Communication method, communication apparatus, communication system, and storage medium

Abstract

Disclosed in the embodiments of the present application are a communication method, a communication apparatus, a communication system, and a storage medium, so as to enable a candidate master node to identify a terminal device and associate with context of the terminal device. The method in the embodiments of the present application comprises: receiving first information, which is used for indicating that a secondary cell group failure occurs in a first terminal device, wherein the secondary cell group failure is caused by failure to satisfy at least one of an execution trigger condition for a first candidate primary cell, and an execution condition for a first candidate primary secondary cell associated with the first candidate primary cell; and sending second information, which comprises the first information and a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is used for identifying the first terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, a first identifier is carried in second information, such that a second network device can identify, on the basis of the first identifier, a terminal device in which a secondary cell group failure occurs, and can also associate with context of the terminal device, thereby enabling the second network device to perform analysis and optimization on the secondary cell group failure.

Description

Communication methods, communication devices, communication systems and storage media

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN202510377994.7, filed on March 26, 2025, entitled "Communication Method, Communication Device, Communication System and Storage Medium", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, communication device, communication system and storage medium. Background Technology

[0003] In a wireless network, a user equipment (UE) may communicate with multiple base stations, a phenomenon known as dual-connectivity (DC) or multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC). The network side can utilize the resources of multiple base stations to provide communication services to the UE, thereby enabling high-speed transmission. The base station that interacts with the core network via control plane signaling is called the master node (MN), and the other base stations are called secondary nodes (SNs). Within an MR-DC, the master base station contains a primary cell (PCell), and the secondary base stations contain a primary secondary cell (PSCell).

[0004] During the handover process, the UE will only perform PCell change and PSCell addition / change if the execution conditions of the candidate PCell and its associated candidate PSCell are met. If at least one of the execution conditions of the candidate PCell and its associated candidate PSCell is not met, the UE experiences a secondary cell group failure (SCG failure). The UE sends a secondary cell group failure message to the source MN, and the source MN needs to send the secondary cell group failure message to the candidate MN.

[0005] However, the candidate MN cannot identify the UE that is experiencing a condition mismatch when it receives secondary cell group failure information reported by the UE from the source MN, and therefore cannot perform root cause analysis by associating the UE context. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, communication device, communication system, and storage medium for enabling a candidate master node to identify the terminal device and associate it with the context of the terminal device during a conditional handover process involving a secondary cell group.

[0007] This application provides a communication method, optionally, in which the executing entity can be a first network device. The first network device can be a network device, a component or apparatus applied to a network device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions (e.g., a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU)). In this method, the first network device receives first information from a first terminal device. The first information indicates a secondary cell group failure occurring on the first terminal device. The secondary cell group failure is caused by the first terminal device failing to meet at least one of the execution triggering conditions of a first candidate primary cell and the execution conditions of the first candidate primary and secondary cells associated with the first candidate primary cell. The first network device sends second information to a second network device. The second information includes the first information and a first identifier, which is used to identify the first terminal device. The first network device manages a first primary cell, which is the primary cell currently accessed by the first terminal device. The second network device manages first candidate primary cells, which are primary cells that the first terminal device may access.

[0008] Based on the first aspect of this application, by carrying a first identifier in the second information, the second network device can identify the terminal device that has experienced a secondary cell group failure based on the first identifier, and can also associate the context of the terminal device, thereby enabling the second network device to analyze and optimize the secondary cell group failure.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the first identifier includes the identifier of the first interface assigned by the first network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the first interface assigned by the second network device to the first terminal device. The first network device manages the first primary cell accessed by the first terminal device, the second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, and the first interface is the interface between the first network device and the second network device.

[0010] By carrying the identifier of the first interface, the second network device can identify the first terminal device based on the identifier of the first interface allocated by the first network device to the first terminal device, and / or the identifier of the first interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device, thereby associating the context of the first terminal device.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the first identifier includes the identifier of the second interface assigned to the first terminal device by the second network device and / or the identifier of the second interface assigned to the first terminal device by the third network device, the second network device managing the first candidate primary cell, the third network device managing the first candidate secondary cell, and the second interface being the interface between the second network device and the third network device.

[0012] By carrying the identifier of the second interface, the second network device can identify the first terminal device based on the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device, and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device, thereby associating the context of the first terminal device.

[0013] In some possible implementations, the first network device may also obtain the identifier of the second interface allocated to the first terminal device by the second network device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated to the first terminal device by the third network device.

[0014] Since the second interface is the interface between the second network device and the third network device, the first network device needs to obtain the identifier of the second interface through the second network device, so that the second network device can identify the first terminal device based on the identifier of the second interface and associate the context of the first terminal device.

[0015] In some possible implementations, the first network device obtains the identifier of the second interface by receiving a handover request response message from the second network device, the handover request response message including the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device.

[0016] By carrying the identifier of the second interface in the handover request response message, the second network device can reuse the handover request response message to send the identifier of the second interface, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0017] In some possible factual arrangements, the first identifier includes an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first primary cell and / or an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first candidate primary cell, wherein the first primary cell is the primary cell to which the first terminal device accesses.

[0018] By carrying the identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first primary cell and / or the identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first candidate primary cell, the second network device can identify the first terminal device based on the first identifier, thereby associating the context of the first terminal device.

[0019] In some possible factual arrangements, the identifier of the first primary cell and / or the identifier of the first candidate primary cell is the cell-radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI).

