CN116264730A

CN116264730A - Communication method and related device

Info

Publication number: CN116264730A
Application number: CN202111611678.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马川; 吴亚琦; 胡锦娜; 吴恒恒; 邹志强; 马霓; 杜高科
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-12-15
Filing date: 2021-12-27
Publication date: 2023-06-16

Abstract

The application discloses a communication method and a related device, and relates to the technical field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: the first network element sends synchronization instruction information, wherein the synchronization instruction information is used for instructing the terminal equipment to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element before the second cell is activated; the first network element is a network element corresponding to a first cell, the second network element is a network element corresponding to a second cell, and the terminal equipment is in a state of being accessed into the first cell at present; the first network element sends access indication information of the second cell to the terminal equipment, wherein the access indication information is used for indicating the terminal equipment to access the activated second cell. The method completes the uplink synchronization or the downlink synchronization of the UE and the auxiliary cell before the auxiliary cell is activated, so that the UE can access the activated auxiliary cell to directly perform data transmission after the auxiliary cell is activated, thereby greatly reducing the transmission time delay, saving the time consumed in the communication process and improving the communication efficiency.

Description

Communication method and related device

The present application claims priority from the chinese patent office, application number 202111533842X, application name "a communication method and related apparatus," filed on day 15 12 of 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a communications method and a related device.

Background

Carrier aggregation (Carrier Aggregation, CA) refers to aggregating multiple carriers together to serve a User Equipment (UE). Each carrier may be considered to be a cell for a UE. These aggregated cells can be divided into Primary cells (PCell) and Secondary cells (SCell). When the UE accesses the network, the UE firstly accesses the main cell, and then the main cell adds a plurality of auxiliary cells for the UE through a radio resource control (Radio Resource Control, RRC) reconfiguration message, so that the UE can access the auxiliary cells for communication later, and corresponding service is obtained.

However, in the current communication method between the UE and the secondary cell, a long time is required to be consumed in the process from the activation of the secondary cell to the access of the UE to the activated secondary cell, and the communication efficiency is low.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method and a related device, wherein the uplink synchronization or the downlink synchronization of UE and an auxiliary cell is completed before the auxiliary cell is activated, so that after the auxiliary cell is activated, the UE can be accessed to the activated auxiliary cell to directly perform data transmission, the transmission time delay is greatly reduced, the time consumed in the communication process is saved, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

the first network element sends synchronization instruction information, wherein the synchronization instruction information is used for instructing the terminal equipment to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element before the second cell is activated; the first network element is a network element corresponding to a first cell, the second network element is a network element corresponding to a second cell, and the terminal equipment is currently in a state of being accessed into the first cell;

the first network element sends access indication information of the second cell to the terminal equipment, wherein the access indication information is used for indicating the terminal equipment to access the activated second cell.

In this embodiment of the present invention, a communication method is provided, where a first network element sends synchronization indication information, where the synchronization indication information may be sent in a broadcast message, or may be directly sent to a terminal device, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives synchronization indication information sent by the first network element, where the synchronization indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with a second network element before the second cell is activated. The first network element is a network element corresponding to a first cell, the second network element is a network element corresponding to a second cell, and the terminal equipment is currently in a state of accessing the first cell, wherein the second cell is any auxiliary cell added to the terminal equipment by the first cell through an RRC reconfiguration message, so that the terminal equipment can be subsequently accessed to the auxiliary cell (the second cell) for communication, and corresponding service is obtained. After the terminal equipment completes uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element, and the second cell is activated, the first network element sends access indication information of the second cell to the terminal equipment, and correspondingly, the terminal equipment receives the access indication information sent by the first network element, wherein the access indication information is used for indicating the terminal equipment to access the activated second cell and perform data transmission with the second network element, so that corresponding service is obtained. In this embodiment of the present application, the first network element and the second network element may be understood as two different network devices, or may be understood as different functional modules integrated in the same network device, and specifically, when the first cell and the second cell are respectively deployed on different network devices (such as a base station), the first network element and the second network element are two different network devices, and when the first cell and the second cell are deployed on the same network device (such as a base station), the first network element and the second network element are two different functional modules integrated in the network device, and communication between the first network element and the second network element is communication between the two different functional modules.

The current communication method is that after the secondary cell is activated, the terminal device performs uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the secondary cell, and further performs data transmission on the activated secondary cell, the synchronization process between the terminal device and the secondary cell needs to consume a long time, generally needs to wait for tens of milliseconds, and the data transmission between the terminal device and the secondary cell needs to be completed in equivalent steps, so that the delay can affect delay sensitive service on the secondary cell, and the communication efficiency is lower.

In the embodiment of the application, before the auxiliary cell is activated, the first network element indicates the terminal equipment to complete uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the auxiliary cell, so that after the auxiliary cell is activated, the terminal equipment can be immediately accessed into the activated auxiliary cell to directly perform data transmission, the transmission time delay is greatly reduced, the time consumed in the communication process is saved, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In a possible implementation manner, the synchronization indication information includes first configuration information of the second cell; the first configuration information comprises parameters of the terminal equipment for sending an uplink synchronization signal on the second cell, and the first configuration information is used for uplink synchronization between the terminal equipment and the second network element before the second cell is activated.

In this embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of the synchronization indication information is provided, and in particular, the synchronization indication information may include, but is not limited to, first configuration information of the second cell, where the first configuration information includes a parameter related to an uplink synchronization signal sent by the terminal device on the second cell, and the terminal device may send the uplink synchronization signal according to the parameter related to the uplink synchronization signal, so as to implement uplink synchronization with the second network element before the second cell is activated. According to the embodiment of the application, the terminal equipment can send the uplink synchronous signal according to the first configuration information through the parameters related to the uplink synchronous signal in the first configuration information, so that uplink synchronization with the second network element is realized, transmission delay is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

In one possible implementation, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following:

the time-frequency resource occupied by the uplink synchronous signal, the pseudo-random sequence used by the uplink synchronous signal and the transmission mode of the uplink synchronous signal are transmitted.

In an embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of the first configuration information is provided, where the first configuration information includes relevant parameters of the terminal device for sending the uplink synchronization signal on the second cell, and specifically includes, but is not limited to: time-frequency resources occupied by transmitting the uplink synchronization signal, pseudo-random sequences used by the uplink synchronization signal, a transmission mode of the uplink synchronization signal, and the like. The uplink synchronization signal may be an uplink signal such as a preamble signal or a sounding reference signal sent by the terminal device. The time-frequency resource occupied by the uplink synchronization signal can be periodically repeated in the time domain, or the time domain has no periodicity. The pseudo-random sequence used by the uplink synchronization signal may be a ZC sequence, and the parameter related to the ZC sequence may be a root sequence index for generating the ZC sequence, etc. The transmission modes of the uplink synchronization signal may include three different transmission modes: the terminal equipment sends an uplink synchronous signal on each time-frequency resource configured as above, the terminal equipment sends the uplink synchronous signal on the time-frequency resources configured as above after receiving the uplink trigger instruction sent by the first network element, and the terminal equipment sends the uplink synchronous signal on the time-frequency resources configured as above according to the own business requirement. According to the embodiment of the application, the terminal equipment can send the uplink synchronous signal according to the first configuration information through the parameters related to the uplink synchronous signal in the first configuration information, so that uplink synchronization with the second network element is realized, transmission delay is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

In a possible implementation manner, the synchronization indication information further includes second configuration information of the second cell; the second configuration information includes parameters of the terminal device receiving a downlink synchronization signal on the second cell, and is used for downlink synchronization between the terminal device and the second network element before the second cell is activated.

