in each embodiment can be used in a reasonable combination, and the explanations or descriptions of various terms, similar operations, or steps occurring in the embodiments can be referenced or explained to each other in the embodiments, without limitation.

[0149] In various embodiments of this document, the processing performed by a single execution entity may also be divided into multiple execution entities, which may be logically and / or physically separated. For example, the processing performed by an access network device may be divided into at least one execution entity among CU, DU, RU, etc.

[0150] The embodiments described herein use SBFD resources as examples, but SBFD resources can also be replaced with SFFD resources or other possible duplex resources. The transmission direction and link direction can be used interchangeably in the embodiments described herein. The embodiments described herein use the first cell and the second cell as examples, but the number of cells is not limited, and can be extended to scenarios with more cells.

[0151] In the accompanying drawings corresponding to the various embodiments of this application, all steps indicated by dashed lines are optional steps.

[0152] Please refer to Figure 8, which is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method may include the following steps.

[0153] Step 801: The second access network device sends the third information. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the third information.

[0154] The third information is used to indicate the radio resource configuration of the second cell, which is the cell of the second access network device. For example, the third information is used to indicate the transmission direction of a frequency unit on at least one time unit within the second cell. In one example, at least one time unit can be an SBFD resource, meaning the third information can indicate information about SBFD resources within the second cell, i.e., which resources within the second cell are SBFD resources. Thus, the first access network device can determine whether there is a conflict between resources in the second cell and the first cell based on the information about SBFD resources in the second cell. This conflict refers to a situation where, when the second access network device and the first access network device act as the primary or secondary node of the first UE, one node schedules uplink transmission while the other schedules downlink transmission. In another example, at least one time unit can include a first time unit, which can be any time unit in the time domain. This can be understood as the third information indicating whether the frequency unit on the first time unit within the second cell is used for uplink or downlink, or it can be described as the third information indicating which resources on the first time unit are uplink resources and which are downlink resources. Alternatively, the third information can indicate which time units within the second cell are used for uplink and which are used for downlink. For example, the third information may indicate (or include) the time slot allocation, time domain resources, and frequency domain resources of the second cell, as well as which time slots are uplink time slots, which are downlink time slots, and which are SBFD time slots. Furthermore, for SBFD time slots, it may also indicate which frequency domain resources are used for uplink and which are used for downlink in that time slot. This third information can also be called resource configuration information or a resource configuration pattern. Therefore, the first access network device can determine whether there are resource conflicts between the second cell and the first cell based on the above information.

[0155] Optionally, step 801 can also be replaced by the first access network device sending fourth information, and correspondingly, the second access network device receiving the fourth information. The fourth information is used to indicate the radio resource configuration of the second cell, where the first cell is the cell of the first access network device. For example, the fourth information is used to indicate the transmission direction of a frequency unit in at least one time unit within the first cell. The understanding of the fourth information can also refer to the description of the third information, and will not be repeated here. That is, the first access network device and the second access network device can exchange their respective cell resource configuration information. Furthermore, the description of the second access network device sending the third information to the first access network device also applies to the first access network device sending the fourth information to the second access network device.

[0156] In this embodiment of the application, unless otherwise specified, the uplink direction can refer to the direction in which the terminal device sends signals to the access network device, that is, the uplink direction is used for the access network device to receive signals from the terminal device, and the downlink direction can refer to the direction in which the access network device sends signals to the terminal device, that is, the downlink direction is used for the terminal device to receive signals from the access network device. Signals may include signals for transmitting signaling and / or data.

[0157] In the embodiments of this application, a time unit can be any one of one or more system frames, one or more subframes, one or more milliseconds (ms), one or more slots, one or more microslots, one or more microseconds, or one or more symbols. A frequency unit can be any one or more of the following: one or more bands, one or more frequency groups, one or more carriers, one or more bandwidth parts (BWP), one or more component carriers (CC), one or more resource blocks (RB), one or more resource block groups (RBG), or one or more resource block sets (RB set), one or more resource elements (RE), n Hz, m MHz, etc.

[0158] In this embodiment, the cell of the access network device, the cell provided by the access network device, or the cell covered by the access network device can be used interchangeably.

[0159] In this embodiment, the first access network device can be the primary node of the first UE, and the second access network device can be the secondary node of the first UE. Alternatively, the second access network device can be the primary node of the first UE, and the first access network device can be the secondary node of the first UE. The following description primarily uses the example of the first access network device being the primary node of the first UE and the second access network device being the secondary node of the first UE. For the case where the second access network device is the primary node of the first UE and the first access network device is the secondary node, the corresponding content for the second access network device and the first access network device can be replaced, without further elaboration.

[0160] In some embodiments, if both the first access network device and the second access network device are access network devices, such as in the DC scenario shown in FIG7A, where the first access network device is a first access network device and the second access network device is a second access network device, the link direction conflict in this case can also be understood as a link direction conflict between sites. In this case, the first cell can be one or more of the cells of the first access network device, and the second cell can be one or more of the cells of the first access network device. For example, the first access network device can be the primary node of the first UE, and the first access network device provides an MCG for the first UE. The MCG can include a primary cell and one or more secondary cells. The first cell can be either the primary cell or a secondary cell in the MCG. The second access network device can be the secondary node of the first UE, and the second access network device provides an SCG for the first UE. The SCG can include primary and secondary cells and one or more secondary cells. The second cell can be either the primary and secondary cells in the SCG or a secondary cell in the SCG.

[0161] If the first access network device and the second access network device can communicate via the Xn interface, then the second access network device can send third information to the first access network device via the Xn interface. For example, the third information may be included in an Xn setup request message, a resource status request message, a resource status response message, or a load information message. As another example, the third information may be included in a SN addition request message.

[0162] Optionally, if the access network devices adopt a distributed architecture, for example, the first access network device can be divided into CU1 and DU1, and the second access network device can be divided into CU2 and DU2, and the second access network device can be CU2 or DU2. If the first access network device is CU1 and the second access network device is CU2, CU2 can send third information to CU1 through the Xn interface, for example, through the Xn interface message mentioned above. If the first access network device is DU1 and the second access network device is DU2, DU2 can send third information to CU2, CU2 can send third information to CU1, and then CU1 can send third information to DU1.

[0163] Optionally, if the two access network devices do not have an Xn interface or the Xn interface is faulty, third-party information can also be forwarded through the core network.

[0164] In other embodiments, the first access network device and the second access network device may be the same device or the same access network device. For example, in the CA scenario shown in Figure 7B, the first access network device and the second access network device can be understood as the access network device served by the first UE. In this case, the link direction conflict can also be understood as a link direction conflict between cells within the site. In this case, the first cell or the second cell can be any different cell of the access network device. It is understood that in this case, the resource configurations of the first cell and the second cell are known to the access network device, so step 801 can be omitted.