[0020] By carrying the C-RNTI, the second network device can identify the first terminal device and associate the first terminal device context based on the first identifier, regardless of whether the interface (context) corresponding to the first terminal device is released between the first network device and the second network device or between the second network device and the third network device.

[0021] A second aspect of this application provides a communication method. Optionally, the execution subject of this method may be a second network device. The second network device may be a network device, a component or device applied to a network device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software (e.g., CU, DU, or RU) capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. In this method, the second network device sends a handover request response message to a first network device. The handover request response message includes the execution conditions of the first candidate primary and secondary cells associated with the first candidate primary cell. The second network device receives second information from the first network device. The second information includes first information and a first identifier. The first information is used to indicate a secondary cell group failure occurring in the first terminal device. The secondary cell group failure is due to the failure to meet at least one of the execution trigger conditions of the first candidate primary cell and the execution conditions of the first candidate primary and secondary cells associated with the first candidate primary cell. The first identifier is used to indicate the first terminal device.

[0022] In some possible implementations, the first identifier includes the identifier of the first interface assigned by the first network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the first interface assigned by the second network device to the first terminal device. The first network device manages the first primary cell accessed by the first terminal device, the second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, and the first interface is the interface between the first network device and the second network device.

[0023] In some possible implementations, the first identifier includes the identifier of the second interface assigned to the first terminal device by the second network device and / or the identifier of the second interface assigned to the first terminal device by the third network device, the second network device managing the first candidate primary cell, the third network device managing the first candidate secondary cell, and the second interface being the interface between the second network device and the third network device.

[0024] In some possible implementations, the handover request response message may also include the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device; wherein the second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, the third network device manages the first candidate secondary cell, and the second interface is the interface between the second network device and the third network device.

[0025] In some possible factual arrangements, the first identifier includes an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first primary cell and / or an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first candidate primary cell, wherein the first primary cell is the primary cell to which the first terminal device accesses.

[0026] In some possible factual arrangements, the identifier of the first primary cell and / or the identifier of the first candidate primary cell is C-RNTI.

[0027] A third aspect of this application provides a communication device, which may be the first network device described above. The communication device includes modules or units for performing the methods described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0028] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which may be the second network device described above. The communication device includes modules or units for performing the methods described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0029] A fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which may be a first network device or a second network device, or a component applied to the first network device or the second network device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software (e.g., CU, DU, or RU) capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first network device or the second network device. The communication device includes:

[0030] A processor for executing a program that causes the communication device to perform the method as described in the first or second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0031] Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory, and the processor is coupled to the memory; the memory is used to store programs.

[0032] The sixth aspect of this application provides a chip or chip system including at least one processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and at least one processor being interconnected via a line, the at least one processor being used to run computer programs or instructions to perform the communication method described in any of the possible implementations of the first or second aspect.

[0033] The communication interface in the chip can be an input / output interface, pins, or circuits.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the chip or chip system described above in this application further includes at least one memory storing instructions. The memory can be an internal storage unit of the chip, such as a register or cache, or it can be a storage unit of the chip itself, such as a read-only memory or random access memory.

[0035] The seventh aspect of this application provides a communication system, including communication means for performing the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and communication means for performing the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0036] An eighth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect above, or cause the computer to perform the method described in the second aspect above.

[0037] The ninth aspect of this application provides a computer program product that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect above, or causes the computer to perform the method described in the second aspect above. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the network architecture in this application;

[0039] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of multimode dual connectivity in this application;

[0040] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of conditional handover including candidate secondary cells in this application;

[0041] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the communication method in this application;

[0042] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the communication architecture corresponding to the communication method in this application;

[0043] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the communication device in this application;

[0044] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication device in this application;

[0045] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication device in this application;

[0046] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication device in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0047] First, a brief description of the network architecture on which the communication method in the embodiments of this application is based:

[0048] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, a core network (CN) 200, and an Internet 300. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, 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 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0049] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G, 5G, or future mobile communication system. RAN 100 can also be an open-radio access network (ORAN), a cloud-radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0050] 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 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 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 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0051] In one possible scenario, access network equipment includes, but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNodeB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station (BS), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, macro base station, micro base station, wireless relay node, donor node, radio controller in CRAN scenario, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc., and can also be access network equipment in 5G mobile communication system. For example, a next-generation NodeB (gNB), TRP, or TP in a new radio (NR) system; or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G mobile communication system; or, access network equipment can also be network nodes constituting a gNB or transmission point. Examples include centralized units (CU), distributed units (DU), centralized unit control planes (CU-CP), centralized unit user planes (CU-UP), or radio units (RU), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate or included in the same network element, such as a BBU. RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). Alternatively, access network equipment can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment, etc. For example, the access network equipment in V2X technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).It should be understood that the aforementioned TRP can be a device or module located on the network side of the aforementioned communication system and possessing corresponding communication functions. The TRP typically contains a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication functions. The TRP can also be configured with program instructions for the corresponding communication functions.

[0052] It should be noted that CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names in different systems, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, CU can also be called an open centralized unit (O-CU) or an open CU, DU can also be called an open-distributed unit (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open-centralized unit control plane (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open-centralized unit user plane (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an open radio unit (O-RU). This application does not limit the specific names. Any of the units CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0053] Optionally, for network elements in the ORAN system, each network element can implement the protocol layer functions shown in Table 1 below.

[0054] Table 1

[0055] It should be noted that in the ORAN system, the access network equipment in this application can be one or more network elements listed in Table 1 above.

[0056] The architecture of the CU and DU of the access network equipment is described below. An access network equipment includes at least one CU and at least one DU. Optionally, the access network equipment may also include at least one RU.