In this embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of the synchronization indication information is provided, and in particular, the synchronization indication information may include, but is not limited to, second configuration information of a second cell, where the second configuration information includes a relevant parameter of a downlink synchronization signal received by a terminal device on the second cell, and the terminal device may receive the downlink synchronization signal according to the relevant parameter of the downlink synchronization signal, so as to implement downlink synchronization with a second network element before the second cell is activated. According to the embodiment of the application, the terminal equipment can receive the downlink synchronous signal according to the second configuration information through the parameters related to the downlink synchronous signal in the second configuration information, so that the downlink synchronization with the second network element is realized, the transmission delay is reduced, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In a possible implementation manner, the second configuration information includes one or more of the following:

And receiving time-frequency resources occupied by the downlink synchronous signals, time-frequency positions of the downlink synchronous signals and receiving modes of the downlink synchronous signals.

In an embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of the second configuration information is provided, where the second configuration information includes relevant parameters of the terminal device for receiving the downlink synchronization signal on the second cell, and specifically includes, but is not limited to: time-frequency resources occupied by receiving the downlink synchronous signals, time-frequency positions of the downlink synchronous signals, a receiving mode of the downlink synchronous signals and the like. The downlink synchronization signal may be a downlink signal such as a synchronization signal block or a tracking reference signal. The time-frequency resource occupied by receiving the downlink synchronous signal can be periodically repeated in the time domain, or can be not periodic in the time domain. The time-frequency position of the downlink synchronization signal may adopt an absolute value (for example, directly indicate the time slot number or the resource block number where the downlink synchronization signal is located) or a relative value (for example, indicate the offset of the time domain or the resource block, that is, the offset between the time slot or the resource block where the downlink synchronization signal is located and the time slot or the resource block occupied by the synchronization indication information). The reception modes of the downlink synchronization signal may include three different reception modes: the terminal equipment receives the downlink synchronous signal on each time-frequency resource configured as above, receives the downlink synchronous signal on the time-frequency resource configured as above after receiving the downlink trigger instruction sent by the first network element, and receives the downlink synchronous signal on the time-frequency resource configured as above according to the own business requirement. According to the embodiment of the application, the terminal equipment can receive the downlink synchronous signal according to the second configuration information through the parameters related to the downlink synchronous signal in the second configuration information, so that the downlink synchronization with the second network element is realized, the transmission delay is reduced, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In a possible implementation manner, the access indication information includes a timing advance value, and the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal device and the second network element.

In this embodiment, a possible implementation manner of the access indication information is provided, and specifically, the access indication information includes, but is not limited to, a timing advance value, where the timing advance value is calculated by the second network element according to an uplink synchronization signal sent by the terminal device, and then sent by the second network element to the first network element, where the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal device and the second network element. According to the embodiment of the application, the timing advance value is carried in the access indication information and is sent to the terminal equipment, so that the terminal equipment can conduct uplink data transmission with the second network element according to the timing advance value, transmission delay is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

In a possible implementation manner, before the sending the access indication information of the second cell to the terminal device, the method further includes:

the first network element receives a timing advance value sent by the second network element, wherein the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal equipment and the second network element;

The first network element sends the timing advance value to the terminal device.

In this embodiment, a possible implementation manner of sending a timing advance value is provided, specifically, before sending access indication information of a second cell to a terminal device, a first network element receives the timing advance value sent by the second network element, and the first network element sends the timing advance value to the terminal device, where the timing advance value is calculated by the second network element according to an uplink synchronization signal sent by the terminal device, and then sent by the second network element to the first network element, and the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal device and the second network element. According to the embodiment of the application, before the access indication information of the second cell is sent, the timing advance value is sent to the terminal equipment, so that the terminal equipment can conduct uplink data transmission with the second network element according to the timing advance value, transmission delay is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

In a possible implementation manner, after the sending of the synchronization indication information to the terminal device, the method further includes:

the first network element sends a first trigger instruction to the terminal equipment, wherein the first trigger instruction is used for indicating the terminal equipment to send the uplink synchronous signal on the second cell.

In this embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of indicating a transmission mode of an uplink synchronization signal is provided, specifically, after a first network element transmits synchronization indication information to a terminal device, a first trigger instruction is transmitted to the terminal device, where the first trigger instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to transmit the uplink synchronization signal on a second cell, and correspondingly, the terminal device transmits the uplink synchronization signal on a configured time-frequency resource after receiving the first trigger instruction transmitted by the first network element. According to the method, the terminal equipment and the device, the mode of sending the uplink synchronous signal by the terminal equipment is indicated by sending the first trigger instruction to the terminal equipment, so that uplink synchronization of the terminal equipment and the second network element can be realized, transmission delay is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

the first network element sends a second trigger instruction to the terminal equipment, wherein the second trigger instruction is used for indicating the terminal equipment to receive the downlink synchronous signal on the second cell.

In this embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of indicating a receiving mode of a downlink synchronization signal is provided, specifically, after a first network element sends synchronization indication information to a terminal device, a second trigger instruction is sent to the terminal device, where the second trigger instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the downlink synchronization signal on a second cell, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the downlink synchronization signal on a configured time-frequency resource after receiving the second trigger instruction sent by the first network element. According to the method, the terminal equipment and the device, the mode of receiving the downlink synchronous signal by the terminal equipment is indicated by sending the second trigger instruction to the terminal equipment, so that the downlink synchronization of the terminal equipment and the second network element can be realized, the transmission delay is reduced, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, including:

the second network element performs uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the terminal equipment before the second cell is activated; the second network element is a network element corresponding to the second cell, and the terminal equipment is currently in a state of accessing the first cell;

and the second network element performs data transmission with the terminal equipment after the second cell is activated.

In this embodiment of the present application, a communication method is provided, specifically, the second network element performs uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the terminal device before the second cell is activated, where the second network element is a network element corresponding to the second cell, the terminal device is currently in a state of accessing the first cell, and the second cell is any one secondary cell added by the first cell for the terminal device through an RRC reconfiguration message, so that the terminal device can subsequently access the secondary cell (second cell) to perform communication, and obtain a corresponding service. After the second network element completes uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the terminal equipment and the second cell is activated, the second network element performs data transmission with the terminal equipment to obtain corresponding service. The first cell and the second cell in the embodiment of the present application may be disposed on different network devices (such as a base station) respectively, where the first network element corresponding to the first cell and the second network element corresponding to the second cell are two different network devices, and the first cell and the second cell may also be disposed on the same network device (such as a base station), where the second network element corresponding to the first cell and the second cell are two different functional modules integrated in the network device, and communications between the first network element and the second network element are communications between the two different functional modules.

In the embodiment of the application, the second network element completes uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the terminal equipment before the auxiliary cell is activated, so that the terminal equipment can be immediately accessed into the activated auxiliary cell to directly perform data transmission with the second network element after the auxiliary cell is activated, thereby greatly reducing transmission delay, saving time consumed in a communication process and improving communication efficiency.