[0165] In other embodiments, the first access network device and the second access network device may be different parts of the same access network device. For example, in the scenario shown in FIG7C, the first access network device is DU1, the second access network device is DU2, and DU1 and DU2 are connected to the same CU. In this case, the link direction conflict can also be understood as a link direction conflict between cells within the same site. In this case, the first cell may be one or more cells in DU1, and the second cell may be one or more cells in DU2. For example, DU1 provides an MCG for the first UE, and the MCG may include a primary cell and one or more secondary cells. The first cell may be either the primary cell or a secondary cell in the MCG. DU2 provides an SCG for the first UE, and the SCG may include primary and secondary cells and one or more secondary cells. The second cell may be either the primary and secondary cells in the SCG or a secondary cell in the SCG.

[0166] Then, DU2 can send the third information to CU, and then CU can send the third information to DU1.

[0167] In this context, the resource in the first time unit of the first cell is the first resource, and the resource in the first time unit of the second cell is the second resource. The first time unit can be any time unit. Optionally, the first time unit may include one or more time units. Depending on whether the first access network device or the second access network device enables SBFD resources, several conflict scenarios may exist, namely, the first resource is an SBFD resource, and / or the second resource is an SBFD resource. These conflict scenarios are described in detail below:

[0168] Scenario 1: The first resource is an SBFD resource, which can also be described as the first access network device enabling the SBFD resource, or the first cell enabling the SBFD resource. "Enabled" can also be replaced with "supports," "has," etc. In this case, the first access network device may schedule the first UE to perform uplink transmission on the first resource, or it may schedule the first UE to perform downlink transmission on the first resource. Therefore, regardless of whether the second resource is used for uplink or downlink transmission, it may conflict with the transmission direction scheduled by the first access network device. For example, the first access network device schedules the first UE to perform uplink transmission on the first resource, while the second access network device schedules the first UE to perform downlink transmission on the second resource, thus causing a conflict.

[0169] Referring to Figure 9A, this is an example of Case 1 provided in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 9A, the first time unit can be, for example, a time slot (1), the first resource is the time-frequency resource on the time slot (1) in the first cell, and the second resource is the time-frequency resource on the time slot (1) in the second cell. It can be seen that the first resource is an SBFD resource, while the second resource is a DL resource. So, if the first resource is used for uplink transmission and the second resource is used for downlink transmission, there will be a conflict. Alternatively, the first time unit can be, for example, time slots (1) to (3), the first resource is the time-frequency resource on the time slots (1) to (3) in the first cell, that is, the duplex time slot portion on the first cell in Figure 9A, and the second resource is the time-frequency resource on the time slots (1) to (3) in the second cell, that is, the DL time slot portion on the second cell in Figure 9A. It can be seen that the first resource is an SBFD resource, while the second resource is a DL resource. So, if the first resource is used for uplink transmission and the second resource is used for downlink transmission, there will be a conflict.

[0170] It is understandable that Figure 9A uses an example where the first resource is an SBFD resource and the second resource is a DL resource. However, in real-world scenarios, there may also be cases where the first resource is an SBFD resource and the second resource is a UL resource.

[0171] Scenario 2: The second resource is an SBFD resource, which can also be described as the second access network device enabling the SBFD resource, or the second cell enabling the SBFD resource. In this case, the second access network device may schedule the first UE to perform uplink transmission on the second resource, or it may schedule the first UE to perform downlink transmission on the second resource. Therefore, regardless of whether the first resource is used for uplink or downlink transmission, it may conflict with the transmission direction scheduled by the second access network device.

[0172] Referring to Figure 9B, this is an example of Case 2 provided in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 9B, the first time unit can be, for example, a time slot (2), the first resource is the time-frequency resource on the time slot (2) in the first cell, and the second resource is the time-frequency resource on the time slot (2) in the second cell. It can be seen that the first resource is a DL resource, while the second resource is an SBFD resource. So, if the first resource is used for downlink transmission and the second resource is used for uplink transmission, there will be a conflict. Alternatively, the first time unit can be, for example, time slots (1) to (3), the first resource is the time-frequency resource on the time slots (1) to (3) in the first cell, that is, the DL time slot part on the first cell in Figure 9B, and the second resource is the time-frequency resource on the time slots (1) to (3) in the second cell, that is, the duplex time slot part on the second cell in Figure 9B. It can be seen that the first resource is a DL resource, while the second resource is an SBFD resource. So, if the first resource is used for downlink transmission and the second resource is used for uplink transmission, there will be a conflict.

[0173] In scenario 3, if the first resource is an SBFD resource and the second resource is also an SBFD resource, then the conflict that exists in scenario 1 or scenario 2 also exists in scenario 3.

[0174] Referring to Figure 9C, this is an example of Case 3 provided in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 9C, the first time unit can be, for example, a time slot (3), the first resource is the time-frequency resource on the time slot (3) in the first cell, and the second resource is the time-frequency resource on the time slot (3) in the second cell. It can be seen that the first resource is an SBFD resource, and the second resource is also an SBFD resource. So, if the first resource is used for downlink transmission and the second resource is used for uplink transmission, there will be a conflict; or, if the first resource is used for uplink transmission and the second resource is used for downlink transmission, there will be a conflict. Alternatively, the first time unit can be, for example, time slots (1) to (3), the first resource is the time-frequency resource on the time slots (1) to (3) in the first cell, that is, the duplex time slot portion on the first cell in Figure 9C, and the second resource is the time-frequency resource on the time slots (1) to (3) in the second cell, that is, the duplex time slot portion on the second cell in Figure 9C. It can be seen that the first resource is an SBFD resource, and the second resource is an SBFD resource. Therefore, if the first resource is used for downlink transmission and the second resource is used for uplink transmission, a conflict will occur; or, if the first resource is used for uplink transmission and the second resource is used for downlink transmission, a conflict will occur.

[0175] Step 802: The first access network device sends the first information. The second access network device receives the first information. The first information may also be called a resource conflict indication, resource indication, or resource usage indication, etc., without specific limitations.

[0176] To resolve the link direction conflict between the first cell and the second cell, the first access network device can send first information to the second access network device. This first information can indicate the transmission direction when a first time unit in the first cell and / or the second cell transmits a signal for the first UE. Specifically, the first information can indicate the transmission direction that the first time unit in the first cell can (or cannot) be used for when transmitting the signal for the first UE. Alternatively, the first information can indicate the transmission direction that the first time unit in the second cell can (or cannot) be used for when transmitting the signal for the first UE. Or, the first information can indicate both the transmission direction that the first time unit in the first cell can (or cannot) be used for when transmitting the signal for the first UE, and the transmission direction (or link direction) that the first time unit in the second cell can (or cannot) be used for when transmitting the signal for the first UE. This can be understood as follows: by indicating the first information, the transmission direction that the first time unit in the first cell and / or the second cell can be used for can be determined. Thus, when scheduling the first time unit to transmit the signal of the first UE, it is necessary to consider the transmission direction that another access network device may execute, and then not schedule transmission in the opposite direction of that transmission direction, so as to solve the problem of conflict between uplink and downlink transmission.

