Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and a related apparatus. In the method, a terminal device can obtain first data on the basis of first configuration information, the first configuration information being data collection configuration information; that is, the terminal device can perform data collection on the basis of the data collection configuration information, so as to obtain the first data. Then, after receiving first information, the terminal device can delete the first data. In this way, the terminal device achieves data deletion on the basis of an indication from another device, thereby reducing data storage overhead. For example, after the terminal device deletes the first data on the basis of the first information, the first data no longer needs to occupy storage space of the terminal device. This approach can reduce the storage overhead of the terminal device.

Description

A communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN202510374398.3, filed on March 26, 2025, entitled "A Communication Method and Related Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method and related apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Wireless communication can be a transmission communication between two or more communication nodes that does not propagate through conductors or cables. Generally, the communication node may include one or more network devices, and / or one or more terminal devices.

[0004] With the development of communication technology, in addition to processing communication signals related to wireless access communication services (such as storage and transmission), communication devices may also be involved in data from other services. For example, communication devices can collect data based on data collection configurations. The data collected by the communication devices may include artificial intelligence (AI) related data, quality of experience (QoE) related data, etc.

[0005] However, in the above process, how to process the data collected by the communication equipment is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus for reducing data storage overhead.

[0007] The first aspect of this application provides a communication method, which is executed by a terminal device, or by a communication module and / or computing module in the terminal device, or by a circuit or chip in the terminal device responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core), or by a circuit or chip in the terminal device responsible for communication and / or computing functions (such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), artificial intelligence (AI) processor, neural network processing unit (NPU), or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), or by a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. In the following description, the method being executed by a terminal device is taken as an example.

[0008] In this method, the terminal device receives first information, which is used to determine the deletion of first data and / or first configuration information; wherein the first data is obtained based on the first configuration information, which is data collection configuration information; and the terminal device deletes the first data based on the first information.

[0009] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can obtain the first data based on the first configuration information, which is data collection configuration information. That is, the terminal device can collect data based on the data collection configuration information to obtain the first data. Subsequently, after receiving the first information, the terminal device can delete the first data and / or the first configuration information. In this way, the terminal device can delete data based on instructions from other devices, reducing data storage overhead.

[0010] As an example, the terminal device deletes the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the first information, indicating that the first data no longer needs to occupy the storage space of the terminal device. This method can reduce the storage overhead of the terminal device.

[0011] For example, the data involved in this application (such as the first data or the second data described below) may include AI data, QoE data, or other data defined by the future network.

[0012] Alternatively, the deletions described in this application can be replaced with discarding or other descriptions defined in the future network definition.

[0013] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes first instruction information for instructing: deleting the first data and / or retaining the second data in the dataset; wherein the dataset contains the first data and the second data, and the first data is different from the second data.

[0014] Based on the above scheme, the sender of the first information can flexibly instruct the terminal device to delete or retain data by including the first instruction information in the first information, so as to achieve selective deletion of data.

[0015] Optionally, this application reserves other descriptions that can be replaced with cache, storage, or future network definitions.

[0016] Optionally, the dataset may include data collected by the terminal device based on one or more data collection configuration information. This data collection configuration information may include first data collection configuration information corresponding to first data, and second data collection configuration information corresponding to second data. The dataset can be replaced with a database, data group, or other description defined in the future network definition.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first instruction information instructs to retain the second data in the dataset and instructs to delete other data in the dataset besides the second data.

[0018] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can delete the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the first instruction information contained in the first information, and can also retain the second data based on the first instruction information.

[0019] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: a terminal device retaining the second data based on the first information; the terminal device sending second information to indicate that the second data is available.

[0020] Based on the above scheme, after the terminal device retains the second data based on the first information, the terminal device can send second information to indicate that the second data is available, so that the recipient of the second information can schedule the terminal device to send the second data based on the second information, so that the recipient of the second information can obtain the data obtained by the terminal device through data collection.

[0021] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the terminal device receiving third information for requesting the second data; and the terminal device sending the second data.

[0022] Based on the above scheme, if the recipient of the second information determines that the second data of the terminal device is available through the second information, the recipient can instruct the terminal device to send the second data through the third information, so that the recipient of the second data can obtain the data obtained by the terminal device through data collection.

[0023] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first instruction information indicates at least one of the following:

[0024] There are N use cases, and the use cases corresponding to the first data include these N use cases, where N is a positive integer;

[0025] There are M use cases, and the use cases corresponding to the second data include these M use cases, where M is a positive integer;

[0026] The first configuration information; or

[0027] The second configuration information, the second data, is the data obtained through the second configuration information.

[0028] Based on the above scheme, the first instruction information can flexibly indicate the deletion or retention of data through at least one of the above methods, thereby improving the flexibility of the scheme implementation.

[0029] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes second instruction information, which is used to instruct the terminal device to delete the first data when it switches to one or more cells.

[0030] Based on the above scheme, the first information received by the terminal device may also include second instruction information, enabling the terminal device to determine whether to delete the first data when switching to one or more cells. For example, the second instruction information may include the cell identifier, cell index, etc., of the one or more cells. The network device sending the first information to the terminal device can be the source network device, allowing the above scheme to be applied to data deletion in handover scenarios. Furthermore, the terminal device can delete the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the network device's instruction when switching to one or more cells specified by the second instruction information. This protects the privacy and security of the source network device's data and prevents the data collected by the terminal device from being used by network devices corresponding to other cells.

[0031] For example, the network devices corresponding to the other cells may not support the processing features corresponding to the first data (such as not supporting AI). That is, the network devices corresponding to the other cells may not be able to recognize or use the first data. Therefore, the network devices can instruct the terminal devices to delete the first data and / or the first configuration information when switching to these cells, which can avoid unnecessary overhead.

[0032] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes a full configuration. Alternatively, the first information is a full configuration.

[0033] Based on the above scheme, the first information received by the terminal device for determining the deletion of the first data and / or the first configuration information can include the complete configuration, or the first information can be the complete configuration, so that the above scheme can be applied to data deletion in the handover scenario and can protect the privacy and security of the source network device data.

[0034] Optionally, if the first information is a full configuration, the terminal device can perform the deletion of the first data and / or the first configuration information by default based on the full configuration. For example, the protocol or standard pre-configures the terminal device to perform the deletion of the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the full configuration. In this way, the full configuration in the switching scenario can be reused to implement the data deletion instruction to the terminal device, thereby reducing the storage overhead of the terminal device.

[0035] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the terminal device sending fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate that the first data is available.

[0036] Based on the above scheme, before the terminal device deletes the first data or receives the first information, the terminal device may also send fourth information to indicate that the first data is available, so that the recipient of the fourth information can schedule the terminal device to send the first data based on the fourth information, so that the recipient of the fourth information can obtain the data obtained by the terminal device through data collection.

[0037] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information is further used to instruct the reporting of the first data; the method further includes: the terminal device sending the first data based on the first information.

[0038] Optionally, the term "reporting" in this application can be replaced with "sending," "transmitting," or other descriptions defined by the future network.

[0039] Based on the above scheme, when the recipient of the fourth information determines that the first data of the terminal device is available through the fourth information, the recipient can instruct the terminal device to send the first data through the first information, so that the recipient of the first data can obtain the data obtained by the terminal device through data collection.

[0040] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the fourth information is contained in a measurement report that is triggered based on a measurement event.

[0041] Based on the above scheme, the fourth information sent by the terminal device can be included in the measurement report, so that the terminal device can trigger the sending of the fourth information based on the measurement event. The fourth information is used to indicate that the first data is available, that is, the fourth information is a data availability indication, so that the terminal device can trigger the sending of the data availability indication based on the measurement event.

[0042] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information is contained in a first radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0043] Based on the above scheme, the first information received by the terminal device may include a first RRC reconfiguration message. For example, the first RRC reconfiguration message is used to reconfigure the RRC connection between the terminal device and the network device in a handover scenario, so that the above scheme can be applied to data deletion in a handover scenario and can protect the privacy and security of the source network device data.

[0044] A second aspect of this application provides a communication method, which is executed by a network device, or by a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the network device, or by a circuit or chip (e.g., a GPU, NPU, AI processor, or ASIC) within the network device responsible for communication and / or computing functions, or by a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. In the following description, the method being executed by a network device is taken as an example.

[0045] In this method, the network device determines first information, which is used to determine the deletion of first data and / or first configuration information; wherein the first data is obtained based on a first configuration, which is a data collection configuration; and the network device sends the first information.