In a possible implementation manner, the uplink synchronization with the terminal device includes:

the second network element receives an uplink synchronous signal sent by the terminal equipment;

the second network element calculates a timing advance value according to the uplink synchronous signal, wherein the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal equipment and the second network element;

And the second network element sends the timing advance value to the first network element, wherein the first network element is the network element corresponding to the first cell.

In this embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of uplink synchronization between a second network element and a terminal device is provided, specifically, the second network element receives an uplink synchronization signal sent by the terminal device, then calculates a timing advance value according to the uplink synchronization signal, where the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal device and the second network element, and finally the second network element sends the timing advance value to the first network element, and the first network element forwards the timing advance value to the terminal device. According to the method and the device for uplink synchronization, the uplink synchronization of the second network element and the terminal equipment can be achieved by sending the calculated timing advance value to the first network element, so that the transmission delay is reduced, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In a possible implementation manner, the downlink synchronization with the terminal device includes:

and the second network element sends a downlink synchronous signal to the terminal equipment at a target time-frequency position, wherein the target time-frequency position is the time-frequency position of the downlink synchronous signal, and the downlink synchronous signal is used for carrying out downlink synchronization with the terminal equipment.

In the embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of downlink synchronization between the second network element and the terminal device is provided, specifically, the second network element sends a downlink synchronization signal to the terminal device at the target time-frequency position. The target time-frequency position is the time-frequency position of the downlink synchronization signal, and the time-frequency position of the downlink synchronization signal may adopt an absolute value (for example, directly indicate a time slot number or a resource block number where the downlink synchronization signal is located) or a relative value (for example, indicate a time domain or a resource block offset, that is, an offset between a time slot or a resource block where the downlink synchronization signal is located and a time slot or a resource block occupied by the synchronization indication information). Correspondingly, the terminal equipment can receive the downlink synchronous signal at the target time-frequency position, so that the terminal equipment can rapidly locate and receive the downlink synchronous signal, the time delay of the terminal equipment for downlink synchronization in the second cell is reduced, and the complexity of the terminal equipment for searching the downlink synchronous signal in the second cell is reduced.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

the method comprises the steps that a terminal device receives synchronization instruction information sent by a first network element, wherein the synchronization instruction information is used for instructing the terminal device to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with a second network element before a second cell is activated; the first network element is a network element corresponding to a first cell, the second network element is a network element corresponding to a second cell, and the terminal equipment is currently in a state of being accessed into the first cell;

The terminal equipment receives access indication information of the second cell sent by the first network element, wherein the access indication information is used for indicating the terminal equipment to access the activated second cell.

In this embodiment of the present application, a communication method is provided, where a terminal device receives synchronization instruction information sent by a first network element, and correspondingly, the first network element sends the synchronization instruction information to the terminal device, where the synchronization instruction information may be sent in a broadcast message form, or may be directly sent to the terminal device, where the synchronization instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with a second network element before a second cell is activated. The first network element is a network element corresponding to a first cell, the second network element is a network element corresponding to a second cell, and the terminal equipment is currently in a state of accessing the first cell, wherein the second cell is any auxiliary cell added to the terminal equipment by the first cell through an RRC reconfiguration message, so that the terminal equipment can be subsequently accessed to the auxiliary cell (the second cell) for communication, and corresponding service is obtained. After the terminal equipment completes uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element, and the second cell is activated, the terminal equipment receives access indication information of the second cell sent by the first network element, and correspondingly, the first network element sends the access indication information of the second cell to the terminal equipment, wherein the access indication information is used for indicating the terminal equipment to access the activated second cell and carrying out data transmission with the second network element, so that corresponding service is obtained. In this embodiment of the present application, the first network element and the second network element may be understood as two different network devices, or may be understood as different functional modules integrated in the same network device, and specifically, when the first cell and the second cell are respectively deployed on different network devices (such as a base station), the first network element and the second network element are two different network devices, and when the first cell and the second cell are deployed on the same network device (such as a base station), the first network element and the second network element are two different functional modules integrated in the network device, and communication between the first network element and the second network element is communication between the two different functional modules.

In the embodiment of the application, the terminal equipment completes uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the auxiliary cell before the auxiliary cell is activated, so that the terminal equipment can be immediately accessed into the activated auxiliary cell to directly perform data transmission after the auxiliary cell is activated, thereby greatly reducing transmission delay, saving time consumed in a communication process and improving communication efficiency.

In a possible implementation manner, before the receiving the access indication information of the second cell sent by the first network element, the method further includes:

and the terminal equipment receives the timing advance value sent by the first network element, wherein the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal equipment and the second network element.

In this embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of receiving a timing advance value is provided, specifically, before receiving access indication information of a second cell sent by a first network element, a terminal device receives the timing advance value sent by the first network element, where the timing advance value is calculated by the second network element according to an uplink synchronization signal sent by the terminal device, and then sent by the second network element to the first network element, and then the first network element sends the timing advance value to the terminal device, where the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal device and the second network element. According to the embodiment of the application, before the access indication information of the second cell is received, the timing advance value sent by the first network element is received, so that the terminal equipment can conduct uplink data transmission with the second network element according to the timing advance value, the transmission delay is reduced, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In a possible implementation manner, after the receiving the synchronization indication information sent by the first network element, the method further includes:

and the terminal equipment performs uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element according to the synchronization indication information.

In this embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization between a terminal device and a second network element is provided, specifically, after receiving synchronization instruction information sent by a first network element, the terminal device performs uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element according to the synchronization instruction information, thereby reducing transmission delay and improving communication efficiency.

In a possible implementation manner, the downlink synchronization with the second network element includes:

the terminal equipment receives a downlink synchronous signal sent by the second network element at a target time-frequency position, wherein the target time-frequency position is the time-frequency position of the downlink synchronous signal;

and the terminal equipment performs downlink synchronization with the second network element according to the downlink synchronization signal.

In this embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of downlink synchronization between a terminal device and a second network element is provided, specifically, the terminal device receives a downlink synchronization signal sent by the second network element at a target time-frequency position, and then performs downlink synchronization with the second network element according to the downlink synchronization signal. The target time-frequency position is the time-frequency position of the downlink synchronization signal, and the time-frequency position of the downlink synchronization signal may adopt an absolute value (for example, directly indicate a time slot number or a resource block number where the downlink synchronization signal is located) or a relative value (for example, indicate a time domain or a resource block offset, that is, an offset between a time slot or a resource block where the downlink synchronization signal is located and a time slot or a resource block occupied by the synchronization indication information). By the embodiment of the application, the terminal equipment can rapidly locate and receive the downlink synchronous signal, the time delay of the terminal equipment for downlink synchronization in the second cell is reduced, and meanwhile, the complexity of the terminal equipment for searching the downlink synchronous signal in the second cell is reduced.

In a possible implementation manner, after the receiving the access indication information of the second cell sent by the first network element, the method further includes:

and the terminal equipment accesses the activated second cell according to the access indication information.

In this embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of data transmission between a terminal device and a second network element is provided, specifically, after receiving access indication information of a second cell sent by a first network element, the terminal device accesses the activated second cell according to the access indication information, and performs data transmission with the second network element.

the terminal equipment receives a first trigger instruction sent by the first network element;

and the terminal equipment sends the uplink synchronous signal on the second cell according to the first trigger instruction.