[0057] The following description uses an access network device consisting of one CU and one DU as an example. The CU has some core network functions and can include CU-CP and CU-UP. The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement. For example, the CU may be configured to implement the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (e.g., RRC and / or SDAP layers). The DU may be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (e.g., RLC, MAC, and / or physical (PHY) layers). Alternatively, the CU may be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers above the PDCP layer (e.g., RRC and / or SDAP layers), and the DU may be configured to implement the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (e.g., RLC, MAC, and / or PHY layers).

[0058] When a CU includes CU-CP and CU-UP, CU-CP is used to implement the control plane functions of the CU, and CU-UP is used to implement the user plane functions of the CU. For example, when a CU is configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer, RRC layer, and SDAP layer, CU-CP is used to implement the RRC layer functions and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer, and CU-UP is used to implement the SDAP layer functions and the user plane functions of the PDCP layer.

[0059] The CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements can be access and mobility management functions (AMFs). AMFs are responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover.

[0060] CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements, such as the user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, are responsible for forwarding and receiving data in terminal devices.

[0061] The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements. For example, based on latency, functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0062] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0063] It should be noted that the access network equipment can be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus with integrated circuits, or a chip, chip system, module, or control unit in the aforementioned device or apparatus; this application does not impose any specific limitation. It should also be noted that in this application, the term "access network equipment" can refer to the access network equipment itself, or to the chip, functional module, or integrated circuit within the access network equipment that performs the method provided in this application; this application does not impose any specific limitation.

[0064] 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 homes, smart offices, smart wearables, intelligent transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. Terminals typically contain communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. Terminals can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions.

[0065] Optionally, the network architecture upon which the communication method in this embodiment is based also includes a non-terrestrial network (NTN) architecture. For example, the network device can be a RAN device mounted on a flight platform. When the RAN device is mounted on the flight platform, it moves synchronously with the flight platform. The RAN device and the flight platform can be considered as a whole; in this case, the flight platform can be regarded as the RAN device, or it can be described as the flight platform operating in regenerative mode, meaning the flight platform possesses the functions of a RAN device. Furthermore, the communication link between the flight platform and the terminal device can be called a service link. When the communication system includes multiple flight platforms, the flight platforms can communicate with each other through the Xn interface. In practical applications, the network device can also be a RAN device distributed on the flight platform based on a DU, or it can directly serve as the flight platform; the specifics are not limited here.

[0066] The aforementioned flight platform can be a satellite, drone, or other aircraft. For example, the flight platform may include geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites, non-geostationary orbit satellites, low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites, medium-earth orbit (MEO) satellites, geosynchronous orbit satellites, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system platforms, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), hot air balloons, or high-orbit satellites, etc., and is not specifically limited here. This application uses a satellite as the flight platform for illustration.

[0067] Furthermore, the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other future communication technologies. The network architecture and service scenarios described in this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this application. As those skilled in the art will understand, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided in this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0068] The following is a brief introduction to the concepts that may be involved in this application.

[0069] In a wireless network, a terminal device may communicate with multiple access network devices, known as MR-DC (Mobile Remote Control). These network devices may belong to the same radio access technology (RAT) (e.g., all are 4G or 5G access network devices), or they may belong to different RATs (e.g., one is a 4G access network device and the other is a 5G access network device). The network side can utilize the resources of multiple access network devices to provide communication services for the terminal device, thereby providing high-speed transmission for the terminal device.

[0070] In this network architecture, the access network equipment that interacts with the core network via control plane signaling is called the master node (MN), also known as the primary base station. Other network equipment is called the secondary node (SN), also known as the secondary base station. Within the data center (DC), both the MN and SN have RRC entities and can generate RRC messages (i.e., control messages, such as measurement messages), as shown in Figure 2. The SN can directly send the RRC messages generated by the SN to the terminal equipment, or it can notify the MN of the RRC messages generated by the SN, which then forwards them to the terminal equipment (in this case, the terminal equipment also forwards the RRC messages intended for the SN to the SN via the MS).

[0071] Depending on the MN and SN of different communication systems, MR-DC can include the following types:

[0072] 1) EN-DC refers to dual connectivity between 4G radio access network and 5G NR. MN is the Long Term Evolution (LTE) access network equipment connected to the 4G core network, and SN is the access network equipment for the NR system.

[0073] 2) NGEN-DC refers to the dual connectivity of 4G radio access network and 5G NR under the 5G core network. MN is the LTE access network equipment connected to the 5G core network, and SN is the NR access network equipment.

[0074] 3) NE-DC refers to dual connectivity between 5G NR and 4G radio access network (eNB). MN is the NR access network device connected to the 5G core network, and SN is the LTE access network device.

[0075] 4) NR-DC refers to dual connectivity between 5G NR and 5G NR. MN is the NR access network device connected to the 5G core network, and SN is the NR access network device.

[0076] In MR-DC, the MN contains one primary cell (PCell), and the SN contains one primary secondary cell (PSCell). A PCell is a cell deployed on the primary frequency, and is identified as a PCell when a terminal device initiates the initial connection establishment or connection reconstruction process, or during handover. A PSCell is a cell where a terminal device initiates a random access procedure on the SN, or when a terminal device skips the random access procedure and initiates data transmission during a SN change, or is a cell on the SN that initiates random access during synchronization reconfiguration.