[0046] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can obtain the first data based on the first configuration information, which is data collection configuration information. That is, the terminal device can collect data based on the data collection configuration information to obtain the first data. Subsequently, the network device can send first information to the terminal device, enabling the terminal device to delete the first data after receiving the first information. In this way, the terminal device can delete data based on instructions from the network device, reducing data storage overhead.

[0047] As an example, the terminal device deletes the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the first information, indicating that the first data no longer needs to occupy the storage space of the terminal device. This method can reduce the storage overhead of the terminal device.

[0048] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information includes first instruction information for instructing: deleting the first data and / or retaining the second data in the dataset; wherein the dataset contains the first data and the second data, and the first data is different from the second data.

[0049] Based on the above scheme, network devices can flexibly instruct terminal devices to delete or retain data by including first instruction information in the first information, so as to achieve selective deletion of data.

[0050] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first instruction information instructs to retain the second data in the dataset and instructs to delete other data in the dataset besides the second data.

[0051] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can delete the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the first instruction information contained in the first information, and can also retain the second data based on the first instruction information.

[0052] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the network device receiving second information indicating that the second data is available.

[0053] Based on the above scheme, after the terminal device retains the second data based on the first information, the terminal device can send second information to indicate that the second data is available, so that the network device can schedule the terminal device to send the second data based on the second information, so that the network device can obtain the data obtained by the terminal device through data collection.

[0054] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the network device sending third information for requesting the second data; and the network device receiving the second data.

[0055] Based on the above scheme, when the network device determines that the second data of the terminal device is available through the second information, the network device can instruct the terminal device to send the second data through the third information, so that the network device can obtain the data obtained by the terminal device through data collection.

[0056] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first instruction information indicates at least one of the following:

[0057] There are N use cases, and the use cases corresponding to the first data include these N use cases, where N is a positive integer;

[0058] There are M use cases, and the use cases corresponding to the second data include these M use cases, where M is a positive integer;

[0059] The first configuration information; or

[0060] The second configuration information, the second data, is the data obtained through the second configuration information.

[0061] Based on the above scheme, the first instruction information can flexibly indicate the deletion or retention of data through at least one of the above methods, thereby improving the flexibility of the scheme implementation.

[0062] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information includes second instruction information, which is used to instruct the terminal device to delete the first data when it switches to one or more cells.

[0063] Based on the above scheme, the first information sent by the network device to the terminal device may also include second instruction information, enabling the terminal device to determine whether to delete the first data when switching to one or more cells. For example, the second instruction information may include the cell identifier, cell index, etc. of the one or more cells. The network device sending the first information to the terminal device can be the source network device, allowing the above scheme to be applied to data deletion in handover scenarios. Furthermore, the terminal device can delete the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the network device's instruction when switching to one or more cells specified by the second instruction information. This protects the privacy and security of the source network device's data and prevents the data collected by the terminal device from being used by network devices corresponding to other cells.

[0064] For example, the network devices corresponding to the other cells may not support the processing features corresponding to the first data (such as not supporting AI). That is, the network devices corresponding to the other cells may not be able to recognize or use the first data. Therefore, the network devices can instruct the terminal devices to delete the first data and / or the first configuration information when switching to these cells, which can avoid unnecessary overhead.

[0065] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information includes a complete configuration.

[0066] Based on the above scheme, the first information sent by the network device to the terminal device for determining the deletion of the first data and / or the first configuration information may include the full configuration, or the first information may be the full configuration, so that the above scheme can be applied to data deletion in handover scenarios and can protect the privacy and security of the source network device data.

[0067] Optionally, if the first information is a full configuration, the terminal device can perform the deletion of the first data and / or the first configuration information by default based on the full configuration. For example, the protocol or standard pre-configures the terminal device to perform the deletion of the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the full configuration. In this way, the full configuration in the switching scenario can be reused to implement the data deletion instruction to the terminal device, thereby reducing the storage overhead of the terminal device.

[0068] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the network device receiving fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate that the first data is available.

[0069] Based on the above scheme, before the terminal device deletes the first data or receives the first information, the terminal device may also send fourth information to indicate that the first data is available, so that the network device can schedule the terminal device to send the first data based on the fourth information, so that the network device can obtain the data obtained by the terminal device through data collection.

[0070] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information is further used to instruct the reporting of the first data; the method further includes: the network device receiving the first data.

[0071] Based on the above scheme, when the network device determines that the first data of the terminal device is available through the fourth information, the network device can instruct the terminal device to send the first data through the first information, so that the network device can obtain the data obtained by the terminal device through data collection.

[0072] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the fourth information is contained in a measurement report that is triggered based on a measurement event.

[0073] Based on the above scheme, the fourth information sent by the terminal device can be included in the measurement report, so that the terminal device can trigger the sending of the fourth information based on the measurement event. The fourth information is used to indicate that the first data is available, that is, the fourth information is a data availability indication, so that the terminal device can trigger the sending of the data availability indication based on the measurement event.

[0074] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information is contained in the first RRC reconfiguration message.

[0075] Based on the above scheme, the first information sent by the network device may include a first RRC reconfiguration message. For example, the first RRC reconfiguration message is used to reconfigure the RRC connection between the terminal device and the network device in a handover scenario, so that the above scheme can be applied to data deletion in a handover scenario and can protect the privacy and security of the source network device data.

[0076] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the network device receiving a second RRC configuration message from the target network device; the network device sending the first information includes: the network device sending a first RRC configuration message, the first RRC configuration message including the content of the second RRC configuration message and the first information.

[0077] Based on the above scheme, the network device performing the second aspect of the method can be a source network device. During the handover process, the source network device can receive a second RRC configuration message from the target network device. Furthermore, the source network device can also send first RRC configuration information containing the content of the second RRC configuration message and the first information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can obtain the content of the second RRC configuration message through the first RRC message to realize RRC connection reconfiguration, and can also realize the deletion of the first data and / or the first configuration information through the first information contained in the first RRC message.

[0078] A third aspect of this application provides a communication device, which includes a communication unit and a processing unit; the communication unit is configured to receive first information, the first information being used to determine the deletion of first data and / or first configuration information; wherein the first data is obtained based on the first configuration information, the first configuration information being data collection configuration information; and the processing unit is configured to delete the first data based on the first information.

[0079] In the third aspect of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to execute the steps performed in various possible implementations of the first aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0080] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which is a network device. The device includes a communication unit for transmitting the first information, which is used to determine the deletion of first data and / or first configuration information; wherein the first data is obtained based on a first configuration, which is a data collection configuration. Optionally, the device further includes a processing unit for determining, generating, or acquiring the first information.

[0081] In the fourth aspect of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to perform the steps executed in various possible implementations of the second aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0082] A fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one processor coupled to a memory; the memory is used to store a program or instructions; the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instructions to cause the device to implement the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects. Optionally, the communication device may include the memory.

[0083] The sixth aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one logic circuit and an input / output interface; the logic circuit is used to perform the method as described in any one of the possible implementations of the first to second aspects described above.

[0084] The seventh aspect of this application provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned terminal equipment and network equipment.

[0085] An eighth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, perform the method as described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects described above.

[0086] The ninth aspect of this application provides a computer program product (or computer program) that, when executed by a processor, performs the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects described above.

[0087] The tenth aspect of this application provides a chip or chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the methods described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects. For example, the chip may be a baseband chip, a modem chip, a SoC chip (such as an SoC chip containing a modem core), a SIP chip, or a communication module, etc.

[0088] In one possible design, the chip or chip system may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. Optionally, the chip system may also include interface circuitry that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor.