In this embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of a transmission mode of an uplink synchronization signal is provided, specifically, after receiving synchronization indication information sent by a first network element, a terminal device receives a first trigger instruction sent by the first network element, where the first trigger instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to send the uplink synchronization signal on a second cell, and after receiving the first trigger instruction sent by the first network element, the terminal device sends the uplink synchronization signal on a configured time-frequency resource according to the first trigger instruction. According to the method and the device for transmitting the uplink synchronization signal to the second network element, the mode of receiving the first trigger instruction transmitted by the first network element is determined, uplink synchronization of the terminal equipment and the second network element can be achieved, transmission delay is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

the terminal equipment receives a second trigger instruction sent by the first network element;

and the terminal equipment receives the downlink synchronous signal on the second cell according to the second trigger instruction.

In this embodiment of the present application, a possible implementation manner of a transmission mode of a downlink synchronization signal is provided, specifically, after receiving synchronization indication information sent by a first network element, a terminal device receives a second trigger instruction sent by the first network element, where the second trigger instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the downlink synchronization signal in a second cell, and after receiving the second trigger instruction sent by the first network element, the terminal device receives the downlink synchronization signal on a configured time-frequency resource according to the second trigger instruction. According to the method and the device for receiving the downlink synchronous signals, the mode of receiving the downlink synchronous signals is determined through the mode of receiving the second trigger instruction sent by the first network element, downlink synchronization of the terminal equipment and the second network element can be achieved, transmission delay is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication device comprising means or units for performing the method according to the first aspect or according to the second aspect or according to the third aspect.

In one possible design, the communication device includes:

the receiving and transmitting unit is used for transmitting synchronization instruction information, wherein the synchronization instruction information is used for instructing the terminal equipment to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element before the second cell is activated; the communication device is a device corresponding to a first cell, the second network element is a network element corresponding to the second cell, and the terminal equipment is currently in a state of being accessed into the first cell;

the transceiver unit is configured to send, to the terminal device, access indication information of the second cell, where the access indication information is used to indicate the terminal device to access the activated second cell.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is configured to receive a timing advance value sent by the second network element, where the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal device and the second network element;

The transceiver unit is further configured to send the timing advance value to the terminal device.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a first trigger instruction to the terminal device, where the first trigger instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to send the uplink synchronization signal on the second cell.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a second trigger instruction to the terminal device, where the second trigger instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the downlink synchronization signal on the second cell.

With regard to the technical effects brought about by the fourth aspect and any possible embodiment, reference may be made to the description of the technical effects corresponding to the first aspect and the corresponding embodiment.

In another possible design, the communication device includes:

the processing unit is used for carrying out uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the terminal equipment before the second cell is activated; the communication device is a device corresponding to the second cell, and the terminal equipment is currently in a state of accessing the first cell;

and the receiving and transmitting unit is used for carrying out data transmission with the terminal equipment after the second cell is activated.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is configured to receive an uplink synchronization signal sent by the terminal device;

the processing unit is specifically configured to calculate a timing advance value according to the uplink synchronization signal, where the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal device and the communication device;

the receiving and transmitting unit is configured to send the timing advance value to the first network element, where the first network element is a network element corresponding to the first cell.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is specifically configured to send a downlink synchronization signal to the terminal device at a target time-frequency location, where the target time-frequency location is a time-frequency location of the downlink synchronization signal, and the downlink synchronization signal is used for performing downlink synchronization with the terminal device.

With regard to the technical effects brought about by the fourth aspect and any one of the possible embodiments, reference may be made to the description of the technical effects corresponding to the second aspect and the corresponding embodiments.

In another possible design, the communication device includes:

the receiving and transmitting unit is used for receiving the synchronization instruction information sent by the first network element, wherein the synchronization instruction information is used for instructing the communication device to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element before the second cell is activated; the communication device is connected with the first cell, and the second cell is connected with the second cell;

The receiving and transmitting unit is configured to receive access indication information of the second cell, where the access indication information is sent by the first network element, and is used to indicate the communication device to access the activated second cell.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a timing advance value sent by the first network element, where the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the communication device and the second network element.

In one possible embodiment, the communication device further comprises:

and the processing unit is used for carrying out uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element according to the synchronization instruction information.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a downlink synchronization signal sent by the second network element at a target time-frequency location, where the target time-frequency location is a time-frequency location of the downlink synchronization signal;

the processing unit is specifically configured to perform downlink synchronization with the second network element according to the downlink synchronization signal.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is configured to access the activated second cell according to the access indication information.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first trigger instruction sent by the first network element;

the processing unit is specifically configured to send the uplink synchronization signal on the second cell according to the first trigger instruction.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second trigger instruction sent by the first network element;

the processing unit is specifically configured to receive the downlink synchronization signal on the second cell according to the second trigger instruction.

Regarding the technical effects brought about by the fourth aspect and any possible embodiment, reference may be made to the description of the technical effects corresponding to the third aspect and the corresponding embodiments.

In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication device including a processor. The processor is coupled to the memory and operable to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method of any one of the above-described first to third aspects and any one of the possible implementation manners. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a memory. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

In a sixth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a processor, including: input circuit, output circuit and processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals via the input circuit and to transmit signals via the output circuit, such that the processor performs the method of any one of the above-described first to third aspects and any one of the possible implementation manners.

In a specific implementation process, the processor may be one or more chips, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop, various logic circuits, and the like. The input signal received by the input circuit may be received and input by, for example and without limitation, a receiver, the output signal may be output by, for example and without limitation, a transmitter and transmitted by a transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which functions as the input circuit and the output circuit, respectively, at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation manner of the processor and the various circuits.

In a seventh aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication device including a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory and is configured to receive signals via the receiver and to transmit signals via the transmitter to perform the method of any one of the first to third aspects and any one of the possible embodiments.

Optionally, the processor is one or more, and the memory is one or more.

Alternatively, the memory may be integrated with the processor or the memory may be separate from the processor.

Specifically, the data output by the processor may be output to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor may be from the receiver. Wherein the transmitter and receiver may be collectively referred to as a transceiver.

It will be appreciated that the communication means in the seventh aspect described above may be one or more chips. The processor in the communication device may be implemented by hardware or by software. When implemented in hardware, the processor may be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, or the like; when implemented in software, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, implemented by reading software code stored in a memory, which may be integrated in the processor, or may reside outside the processor, and exist separately.

In an eighth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program (which may also be referred to as code, or instructions); the computer program, when run on a computer, causes the method of any one of the above-mentioned first to third aspects and any one of the possible implementation manners to be implemented.

In a ninth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product comprising: computer programs (also referred to as code, or instructions); the computer program, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method of any one of the above-mentioned first to third aspects and any one of the possible implementation manners.

In a tenth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a chip comprising a processor for executing instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the chip to perform the method according to any one of the first to third aspects and any one of the possible embodiments. Optionally, the chip further comprises a communication interface, and the communication interface is used for receiving signals or sending signals.

In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including a terminal device, a first network element, and a second network element.

In a twelfth aspect, there is provided a chip system comprising a processor and interface circuitry, the processor being adapted to call from memory and run a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions) stored in memory to implement the functions referred to in any of the first to third aspects and any possible implementation manner; in one possible design, the system-on-chip also includes memory to hold the necessary program instructions and data. The chip system can be composed of chips, and can also comprise chips and other discrete devices.