[0077] Since a terminal device can simultaneously receive services from multiple cells under a single base station, the serving cell group provided by the MN for the terminal device can also be called the master cell group (MCG). Similarly, the serving cell group provided by the SN for the terminal device is called the secondary cell group (SCG). Both the MCG and SCG contain at least one cell. When there is only one cell in the MCG, that cell is the master cell of the terminal device. When there is only one cell in the SCG, that cell is both the master and secondary cell of the terminal device. In NR, to standardize various terms, PCell and PSCell are collectively referred to as special cells (SpCell). When there are multiple cells in the MCG or SCG, the cells other than SpCell are called secondary cells (SCell). In this case, the SCells and SpCells in each cell group perform carrier aggregation (CA) to jointly provide transmission resources for the terminal device.

[0078] In MR-DC, when a terminal device has only one serving cell group (e.g., only an MCG), the network side will trigger the addition of a PSCell, thereby configuring the SCG for the terminal device. When the terminal device is configured with an SCG that includes a PSCell, due to the mobility of the terminal device, the network side will trigger a PSCell change process. The PSCell change process enables the terminal device to switch from one PSCell to another.

[0079] To mitigate mobility anomalies caused by improper network parameter settings, such as connection failures (e.g., handover failures and radio link failures), unnecessary cross-system handovers, cross-system ping-pong handovers, failures to add / change primary / secondary cells, failures to voice fallback across systems, failures to recover fast primary cell groups, suboptimal handovers, and suboptimal addition / changes of primary / secondary cells, the system currently supports a mobility robustness optimization (MRO) mechanism to detect and correct these mobility anomalies.

[0080] When a terminal device experiences the aforementioned mobility anomaly, it reports mobility-related information (also known as a Mobility Recovery Operations (MRO) report) to the network. The network device can then autonomously analyze and optimize mobility parameters based on the information reported by the terminal. For example, an MRO report may include a radio link failure (RLF) report, an SCG failure information report, a successful handover (SHR) report, and a successful PSCell addition / change (SPR) report.

[0081] The MRO mechanism supports the RAN in analyzing and correcting connection failures. For MCG connection failures, the failure type can be premature handover, premature handover, or handover to the wrong cell. For SCG connection failures, the failure type can be premature PSCell change execution, premature PSCell addition / change execution, or PSCell addition / change to the wrong cell. In one possible implementation, the terminal device reports SCG Failure Information to the MN, which then performs SCG connection failure analysis. Alternatively, the MN can send the SCG Failure Information reported by the UE to the source SN / candidate SN to support the SN in analyzing SCG connection failures. The SCG failure information includes the following:

[0082] 1) SCG failure type.

[0083] 2) Available SCG measurement results.

[0084] 3) The source primary and secondary cell information of the last PSCell change.

[0085] 4) Failed primary and secondary cell information (primary and secondary cell information where SCG failure was detected, or, PSCell change / addition of failed target primary and secondary cell information).

[0086] During the handover process, when the terminal device receives a conditional handover (CHO) configuration containing a candidate SCG, it will perform PCell change and PSCell addition / change if the execution conditions of both the candidate PCell and its associated candidate PSCell are met. Specifically, upon receiving the CHO configuration with the candidate SCG, the terminal device simultaneously initiates the evaluation of the execution conditions of both the candidate PCell and the candidate PSCell. Only when the execution conditions of both the candidate PCell and its associated candidate PSCell are met can the terminal device perform PCell change and PSCell addition / change. If at least one of the execution conditions of the candidate PCell and its associated candidate PSCell is not met (or, in other words, the execution condition of any cell in the PCell and its associated PSCell is not met), the terminal device will not execute the CHO with the candidate SCG; that is, the terminal device cannot perform PCell change to that candidate PCell, nor can it perform PSCell addition / change to that candidate PSCell.

[0087] The following description uses a UE as an example to illustrate the UE handover process. As shown in Figure 3, the UE handover process includes steps 301 to 307.

[0088] 301. The source MN sends a switch request message to the candidate MN.

[0089] Specifically, the source MN triggers a switching process by sending a switching request message to the candidate MN.

[0090] 302. The candidate MN sends an SN addition request message to the candidate SN.

[0091] Based on the latest measurement results, the candidate MN identifies at least one candidate PSCell and sends an SN Add Request message to the candidate SN, in which the candidate PSCell recommended by the candidate MN is indicated.

[0092] 303. The candidate SN sends an SN add request response message to the candidate MN.

[0093] The candidate SN sends an SN add request response message to the candidate MN, determines the candidate PSCell list from the PSCells recommended by the candidate MN, and provides SCG air interface resource configuration information to the candidate MN for each candidate PSCell.

[0094] 304. The candidate MN sends a switch request response message to the source MN.

[0095] The candidate MN sends a handover request response message to the source MN. This message includes at least one RRC message container, each containing MCG configuration information and possibly SCG configuration information. The MCG configuration information includes the C-RNTI assigned to the UE by the candidate PCell. When an RRC message container corresponds to (including) the MCG configuration information of a candidate PCell and the SCG configuration information of a candidate PSCell, it can be used by the UE to perform a conditional handover including the candidate SCG, also known as performing a conditional handover and adding / changing a conditional PSCell. The handover request response message also includes the execution triggering condition parameters of the candidate PSCell associated with the RRC container. These parameters are determined by the candidate MN and indicated to the source MN via the handover request response message. Alternatively, when an RRC message container corresponds to (including) the MCG configuration information of a candidate PCell and the SCG configuration information of a target PSCell, it is used by the UE to perform a conditional handover including the target SCG, i.e., conditional handover of the target PSCell does not require evaluation. Alternatively, when an RRC message container corresponds to (including) the MCG configuration information of a candidate PCell (the RRC message container does not include the SCG configuration information, and the target PCell has no associated PSCell), it is used for the UE to perform conditional handover. The handover request response message also includes the access network device application protocol (Xn application protocol, XnAP) identifier (ID) assigned to the UE by the candidate MN and the XnAP ID assigned to the UE by the source MN.