[0177] For example, in the DC scenario shown in Figure 7A, the first access network device can send first information to the second access network device to indicate the transmission direction when the first time unit in the first cell and / or the second cell transmits the signal of the first UE. Then, when the first time unit is used to transmit the signal of the first UE, either the first access network device or the second access network device can follow the transmission direction indicated by the first information to avoid scheduling in the opposite direction, thereby resolving the problem of link direction conflicts between cells in the DC scenario.

[0178] For example, in the CA scenario shown in Figure 7B, if both the first cell and the second cell serve the first UE, the access network device is aware of the resource configurations of the first and second cells. Therefore, the access network device can determine whether there is a link direction problem based on the resource configurations of the first and second cells. If so, the access network device can determine the first information, that is, determine the transmission direction when the first time unit in the first cell and / or the second cell transmits the signal of the first UE. When the first time unit is used to transmit the signal of the first UE, the access network device can avoid scheduling in the opposite direction according to the transmission direction indicated by the first information, thereby resolving the link direction conflict between cells in the CA scenario. It is understood that since the first cell or the second cell in the CA scenario corresponds to the access network device, the process of step 802 may not be executed, or step 802 may be replaced by the first access network device (or the second access network device) determining (or generating, deciding, etc.) the first information.

[0179] For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 7C, the first cell is cell DU1, and the second cell is cell DU2. Since the UE needs to access both DU1 and DU2 simultaneously, this scenario can also be understood as a DC scenario; furthermore, DU1 and DU2 are essentially different parts of the same access network device, so this scenario can also be understood as a CA scenario. In this scenario, DU1 can send first information to DU2 (i.e., the first information is decided by DU1), or the CU can send first information to DU1 and / or DU2 (i.e., the first information is decided by the CU) to indicate the transmission direction when the first time unit in the first cell and / or the second cell transmits the signal of the first UE. Then, when the first time unit is used to transmit the signal of the first UE, either DU1 or DU2 can follow the transmission direction indicated by the first information to avoid scheduling in opposite directions, thus resolving the link direction conflict between cells.

[0180] It should be noted that the examples above describe DC, CA, and distributed architecture independently, but these examples can also be used in combination. For example, a first UE simultaneously accesses a first access network device and a second access network device. Both the first and second access network devices apply CA technology. The cells of the first access network device include cell 1 and cell 2, and the cells of the second access network device include cell 3 and cell 4. Based on the method of this application embodiment, the first access network device can decide the resource usage method when there is a link direction conflict between cell 1 and cell 2. Similarly, the second access network device can decide the resource usage method when there is a link direction conflict between cell 3 and cell 4. In addition, the first access network device can also decide the resource usage method when there is a link direction conflict between its cells and the cells of the second access network device, such as the resource usage method when there is a link direction conflict between cell 1 and cell 3 or cell 4, or the resource usage method when there is a link direction conflict between cell 2 and cell 3 or cell 4.

[0181] In some implementations, the first information can be indicated in a coarser-grained manner. For example, the first information can indicate that a first cell (or a second cell) is used as a reference (or benchmark), or it can be described as indicating that the first cell (or the second cell) has a higher resource priority. In this case, it can be understood that the first information, at any given time unit (e.g., over the entire time domain or a first time unit), cannot be used for a transmission direction opposite to that of the reference cell; or, in other words, the first information, at any given time unit (e.g., over the entire time domain or a first time unit), is consistent with the transmission direction of the reference cell.

[0182] If the first information indicates that the first cell is the reference cell, it can be understood as referring to the transmission direction of the first resource within the first cell to determine the transmission direction that the second resource of the second cell can be used for. For example, if the first resource is used for the uplink (or downlink) direction, then the second resource can only be used for the uplink (or downlink) direction. If the first resource can be used for both the uplink and downlink directions, the second access network device may not be able to determine whether the first resource is specifically used for the uplink or downlink direction. Therefore, to avoid conflict, the second resource cannot be used to transmit the signal of the first UE. Alternatively, if the first information indicates that the second cell is the reference cell, it can be understood as referring to the transmission direction of the second resource to determine the transmission direction that the second resource of the first cell can be used for. For example, if the second resource is used for the uplink (or downlink) direction, then the first resource can only be used for the uplink (or downlink) direction. If the second resource can be used for both the uplink and downlink directions, the first access network device may not be able to determine whether the second resource is specifically used for the uplink or downlink direction. Therefore, to avoid conflict, the first resource cannot be used to transmit the signal of the first UE. This is equivalent to discarding or skipping the first resource, and not scheduling the signal transmission of the first UE on the first resource.

[0183] Optionally, the first information may include an identifier of a first cell or a second cell to indicate that the first cell or the second cell is being referenced. For example, the first information may include a first field indicating the identifier of the reference cell; thus, the identifier of the first cell or the second cell can be carried through the first field to indicate that the first cell or the second cell is being referenced. Optionally, the first access network device may carry the first field when sending configuration information (such as resource configuration information) of the first cell to the second access network device. For example, the first information may be included in the fourth information.

[0184] Optionally, the first information can also be indicated in a more granular way, such as indicating that the first cell (or second cell) is referenced in a specific time unit (such as the first time unit), in which case the above description applies only to that specific time unit.

[0185] In some implementations, the first information can be indicated in a finer-grained manner. For example, the first information can indicate a first time unit, that is, indicate the transmission direction that can be used when the first resource and / or the second resource transmits the signal of the first UE. The first time unit indicated by the first information may include one or more time units, and correspondingly, the first resource may include frequency domain resources on the one or more time units, and the second resource may include frequency domain resources on the one or more time units.

[0186] It should be noted that although the first information indicates the transmission direction of the first time unit, the first information can explicitly indicate a specific time unit, such as a time unit at a specified time, a time unit at a specified location, or a time unit at a specified location within a specific period. The first information may also not indicate a specific time unit; for example, if it does not indicate a specific time unit, the first time unit can be considered a conflicting time unit.

[0187] Optionally, if the first information indicates a transmission direction, including indicating a usable transmission direction, then transmission can be performed in that transmission direction. Alternatively, if the first information indicates a transmission direction, including indicating a non-usable transmission direction, then transmission cannot be performed in that transmission direction, but can be performed in the opposite direction. Alternatively, since usable transmission directions can be deduced from non-usable transmission directions, indicating non-usable transmission directions can also be understood as an implementation of indicating usable transmission directions. However, performing transmission in the opposite direction requires consideration of the transmission direction of the resource itself. For example, if a DL resource is restricted to downlink transmission because the DL resource itself is not used for uplink transmission, this can be understood as restricting transmission to that DL resource.

[0188] Optionally, when the first time unit includes multiple time units, the first information may indicate that the transmission direction of the first time unit is the first transmission direction. This can be understood as each time unit within the first time unit being used for the first transmission direction. Alternatively, the first information may indicate the transmission direction of each time unit within the first time unit; that is, the transmission directions of different time units may be the same or different.