[0089] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects three through ten can be found in the technical effects of the different design methods in aspects one through two above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0090] Figures 1a, 1b and 1d are schematic diagrams of the communication system involved in this application;

[0091] Figure 1c is a schematic diagram of the AI ​​processing involved in this application;

[0092] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the switching process involved in this application;

[0093] Figures 3 to 5 are schematic diagrams of the communication method provided in this application;

[0094] Figures 6 and 7 are schematic diagrams of the communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0095] First, some terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0096] (1) Configuration and Pre-configuration: In this application, both configuration and pre-configuration are used. Configuration refers to the process by which network devices such as base stations or servers send configuration information or parameter values ​​to the terminal via messages or signaling, so that the terminal can determine the communication parameters or resources for transmission based on these values ​​or information. Pre-configuration is similar to configuration. It can be a method by which network devices such as base stations or servers send parameter information or values ​​to the terminal via a communication link or carrier; it can also be a method by defining the corresponding parameters or parameter values ​​in a standard, or by setting the relevant parameters or values ​​in the terminal device in advance. This application does not limit this method. Furthermore, these values ​​and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0097] (2) In this application, “for indicating” can include both direct and indirect indication. When describing an indication information as indicating A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0098] In this application, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementation, there are many ways to instruct the information to be instructed. For example, it can be implemented through direct instruction, such as through the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also be implemented indirectly by instructing other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be instructed. Alternatively, only a part of the information to be instructed can be indicated, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent.

[0099] The instruction information can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information messages, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific sending method. The sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be predefined, for example, according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device. This configuration information can include, for example, but not limited to, one or a combination of at least two of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control (MAC) layer signaling, and physical layer signaling. MAC layer signaling includes, for example, a medium access control control element (MAC CE); physical layer signaling includes, for example, downlink control information (DCI).

[0100] (3) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. "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. "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 and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0101] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments in this application can be referred to mutually. In the various embodiments of this application, and in the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, methods, or implementations based on their inherent logical relationships. The following descriptions of the embodiments of this application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0102] (4) In the embodiments of this application, "sending" and "receiving" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, the communication process between entity A and entity B is taken as an example. In this application, entity A sends information to entity B, which can be A sending directly to B or A sending indirectly to B through other entities. Similarly, entity B receives information from entity A, which can be entity B receiving the information sent by entity A directly or entity B receiving the information sent by entity A indirectly through other entities. Here, entities A and B can be radio access network (RAN) nodes or terminals, or modules within RAN nodes or terminals. The sending and receiving of information can be information interaction between RAN nodes and terminals, such as information interaction between base stations and terminals; the sending and receiving of information can also be information interaction between two RAN nodes, such as information interaction between a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU); the sending and receiving of information can also be information interaction between different modules within a device, such as information interaction between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or information interaction between a base station chip and other modules in the base station. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0103] This application can be applied to long-term evolution (LTE) systems, new radio (NR) systems, or future communication systems. These communication systems include at least one network device and / or at least one terminal.

[0104] Please refer to Figure 1a, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 1000 used in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 1a, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1a, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1a, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1a). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network devices in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0105] 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 wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0106] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 1000 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 1a 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 both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1a can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0107] In one possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1a, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1a, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented 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, as well as corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the access node's functions, or a circuit or chip (such as a GPU, AI processor, NPU, or ASIC) responsible for communication and / or computing functions within the access node.

[0108] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency 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 computational 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 functionality of a computing unit can be implemented by a separate module independent of other units (e.g., CU, DU, RU), or by one or more other units (e.g., one or more of CU, DU, RU).

[0109] 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.

[0110] A terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. A terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, transportation vehicle with wireless communication capabilities, communication module, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. The terminal typically contains communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. Furthermore, it may 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 these communication and / or computing functions.

[0111] To support AI technology in wireless networks, AI nodes may also be introduced into the network.

[0112] AI nodes can be deployed in one or more of the following locations within the communication system: access network nodes (RAN nodes), terminal devices, or core network devices. Alternatively, AI nodes can be deployed independently, for example, in a location other than any of the aforementioned devices, such as in the host or cloud server of an over-the-top (OTT) system. AI nodes can communicate with other devices in the communication system, which can be one or more of the following: network devices, terminal devices, or core network elements.

[0113] It is understood that this application does not limit the number of AI nodes. For example, when there are multiple AI nodes, these nodes can be divided based on function, such as different AI nodes being responsible for different functions.

[0114] It can also be understood that AI nodes can be independent devices, or they can be integrated into the same device to achieve different functions. Alternatively, they can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). This application does not limit the specific form of the aforementioned AI nodes.

[0115] Optionally, the AI ​​node can be an AI network element or an AI module.

[0116] Please refer to Figure 1b, which is a schematic diagram of a possible application framework in a communication system. As shown in Figure 1b, network elements in the communication system are connected through interfaces (e.g., NG, Xn) or air interfaces. These network element nodes, such as core network equipment, access network nodes (RAN nodes), terminals, or one or more devices in operations administration and maintenance (OAM), are equipped with one or more AI modules (only one is shown in Figure 1b for clarity). Access network nodes can be single RAN nodes or can include multiple RAN nodes, for example, including CU and DU. The CU and / or DU can also be equipped with one or more AI modules. The CU can also be split into CU-CP and CU-UP, and one or more AI modules are installed in the CU-CP and / or CU-UP.

[0117] AI modules are used to implement corresponding AI functions. AI modules deployed in different network elements can be the same or different. The models of AI modules can achieve different functions depending on the parameter configurations. The models of AI modules can be configured based on one or more of the following parameters: structural parameters (e.g., at least one of the following: number of neural network layers, neural network width, inter-layer connections, neuron weights, neuron activation function, or biases in the activation function), input parameters (e.g., the type and / or dimension of the input parameters), or output parameters (e.g., the type and / or dimension of the output parameters). The biases in the activation function can also be referred to as the biases of the neural network.

[0118] In one example, the neural network mentioned above can be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), or a generative adversarial network (GAN).

[0119] Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) are artificial neural network architectures with multiple layers of nonlinear transformation units stacked in a hierarchical structure to form deep computational models. Compared to shallow neural networks, deep neural networks have more hidden layers, allowing the network model to capture more complex data structures and higher-level abstract features.

[0120] A CNN is a deep neural network with a convolutional structure. A CNN contains a feature extractor consisting of convolutional layers and subsampling layers. This feature extractor can be viewed as a filter, and the convolution process can be seen as performing convolution between a trainable filter and an input image or a convolutional feature map.

[0121] RNN is a type of recursive neural network that takes sequence data as input, recursively moves along the direction of sequence evolution, and connects all nodes (recurrent units) in a chain-like manner.

[0122] GAN is a deep learning model. It consists of a generator and a discriminator, and is trained through adversarial learning. Its purpose is to estimate the potential distribution of data samples and generate new data samples.

[0123] For example, an AI module may have one or more models. A model can infer an output that includes one or more parameters. The learning, training, or inference processes of different models may be deployed on different nodes or devices, or they may be deployed on the same node or device.

[0124] Please refer to Figure 1c, which is a schematic diagram of the framework for AI applications in communication systems. In Figure 1c, the AI ​​processes that may be involved include data collection, model training, model inference, and actor execution.

[0125] For example, the data collection entity stores data inputs from sources including the gNB, gNB's CU, gNB's DU, terminal devices, or other management entities, serving as a database for AI model training and data analysis inference. The model training entity trains the AI ​​model by analyzing the training data provided by the data collection entity. The model inference entity uses the AI ​​model, based on the data provided by the data collection entity, to make reasonable AI-based predictions about network operation or guide the network to make policy adjustments. These policy adjustments are planned uniformly by the execution entity and sent to one or more network entities for implementation. Simultaneously, after the relevant policies are applied, information regarding the network's specific performance is again input into the database for storage; for example, the execution entity can provide feedback to the data collection entity.

[0126] For example, the model inference entity can implement model deployment / update through the model training entity to achieve model inference.

[0127] For example, model training entities can provide model performance feedback through model inference entities, thereby improving model training performance.

[0128] For example, the execution entity can obtain output, such as inference output, through the model inference entity.

[0129] Optionally, in a communication system, AI application use cases may include, but are not limited to: network energy saving, load balancing, mobility optimization, channel state information (CSI) feedback enhancement, beam management enhancement, and positioning accuracy enhancement. The following will illustrate this with an example of the communication process between network devices and terminal devices.

[0130] 1. Network energy saving

[0131] Network energy conservation can be achieved through cell activation / deactivation, load reduction, coverage improvement, or other RAN setting adjustments. AI technology can be used to optimize energy-saving decisions by leveraging data collected in the RAN. AI algorithms can predict energy efficiency and load status for the next cycle, which can be used to assist in cell activation / deactivation decisions to save energy. Based on the predicted load, the system can dynamically configure energy-saving strategies to maintain a balance between system performance and energy efficiency, and reduce energy consumption.