[0096] 305. The source MN sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE.

[0097] The source MN sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. The RRC reconfiguration message includes at least one RRC message container received in step 304, and also includes information associated with each RRC message container. The source MN determines the execution triggering condition for each candidate PCell. The information associated with each RRC message container includes the execution triggering condition for the candidate PCell associated with each RRC container. As in step 304, the RRC message container may include candidate SCG configuration, target SCG configuration, or no SCG configuration. Taking the first RRC message container as an example, if the first RRC message container corresponds to the first candidate PCell and the first candidate PSCell, and is used to perform condition switching including candidate SCG, the information associated with the first RRC message container also includes the execution triggering condition for the first candidate PSCell. If the first RRC message container corresponds to the first candidate PCell and the first target PSCell, or only corresponds to the first candidate PCell, the information associated with the first RRC message container does not include the execution triggering condition for the PSCell.

[0098] The UE receives an RRC reconfiguration message containing at least one RRC message container and information associated with each RRC message container. The UE then initiates an evaluation of the execution trigger conditions for the candidate PCell and the execution trigger conditions for the candidate PSCell associated with the candidate PCell.

[0099] 306. The UE sends a secondary cell group failure message to the source MN.

[0100] Because the UE cannot perform Pcell change or PSCell change when at least one of the execution conditions of the candidate PCell and its associated candidate PSCell is not met, the UE will perform an SCG RLF (also known as a late conditional PSCell change) at the source SN. The UE will then send secondary cell group failure information (SCG Failure Information) to the source MN. The secondary cell group failure information sent by the UE to the source MN can indicate the identifiers of the candidate PCells that meet the execution triggering conditions and at least one candidate PSCell that meets the execution triggering conditions. The candidate MN can be any MN to which a candidate PCell belongs, or it can be the MN to which a candidate PCell that meets the execution triggering conditions, as indicated by the UE; the specific definition is not limited here.

[0101] 307. The source MN sends a secondary cell group failure message to the candidate MN.

[0102] The source MN needs to send the secondary cell group failure information to the candidate MN to support the candidate MN in optimizing the selection of the candidate PSCell list and / or the execution trigger condition parameters of the candidate PSCell.

[0103] However, since the secondary cell group failure information reported by the UE does not include the UE's identification information, when the candidate MN receives the secondary cell group failure information reported by the UE from the source MN, it cannot identify the UE that has experienced SCG failure, and therefore cannot associate the UE's context.

[0104] Based on this, this application provides a method. Please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of the communication method provided in this application. The method shown in Figure 4 is executed interactively by a first network device and a second network device. The first and second network devices can be network devices, components or devices applied to network devices (e.g., processors, circuits, chips, or chip systems), or logic modules or software (such as CU, DU, or RU) capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network devices. This method can be applied to the system architecture shown in Figure 5.

[0105] As shown in Figure 5, the first terminal device communicates with a first network device and a fourth network device. The first network device interacts with the core network device; that is, the first network device is the MN in the MR-DC, and the fourth network device is the SN. The first terminal device needs to switch from the first network device to the second network device, which is also the MN in the MR-DC, and the third network device is the SN. During the handover process, the first network device can also be referred to as the source MN, the fourth network device as the source SN, the second network device as the candidate MN, and the third network device as the candidate SN. The method includes:

[0106] 401. The first terminal device sends first information to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the first information from the first terminal device.

[0107] The first information is used to indicate a secondary cell group failure occurring on the first terminal device. The secondary cell group failure is due to at least one of the following: failure to meet the execution triggering condition of the first candidate primary cell and the execution condition of the first candidate primary and secondary cells associated with the first candidate primary cell. The second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, and the third network device manages the first candidate primary and secondary cells.

[0108] In this application, the first information can also be referred to as the secondary cell group failure information, i.e., SCG Failure Information.

[0109] The content of the first information can be referred to in the aforementioned embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0110] 402. The first network device sends second information to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the second information from the first network device.

[0111] Specifically, the second information includes the first information and the first identifier, wherein the first identifier is used to identify the first terminal device.

[0112] In this embodiment of the application, by carrying a first identifier in the second information, the second network device can identify the terminal device that has experienced SCG failure based on the first identifier, and at the same time, it can associate the context of the terminal device, thereby enabling the second network device to analyze and optimize the SCG failure.

[0113] In one possible implementation, the first identifier includes the identifier of a first interface allocated by a first network device to a first terminal device, and / or the identifier of a first interface allocated by a second network device to the first terminal device. Wherein, the first network device manages the first primary cell accessed by the first terminal device, and the first interface is the interface between the first network device and the second network device.

[0114] In this embodiment of the application, by carrying the identifier of the first interface, the second network device can identify the first terminal device based on the identifier of the first interface allocated by the first network device to the first terminal device, and / or the identifier of the first interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device, thereby associating the context of the first terminal device.

[0115] In the architecture shown in Figure 5, the first network device is the source MN and the second network device is the candidate MN. Therefore, it can also be understood that the first identifier includes the identifier of the first interface allocated by the source MN to the first terminal device, and / or the identifier of the first interface allocated by the candidate MN to the first terminal device.