[0189] Optionally, if the first information indicates both the transmission direction of the first cell and the transmission direction of the second cell, the contents of these two transmission directions can be different. For example, the first information may indicate that the first cell can be used for both uplink and downlink, and the second cell for downlink; or, the first information may indicate that the first cell can be used for downlink, and the second cell for both uplink and downlink. In this case, the transmission direction of at least one cell within the first and second cells is predetermined, allowing the other cell to schedule the transmission directions available to its own resources according to this predetermined transmission direction, thus achieving the effect of non-conflicting transmission directions of the resources of the two cells.

[0190] In one example, when the first information indicates that the first time unit in the first cell is used to transmit the signal of the first UE, the transmission direction that the first time unit can be used for is the uplink direction, that is, the transmission direction that the first resource can be used for is the uplink direction. Therefore, for the first access network device, the first UE can send a signal to the first access network device using the first resource, and the first access network device can receive a signal from the first UE using the first resource. For the second access network device, since the first resource is used for the uplink direction, to avoid conflicts, the second resource cannot be used for the downlink direction. Therefore, the first UE can send a signal to the second access network device using the first resource, and the second access network device can receive a signal from the first UE using the first resource.

[0191] Alternatively, the first information indicates that the first resource can be used for downlink transmission. In this case, the first access network device can send a signal to the first UE using the first resource. For the second access network device, since the first resource is used for downlink, to avoid conflicts, the second resource cannot be used for uplink, thus the second access network device can send a signal to the first UE using the second resource.

[0192] In one example, when the first information indicates that the first time unit in the first cell is used to transmit the signal of the first UE, this first time unit cannot be used for uplink transmission; that is, the first resource is not used for uplink transmission. Therefore, for the first access network device, the first UE cannot be scheduled to perform uplink transmission on the first resource. If the first resource could originally be used for downlink transmission (i.e., the first resource can essentially be used as a DL resource, for example, a portion of a subband can be used as a DL resource), then the first access network device can send a signal to the first UE on the first resource. For the second access network device, since the first resource is not used for uplink transmission, to avoid conflicts, the second resource also cannot be used for uplink transmission. If the second resource could originally be used for downlink transmission (i.e., the second resource can essentially be used as a DL resource), then the second access network device can send a signal to the first UE on the second resource.

[0193] Alternatively, the first information indicates that the first resource is not used for downlink transmission. In this case, the first access network device cannot schedule downlink transmission for the first UE using the first resource. If the first resource was originally available for uplink transmission (i.e., the first resource could essentially be used as a UL resource), then the first access network device can receive signals from the first UE using the first resource. Similarly, for the second access network device, since the first resource is not used for downlink transmission, the second resource also cannot be used for downlink transmission to avoid conflicts. If the second resource was originally available for uplink transmission (i.e., the second resource could essentially be used as a UL resource), then the second access network device can receive signals from the first UE using the second resource.

[0194] Regarding the first information indicating the transmission direction within the second cell, the second access network device and the first access network device in the above example description can be interchanged, so it will not be elaborated further here.

[0195] Optionally, the first information indicates the transmission direction when the first time unit of the first cell and / or the second cell transmits signals related to the first UE. This may mean that the first information includes the information itself, or it may include an index of the information, etc.

[0196] In this embodiment, the first access network device can determine how to use conflicting resources based on the resource configuration in the first cell and the second cell, i.e., determine the first information. For example, in step 801, the first access network device can receive third information, and the first access network device can determine the specific conflict situation between the first cell and the second cell based on the third information to determine the first information. The following descriptions will be provided for different scenarios.

[0197] Corresponding to scenario 1 above, where the first resource is an SBFD resource and the second resource is a non-SBFD resource. The second resource being a non-SBFD resource can include either a DL resource or a UL resource. Taking Figure 9A as an example where the second resource is a DL resource, in this case, the first information can indicate one or more of the following:

[0198] (1) The transmission directions corresponding to the first resource include the uplink and downlink directions. That is, the first access network device still enables the SBFD resource. However, it is understood that although the SBFD resource is enabled, it does not mean that both the uplink and downlink directions can be used. In this case, the first access network device may need to refer to the transmission direction of the second resource. If the transmission direction of the second resource is predetermined, it is necessary to avoid performing transmission in the opposite direction of the transmission direction of the second resource.

[0199] (2) The transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include the downlink direction, that is, the second resource cannot be used for the downlink transmission of the first UE. In this case, since the second resource itself is a DL resource, the second resource is not used for the downlink direction, which can also be called dropping the second resource or mute the second resource. If the second resource can be a UL resource, then (2) can also be replaced by the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource being the downlink direction, that is, the second resource can be used for the downlink transmission of the first UE.

[0200] In one example, (1) and (2) can be combined, i.e., the first information can indicate that the SBFD resources of the first cell are enabled, while the second cell is not available for downlink transmission. This means that in one or more time units within the duplex time slot of the first cell, the first cell still enables the SBFD resources, while the second cell is not available for downlink transmission.

[0201] (3) The transmission direction corresponding to the first resource does not include the uplink direction, that is, the first resource cannot be used for the uplink transmission of the first UE. Since the first resource is an SBFD resource, this is equivalent to indicating that the SBFD resource of the first cell is not effective. Therefore, both the first resource and the second resource can only be used for uplink transmission.

[0202] If the second resource can be a UL resource, then (3) can also be replaced by the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource being the uplink direction, or excluding the downlink direction, that is, the first resource can be used for the uplink transmission of the first UE.

[0203] (4) The transmission directions corresponding to both the first resource and the second resource are uplink, meaning that both the first resource and the second resource are used for uplink transmission of the first UE. If the first information indicates that the transmission directions corresponding to both the first resource and the second resource are uplink, it can indicate the information of the first resource and the second resource, such as carrying the identifier of the first cell and the identifier of the second cell, or carrying the identifier of the first access network device and the identifier of the second access network device, thereby indicating...

[0204] (5) Neither the first resource nor the second resource corresponds to the uplink direction, meaning that neither the first resource nor the second resource is used for the uplink transmission of the first UE.

[0205] (6) The transmission direction corresponding to the first resource and the second resource is the downlink direction.

[0206] (7) Neither the first nor the second resource includes the downlink direction in the transmission direction.

[0207] Optionally, the first time unit may include one or more time units. If the first time unit is understood as a single time unit, other time units besides the first time unit can also be indicated in a similar manner. For example, for the second time unit, it can be indicated by fifth information, which is used to indicate the transmission direction when the second time unit in the first cell and / or the second cell transmits the signal of the first UE. Optionally, the transmission direction indicated by the first information and the transmission direction indicated by the fifth information can be the same or different. Optionally, when indicating the transmission direction of multiple time units, the multiple time units can be indicated separately, that is, different time units are indicated independently; or, the transmission directions of multiple time units can be jointly indicated in one piece of information, for example, the transmission directions of multiple time units can be indicated by a map, which can be understood as including the first information and the fifth information. For example, the first access network device can send a resource usage map to the second access network device, which indicates the transmission direction that each time unit in the conflicting resources can be used for, so that both the first access network device and the second access network device can only schedule resources in this transmission direction.