[0132] For example, by collecting load, energy consumption, and energy efficiency information from itself and neighboring cells, as well as trajectory information and measurement results from terminal devices, network devices can predict their own load trends. Combined with cell usage and key performance indicators (KPIs) requirements, appropriate energy-saving measures can be implemented in a timely manner without affecting network coverage or user access. The simplest energy-saving strategy includes directly deactivating the cell. Other strategies include carrier shutdown, channel shutdown, time slot shutdown, and reduced transmit power. More complex strategies involve combining these measures. When network coverage is affected or cannot meet the access and service needs of terminal devices, the current energy-saving strategy needs to be modified, or the system should be restored to normal operation. In such cases, load re-prediction or a change in the AI ​​model used for re-inference should be considered.

[0133] 2. Load balancing

[0134] Load balancing can distribute the load evenly between cells and across different areas within a cell, or transfer some traffic from congested cells, or offload users across a single cell, carrier, or access standard, thereby improving network performance. Using AI models to enhance load balancing performance—such as inputting various measurements and feedback from terminal devices and network nodes, as well as historical data—can provide a higher quality user experience and increase system capacity.

[0135] For example, by collecting load, energy consumption, and energy efficiency information from network devices themselves and neighboring cells, as well as trajectory information and measurement results from terminal devices, the network can predict its own load trends. Combined with cell usage and KPI requirements, it can rationally select some terminal devices to switch to or receive terminal devices from neighboring cells, ensuring that the load levels across all network devices in the network are similar, reducing situations where some network devices are overloaded and affecting normal services while others are idle. However, since the accuracy of prediction is not 100%, it can lead to unreasonable terminal device selection or unsuitable target cells for switching, resulting in handover failures or impact on terminal device services. Inaccurate load prediction can also lead to poor load balancing, or temporary abnormal load fluctuations can render the original load balancing strategy inapplicable. In such cases, it is necessary to exit or modify the current load balancing strategy and consider re-predicting the load or changing the AI ​​model used for re-inference.

[0136] 3. Mobility optimization or mobility management

[0137] Mobility optimization can ensure service continuity during device mobility by minimizing dropped calls, radio link failures (RLFs), unnecessary handovers, and ping-pong effects. AI can enhance mobility management by reducing the probability of unexpected events, predicting at least one of the following: device location, mobility, or performance, and traffic redirection.

[0138] For example, by collecting historical trajectory information from terminal devices through network equipment and combining it with the terminal devices' measurement information, the future trajectory of the terminal devices can be predicted. Based on the predicted trajectory, it can be determined in advance whether the terminal device needs to switch over, and the handover configuration can be issued in advance, as well as the target cell can be notified to prepare access resources, reducing latency during the handover process and lowering the probability of handover or access failure. However, since the accuracy of trajectory prediction is not 100%, when the predicted trajectory is incorrect, it will lead to handover failure of the terminal device and service interruption. In this case, it is necessary to consider retraining the model and inference based on the abnormal situation, or to consider replacing the model, to avoid similar abnormal situations from occurring again in the future.

[0139] 4. Enhanced CSI Feedback

[0140] For example, a terminal device reports channel quality information (CQI) to a network device. Based on the CQI, the network device selects an appropriate modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the terminal device, thereby adapting to changing wireless channels. For instance, the terminal device performs channel estimation and prediction based on the received channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), and then feeds back the CQI to the network device. This fed-back CQI is used as input to the network device's model.

[0141] For example, the main process of CSI-RS feedback enhancement is as follows:

[0142] 1. The network device and the terminal device first exchange a dictionary. Usually, the network device pre-trains a model based on the terminal device's capabilities and its own requirements, and then sends an encoder and quantizer tool to the terminal device.

[0143] 2. Based on the measured channel matrix results, the terminal device compresses and quantizes the matrix to be fed back according to the existing dictionary, and transmits the results to the network device side;

[0144] 3. The network device side reversely recovers the original channel matrix based on the dictionary and the data reported by the terminal device.

[0145] 5. Enhanced Beam Management

[0146] Enhanced beam management primarily aims to discover the strongest transmit / receive beam pairs. AI-based sparse beam prediction can improve accuracy. This can be achieved through both network-side and terminal-side AI sparse beam prediction, based on AI training and inference. Taking terminal-side AI sparse beam prediction as an example, the pre-trained AI model on the terminal device can be provided by the network or pre-stored on the terminal device. During training, the network device scans all possible beams and then provides the transmit beam pattern to the terminal device. Once training is complete, the network device only needs to scan a small subset of beams, and the terminal device then feeds back the inference results to the network device. AI-based beam management can achieve beam prediction in, for example, the temporal and / or spatial domains, reducing overhead and latency and improving beam selection accuracy.

[0147] For example, the main process for beam management enhancement is as follows:

[0148] (1) Generation of the initial model. By reporting the results of full-beam scanning of the synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB or S-SS / PSBCH block) by a certain number of terminal devices, a sparse scanning matrix is ​​trained. This matrix is ​​usually unique to each cell.

[0149] (2) The network device sends the sparse model to the terminal device (which can be done through SIB messages, etc.), and the terminal device performs beam scanning in the P1 stage based on this matrix.

[0150] (3) Based on the sparse scanning results of the terminal device, the network device infers the optimal CSI-RS beam and starts P2 scanning of the terminal device. The terminal device then feeds back the optimal CSI-RS beam ID.

[0151] Optionally, beam management enhancements may include at least one sub-function, such as beam scan matrix prediction and / or optimal beam prediction.

[0152] 6. Enhanced positioning accuracy

[0153] In line-of-sight (LOS) or non-line-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios, AI-based positioning can improve positioning accuracy with a smaller number of TRP antennas. Positioning enhancement can include at least one sub-function, such as: positioning enhancement based on access network devices, positioning enhancement based on positioning management function network elements, and positioning enhancement based on terminal devices.

[0154] For example, the main process for improving positioning accuracy is as follows:

[0155] (1) Collect raw data using reference terminal equipment controlled by the operator;

[0156] (2) The location management function (LMF) (LMF is a location management node, not a RAN side node) and gNB train models respectively. The LMF model can infer the final location (latitude and longitude, etc.), and the gNB model can infer the LOS / NLOS judgment result.

[0157] In the embodiments of this application, the definitions of the various technical terms mentioned above are merely illustrative. For example, as technology continues to develop, the scope of the above definitions may also change, and the embodiments of this application are not intended to limit the scope of these definitions.

[0158] For example, an AI function may include multiple AI sub-functions.

[0159] Optionally, AI application cases are also called AI application scenarios or AI functions.

[0160] As described above regarding AI application examples, AI can be widely used to improve network performance in areas such as CSI feedback enhancement, beam management, positioning accuracy enhancement, energy saving, mobility enhancement, and load balancing. AI models can typically be deployed on the network side and / or the terminal device side. The training of AI models relies on the collection of training data, which can come from measurements and feedback from the terminal devices.

[0161] For example, for different AI use cases, the terminal device can be configured to perform different functions. For instance, for the CSI feedback enhancement use case, the terminal device can be configured to perform CSI channel prediction. Regarding how to implement a specific function, the terminal device can choose from multiple models with the same functionality (meaning they can all provide the required output). The selection can be configured on the network side or the terminal device can choose based on its internal implementation. The selection is typically based on the model's application environment.

[0162] In current standard discussions, there are many classifications of the application environments for models, typically including one or more of the following aspects:

[0163] (1) Macroscopic physical attributes of the terminal device, such as the speed, direction of movement, geographical location, and height of the terminal device;

[0164] (2) The hardware and software attributes of the terminal device, such as the effective power, computing power, storage space, and compilation environment of the AI ​​model supported by the terminal device;

[0165] (3) The channel environment in which the terminal device is located, such as UMa / UMi / InH (which are respectively Urban Macro, Urban Micro, and Indoor Hotspot);

[0166] (4) Communication configuration between terminal equipment and gNB, such as the number of receiving antennas of terminal equipment and the number of transmitting ports of gNB;

[0167] (5) Time and frequency domain resources for air interface communication, such as carrier frequency, subcarrier spacing, bandwidth, etc.

[0168] Optionally, even models that can achieve the same function may have different performance in different application environments. Therefore, it is usually necessary to select the most suitable model based on the actual application environment of the terminal device.