[0116] It should be noted that since the first network device and the second network device may be network devices under different communication systems, the first interface can also be a different interface. For example, when both the first network device and the second network device are access network devices under the NR system (i.e., NR-RAN devices), the first interface can be an Xn interface. In this case, the identifier of the first interface is XnAP ID.

[0117] In this embodiment of the application, by carrying the XnAP ID assigned to the first terminal device by the first network device and / or the XnAP ID assigned to the first terminal device by the second network device, the second network device can identify the first terminal device that has experienced SCG failure and the context associated with the first terminal device based on the XnAP ID, even if the first network device and the second network device have not yet released the interface (or context) corresponding to the first terminal device.

[0118] The XnAP ID is an identifier used to uniquely identify the UE when communicating between NG-RAN devices via the Xn interface. It ensures mobility management and data forwarding functionality for the UE between different NG-RAN nodes. When a UE moves from one NG-RAN node to another, the XnAP ID helps both nodes identify and track the UE, thereby ensuring communication continuity and quality of service.

[0119] Optionally, when the source MN instructs the candidate MN to use the XnAP ID allocated by the source MN for the first terminal device and the XnAP ID allocated by the candidate MN for the UE as the identifier of the first terminal device, it can also be said that the source MN uses UE-associated signalling to send SCG Failure Information to the candidate MN.

[0120] The XnAP ID mentioned above is just an example. In actual applications, it can be other interface identifiers, but this is not limited here.

[0121] In another possible implementation, the first identifier includes the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device, and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device. Here, the second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, the third network device manages the first candidate secondary cells, and the second interface is the interface between the second network device and the third network device.

[0122] In this embodiment of the application, by carrying the identifier of the second interface, the second network device can identify the first terminal device based on the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device, and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device, thereby associating the context of the first terminal device.

[0123] In the architecture shown in Figure 5, the second network device is the candidate MN and the third network device is the candidate SN. Therefore, it can also be understood that the first identifier includes the identifier of the second interface allocated by the candidate MN to the first terminal device, and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the candidate SN to the first terminal device.

[0124] It should be noted that since the second and third network devices may be network devices under different communication systems, the first interface can also be a different interface. For example, when both the second and third network devices are access network devices under the NR system (i.e., NR-RAN devices), the second interface can be an Xn interface. In this case, the identifier of the second interface is XnAP ID.

[0125] In this embodiment of the application, by carrying the XnAP ID assigned to the first terminal device by the second network device and / or the XnAP ID assigned to the first terminal device by the third network device, the second network device can identify the first terminal device that has experienced SCG failure and the associated context of the first terminal device based on the XnAP ID, even if the second network device and the third network device have not yet released the interface (or context) corresponding to the first terminal device.

[0126] When the first identifier includes the identifier of the second interface, since the second interface is the interface between the second network device and the third network device, the first network device needs to obtain the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device, and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device. The method for obtaining this identifier can be found in step 400, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0127] In another possible implementation, the first identifier includes an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first primary cell and / or an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first candidate primary cell. The first primary cell is the primary cell to which the first terminal device accesses, and the first candidate primary cell is the primary cell to which the first terminal device is preparing to hand over.

[0128] In this embodiment of the application, by carrying the identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first primary cell and / or the identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first candidate primary cell, the second network device can identify the first terminal device based on the first identifier, thereby associating the context of the first terminal device.

[0129] For example, the identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first primary cell and / or the identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first candidate primary cell may be a C-RNTI.

[0130] In this embodiment of the application, by carrying C-RNTI, the candidate MN can identify the first terminal device and associate the first terminal device context based on the first identifier, regardless of whether the interface (context) corresponding to the first terminal device is released between the source MN and the candidate MN or between the candidate MN and the candidate SN.

[0131] Optionally, the embodiment shown in Figure 4 further includes step 400. Step 400 may be performed before step 401.

[0132] 400. The second network device sends a handover request response message to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the handover request response message from the second network device.

[0133] The handover request response message includes the execution conditions of the first candidate primary and secondary cells associated with the first candidate primary cell. Specifically, each handover request response message corresponds to only one candidate primary cell, but can indicate the execution trigger conditions of multiple candidate primary and secondary cells, and does not include the execution conditions of the candidate primary cell. Multiple handover request response messages can correspond to multiple candidate primary cells.

[0134] The handover request response message may include the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device, and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device.

[0135] In this embodiment of the application, by carrying the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device in the switching request response message, the first network device can carry the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device in the second information when sending the second information to the second network device, thereby enabling the second network device to identify the first terminal device and the context associated with the first terminal device.

[0136] The communication method in the embodiments of this application has been described above. The communication device in the embodiments of this application is described below. Referring to Figure 6, the communication device 600 can be used to execute the process performed by the first network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 4. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments. The communication device 600 can be a network device, or a component or device applied to a network device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device.

[0137] The communication device 600 includes an interface module 601 and a processing module 602.

[0138] The processing module 602 is used for data processing. The interface module 601 can implement corresponding communication functions. The interface module 601 can also be called a communication interface or a communication module.

[0139] Optionally, the communication device 600 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store program code, program instructions and / or data. The processing module 602 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 600 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0140] The communication device 600 can be used to perform the actions performed by the first network device in the above method embodiments. For example, it can be the first network device, a communication module within the first network device, or a circuit or chip within the first network device responsible for communication functions. The communication device 600 can be the first network device or a component configurable within the first network device. The processing module 602 is used to perform processing-related operations on the first network device side in the above method embodiments. The interface module 601 is used to perform reception-related operations on the first network device side in the above method embodiments.