[0208] For scenario 2 above, where the second resource is an SBFD resource and the first resource is a non-SBFD resource, the corresponding parts of the first and second resources in the first information corresponding to scenario 1 above can be swapped, so it will not be elaborated further.

[0209] For scenario 3 above, where both the second resource and the first resource are SBFD resources, the first information can indicate one or more of the following:

[0210] (1) The transmission directions corresponding to the first resource include the uplink and downlink directions.

[0211] (2) The transmission direction corresponding to the second resource is the downlink direction.

[0212] (3) The transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include the downlink direction.

[0213] (4) The transmission direction corresponding to the second resource is the uplink direction.

[0214] (5) The transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include the uplink direction.

[0215] In one example, (1) can be combined with any of (2) to (5). For example, the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource includes both uplink and downlink, while the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource is downlink. This is equivalent to enabling the SBFD resource of the first cell, while the SBFD resource of the second cell is not effective. For example, if the first access network device is the primary node of the first UE and the second access network device is the secondary node of the first UE, this is equivalent to enabling only the SBFD resource of the primary node, while the SBFD resource of the secondary node is not effective. As another example, if the first access network device is the secondary node of the first UE and the second access network device is the primary node of the first UE, this is equivalent to enabling only the SBFD resource of the secondary node, while the SBFD resource of the primary node is not effective.

[0216] It should be noted that the first resource and the second resource in (1) to (5) above can be interchanged. For example, the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource in (1) includes the uplink and downlink directions, which can be replaced by the transmission direction corresponding to the second resource including the uplink and downlink directions. The transmission direction corresponding to the second resource in (2) is the downlink direction, which can be replaced by the transmission direction corresponding to the first resource being the downlink direction.

[0217] (6) The transmission direction corresponding to the first resource and the second resource is the uplink direction.

[0218] (7) Neither the first nor the second resource includes the uplink direction in the transmission direction.

[0219] (8) The transmission directions corresponding to the first resource and the second resource are both downlink.

[0220] (9) Neither the first nor the second resource includes the downlink direction in the transmission direction.

[0221] Optionally, for (6) to (9), it can be understood that the first access network device and the second access network device can negotiate the transmission direction that can be used for each time unit, or the transmission direction that cannot be used, so that the transmission direction of the first UE is consistent in the same time unit.

[0222] In this embodiment, if the first access network device is the master node of the first UE, i.e., the master node decides the usage of conflicting resources, the first information can be included in the SN add request message, SN reconfiguration complete message, SN modification request message, or SN modification confirmation message. For example, if the third information is included in messages such as the Xn interface establishment message, the first information can be included in the SN add request message and sent to the second access network device; or, if the third information is included in the SN add request confirmation message, the first information can be included in the SN reconfiguration complete message, SN modification request message, or SN modification confirmation message. If the first access network device is the secondary node of the first UE, i.e., the secondary node decides the usage of conflicting resources, the first information can be included in the SN add request confirmation message or SN modification request confirmation message. For example, if the third information is included in the Xn interface establishment message or SN add request message, the first information can be included in the SN add request confirmation message or SN modification request confirmation message and sent to the second access network device; or, if the third information is included in the SN modification request message, the first information can be included in the SN modification request confirmation message and sent to the second access network device.

[0223] Optionally, the first access network device can determine whether a link direction conflict handling strategy needs to be adopted based on the capabilities of the first UE, i.e., whether to generate or send first information. For example, if the first UE does not support simultaneous reception and transmission of signals in the same time unit (such as a symbol or slot), indicating that the first UE can only receive or transmit in one time unit, or only supports half-duplex capability, then the first access network device needs to consider the link conflict issue and can send first information to the second access network device. Optionally, the first UE can send second information to the first access network device. The second information can also be called the first UE's capability information. This second information is used to indicate whether the first UE supports simultaneous reception and transmission of signals transmitted through SBFD resources in one time unit. Alternatively, it can be described as the second information indicating whether the first UE supports simultaneous reception and transmission of signals in one time unit if the first UE's signals are transmitted through SBFD resources. Alternatively, the second information can also indicate whether the first UE supports link direction conflict handling between the first cell and the second cell in SBFD operation. In other words, when both the first and second cells contain SBFD resources, meaning there is a link direction conflict between these two cells, the second information can indicate whether the first UE supports the ability to handle this conflict. If the first UE supports conflict handling, it means that the first UE can transmit or receive in a link direction compatible with the link direction of the network side, similar to the network side. Whether the first UE transmits or receives can be configured, predefined, or pre-configured by the network side. For example, if the first UE supports link direction conflict handling, the first access network device can send the first information or other indication information to the first UE. Then, the first UE can receive or transmit in the transmission direction indicated by the first information in the first time unit. For example, if the first information indicates that a certain cell is used as the reference cell, the first UE can determine whether to receive or transmit in the first time unit based on this, thereby adjusting to the corresponding antenna mode. In this case, the second message can also be described as indicating whether the first UE supports link direction conflict handling between the reference cell and other cells in SBFD operation. Alternatively, the first information can indicate the transmission directions available in the first time unit, so the first UE can also determine whether to receive or transmit in the first time unit based on this, thereby adjusting to the corresponding antenna mode.

[0224] Therefore, the first access network device can determine whether to send the first information based on the second information. In one example, the second information can be a bit. When the value of this bit is a first value, it indicates that the first UE supports simultaneously receiving and transmitting signals in one time unit. When the value of this bit is a second value, it indicates that the first UE does not support simultaneously receiving and transmitting signals in one time unit. Optionally, the first value is 0 and the second value is 1, or the first value is 1 and the second value is 0. Optionally, the first value is true and the second value is false.

[0225] Optionally, before adding a secondary node, it can be determined whether the resource configurations of the first cell and the second cell are the same. Only if they are the same can the second cell be added as a secondary node for the first UE. For example, after receiving the third information, the first access network device can determine whether the third information and the fourth information are the same, that is, whether the resource configurations are the same. If the third information and the fourth information are the same, the first access network device sends a first message, and the second access network device receives the first message. When the first access network device is the primary node, the first message is used to request that the second cell be added as a secondary cell for the first UE, or in other words, the first message is used to request that the second access network device be added as a secondary node for the first UE. For example, the first message is a request message for adding the SN. When the first access network device is a secondary node, the first message is used to confirm that the first cell is a secondary cell for the first UE, or in other words, the first message is used to confirm that the first access network device is a secondary node for the first UE. For example, the first message is a request confirmation message for adding the SN. In this way, the resource configurations of the primary cell and the secondary cell are the same, which helps to simplify the configuration and management process on the network side, and the first terminal device does not need to perform additional adaptation or switching for different resource configurations, reducing the complexity of implementation.