[0169] Please refer to Figure 1d, which is a schematic diagram of a possible application framework in a communication system. As shown in Figure 1d, the communication system includes a RAN intelligent controller (RIC). For example, the RIC can be the AI ​​module shown in Figure 1b, used to implement AI-related functions. RICs include near-real-time RICs (near-RT RICs) and non-real-time RICs (non-RT RICs). Non-real-time RICs primarily process non-real-time information, such as data that is not sensitive to latency, with latency in the order of seconds. Near-real-time RICs primarily process near-real-time information, such as data that is relatively sensitive to latency, with latency in the order of tens of milliseconds.

[0170] Near real-time (NRT) RICs are used for model training and inference. For example, they are used to train AI models and then use those models for inference. NRT RICs can obtain network-side and / or end-device-side information from RAN nodes (e.g., CUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, DUs, compute nodes, and / or RUs) and / or end-devices. This information can be used as training data or inference data. NRT RICs can deliver inference results to RAN nodes and / or end-devices. Inference results can be exchanged between CUs and DUs, and / or between DUs and RUs. For example, a NRT RIC delivers an inference result to a DU, which then forwards it to an RU.

[0171] Non-real-time RICs are also used for model training and inference. For example, they can be used to train AI models and then use those models for inference. Non-real-time RICs can obtain network-side and / or end-device-side information from RAN nodes (e.g., CUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, DUs, compute nodes, and / or RUs) and / or end-devices. This information can be used as training data or inference data, and the inference results can be delivered to RAN nodes and / or end-devices. Inference results can be exchanged between CUs and DUs, and / or between DUs and RUs; for example, a non-real-time RIC delivers inference results to a DU, which then forwards them to an RU.

[0172] Near real-time RICs and non-real-time RICs can also be configured as separate network elements. Near real-time RICs and non-real-time RICs can also be part of other devices. For example, near real-time RICs can be set in RAN nodes (e.g., CU, DU, compute nodes), while non-real-time RICs can be set in OAM, cloud servers, core network devices, or other network devices.

[0173] As described above, in communication systems (such as those shown in Figures 1a, 1b, 1c, or 1d), communication nodes not only need to process communication signals within the communication network but may also need to handle data related to other services, such as artificial intelligence (AI) data and quality of experience (QoE) data. Consequently, the amount of data that a communication node needs to process is increasing, inevitably increasing its processing burden. Therefore, how to process the collected data is a pressing technical problem that needs to be solved.

[0174] The following explanation uses the AI ​​data processing process as an example. Regarding the data collection process in AI processing (as shown in Figure 1c), the terminal device can act as a data collection entity. For example, the terminal device retains the collected data during handover; this data can be training data for network-side devices (such as access network devices or core network devices). Afterward, once the terminal device has completed the collection, it needs to send a data availability indication message to the network-side device, and then the network-side device requests data from the terminal device based on its own situation.

[0175] Figure 2 shows an example of a communication process that may be involved in the handover process, including the following steps.

[0176] Step 1. The source network device sends a handover (HO) request to the target network device.

[0177] Step 2. If the target network device allows the terminal device to access, the target network device sends a positive acknowledgment or response (HO request ACK) to the source network device for the handover request. ACK indicates a positive acknowledgment. The HO request ACK includes an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0178] Step 3. The source network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device based on the HO request ACK. For example, the RRC reconfiguration message sent by the source network device to the terminal device includes the RRC reconfiguration message in the HO request ACK.

[0179] Step 4. The terminal device sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the target network device.

[0180] During the above process, the terminal device may have already obtained data through data collection. For example, during communication with the source network device, the terminal device can collect data based on the data collection configuration information sent by the source network device to obtain the data. In this case, the RRC reconfiguration completion message sent by the terminal device in step 4 can include data availability indication information, allowing the target network device to subsequently request the terminal device to send the AI ​​data collected by the terminal device based on this data availability indication information. This enables the target network device to perform AI-related processing based on the AI ​​data collected by the terminal device. For example, the target network device can perform model training, model inference, etc., based on the AI ​​data collected by the terminal device through the process shown in Figure 1c.

[0181] However, in the handover scenario shown in Figure 2, the target network device may support fewer functions than the source network device (e.g., the target network device's version is lower than the source network device's version). In this case, the target network device may not support AI features or may support fewer AI features than the source network device. Consequently, the data historically collected by the terminal device will not be used by the target network device, resulting in this data occupying a significant amount of storage space on the terminal device and wasting storage resources.

[0182] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a communication method and related apparatus, which will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0183] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of an implementation of the communication method provided in this application. The method includes the following steps.

[0184] It should be noted that in Figure 3 and related implementation examples below, the terminal device and network device are used as examples to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction.

[0185] For example, the method executed by the terminal device may be executed by the communication and / or computing module in the terminal, or by the circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for communication and / or computing functions (such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a SoC chip / SIP chip containing a modem core, or a GPU / NPU / AI processor / ASIC), or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions.

[0186] For example, the method executed by the network device may be executed by a circuit or chip (such as a GPU, NPU, AI processor, or ASIC) in the network device that is responsible for communication and / or computing functions, or it may be executed by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network-side device.

[0187] Optionally, the aforementioned network equipment may be access network equipment or communication equipment in an ORAN system (e.g., at least one of CU, DU, RU).

[0188] S301. The network device sends first information, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information. The first information is used to determine the deletion of first data and / or first configuration information; wherein the first data is obtained based on the first configuration information, which is data collection configuration information.

[0189] S302. The terminal device deletes the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the first information.

[0190] For example, the data involved in this application (such as the first data or the second data described below) may include AI data, QoE data, or other data defined by the future network.

[0191] Based on the scheme shown in Figure 3, the terminal device can obtain the first data based on the first configuration information, which is data collection configuration information. That is, the terminal device can collect data based on the data collection configuration information to obtain the first data. Subsequently, after receiving the first information in step S301, the terminal device can delete the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the first information in step S302. In this way, the terminal device can delete data based on instructions from other devices, reducing data storage overhead.

[0192] As an example, the terminal device deletes the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the first information, indicating that the first data no longer needs to occupy the storage space of the terminal device. This method can reduce the storage overhead of the terminal device.

[0193] In one possible implementation of the method shown in Figure 3, as can be seen from step S301, the first information sent by the network device is used to determine the deletion of the first data and / or the first configuration information. The first information can be implemented in a variety of ways, and some possible implementations will be illustrated below.

[0194] Method 1: The first information is a full configuration.

[0195] In Method 1, the first information can be a full configuration, enabling the above scheme to be applied to data deletion in handover scenarios. Specifically, when the first information is a full configuration, the terminal device can perform deletion of the first data and / or the first configuration information by default based on this full configuration. For example, the protocol or standard may pre-configure the terminal device to perform deletion of the first data and / or the first configuration information based on this full configuration. In this way, the full configuration in the handover scenario can be reused to instruct the terminal device to delete data, thereby reducing the storage overhead of the terminal device and protecting the privacy and security of the source network device's data.

[0196] For example, during the handover process, the source network device can send its own source configuration information (sourceConfig) to the target network device. As shown in step 1 of Figure 2, the source network device can send source configuration information to the target network device through HO request.

[0197] If the target network device and the source network device are the same version of network devices, the target network device will issue an incremental configuration to the terminal device based on the configuration of the source network device. As shown in step 2 of Figure 2, the target network device can send the incremental configuration to the source network device through HO request ACK, and the source network device can indicate the incremental configuration to the terminal device through the RRC reconfiguration message in step 3, so that the terminal device can communicate with the target network device based on the incremental configuration.

[0198] If the source network device and the target network device are different versions (e.g., the source network device is a higher version such as version 19 (release 19, R19), and the target network device is a lower version such as version 16 (release 16, R16)), the target device will not understand some features in the source configuration of the source network device. Therefore, the target network device can send a complete configuration to the terminal device to reconfigure the RRC configuration on the terminal device side. As shown in step 2 of Figure 2, the target network device can send this complete configuration to the source network device via a HO request ACK, and the source network device can indicate this complete configuration to the terminal device via the RRC reconfiguration message in step 3, enabling the terminal device to communicate with the target network device based on this complete configuration.

[0199] Optionally, the first information is included in the first RRC reconfiguration message, for example, the first RRC reconfiguration message may include a full configuration. Thus, the first information received by the terminal device may include the first RRC reconfiguration message, for example, the first RRC reconfiguration message is used to reconfigure the RRC connection between the terminal device and the network device in a handover scenario, enabling the above scheme to be applied to data deletion in a handover scenario and protecting the privacy and security of the source network device's data.