[0141] Optionally, interface module 601 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments.

[0142] It should be noted that the communication device 600 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the communication device 600 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme executed by the communication device 600 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. For example, the communication device 600 is used to perform the actions performed by the first network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 4. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiment shown in Figure 4; these will not be elaborated upon here.

[0143] For example, the communication device 600 is used to execute the following scheme:

[0144] Interface module 601 is used to receive first information, which indicates that a secondary cell group failure has occurred in the first terminal device. The secondary cell group failure is due to at least one of the execution triggering conditions of the first candidate primary cell and the execution conditions of the first candidate primary and secondary cells associated with the first candidate primary cell not being met.

[0145] Processing module 602 is used to generate second information;

[0146] The interface module 601 is also used to send second information, which includes first information and a first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify the first terminal device.

[0147] In one possible implementation, the first identifier includes the identifier of the first interface allocated by the first network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the first interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device. The first network device manages the first primary cell accessed by the first terminal device, the second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, and the first interface is the interface between the first network device and the second network device.

[0148] In another possible implementation, the first identifier includes the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device. The second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, the third network device manages the first candidate primary and secondary cells, and the second interface is the interface between the second network device and the third network device.

[0149] In another possible implementation, the interface module 601 is further configured to obtain the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device.

[0150] In another possible implementation, interface module 601 is further configured to obtain the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device, including:

[0151] The interface module 601 is specifically used to receive a handover request response message, which includes the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device.

[0152] In another possible implementation, the first identifier includes an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first primary cell and / or an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first candidate primary cell, wherein the first primary cell is the primary cell accessed by the first terminal device.

[0153] In another possible implementation, the identifier of the first primary cell and / or the identifier of the first candidate primary cell is C-RNTI.

[0154] It should be understood that the specific procedures for each module to perform the above-mentioned corresponding processes have been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0155] The processing module 602 in the above embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuitry. The interface module 601 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuitry. The interface module 601 can also be referred to as a communication module or communication interface. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0156] The following is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 7, the communication device can be used to execute the process performed by the second network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 4. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the foregoing method embodiments. The communication device 700 can be a network device, or a component or device applied to a network device (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0157] The communication device 700 includes an interface module 701. Optionally, a processing module 702.

[0158] The processing module 702 is used for data processing. The interface module 701 can implement corresponding communication functions. The interface module 701 can also be called a communication interface or a communication module.

[0159] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store program code, program instructions and / or data. The processing module 702 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device 700 can implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0160] The communication device 700 can be used to perform the actions performed by the second network device in the above method embodiments. For example, it can be the second network device, a communication module within the second network device, or a circuit or chip within the second network device responsible for communication functions. The communication device 700 can be the second network device or a component configurable within the second network device. The processing module 702 is used to perform processing-related operations on the second network device side in the above method embodiments. The interface module 701 is used to perform reception-related operations on the second network device side in the above method embodiments.

[0161] Optionally, interface module 701 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments.

[0162] It should be noted that the communication device 700 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the communication device 700 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme performed by the communication device 700 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. For example, the communication device 700 is used to perform the actions performed by the second network device in the embodiment shown in Figure 4. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiment shown in Figure 4; these will not be elaborated upon here.

[0163] For example, the communication device 700 is used to execute the following scheme:

[0164] Interface module 701 is used to send a handover request response message, which includes the execution conditions of the first candidate primary and secondary cells associated with the first candidate primary cell;

[0165] The interface module 701 is also used to receive second information, the second information including first information and a first identifier. The first information is used to indicate that the secondary cell group failure has occurred in the first terminal device. The secondary cell group failure is due to the failure to meet at least one of the execution triggering conditions of the first candidate primary cell and the execution conditions of the first candidate primary and secondary cells associated with the first candidate primary cell. The first identifier is used to indicate the first terminal device.

[0166] The processing module 702 is used to identify the first terminal device and the context associated with the first terminal device based on the first identifier.

[0167] In one possible implementation, the first identifier includes the identifier of the first interface allocated by the first network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the first interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device. The first network device manages the first primary cell accessed by the first terminal device, the second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, and the first interface is the interface between the first network device and the second network device.

[0168] In another possible implementation, the first identifier includes the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device. The second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, the third network device manages the first candidate primary and secondary cells, and the second interface is the interface between the second network device and the third network device.

[0169] In another possible implementation, the handover request response message may also include the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device; wherein, the second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, the third network device manages the first candidate primary and secondary cells, and the second interface is the interface between the second network device and the third network device.

[0170] In another possible implementation, the first identifier includes an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first primary cell and / or an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first candidate primary cell, wherein the first primary cell is the primary cell accessed by the first terminal device.

[0171] In another possible implementation, the identifier of the first primary cell and / or the identifier of the first candidate primary cell is C-RNTI.

[0172] It should be understood that the specific procedures for each module to perform the above-mentioned corresponding processes have been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0173] The processing module 702 in the above embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuitry. The interface module 701 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuitry. The interface module 701 can also be referred to as a communication module or communication interface. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0174] The following describes a communication device provided by an embodiment of this application. Please refer to Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of this application. The communication device may be a first network device or a second network device in the above method embodiments, or it may be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the first network device or the second network device in implementing the above methods. This communication device can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments, and for details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiments.