Further, in performing the method according to any one of the first to third aspects and any one of possible implementation manners of the first to third aspects, the process of sending information and/or receiving information and the like in the method may be understood as a process of outputting information by a processor and/or a process of receiving input information by a processor. In outputting the information, the processor may output the information to a transceiver (or communication interface, or transmission module) for transmission by the transceiver. After output by the processor, the information may also need to be processed further before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, when the processor receives input information, the transceiver (or communication interface, or transmission module) receives the information and inputs it to the processor. Further, after the transceiver receives the information, the information may need to be further processed before being input to the processor.

Based on the above principle, for example, the transmission information mentioned in the foregoing method may be understood as processor output information. For another example, receiving information may be understood as a processor receiving input information.

Alternatively, the operations of transmitting, receiving, etc. related to the processor may be more generally understood as operations of outputting and receiving, inputting, etc. by the processor, unless otherwise specified, or if not contradicted by actual action or inherent logic in the related description.

Alternatively, in performing the methods according to any one of the first to third aspects and any one of the possible implementation manners of the first to third aspects, the processor may be a processor dedicated to performing the methods, or may be a processor that performs the methods by executing computer instructions in a memory, such as a general-purpose processor. The Memory may be a non-transitory (non-transitory) Memory, such as a Read Only Memory (ROM), which may be integrated on the same chip as the processor, or may be separately provided on different chips, and the type of the Memory and the manner of providing the Memory and the processor are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

In one possible embodiment, the at least one memory is located outside the device.

In yet another possible embodiment, the at least one memory is located within the device.

In yet another possible embodiment, a portion of the at least one memory is located within the device and another portion of the at least one memory is located outside the device.

In this application, the processor and the memory may also be integrated in one device, i.e. the processor and the memory may also be integrated together.

In the embodiment of the application, before the auxiliary cell is activated, the uplink synchronization or the downlink synchronization of the UE and the auxiliary cell is completed, so that after the auxiliary cell is activated, the UE can be accessed to the activated auxiliary cell to directly perform data transmission, the transmission time delay is greatly reduced, the time consumed in the communication process is saved, and the communication efficiency is improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings that are needed in the embodiments of the present application will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and that other drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic architecture diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic architecture diagram of another communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 6 is a flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9A is an effect schematic diagram of a multi-carrier network according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9B is an effect schematic diagram of another multi-carrier network according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

As described in the background section, it is currently necessary to study how to solve the technical problem that the process from the activation of the secondary cell to the access of the UE to the activated secondary cell consumes a long time and has low communication efficiency. The application provides a communication method and a related device, which relate to the technical field of communication, and finish uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization of UE and an auxiliary cell before the auxiliary cell is activated, so that after the auxiliary cell is activated, the UE can be accessed into the activated auxiliary cell to directly perform data transmission, thereby greatly reducing transmission delay, saving time consumed in a communication process and improving communication efficiency.

In order to more clearly describe the aspects of the present application, some knowledge related to cell communication is presented below.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a satellite communication system and a system integrating satellite communication with a cellular network. Among other things, cellular network systems may include, but are not limited to: fifth generation (5th generation,5G) systems, global system for mobile communications (Global System of Mobile communication, GSM) systems, code division multiple access (Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA) systems, wideband code division multiple access (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, WCDMA) systems, general packet Radio service (General Packet Radio Service, GPRS), long term evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (Frequency Division Duplex, FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (Time Division Duplex, TDD) systems, advanced long term evolution (Advanced long term evolution, LTE-a) systems, new air interface (New Radio, NR) systems, evolution systems of NR systems, LTE (LTEbased access to unlicensed spectrum, LTE-U) systems on unlicensed bands, NR (NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum, NR-U) systems on unlicensed bands, universal mobile communication systems (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System, UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, wiMAX) communication systems, wireless local area networks (Wireless Local Area Networks, WLAN), wireless fidelity (Wireless Fidelity, wiFi), next-generation communication systems or other communication systems, and the like. In general, the number of connections supported by the conventional communication system is limited and is easy to implement, however, with the development of communication technology, the mobile communication system will support not only conventional communication but also, for example: device-to-Device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (Machine to Machine, M2M) communication, machine type communication (Machine Type Communication, MTC), inter-vehicle (Vehicle to Vehicle, V2V) communication, and other new systems such as future evolution of other communication systems to which embodiments of the present application may also be applied. Satellite communication systems may include various non-terrestrial network systems, such as networks for radio frequency transmissions by satellite or unmanned aerial vehicle system (unmanned aircraft system, UAS) platforms and the like, which are not listed here.

Embodiments of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

For example, referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 1, the communication system 100 mainly includes two parts, an access network and a User Equipment (UE) 101. The access network is configured to implement wireless access related functions, and mainly includes AN Access Network (AN) device 102, where the access network device includes a wireless access network (radio access network, RAN) device and other devices that access through AN air interface (such as WiFi). The interfaces between the network elements are shown in fig. 1. It should be appreciated that the network elements may also communicate using a serviced interface.

A UE may also be referred to as a terminal device. The terminal device may communicate with one or more Core Networks (CNs) via AN device. Terminal devices involved in embodiments of the present application include, but are not limited to, connections via wireline, such as via public-switched telephone network (Public Switched Telephone Networks, PSTN), digital subscriber line (Digital Subscriber Line, DSL), digital cable, direct cable connection; and/or another data connection network; and/or via a wireless interface, such as: a digital television network such as a digital television broadcast-Handheld (Digital Video Broadcast-handleld, DVB-H) network, a satellite network, an amplitude modulation-frequency modulation (Amplitude Modulation-Frequency Modulation, AM-FM) broadcast transmitter for a cellular network, a wireless local area network (Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN); and/or means of the other terminal device arranged to receive/transmit communication signals; and/or internet of things (Internet of Things, ioT) devices. Terminal devices arranged to communicate over a wireless interface may be referred to as "wireless communication terminals", "wireless terminals" or "mobile terminals". Examples of such terminal devices include, but are not limited to, satellite phones or cellular phones; a personal communications system (Personal Communications System, PCS) terminal that may combine a cellular radiotelephone with data processing, facsimile and data communications capabilities; a personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, PDA) that may include a radiotelephone, pager, internet/intranet access, web browser, organizer, calendar and/or a global positioning system (Global Positioning System, GPS) receiver; and conventional laptop and/or palmtop receivers or other electronic devices that include a radiotelephone transceiver. A terminal device can also be called a User Equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user equipment. The terminal device may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (session initiation protocol, SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (wireless local loop, WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in the internet of things or in the internet of vehicles, a terminal device in a 5G network, a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (public land mobile network, PLMN), a terminal device of any form in a future network, etc.

AN apparatus, which is AN apparatus for accessing a terminal apparatus to a wireless network, may be a base station. The base station may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also referred to as small stations), relay stations, access points, and the like. The method specifically comprises the following steps: an Access Point (AP) in a wireless local area network (wireless local area network, WLAN), a base station (base transceiver station, BTS) in a global system for mobile communications (global system for mobile communications, GSM) or code division multiple access (code division multiple access, CDMA), a base station (NodeB, NB) in wideband code division multiple access (wideband code division multiple access, WCDMA), an Evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, a relay station or an access point, or a vehicle device, a wearable device, a base station in a next generation Node B (the next generation Node B, gNB) in a 5G system, or a base station in a future Evolved public land mobile network (public land mobile network, PLMN), and the like, which are not particularly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

As can be seen from fig. 1, the communication system 100 is applied in a carrier aggregation (Carrier Aggregation, CA) scenario, which refers to aggregating multiple carriers together to serve a UE. Each carrier may be considered to be a cell for a UE. The access network device 102 covers a plurality of cells (primary cell, secondary cell 1, secondary cells 2, …, secondary cell n), and these aggregated cells can be divided into primary and secondary cells. When the UE accesses the network, the UE firstly accesses the main cell, and then the main cell adds a plurality of auxiliary cells (such as the auxiliary cell 1, the auxiliary cells 2 and … and the auxiliary cell n) for the UE through the RRC reconfiguration message, so that the UE can access the auxiliary cells for communication subsequently and obtain corresponding services.