[0200] Method 2: The first information includes first instruction information, which is used to instruct the deletion of the first data and / or the first configuration information.

[0201] In Method 2, the first instruction information can indicate the first data in multiple ways, and can flexibly indicate the deletion of data to improve the flexibility of the solution implementation.

[0202] For example, the first instruction information may include an index or identifier of the first data. Wherein, the terminal device may collect one or more data through a data collection process; therefore, the network device may use the index or identifier of the first data included in the first instruction information to instruct the terminal device to delete the first data and / or the first configuration information.

[0203] For example, the first indication information indicates N use cases, and the use cases corresponding to the first data include these N use cases, where N is a positive integer. The terminal device may collect data for one or more use cases through a data collection process. Therefore, the network device can use the first indication information to indicate some or all of the data for these one or more use cases (i.e., N use cases, such as the first indication information containing the index or identifier of N use cases). This allows the network device to instruct the terminal device to delete the first data and / or the first configuration information at the granularity of the use cases, thereby achieving the deletion of some or all of the use case data. For instance, the N use cases may include one or more of the network energy saving, load balancing, mobility optimization, CSI feedback, beam management, positioning accuracy, or other use cases defined by the future network, as described above.

[0204] For example, the first instruction information indicates: first configuration information. This first configuration information is data collection configuration information. The terminal device obtains the first data by collecting data through the first configuration information. Therefore, the network device can instruct the terminal device to delete the first data and / or the first configuration information by specifying the granularity of the data collection configuration, thereby achieving the deletion of some or all of the data corresponding to the data collection configuration. For instance, the first configuration information may include CSI collection configuration, instructing the terminal device to retain CSI compressed or predicted data.

[0205] Method 3: The first information includes first instruction information, which is used to indicate the retention of second data in the dataset. The dataset contains both the first data and the second data, wherein the first data is different from the second data.

[0206] Optionally, in method three, the first instruction information instructs that the second data in the dataset be retained, and instructs that other data in the dataset besides the second data be deleted. Thus, the terminal device can delete the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the first instruction information contained in the first information, and can also retain the second data based on the first instruction information.

[0207] Optionally, this application reserves other descriptions that can be replaced with cache, storage, or future network definitions.

[0208] Optionally, the dataset may include data collected by the terminal device based on one or more data collection configuration information. This data collection configuration information may include first data collection configuration information corresponding to first data, and second data collection configuration information corresponding to second data. The dataset can be replaced with a database, data group, or other description defined in the future network definition.

[0209] In Method 3, the first instruction information can indicate the second data in multiple ways, which can flexibly indicate the retention of data to improve the flexibility of the solution implementation.

[0210] For example, the first instruction information may include an index or identifier of the second data. Wherein, the terminal device may collect one or more data through a data collection process; therefore, the network device may use the index or identifier of the second data included in the first instruction information to instruct the terminal device to retain the second data.

[0211] For example, the first indication information indicates M use cases, and the use cases corresponding to the second data include these M use cases, where M is a positive integer. The terminal device may collect data for one or more use cases through a data collection process. Therefore, the network device can use the first indication information to indicate some or all of the data for these one or more use cases (i.e., M use cases; for example, the first indication information may contain indices or identifiers of N use cases). This allows the network device to instruct the terminal device to retain the second data at the granularity of the use cases, thereby achieving the retention of some or all of the use case data. For instance, the M use cases may include one or more of the network energy saving, load balancing, mobility optimization, CSI feedback, beam management, positioning accuracy, or other use cases defined by the future network, as described above.

[0212] For example, the first instruction information indicates: second configuration information. This second configuration information is data collection configuration information. The terminal device obtains the second data through data collection using this second configuration information. Therefore, the network device can use the first instruction information to instruct the terminal device to delete the second data at the granularity of the data collection configuration, thereby achieving the deletion of some or all of the data corresponding to the data collection configuration. For instance, the second configuration information may include CSI collection configuration, instructing the terminal device to retain CSI compressed or predicted data.

[0213] Method 4: The first information includes first instruction information, which instructs the deletion of first data and / or first configuration information, and instructs the retention of second data in the dataset. The dataset contains the first data and the second data, wherein the first data is different from the second data.

[0214] Optionally, Method 4 can be understood as a combination of Methods 2 and 3. That is, in Method 4, the first instruction information included in the first information can instruct both the deletion of the first data and / or the first configuration information in Method 2 and the retention of the second data in Method 3. Specifically, the way the first instruction information instructs the first data can refer to the implementation of Method 2, and the way the first instruction information instructs the second data can refer to the implementation of Method 3.

[0215] In one possible implementation of method three or four, the first information includes first indication information that can indicate the retention of the second data. Accordingly, the method shown in Figure 3 further includes: the terminal device retaining the second data based on the first information; the terminal device sending second information indicating that the second data is available. This allows the recipient of the second information to schedule the terminal device to send the second data based on the second information, enabling the recipient of the second information to obtain the data obtained by the terminal device through data collection.

[0216] Optionally, after the terminal device sends the second information, the method shown in FIG3 further includes: the terminal device receiving third information, the third information being used to request the second data; and the terminal device sending the second data. Thus, if the recipient of the second information determines through the second information that the second data of the terminal device is available, the recipient can instruct the terminal device to send the second data through the third information, enabling the recipient of the second data to obtain the data obtained by the terminal device through data collection.

[0217] Method 5: The first information includes second instruction information, which is used to instruct the terminal device to delete the first data when it switches to one or more cells.

[0218] In method five, the first information received by the terminal device may also include second instruction information, enabling the terminal device to determine whether to delete the first data when switching to one or more cells. For example, the second instruction information may include the cell identifier, cell index, etc., of the one or more cells. The network device sending the first information to the terminal device can be the source network device, allowing the above scheme to be applied to data deletion in handover scenarios. Furthermore, the terminal device can delete the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the network device's instruction when switching to one or more cells specified by the second instruction information. This protects the privacy and security of the source network device's data and prevents the data collected by the terminal device from being used by network devices corresponding to other cells.

[0219] For example, the network devices corresponding to the other cells may not support the processing features corresponding to the first data (such as not supporting AI). That is, the network devices corresponding to the other cells may not be able to recognize or use the first data. Therefore, the network devices can instruct the terminal devices to delete the first data and / or the first configuration information when switching to these cells, which can avoid unnecessary overhead.

[0220] It should be noted that the process of the terminal device receiving the first information in step S301 may involve multiple communication processes, which will be explained below with some examples.

[0221] Example A: The network device sends initial information to the terminal device before the handover. For example, in Example A, the network device sending the initial information could be the source network device.

[0222] As shown in Figure 4, during the switching process, steps 1 to 4 can be implemented with reference to Figure 2 and related descriptions above. Compared to the method shown in Figure 2, the terminal device can also delete data in step A (such as deleting the first data described above).

[0223] In Example A, the source network device may send first information to the terminal device before sending a handover request to the target network device in step 1. This first information can be implemented using any of the methods described in Methods 2 to 5 above. In this way, the terminal device can delete first data and / or first configuration information based on the first information sent by the source network device before handover to the target network device.

[0224] For example, in Example A, the first information can be implemented using any of the methods two through four described above. In this case, the terminal device can execute step A based on the first information. Step A can be executed before or after step 3 shown in Figure 4; this is not limited here.

[0225] For example, in Example A, the first information can be implemented using the method described in step five above. The terminal device can determine, based on the first information from step five, to delete the first data and / or the first configuration information when switching to one or more cells. In this case, the terminal device can determine the cell identifier corresponding to the target network device based on the RRC reconfiguration in step 3 of Figure 4. Furthermore, if the cell identifier in step 3 is included within the cell identifier corresponding to the one or more cells, the terminal device deletes the data in step A. In this case, step A can be executed after step 3.

[0226] Example B: During the handover process, the network device sends the first information to the terminal device. For example, in Example B, the network device sending the first information can be the source network device.

[0227] In Example B, the first information can be included in the RRC reconfiguration in step 3 of Figure 4, or the first information can be the RRC reconfiguration in step 3 of Figure 4. In other words, the terminal device can perform the data deletion in step A after step 3.