[0175] The communication device may include one or more processors 801, which are connected to a memory 802, an input / output unit 803, and a bus 804. The processor 801 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control the communication device (e.g., base station, baseband chip, terminal, terminal chip, DU or CU, etc.), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0176] Optionally, the communication device may include one or more memories 802, which may store instructions that can be executed on the processor 801 to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 802 may also store data. The processor 801 and the memories 802 may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0177] Optionally, the communication device may also include a transceiver and an antenna. A transceiver, also called a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver circuit, is used to implement transmission and reception functions. A transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter; the receiver, also called a receiver circuit, is used to implement the receiving function; the transmitter, also called a transmitter or transmitting circuit, is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0178] In another possible design, the processor 801 may include a transceiver for implementing receive and transmit functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing receive and transmit functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit can be used for reading and writing code / data, or it can be used for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0179] In another possible design, the processor 801 may optionally store instructions that, when executed, cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The instructions may be stored in the processor 801; in this case, the processor 801 may be implemented in hardware.

[0180] In another possible design, the communication device may include circuitry that can perform the transmitting or receiving or communication functions of the first or second network device in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processor and transceiver described in this application embodiment can be implemented on integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), p-type metal oxide semiconductors (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0181] The communication device described in the above embodiments may be a first network device or a second network device, but the scope of the communication device described in the embodiments of this application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device may not be limited to FIG8. The communication device may be a standalone device or part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be:

[0182] (1) Independent integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0183] (2) A collection of one or more ICs, optionally including a storage component for storing data and instructions;

[0184] (3) ASIC, such as modem;

[0185] (4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

[0186] (5) Receivers, terminals, smart terminals, cellular phones, wireless devices, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted devices, network devices, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc.

[0187] (6) Others, etc.

[0188] For communication devices that can be chips or chip systems, please refer to the schematic diagram of the chip structure shown in Figure 9. The chip 900 shown in Figure 9 includes a processor 901 and an interface 902. Optionally, it may also include a memory 903. The number of processors 901 can be one or more, and the number of interfaces 902 can be multiple.

[0189] For cases where the chip is used to implement the functions of the first network device or the second network device in the embodiments of this application:

[0190] The interface 902 is used to receive or output signals;

[0191] The processor 901 is used to perform data processing operations on the first network device or the second network device.

[0192] It should also be understood that the above naming is defined solely for the purpose of distinguishing different functions and should not constitute any limitation on this application. This application does not preclude the possibility of using other names in 5G networks and other future networks. For example, in future communication networks, some or all of the above-mentioned network elements may retain the names used in 5G, or they may adopt other names, etc.

[0193] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the communication device given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0194] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor described above can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0195] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAK are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0196] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in the foregoing embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium may be a non-volatile storage medium.

[0197] This application also provides a computer program product that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0198] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0199] 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.

[0200] 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.

[0201] 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.

[0202] 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 to the prior art, 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, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0203] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0204] The embodiments described in this application are merely some, not all, of the embodiments described herein. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments described herein without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0205] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this application mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0206] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or". For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. Furthermore, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive first information, the first information being used to indicate a secondary cell group failure occurring in the first terminal device, the secondary cell group failure being due to at least one of the execution triggering conditions of the first candidate primary cell and the execution conditions of the first candidate primary and secondary cells associated with the first candidate primary cell not being met; Send a second message, which includes the first message and a first identifier, the first identifier being used to identify the first terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first identifier includes the identifier of the first interface allocated by the first network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the first interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device. The first network device manages the first primary cell accessed by the first terminal device, the second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, and the first interface is the interface between the first network device and the second network device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first identifier includes the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device. The second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, the third network device manages the first candidate secondary cell, and the second interface is the interface between the second network device and the third network device.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device includes: Receive a handover request response message, the handover request response message including the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first identifier includes an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first primary cell and / or an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first candidate primary cell, wherein the first primary cell is the primary cell to which the first terminal device accesses.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The identifier of the first primary cell and / or the identifier of the first candidate primary cell is the Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI).

8. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send a handover request response message, the handover request response message including the execution conditions of the first candidate primary and secondary cells associated with the first candidate primary cell; The device receives second information, which includes first information and a first identifier. The first information is used to indicate a secondary cell group failure that has occurred in the first terminal device. The secondary cell group failure is due to the failure to meet at least one of the execution triggering conditions of the first candidate primary cell and the execution conditions of the first candidate primary and secondary cells associated with the first candidate primary cell. The first identifier is used to indicate the first terminal device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first identifier includes the identifier of the first interface allocated by the first network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the first interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device. The first network device manages the first primary cell accessed by the first terminal device, the second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, and the first interface is the interface between the first network device and the second network device.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The first identifier includes the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device. The second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, the third network device manages the first candidate secondary cell, and the second interface is the interface between the second network device and the third network device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that, The handover request response message may further include the identifier of the second interface allocated by the second network device to the first terminal device and / or the identifier of the second interface allocated by the third network device to the first terminal device; wherein, the second network device manages the first candidate primary cell, the third network device manages the first candidate secondary cell, and the second interface is the interface between the second network device and the third network device.

12. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first identifier includes an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first primary cell and / or an identifier assigned to the first terminal device by the first candidate primary cell, wherein the first primary cell is the primary cell to which the first terminal device accesses.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The identifier of the first primary cell and / or the identifier of the first candidate primary cell is C-RNTI.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes modules or units for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or for performing the method as described in any one of claims 8 to 13.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor for executing a program that causes the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, or causes the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 13.

16. A communication system, characterized in that, include: A communication device for performing any of the methods described in steps 1 to 7, and a communication device for performing any of the methods described in claims 8 to 13.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Includes instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, or cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 13.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that, When it is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 8 to 13.

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