For the added secondary cell, the primary cell may configure it in an activated (deactivated) state or a deactivated (deactivated) state. The primary cell adjusts the state of each secondary cell by the Control Element (Medium Access Control-Control Element, MAC CE) of the secondary cell activated and deactivated medium access Control. When a certain secondary cell is in an active state, the UE may send a sounding reference signal (Sounding Reference Signal, SRS), report channel state information (Channel State Information, CSI), detect a physical downlink control channel (Physical Downlink Control Channel, PDCCH), etc. on the secondary cell. When a certain auxiliary cell is in a deactivated state, the UE does not send SRS, does not measure and report CSI, does not transmit uplink data and does not detect PDCCH on the auxiliary cell.

Multiple cells in fig. 1 are deployed in the same access network device 102, also referred to as intra-site carrier aggregation. In the intra-station carrier aggregation scenario, the data transmission between the cells may be understood as the data transmission between the different network elements (functional modules) corresponding to the cells in the access network device 102.

It should be understood that embodiments of the present application are not limited to application only in the communication system architecture shown in fig. 1. For example, more or fewer network elements or devices may be included in a communication system to which the communication methods of embodiments of the present application may be applied. The device or network element in fig. 1 may be hardware, or may be functionally divided software, or a combination of both. The devices or network elements in fig. 1 may communicate with each other via other devices or network elements.

For example, referring to fig. 2, fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of another communication system according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 2, the communication system 200 mainly includes two parts, an access network and a User Equipment (UE) 101. The access network is used for realizing wireless access related functions, and mainly comprises Access Network (AN) devices (102, 103, 104, 105), wherein the access network devices comprise wireless access network (radio access network, RAN) devices and other devices accessed through AN air interface (such as WiFi). The interfaces between the network elements are shown in fig. 2. It should be appreciated that the network elements may also communicate using a serviced interface.

The UE and the AN device in the communication system shown in the embodiment of the present application are similar to the communication system in fig. 1, and are not described herein.

As can be seen from fig. 2, the communication system 200 is applied in a carrier aggregation (Carrier Aggregation, CA) scenario, unlike the carrier aggregation scenario of the communication system shown in fig. 1 and described above, in the embodiment of the present application, a plurality of cells are deployed in different access network devices, such as a primary cell deployed in the access network device 102, a secondary cell 1 deployed in the access network device 103, a secondary cell 2 deployed in the access network device 104, and a secondary cell n deployed in the access network device 105. This deployment is also known as inter-site carrier aggregation. In the inter-station carrier aggregation scenario, data transmission between each cell may be understood as data transmission between each different access network device corresponding to each cell. When the UE accesses the network, the UE firstly accesses the main cell, and then the main cell adds a plurality of auxiliary cells (such as the auxiliary cell 1, the auxiliary cells 2 and … and the auxiliary cell n) for the UE through the RRC reconfiguration message, so that the UE can access the auxiliary cells for communication subsequently and obtain corresponding services.

It should be understood that embodiments of the present application are not limited to use only in the communication system architecture shown in fig. 2. For example, more or fewer network elements or devices may be included in a communication system to which the communication methods of embodiments of the present application may be applied. The device or network element in fig. 2 may be hardware, or may be functionally divided software, or a combination of both. The devices or network elements in fig. 2 may communicate with each other via other devices or network elements.

Based on the carrier aggregation scenario applied by the communication system in fig. 1 or fig. 2, when the UE accesses the network, the UE first accesses the primary cell, and then adds a plurality of secondary cells (such as secondary cell 1, secondary cells 2, …, and secondary cell n) to the UE through the RRC reconfiguration message, so that the UE can access the secondary cells for data transmission subsequently, and obtain corresponding services.

In order for the UE to smoothly access the secondary cell for data transmission, the UE also needs to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the accessed secondary cell. Hereinafter, uplink synchronization and downlink synchronization between the UE and the secondary cell will be briefly described.

Since the distances between different UEs and network devices (network elements) in a cell are different, the time for uplink signals of different UEs to reach the network devices is also different. Such a difference may cause interference between uplink signals of different UEs within a cell. To reduce this interference, the time instants at which the uplink signals of different UEs within the cell reach the network device should be aligned as much as possible. An uplink Timing Advance (TA) mechanism is generally adopted to achieve time synchronization of the uplink signal received by the network device, i.e. uplink synchronization between the UE and the secondary cell.

The principle of TA is that a timing advance (i.e., TA value) is configured for the UE, and the UE adjusts uplink timing according to the configured TA value when transmitting uplink data. By reasonably configuring TA values of different UEs, the situation that uplink signals of different UEs arrive at network equipment at approximately the same time can be realized. In addition, the network device may calculate the TA value of the UE by measuring uplink signals such as a preamble (preamble) or a sounding reference signal (Sounding Reference Signal, SRS) transmitted by the UE. The network device sends a timing advance command (Timing Advance Command, TAC) to the UE, informing the UE of the calculated TA value. The TAC may be carried in the MAC CE.

The downlink synchronization refers to synchronization at the UE side, that is, synchronization such as timing and frequency of the UE obtaining the network device. The UE implements downlink synchronization by receiving a synchronization signal sent by the network device. The synchronization signals include a primary synchronization signal (Primary Synchronization Signal, PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (Secondary Synchronization Signal, SSS), carried in a synchronization signal block (Synchronization Signal Block, SSB). The cell typically periodically transmits SSBs, which the UE searches for and receives to obtain downlink synchronization with the secondary cell.

Specifically, in the carrier aggregation scenario, the entire flow from the terminal device accessing the primary cell to the terminal device accessing the secondary cell may refer to fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 3, the method includes, but is not limited to, the steps of:

step 301: the terminal equipment is accessed to the main cell, and data transmission is carried out on the first network element corresponding to the main cell.

Step 302: the first network element adds the secondary cell (not activated) to the terminal device, specifically, the first network element sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the RRC reconfiguration message sent by the first network element, where the message includes configuration information of the secondary cell.

It may be understood that the first network element adds a secondary cell to the terminal device, and the state of the secondary cell is set to a deactivated state. At this time, the terminal device does not perform uplink synchronization and downlink synchronization on the inactive secondary cell.

Step 303: the first network element sends an activation instruction of the auxiliary cell to the terminal equipment, and correspondingly, the terminal equipment receives the activation instruction of the auxiliary cell sent by the first network element, wherein the activation instruction is used for informing the terminal equipment that the auxiliary cell is activated.

Step 304: and the terminal equipment performs downlink synchronization with the auxiliary cell.

Step 305a: the terminal equipment sends an uplink synchronous signal to a second network element corresponding to the auxiliary cell, and the second network element receives the uplink synchronous signal sent by the terminal equipment correspondingly.