[0228] For example, in Example B, the RRC reconfiguration message received by the terminal device in step 3 of Figure 4 may contain first information. This first information can be the full configuration described in Method 1 above, or it can be implemented using any of Methods 2 to 5 mentioned above. Furthermore, based on the first information contained in the RRC reconfiguration message, the terminal device can delete data in step A (such as deleting the first data and / or the first configuration information as described above). This allows for the reuse of the full configuration from the handover scenario to implement data deletion instructions for the terminal device, reducing storage overhead and protecting the privacy and security of the source network device's data.

[0229] Optionally, if the first information is implemented in any of the above methods two to five, the RRC reconfiguration message containing the first information may contain the full configuration.

[0230] In one possible implementation of Example B, the network device performing the method shown in Figure 3 can be a source network device. During the handover process, the source network device can receive a second RRC configuration message from the target network device (such as the HO request ACK in step 2 of Figure 4). Furthermore, the source network device can also send the first RRC configuration information containing the content of the second RRC configuration message and the first information (such as the RRC reconfiguration in step 3 of Figure 4) to the terminal device. This allows the terminal device to obtain the content of the second RRC configuration message through the first RRC message to achieve RRC connection reconfiguration, and also to delete the first data and / or the first configuration information through the first information contained in the first RRC message, thereby protecting the privacy and security of the source network device's data.

[0231] Example C: The network device sends the first information to the terminal device after the handover. In Example C, the network device sending the first information can be the target network device.

[0232] For example, in Example C, after the target network device completes the RRC connection with the terminal device through the RRC reconfiguration in step 4 of Figure 4, the target network device can send first information to the terminal device. This first information can be implemented through any of the methods two to five described above. In this way, the terminal device can delete the first data and / or the first configuration information based on the first information sent by the target network device after switching to the target network device.

[0233] Example D: The network device sends the first information to the terminal device based on the communication status information.

[0234] For example, communication status information can indicate that the network device is operating in an energy-saving state. In this case, the network device may selectively disable some or all of its AI functions to reduce its power consumption. Therefore, the network device may not schedule the terminal device to send the first data, but instead send the first information to the terminal device, causing the terminal device to delete the first data and / or the first configuration information based on that first information.

[0235] For example, communication status information can indicate that the terminal device is operating in a low-power state. In this case, the terminal device may selectively disable some or all of its AI functions to reduce its power consumption. To this end, the network device can send a first message to the terminal device, causing the terminal device to delete a first data and / or a first configuration information based on the first message, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0236] In one possible implementation of the method shown in Figure 3, such as any of Examples A to D above, the method further includes: the terminal device sending fourth information to indicate that the first data is available. In other words, before the terminal device deletes the first data or receives the first information, the terminal device may also send fourth information to indicate that the first data is available, so that the recipient of the fourth information can schedule the terminal device to send the first data based on the fourth information, enabling the recipient of the fourth information to obtain the data obtained by the terminal device through data collection.

[0237] In one possible implementation, after the terminal device sends the fourth information, the recipient of the fourth information (such as the network device that sent the first information in Examples A, C, or D above) can send a request information based on the fourth information. This request information is used to request the terminal device to send the first data. The content requested by the request information can be indicated by the first information, or the request information and the first information can be contained in the same message / signaling / information, or the request information and the first information can be contained in different messages / signaling / information.

[0238] For example, the content requested by the above-mentioned request information can be indicated by the above-mentioned first information. In this case, the first information is also used to instruct the reporting of the first data; correspondingly, the method shown in FIG3 further includes: the terminal device sending the first data based on the first information. Thus, when the recipient of the fourth information determines that the first data of the terminal device is available through the fourth information, the recipient can instruct the terminal device to send the first data through the first information, so that the recipient of the first data can obtain the data obtained by the terminal device through data collection.

[0239] As shown in Figure 5, taking the content requested by the above request information as an example, which can be indicated by the first information mentioned above. During the switching process, the implementation of steps 1 to 4 can be referred to Figure 2 and related descriptions above. Compared with the method shown in Figure 2, in the above example A, the terminal device can also execute steps B, C, D and E.

[0240] Step B. The terminal device sends the fourth message.

[0241] Step C. If the source network device determines that the first data is available based on the fourth information, the source network device sends the first information.

[0242] Subsequently, the terminal device performs the transmission of the first data in step D and the deletion of the first data and / or the first configuration information in step E based on the first information.

[0243] Optionally, after obtaining the first data in step D of Figure 5, the source network device can send the first data to the target network device. For example, the HO request sent by the source network device in step 2 can carry the first data.

[0244] Optionally, the term "reporting" in this application can be replaced with "sending," "transmitting," or other descriptions defined by the future network.

[0245] Optionally, the aforementioned fourth information is included in the measurement report, which is triggered based on a measurement event. Therefore, the fourth information sent by the terminal device can be included in the measurement report, enabling the terminal device to trigger the transmission of the fourth information based on a measurement event. This fourth information indicates that the first data is available; that is, the fourth information is a data availability indication, enabling the terminal device to trigger the transmission of the data availability indication based on the measurement event. For example, the measurement event can be an A-series event, a B-series event, or other events defined by the future network.

[0246] For example, Series A events may include one or more of the following:

[0247] Event A1: The signal quality of the serving cell becomes higher than the corresponding threshold;

[0248] Event A2: The signal quality of the serving cell falls below the corresponding threshold.

[0249] Event A3: The signal quality of the neighboring cell begins to be better than that of the serving cell;

[0250] Event A4: The signal quality of a neighboring cell becomes higher than the corresponding threshold.

[0251] Event A5: The signal quality of the serving cell becomes lower than the corresponding threshold 1 and the signal quality of the neighboring cell becomes higher than the threshold 2;

[0252] Event A6: The neighboring cell with the same frequency as Scell ​​has a certain threshold higher than Scell.

[0253] For example, a series of events (B series) may include one or more of the following:

[0254] Event B1: The signal quality of a neighboring cell in a different system becomes higher than the corresponding threshold;

[0255] Event B2: The signal quality of the serving cell becomes lower than the corresponding threshold 1 and the signal quality of the neighboring cell in the other system becomes higher than the corresponding threshold 2.

[0256] Please refer to Figure 6, which is a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the communication device 600 may include modules or units for implementing the method embodiments described above. In one possible design, the communication device 600 includes a communication unit 603. Optionally, the communication device 600 may further include a storage unit 601 and / or a processing unit 602. The storage unit 601 is used to store device program code and / or data, and the processing unit 602 is used to process data and / or signals. For example, the processing unit 602 may perform processing based on the program code and / or data stored in the storage unit 601.

[0257] In one possible design, the communication device 600 can be the terminal device in the above embodiments, or a communication module in the terminal device, or a circuit or chip in the terminal device responsible for communication functions. The communication unit 603 is used to receive first information, which is used to determine the deletion of first data and / or first configuration information; wherein the first data is obtained based on the first configuration information, which is data collection configuration information; and the processing unit 602 is used to delete the first data based on the first information.

[0258] In another possible design, the communication device 600 can be a network device as described in the above embodiments, or a circuit or chip within the network device responsible for communication functions. The communication unit 603 is used to send the first information, which is used to determine the deletion of first data and / or first configuration information; wherein the first data is obtained based on a first configuration, which is a data collection configuration. Optionally, the communication device 600 further includes a processing unit 602, which is used to determine, generate, or acquire the first information.

[0259] In one possible design, when the communication device 600 is a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, the function of the processing unit 602 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core. The function of the communication unit 603 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0260] In one possible design, when the communication device 600 is a circuit or chip in a terminal responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing unit 602 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the communication unit 603 can be implemented by an interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0261] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. One function can correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated onto a single physical entity, or distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0262] In one example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more ASICs, or one or more CPUs, one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0263] In one example, storage unit 601 may include random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory and / or registers, etc.

[0264] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a structural schematic diagram of a terminal 700 provided in an embodiment of this application. The terminal 700 can correspond to the terminal device shown in Figure 3, Figure 4, or Figure 5, and is used to implement the operation of the terminal device in the above embodiments. As shown in Figure 7, the terminal includes: one or more antennas 710, a radio frequency processing system 720, and a processor system 730.

[0265] Understandably, the terminal device could be Terminal 700 or Processor System 730.

[0266] In the downlink or sidelink direction, the RF processing system 720 receives RF signals through the antenna 710 and sends the RF-processed signals to the processor system 730 for further processing. In the uplink or sidelink direction, the processor system 730 processes the terminal-side information and sends it to the RF processing system 720, which then processes the signal and transmits it through the antenna 710.