[0226] The first cell and the second cell have the same resource configuration, which can be understood as the first cell and the second cell having some or all of the same resource configuration. For example, the first access network device can determine whether the SBFD resource configuration is the same. If they are the same, the first access network device sends a first message to the second access network device.

[0227] Optionally, the first or second access network device may also indicate to the first UE the usage method of conflicting resources. For example, the first or second access network device may also send first information (or other indication information) to the first UE, so that the first UE can know the transmission direction in the first time unit and can prepare in advance for receiving or transmitting in the first time unit, such as adjusting the antenna mode. For example, the first access network device may send the first information to the first UE through an RRC reconfiguration message, or it may carry the first information through other information, without any specific limitation. Optionally, the first access network device may also indicate to the first UE whether the serving cell (such as the first cell) uses link direction conflict handling for the first cell and the second cell in SBFD operation, or the second access network device may also indicate to the first UE whether the serving cell (such as the second cell) uses link direction conflict handling for the first cell and the second cell in SBFD operation. This can be understood as the network side instructing the first UE whether the current cell has enabled the link conflict handling mechanism. The network side can instruct the UE whether link direction conflict handling has been started. It can also be simply understood as link direction conflict handling being a capability of the network side. The network side can instruct the first UE to switch this capability on or off. If the network side starts link direction conflict handling, the first UE can adaptively perform link direction conflict handling so that the first UE can adjust the antenna mode in a timely manner.

[0228] Please refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in this application embodiment. In this process, taking the scenario shown in Figure 7A as an example, and assuming a distributed architecture for the access network devices (i.e., the first access network device may include CU1 and DU1, and the second access network device may include CU2 and DU2, where the second access network device may be CU2 or DU2), the first cell is the cell of the first access network device, and the second cell is the cell of the second access network device. The first access network device can be the primary node of the first UE, and the second access network device can be the secondary node of the first UE; or, the second access network device can be the primary node of the first UE, and the first access network device can be the secondary node of the first UE.

[0229] Step 1001: DU2 sends third information to CU2. The third information indicates the resource configuration of the second cell.

[0230] Step 1002: CU2 sends third information to CU1.

[0231] If the DU determines how the conflicting resources are used, then steps 1003 to 1005 can be executed.

[0232] Step 1003: CU1 sends third information to DU1.

[0233] Step 1004: DU1 determines the first information, such as DU1 determining the first information based on the third and fourth information.

[0234] Step 1005: DU1 sends first information to CU1. The first information indicates the transmission direction when the first time unit of the first cell and / or the second cell transmits the signal of the first UE, which can be understood as the usage of conflicting resources.

[0235] If the CU determines how the conflicting resources will be used, steps 1006 to 1008 can be executed.

[0236] Step 1006: DU1 sends the fourth message to CU1. The fourth message indicates the resource configuration of the first cell.

[0237] Step 1007: CU1 determines the first information, such as CU1 determining the first information based on the third and fourth information.

[0238] Step 1008: CU1 sends the first message to DU1.

[0239] Step 1009: CU1 sends the first message to CU2.

[0240] Step 1010: CU2 sends the first message to DU2.

[0241] Step 1011: DU1 or DU2 sends the usage method of the conflicting resource to the first UE.

[0242] For details on the implementation methods and optional implementation methods of the third, fourth, or first information, please refer to the description in the embodiment section shown in Figure 8, which will not be elaborated further.

[0243] Please refer to Figure 11A, which is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. In this process, an example is taken from the CA scenario shown in Figure 7B. In this case, both the first cell and the second cell are cells of the same access network device. Optionally, the first cell is the primary cell and the second cell is the secondary cell, or the first cell is the secondary cell and the second cell is the primary cell.

[0244] Step 1101a: The first UE sends second information to the access network device. The second information indicates that the first UE does not support simultaneously receiving and transmitting signals transmitted via SBFD resources in one time unit. And / or, the second information may indicate whether the first UE supports link direction conflict handling between the first cell and the second cell during SBFD operation.

[0245] Step 1102a: The access network device determines the first information. The first information indicates the transmission direction when the first UE's signal is transmitted in the first time unit of the first cell and / or the second cell, which can be understood as the usage mode of conflicting resources.

[0246] In this context, the resources on the first time unit in the first cell are designated as first resources, and the resources on the first time unit in the second cell are designated as second resources. At least one of the first and second resources is an SBFD resource. When the first cell and the second cell simultaneously serve the first UE, a link direction conflict may occur. The access network device can determine the first information, i.e., determine the usage mode of the first resource and / or the second resource. Then, it can schedule the signal of the first UE according to the first information to avoid scheduling the signal of the first UE in the opposite direction of the transmission direction indicated by the first information, thereby resolving the link direction conflict between the first cell and the second cell.

[0247] Step 1103a: The access network device sends first information to the first UE. This indicates the transmission direction of the first UE's signal when it is transmitted in the first time unit of the first cell and / or the second cell, so that the first UE can adjust its antenna mode to receive or transmit.

[0248] Step 1104a: The access network device may also send indication information to the first UE, indicating whether link direction conflict handling is used for the first cell and the second cell during SBFD operation. If the access network device indicates that link direction conflict handling is used for the first cell and the second cell during SBFD operation, the first information indicates that the first cell is used as the reference cell, and the first UE can determine whether to receive or transmit on the first time unit accordingly, thereby adjusting to the corresponding antenna mode. Alternatively, if the first information indicates the transmission direction that the first time unit can be used for, then the first UE can also determine whether to receive or transmit on the first time unit accordingly, thereby adjusting to the corresponding antenna mode.

[0249] For details on the implementation methods of the second information and the first information, as well as the optional implementation methods, please refer to the description in the embodiment section shown in Figure 8, which will not be elaborated further.

[0250] Please refer to Figure 11B, which is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. In this process, taking the scenario shown in Figure 7C as an example, and assuming a distributed architecture for the access network devices, the access network devices may include CU, DU1, and DU2. In one example, the first access network device may be DU1, and the second access network device may be DU2, meaning that DU determines how conflicting resources are used. Figure 11B specifically illustrates this example. In this case, the first cell is the cell of DU1, and the second cell is the cell of DU2. The first cell is the primary cell of the first UE, and the second cell is the secondary cell of the first UE; or, the second cell is the secondary cell of the first UE, and the first cell is the secondary cell of the first UE. In another example, the first access network device may be CU, and the second access network device may be DU1 and / or DU2, meaning that CU determines how conflicting resources are used.

[0251] Step 1101b: DU2 sends third information to CU1. The third information indicates the resource configuration of the second cell.

[0252] Step 1102b: CU sends third information to DU1.

[0253] Step 1103b: DU1 determines the first information, such as DU1 determining the first information based on the third and fourth information. The fourth information indicates the resource configuration of the first cell.

[0254] Step 1104b: DU1 sends first information to CU. The first information indicates the transmission direction when the first time unit of the first cell and / or the second cell transmits the signal of the first UE, which can be understood as the usage of conflicting resources.