Step 305b: and the second network element calculates the TA value of the auxiliary cell according to the received uplink synchronous signal, and sends the TA value to the terminal equipment, and correspondingly, the terminal equipment receives the TA value sent by the second network element.

Step 306: the terminal equipment accesses the auxiliary cell and performs uplink data transmission or downlink data transmission with the second network element.

The whole process from the terminal equipment accessing the main cell to the terminal equipment accessing the auxiliary cell can be seen that when the auxiliary cell is activated, the terminal equipment needs to perform uplink synchronization and downlink synchronization with the auxiliary cell before data transmission on the auxiliary cell. However, the synchronization process between the terminal device and the secondary cell needs to consume a long time, generally needs to wait tens of milliseconds, and the data transmission between the terminal device and the secondary cell needs to be completed in an equivalent step, so that the delay can affect the delay sensitive service on the secondary cell, and the communication efficiency is low.

Aiming at the technical problems that the time consumed in the process from the activation of the auxiliary cell to the access of the terminal equipment to the activated auxiliary cell is long and the communication efficiency is low, the application provides a communication method and a related device, which relate to the technical field of communication.

Referring to fig. 4, fig. 4 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, where the communication method is applied to the field of communication technology.

As shown in fig. 4, a communication system to which the communication method of the embodiment of the present application is applied includes, but is not limited to, a terminal device, a first network element, and a second network element.

As shown in fig. 4, the communication method in the embodiment of the present application may include steps S401, S402, S403, and S404, where the execution sequence of steps S401, S402, S403, and S404 is not limited to this, and specifically includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:

step S401: the first network element sends the synchronization indication information, and the synchronization indication information can be sent in a broadcast message form or can be directly sent to the terminal equipment, and correspondingly, the terminal equipment receives the synchronization indication information sent by the first network element.

The synchronization indication information is used for indicating the terminal equipment to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element before the second cell is activated.

And the terminal equipment is in a state of accessing the first cell currently, and the second cell is any auxiliary cell added to the terminal equipment by the first cell through the RRC reconfiguration message, so that the terminal equipment can be accessed to the auxiliary cell (the second cell) for communication subsequently, and corresponding service is obtained.

In the embodiment of the present application, the first network element is a network element corresponding to a first cell, and the second network element is a network element corresponding to a second cell. The first network element and the second network element may be understood as two different network devices, or may be understood as different functional modules integrated in the same network device, specifically, when the first cell and the second cell are respectively deployed on different network devices (such as base stations), the first network element and the second network element are two different network devices, and when the first cell and the second cell are deployed on the same network device (such as base stations), the first network element and the second network element are two different functional modules integrated in the network device, and communication between the first network element and the second network element is communication between the two different functional modules.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the inter-station carrier aggregation scenario shown in fig. 2 is described as an example, that is, the first cell and the second cell are respectively disposed on different network devices (such as base stations), and the first network element and the second network element are two different network devices. Specifically, the first cell in the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the primary cell shown in fig. 2, the second cell in the embodiment of the present application may correspond to any one of the secondary cell 1, the secondary cells 2, …, and the secondary cell n shown in fig. 2, and correspondingly, the first network element in the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the network device 102 shown in fig. 2, the second network element in the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the network device 103 or the network device 104 or the network device 105 shown in fig. 2, and the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the terminal device 101 shown in fig. 2.

In particular, the synchronization indication information may include, but is not limited to, first configuration information of the second cell.

The first configuration information includes relevant parameters of the uplink synchronization signal sent by the terminal device on the second cell, and the terminal device can send the uplink synchronization signal according to the relevant parameters of the uplink synchronization signal, so as to realize uplink synchronization with the second network element before the second cell is activated.

Exemplary, the first configuration information includes relevant parameters of the terminal device for transmitting the uplink synchronization signal on the second cell, which specifically includes, but is not limited to: time-frequency resources occupied by transmitting the uplink synchronization signal, pseudo-random sequences used by the uplink synchronization signal, a transmission mode of the uplink synchronization signal, and the like.

The time-frequency resource occupied by sending the uplink synchronization signal is taken as a necessary option in the configuration parameter, and may be periodically repeated in the time domain, for example, the time-frequency resource occupies the last symbol of each time slot, or may have no periodicity in the time domain. The pseudo-random sequence used by the uplink synchronous signal can be a ZC sequence as a necessary choice in configuration parameters, and correspondingly, the configuration parameters related to the ZC sequence can be a root sequence index for generating the ZC sequence, etc. The transmission mode of the uplink synchronization signal, as an option in the configuration parameters, may include three different transmission modes:

Mode one: the terminal equipment transmits uplink synchronous signals on each configured time-frequency resource;

mode two: the terminal equipment sends an uplink synchronous signal on the configured time-frequency resource after receiving an uplink trigger instruction sent by the first network element;

mode three: and the terminal equipment sends an uplink synchronous signal on the configured time-frequency resource according to the service requirement of the terminal equipment.

In addition, the uplink synchronization signal may be an uplink signal such as a preamble signal or a sounding reference signal sent by the terminal device.

According to the embodiment of the application, the terminal equipment can send the uplink synchronous signal according to the first configuration information through the parameters related to the uplink synchronous signal in the first configuration information, so that uplink synchronization with the second network element is realized, transmission delay is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

In particular, the synchronization indication information may include, but is not limited to, second configuration information of the second cell.

The second configuration information includes relevant parameters of the downlink synchronization signal received by the terminal device on the second cell, and the terminal device can receive the downlink synchronization signal according to the relevant parameters of the downlink synchronization signal, so as to realize downlink synchronization with the second network element before the second cell is activated.

Exemplary, the second configuration information includes relevant parameters of the terminal device for receiving the downlink synchronization signal on the second cell, specifically including but not limited to: time-frequency resources occupied by receiving the downlink synchronous signals, a receiving mode of the downlink synchronous signals and the like.

The time-frequency resource occupied by the downlink synchronization signal is taken as an essential option in the configuration parameter, and may be periodically repeated in the time domain, for example, the time-frequency resource occupies the last symbol of each time slot, or may have no periodicity in the time domain. The reception modes of the downlink synchronization signal may include three different reception modes:

mode one: the terminal equipment receives downlink synchronous signals on each configured time-frequency resource;

mode two: the terminal equipment receives a downlink synchronous signal on the configured time-frequency resource after receiving a downlink trigger instruction sent by a first network element;

mode three: and the terminal equipment receives the downlink synchronous signal on the configured time-frequency resource according to the service requirement of the terminal equipment.

The downlink synchronization signal may be a downlink signal such as a synchronization signal block or a tracking reference signal (Tracking Reference Signal, TRS).

According to the embodiment of the application, the terminal equipment can receive the downlink synchronous signal according to the second configuration information through the parameters related to the downlink synchronous signal in the second configuration information, so that the downlink synchronization with the second network element is realized, the transmission delay is reduced, and the communication efficiency is improved.

Optionally, after the first network element sends the synchronization indication information to the terminal device, a first trigger instruction is sent to the terminal device. Correspondingly, after receiving the synchronization instruction information sent by the first network element, the terminal equipment receives a first trigger instruction sent by the first network element.

The first trigger instruction is used for indicating the terminal equipment to send an uplink synchronization signal on the second cell, and correspondingly, the terminal equipment sends the uplink synchronization signal on the configured time-frequency resource after receiving the first trigger instruction sent by the first network element, namely, a sending mode II corresponding to the uplink synchronization signal in the first configuration information.