[0267] In one example, the radio frequency (RF) processing system 720 serves as the communication interface for external communication of the terminal and may include an RF front end (RFFE) 721 and an RF transceiver 722. The RFFE 721 is primarily used for one or more processing operations, such as shaping, passband selection, or gain adjustment, on the RF signals received by the antenna or those to be transmitted through the antenna. It may include one or more components such as RF switches, duplexers, filters, power amplifiers, antenna tuners, and low-noise amplifiers. The RFFE 721 can be a circuit system composed of multiple discrete components or integrated into one or more chips. The RF transceiver 722 processes the RF signals received by the RFFE into baseband / IF signals for further processing by the processor system 730, and processes the baseband / IF signals provided by the processor system 730 into RF signals for transmission to the RFFE 721. The baseband / IF signals transmitted between the RF transceiver 722 and the processor system 730 can be digital or analog signals. The RF transceiver 722 can be implemented by one or more chips, which are commonly referred to as RF ICs.

[0268] In one example, the processor system 730 may include one or more processors for processing signals and executing one or more communication protocols. Optionally, the processor system 730 may also include a memory 736. In one example, the one or more processors include at least one baseband processor 731 (also known as a modem processor). The memory 736 is used to store data and / or computer program instructions. Optionally, the processor system 730 may also include one or more application processors 732 for implementing processing of the terminal operating system and application layer. Optionally, the processor system 730 may also include one or more of a voice subsystem 733, a multimedia subsystem 734, or an interface circuit 735. The voice subsystem 733 is used to process voice signals, the multimedia subsystem 734 is used to handle multimedia-related operations, such as video encoding / decoding, image processing, etc., and the interface circuit 735 is used to enable communication with other terminal components, such as a display 740, an input device 750, a memory 760, etc. The above-mentioned components in the processor system 730 can communicate with each other via a bus or communication interface circuit.

[0269] In one example, the processor system 730 can be packaged as a single processor chip, such as a SoC chip or a SIP chip. In another example, the processor system 730 can be a system composed of multiple chips; for example, the baseband processor 731 can be packaged as a single chip, or packaged with part or all of the circuitry of the radio frequency processing system into a single chip.

[0270] In one example, memory 736 can be on-chip memory, i.e., located on the processor system 730 chip. In another example, memory 760 can be off-chip memory, i.e. located outside the processor system 730 chip.

[0271] In one example, the baseband processor 731 may include one or more processor cores 7311 and interface circuitry 7314. The one or more processor cores 7311 are used to process signals and execute one or more communication protocols. Optionally, the baseband processor 731 may also include a memory 7312 for storing at least a portion of the corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. In one example, the one or more processor cores 7311 execute the computer program instructions stored in the memory 7312 to perform the relevant operations (such as sending or receiving first information) in the above method embodiments. In this disclosure, memory 7312 is used to store corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. This can mean that memory 7312 stores all corresponding computer program instructions and / or data for execution by processor core 7311; or it can mean that memory 7312 stores a portion of corresponding computer program instructions and / or data, including the computer program instructions and / or data currently required to be executed by processor core 7311. Memory 7312 can store different portions of computer program instructions and / or data multiple times for execution by processor core 7311 to implement the relevant operations in the above method embodiments. Interface circuit 7314 serves as a communication interface for communication with other components, such as transmitting signals with radio frequency processing system 720, communicating with other subsystems and related components of processor system 730 via bus, such as transmitting data control signals with application processor 732, and transmitting data or computer program instructions with memory 736 or memory 760. Optionally, in order to reduce the load on the processor core, a baseband signal processing circuit 7313 can be set to perform at least some of the baseband signal processing work, including one or more of signal demodulation, modulation, encoding or decoding.

[0272] In one example, the communication device provided in this application may be a terminal 700, a communication module including a processor system 730 and a radio frequency processing system 720, or a baseband processor 731.

[0273] The processor, processor system, application processor, baseband processor, processor circuit or processor core mentioned above can be collectively referred to as a processor. The processor may include one or more of the following: CPU, DSP, microprocessor unit (MPU), MCU, GPU, FPGA, artificial intelligence processor (AI processor) or NPU.

[0274] The aforementioned memory may include one or more of the following storage media: random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), phase-change memory (PCM), resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), cache, register, read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), hard disk, etc. In one example, computer program instructions for executing the above embodiments may be stored in non-volatile memory, such as at least a portion of the aforementioned memory 760 (e.g., one or more of ROM, flash memory, EPROM, or hard disk). When the terminal is running, the corresponding computer program instructions may be partially or wholly loaded onto a memory with a faster transfer speed than the processor, such as at least a portion of memory 736 and / or memory 7312 (e.g., one or more of RAM, SRAM, DRAM, PCM, RERAM, MRAM, FRAM, cache, or register), for the processor to execute in order to implement the steps in the above method embodiments.

[0275] In one example, the RF transceiver 722 and the RF front-end 721 can also be packaged in a single chip. In another example, the RF transceiver 722, the RF front-end 721, and the baseband processor 731 can also be packaged in a single chip.

[0276] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor performs the method described in the possible implementations of the terminal device or network device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0277] This application also provides a computer program product (or computer program) that, when executed by a processor, executes the method described above for possible implementation of a terminal device or network device.

[0278] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the functions involved in the possible implementations of the communication device described above. Optionally, the chip system further includes an interface circuit that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor. In one possible design, the chip system may further include a memory for storing the program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices, wherein the communication device may specifically be a terminal device or a network device as described in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0279] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the terminal device and network device in any of the above embodiments.

[0280] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units through some interfaces, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0281] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0282] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes, or all or 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, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0283] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0284] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0285] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0286] 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.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive first information, the first information being used to determine the deletion of first data; wherein, the first data is obtained based on first configuration information, the first configuration information being data collection configuration information; Delete the first data based on the first information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes first indication information, which is used to indicate: deleting the first data and / or retaining the second data in the dataset; The dataset contains the first data and the second data, wherein the first data is different from the second data.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first instruction indicates that the second data in the dataset be retained, and that all other data in the dataset except the second data be deleted.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second data is retained based on the first information; Send a second message, which indicates that the second data is available.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive third information, the third information being used to request the second data; Send the second data.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, The first indication information indicates at least one of the following: There are N use cases, where the use cases corresponding to the first data include the N use cases, and N is a positive integer; There are M use cases, and the use cases corresponding to the second data include the M use cases, where M is a positive integer; The first configuration information; or The second configuration information, and the second data, are data obtained through the second configuration information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first information includes second instruction information, which is used to instruct the terminal device to delete the first data when it switches to one or more cells.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The first information includes the complete configuration.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: A fourth message is sent, which indicates that the first data is available.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first information is also used to instruct the reporting of the first data; the method further includes: The first data is sent based on the first information.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The fourth piece of information is included in the measurement report, which is triggered based on a measurement event.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The first information is contained in the first Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, include: First information is determined, which is used to determine the deletion of first data; wherein, the first data is obtained based on a first configuration, which is a data collection configuration; Send the first message.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first information includes first indication information, which is used to indicate: deleting the first data and / or retaining the second data in the dataset; The dataset contains the first data and the second data, wherein the first data is different from the second data.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first instruction indicates that the second data in the dataset be retained, and that all other data in the dataset except the second data be deleted.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a second message, which indicates that the second data is available.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a third message, the third message being used to request the second data; Receive the second data.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The first indication information indicates at least one of the following: There are N use cases, where the use cases corresponding to the first data include the N use cases, and N is a positive integer; There are M use cases, and the use cases corresponding to the second data include the M use cases, where M is a positive integer; The first configuration information; or The second configuration information, and the second data, are data obtained through the second configuration information.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 18, characterized in that, The first information includes second instruction information, which is used to instruct the terminal device to delete the first data when it switches to one or more cells.

20. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, characterized in that, The first information includes the complete configuration.

21. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 20, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a fourth message, which indicates that the first data is available.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The first information is also used to instruct the reporting of the first data; the method further includes: Receive the first data.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The fourth piece of information is included in the measurement report, which is triggered based on a measurement event.

24. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 23, characterized in that, The first information is contained in the first Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

25. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 24, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the second RRC configuration message from the target network device; Sending the first information includes: Send a first RRC configuration message, which includes the content of the second RRC configuration message and the first information.

26. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 25.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes at least one processor, said at least one processor being used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 25.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 25.

29. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 25.

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