[0255] Step 1105b: CU sends the first message to DU2.

[0256] Step 1106b: DU1 or DU2 sends the usage method of the conflicting resource to the first UE.

[0257] For details on the implementation methods and optional implementation methods of the third, fourth, or first information, please refer to the description in the embodiment section shown in Figure 8, which will not be elaborated further.

[0258] Based on the above implementation method, by exchanging first information between two cells in a DC scenario, the first information indicates the transmission direction when the first time unit in the first cell and / or the second cell transmits the signal of the first terminal device. Then the transmission direction is predetermined, and resource scheduling can be avoided in the opposite direction to the predetermined transmission direction, thereby solving the problem of conflict between uplink and downlink transmission and improving communication performance.

[0259] In the embodiments provided above, the methods provided by the embodiments of this application are described using the execution of a first access network device and a second access network device as examples. In this application, each embodiment can be implemented independently or in combination based on certain inherent connections; in each embodiment, different implementation methods can be implemented in combination or independently. To achieve the functions in the methods provided by the embodiments of this application above, the first access network device and the second access network device may include hardware structures and / or software modules, implementing the above functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Whether a particular function is executed in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0260] Based on the same inventive concept as the method embodiments, this application provides a communication device. The communication device used to implement the above method in the embodiments of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The content above can be used in subsequent embodiments, and repeated content will not be repeated.

[0261] Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1200 can be a first access network device or a circuit system of a first access network device as shown in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 8, 10, 11A, or 11B, used to implement the method corresponding to the first access network device in the above method embodiments. The communication device 1200 can also be a second access network device or a circuit system of a second access network device as shown in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 8, 10, 11A, or 11B, used to implement the method corresponding to the second access network device in the above method embodiments.

[0262] The communication device 1200 includes at least one processor 1201. The processor 1201 can be used for internal processing within the device to implement certain control processing functions. Optionally, the processor 1201 includes instructions. Optionally, the processor 1201 can store data. Optionally, different processors can be independent devices, located in different physical locations, or located on different integrated circuits. Optionally, different processors can be integrated into one or more processors, for example, integrated on one or more integrated circuits.

[0263] Optionally, the communication device 1200 includes one or more memories 1203 for storing instructions. Optionally, the memories 1203 may also store data. The processor and the memories may be separate or integrated together.

[0264] Optionally, the communication device 1200 includes a communication line 1202 and at least one communication interface 1204. Since the memory 1203, communication line 1202, and communication interface 1204 are all optional, they are all represented by dashed lines in Figure 12.

[0265] Optionally, the communication device 1200 may further include a transceiver and / or an antenna. The transceiver can be used to send information to or receive information from other devices. The transceiver may be referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver circuit, input / output interface, etc., and is used to realize the transmission and reception functions of the communication device 1200 via the antenna. Optionally, the transceiver includes a transmitter and a receiver. For example, the transmitter can be used to generate a radio frequency (RF) signal from a baseband signal, and the receiver can be used to convert the RF signal back into a baseband signal.

[0266] The processor 1201 may include a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of programs according to the present application.

[0267] Communication line 1202 may include a path for transmitting information between the aforementioned components.

[0268] Communication interface 1204 uses any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wired access network, etc.

[0269] The memory 1203 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto. The memory 1203 may exist independently and be connected to the processor 1201 via communication line 1202. Alternatively, the memory 1203 may be integrated with the processor 1201.

[0270] The memory 1203 stores computer execution instructions for implementing the scheme of this application, and the processor 1201 controls the execution of these instructions. The processor 1201 executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1203 to implement the steps performed by the first access network device or the second access network device in the embodiments shown in FIG8, FIG10, FIG11A or FIG11B.

[0271] Optionally, the computer execution instructions in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as application code, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0272] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, processor 1201 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG12.

[0273] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, the communication device 1200 may include multiple processors, such as processor 1201 and processor 1205 in FIG. 12. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. Here, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0274] When the device shown in Figure 12 is a chip, such as a chip for a first access network device or a second access network device, or in other words, the first access network device or the second access network device is a chip, then the chip includes a processor 1201 (which may also include a processor 1205), a communication line 1202, and a communication interface 1204. Optionally, it may include a memory 1203. Specifically, the communication interface 1204 may be an input interface, pins, or circuits, etc. The memory 1203 may be a register, cache, etc. The processor 1201 and the processor 1205 may be a general-purpose CPU, a microprocessor, an ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of a program that controls the communication method of any of the above embodiments.

[0275] This application embodiment can divide the device into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and represents only one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation.

[0276] For example, when each functional module is divided according to its corresponding function, Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a device. This device 1300 can be the first access network device or the second access network device involved in the above-described method embodiments, or it can be a chip in the first access network device or the second access network device. The device 1300 includes a processing unit 1302 and a transceiver unit 1301.

[0277] For example, the device 1300 can be a first access network device, or the device 1300 can be a chip in the first access network device.

[0278] In one implementation, the transceiver unit 1301 can be used to send first information, which indicates the transmission direction when transmitting signals of the first terminal device in a first time unit in a first cell and / or a second cell. The first resource in the first time unit of the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or the second resource in the first time unit of the second cell is an SBFD resource. The first cell is a cell of a first access network device, and the second cell is a cell of a second access network device. The first access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the second access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device; or, the second access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the first access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device.

[0279] In another implementation, the transceiver unit 1301 can be used to transmit first information, which indicates the transmission direction when transmitting signals of the first terminal device in a first time unit in a first cell and / or a second cell. Here, the first resource on the first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or the second resource on the first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource. The first cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the second cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device; or, the second cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the first cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device.

[0280] For example, the device 1300 can be a second access network device, or the device 1300 can be a chip in the second access network device.

[0281] In one implementation, the transceiver unit 1301 can be used to receive first information, which indicates the transmission direction when transmitting signals of the first terminal device in a first time unit in a first cell and / or a second cell. Wherein, the first resource on the first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or, the second resource on the first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource. The first cell is a cell of a first access network device, and the second cell is a cell of a second access network device. The first access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the second access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device; or, the second access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the first access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device.

[0282] In another implementation, the transceiver unit 1301 can be used to receive first information, which indicates the transmission direction when transmitting signals of the first terminal device in the first time unit of the first cell and / or the second cell. Wherein, the first resource on the first time unit in the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or, the second resource on the first time unit in the second cell is an SBFD resource; the first cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the second cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device; or, the second cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the first cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device.

[0283] It should be understood that the device 1300 can be used to implement the steps performed by the first access network device or the second access network device in the communication method of the embodiments of this application. The relevant features can be referred to the embodiments shown in Figures 8, 10, 11A or 11B above, and will not be repeated here.

[0284] Optionally, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver unit 1301 and processing unit 1302 in Figure 13 can be implemented by the processor 1201 in Figure 12 calling computer execution instructions stored in memory 1203. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing unit 1302 in Figure 13 can be implemented by the processor 1201 in Figure 12 calling computer execution instructions stored in memory 1203, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver unit 1301 in Figure 13 can be implemented by the communication interface 1204 in Figure 12.

[0285] Optionally, when the device 1300 is a chip or circuit, the function / implementation process of the transceiver unit 1301 can also be implemented through pins or circuits. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1301 may include a transmitting unit and / or a receiving unit, wherein the transmitting unit is used to implement the transmitting function and the receiving unit is used to implement the receiving function; or, the transceiver unit 1301 may be an integral module capable of implementing the transmitting and / or receiving functions. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1301 may be implemented using a transceiver.

[0286] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the methods performed by the first or second access network device in the aforementioned method embodiments. Thus, the functions described in the above embodiments can be implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to it, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0287] This application also provides a computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method executed by the first access network device or the second access network device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0288] This application also provides a processing apparatus, including a processor and an interface; the processor is used to execute the method executed by the first access network device or the second access network device involved in any of the above method embodiments.

[0289] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0290] The various illustrative logic units and circuits described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented or operate the described functions using a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), ASIC, field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor; alternatively, it can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented using a combination of computing devices, such as a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

[0291] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in the embodiments of this application can be directly embedded in hardware, software units executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software units can be stored in RAM, flash memory, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium in the art. Exemplarily, the storage medium can be connected to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium can also be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium can be disposed in an ASIC, which can be disposed in the various devices described above. Optionally, the processor and storage medium can also be disposed in different components of the various devices described above.

[0292] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0293] The contents of the various embodiments of this application can be referenced to each other. Unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0294] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the first access network device or the second access network device may execute some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples. In the embodiments of this application, other operations or variations of various operations may also be performed. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

Claims

A communication method characterized by comprising: The method includes: Send a first message, the first message indicating the transmission direction when the first time unit in the first cell and / or the second cell transmits the signal of the first terminal device; Wherein, the first resource in the first time unit of the first cell is a sub-band full-duplex (SBFD) resource, and / or, the second resource in the first time unit of the second cell is an SBFD resource, the first cell is a cell of a first access network device, the second cell is a cell of a second access network device, the first access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the second access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device; or, the second access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the first access network device is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method includes: Send a first message, the first message indicating the transmission direction when the first time unit in the first cell and / or the second cell transmits the signal of the first terminal device; Wherein, the first resource in the first time unit of the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or, the second resource in the first time unit of the second cell is an SBFD resource, the first cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the second cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device; or, the second cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the first cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The method further includes: In the first resource sending a signal to the first terminal device, the transmission direction is a downlink direction, which is used to send a signal to the first terminal device; or, the transmission direction does not include an uplink direction, which is used to receive signals from the first terminal device; or... The first resource receives a signal from the first terminal device, wherein the transmission direction is the uplink direction, or the transmission direction does not include the downlink direction. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method includes: Receive first information, the first information indicating the transmission direction of the first time unit when transmitting signals related to the first terminal device; Wherein, the first resource in the first time unit of the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or the second resource in the first time unit of the second cell is an SBFD resource, the first cell is a cell of the first access network device, the second cell is a cell of the second access network device, one of the first access network device and the second access network device is the master node of the first terminal device, and the other is the auxiliary node of the first terminal device. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method includes: Receive first information, the first information indicating the transmission direction when transmitting the signal of the first terminal device in the first time unit of the first cell and / or the second cell; Wherein, the first resource in the first time unit of the first cell is an SBFD resource, and / or, the second resource in the first time unit of the second cell is an SBFD resource, the first cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the second cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device; or, the second cell is the primary cell of the first terminal device, and the first cell is the secondary cell of the first terminal device. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that The method further includes: The second resource sends a signal to the first terminal device, wherein the transmission direction is a downlink direction, which is used to send a signal to the first terminal device; or, the transmission direction does not include an uplink direction, which is used to receive signals from the first terminal device; or... The second resource receives a signal from the first terminal device, wherein the transmission direction is an uplink direction, or the transmission direction does not include a downlink direction. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first resource is an SBFD resource, and the second resource is an SBFD resource; wherein the first information indicates one or more of the following: The transmission direction corresponding to the first resource includes an uplink direction and a downlink direction. The downlink direction is used to send signals to the first terminal device, and the uplink direction is used to receive signals from the first terminal device. The transmission direction corresponding to the second resource is the downlink direction; The transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include the downlink direction; The transmission direction corresponding to the second resource is the uplink direction; The transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include the uplink direction; The transmission direction corresponding to both the first resource and the second resource is the uplink direction; The transmission directions corresponding to the first resource and the second resource do not include the uplink direction; The transmission direction corresponding to both the first resource and the second resource is the downlink direction; or, The transmission directions corresponding to the first resource and the second resource do not include the downlink direction. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first resource is an SBFD resource, and the second resource is a non-SBFD resource; wherein the first information indicates one or more of the following: The transmission direction corresponding to the first resource includes an uplink direction and a downlink direction. The downlink direction is used to send signals to the first terminal device, and the uplink direction is used to receive signals from the first terminal device. The transmission direction corresponding to the second resource does not include the downlink direction; The transmission direction corresponding to the first resource does not include the uplink direction; The transmission direction corresponding to both the first resource and the second resource is the uplink direction; The transmission directions corresponding to the first resource and the second resource do not include the uplink direction; The transmission direction corresponding to both the first resource and the second resource is the downlink direction; or, The transmission directions corresponding to the first resource and the second resource do not include the downlink direction. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The method further includes: The first terminal device receives second information, which indicates whether it supports simultaneously receiving and transmitting signals within a single time unit. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The first information is included in the SN Add Request message or the SN Reconfiguration Complete message, or the first information is included in the SN Modification Request message or the SN Modification Confirmation message, or the first information is included in the SN Add Request Confirmation message, or the first information is included in the SN Modification Request Confirmation (ack) message. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The method further includes: Receive third information, the third information being used to indicate the transmission direction of a frequency unit in at least one time unit within the second cell; If the third and fourth information are the same, a first message is sent, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate the transmission direction of a frequency unit on at least one time unit within the first cell; wherein the first message is used to request that the second cell be added as a secondary cell for the first terminal device; or, the first message is used to confirm that it is a secondary cell for the first terminal device. A communication device, characterized by The communication device includes a unit for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1, 3, and 7 to 11, or includes a unit for performing the method as described in any one of claims 2, 3, and 7 to 11, or includes a unit for performing the method as described in any one of claims 4 and 6 to 11, or includes a unit for performing the method as described in any one of claims 5 and 6 to 11. A communication device, characterized by The communication device includes a processor configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1, 3, and 7-11, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 2, 3, and 7-11, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 4 and 6-11, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 5 and 6-11. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized by The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1, 3, and 7-11 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 2, 3, and 7-11 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 4 and 6-11 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 5 and 6-11 to be performed. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1, 3, and 7-11, or causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 2, 3, and 7-11, or causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 4 and 6-11, or causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 5 and 6-11.

Images