According to the method, the mode of sending the first trigger instruction to the terminal equipment is indicated to the terminal equipment to send the uplink synchronous signal, and correspondingly, the mode of sending the uplink synchronous signal to the second network element is determined by receiving the first trigger instruction sent by the first network element, so that uplink synchronization of the terminal equipment and the second network element can be realized, transmission delay is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

Optionally, after the first network element sends the synchronization indication information to the terminal device, a second trigger instruction is sent to the terminal device. Correspondingly, after receiving the synchronization instruction information sent by the first network element, the terminal equipment receives a second trigger instruction sent by the first network element.

The second trigger instruction is used for indicating the terminal equipment to receive the downlink synchronization signal on the second cell, and correspondingly, the terminal equipment receives the downlink synchronization signal on the configured time-frequency resource after receiving the second trigger instruction sent by the first network element, namely, the second receiving mode corresponding to the downlink synchronization signal in the second configuration information.

According to the method, the terminal equipment is instructed to receive the mode of the downlink synchronous signal by sending the second trigger instruction to the terminal equipment, and correspondingly, the mode of receiving the downlink synchronous signal is determined by receiving the second trigger instruction sent by the first network element, so that the downlink synchronization of the terminal equipment and the second network element can be realized, the transmission delay is reduced, and the communication efficiency is improved.

Step S402: and the terminal equipment performs uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second cell.

After receiving the synchronization instruction information sent by the first network element, the terminal equipment performs uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second cell according to the synchronization instruction information, thereby reducing transmission delay and improving communication efficiency.

Correspondingly, the second network element performs uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the terminal device before the second cell is activated.

Specifically, the second network element receives an uplink synchronization signal sent by the terminal device, calculates a timing advance value according to the uplink synchronization signal, the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal device and the second network element, and finally the second network element sends the timing advance value to the first network element, and the first network element forwards the timing advance value to the terminal device.

According to the method and the device for uplink synchronization, the uplink synchronization of the second network element and the terminal equipment can be achieved by sending the calculated timing advance value to the first network element, so that the transmission delay is reduced, and the communication efficiency is improved.

Step S403: the first network element sends the access indication information of the second cell to the terminal equipment, and the terminal equipment correspondingly receives the access indication information of the second cell sent by the first network element.

After the terminal equipment completes uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element, and the second cell is activated, the first network element sends access indication information of the second cell to the terminal equipment, and correspondingly, the terminal equipment receives the access indication information sent by the first network element, wherein the access indication information is used for indicating the terminal equipment to access the activated second cell and perform data transmission with the second network element, so that corresponding service is obtained.

Alternatively, the access indication information may include, but is not limited to, a timing advance value.

The timing advance value is calculated by the second network element according to the uplink synchronous signal sent by the terminal device, and then sent to the first network element by the second network element, and the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal device and the second network element.

According to the embodiment of the application, the timing advance value is carried in the access indication information and is sent to the terminal equipment, so that the terminal equipment can conduct uplink data transmission with the second network element according to the timing advance value, transmission delay is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

Optionally, before sending the access indication information of the second cell to the terminal device, the first network element receives the timing advance value sent by the second network element, and then sends the timing advance value to the terminal device. Correspondingly, before receiving the access indication information of the second cell sent by the first network element, the terminal device receives the timing advance value sent by the first network element.

The timing advance value is calculated by the second network element according to the uplink synchronous signal sent by the terminal equipment, then the second network element sends the timing advance value to the first network element, and the first network element sends the timing advance value to the terminal equipment, wherein the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal equipment and the second network element.

According to the embodiment of the application, before the access indication information of the second cell is sent, the timing advance value is sent to the terminal equipment, or before the access indication information of the second cell is received, the timing advance value sent by the first network element is received, so that the terminal equipment can conduct uplink data transmission with the second network element according to the timing advance value, transmission delay is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

Step S404: and the terminal equipment performs uplink data transmission or downlink data transmission with the second network element.

After receiving the access indication information of the second cell sent by the first network element, the terminal equipment accesses the activated second cell according to the access indication information, and performs uplink data transmission or downlink data transmission with the second network element to obtain corresponding service.

Referring to fig. 5, fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method according to the embodiment of the present application, which may also be understood as a modification or addition of the above-mentioned flowchart of the communication method in fig. 4.

As shown in fig. 5, a communication system to which the communication method of the embodiment of the present application is applied includes, but is not limited to, a terminal device, a first network element, and a second network element. The terminal device in fig. 4 corresponds to the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application; the first network element in fig. 4 is equivalent to the first network element in the embodiment of the present application; the second network element in fig. 4 corresponds to the second network element in the embodiment of the present application.

In the embodiment of the present application, the first network element is a network element corresponding to the primary cell, and the second network element is a network element corresponding to the secondary cell. The first network element and the second network element may be understood as two different network devices, or may be understood as different functional modules integrated in the same network device, specifically, when the primary cell and the secondary cell are respectively deployed on different network devices (such as a base station), the first network element and the second network element are two different network devices, and when the primary cell and the secondary cell are deployed on the same network device (such as a base station), the first network element and the second network element are two different functional modules integrated in the network device, and communication between the first network element and the second network element is communication between the two different functional modules.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the inter-station carrier aggregation scenario shown in fig. 2 is described as an example, that is, the primary cell and the secondary cell are respectively disposed on different network devices (such as base stations), and the first network element and the second network element are two different network devices. Specifically, the primary cell in the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the primary cell shown in fig. 2, the secondary cell in the embodiment of the present application may correspond to any one of the secondary cell 1, the secondary cells 2, …, and the secondary cell n shown in fig. 2, and correspondingly, the first network element in the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the network device 102 shown in fig. 2, the second network element in the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the network device 103 or the network device 104 or the network device 105 shown in fig. 2, and the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the terminal device 101 shown in fig. 2.

The communication method in the embodiment of the application is that the auxiliary cell in the CA scene is uplink synchronized in advance, and the main conception is as follows: before the secondary cell is activated, the terminal device performs uplink synchronization in the secondary cell in advance. After the auxiliary cell is activated, the terminal equipment can directly perform uplink data transmission in the auxiliary cell without performing uplink synchronization in the auxiliary cell, so that the time delay of the terminal equipment for performing uplink transmission in the auxiliary cell is reduced.

As shown in fig. 5, the communication method of the embodiment of the present application may include steps S501 to S508, where the order of execution of steps S501 to S508 is not limited, and specifically includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:

step 501: the terminal device accesses a primary cell, which adds a secondary cell (inactive) to the terminal device.

The terminal equipment is in a state of accessing the main cell at present, and the auxiliary cell is any auxiliary cell added to the terminal equipment by the main cell through the RRC reconfiguration message, so that the terminal equipment can be accessed to the auxiliary cell for data transmission subsequently, and corresponding service is obtained.

Step 502: the first network element sends synchronization indication information.

The synchronization instruction information may be sent in a broadcast message form, or may be directly sent to the terminal device, where the synchronization instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform uplink synchronization with the second network element before the secondary cell is activated.

Specifically, the synchronization indication information may include, but is not limited to, first configuration information of the secondary cell.

The first configuration information includes relevant parameters of the uplink synchronization signal sent by the terminal device on the secondary cell, and the terminal device can send the uplink synchronization signal according to the relevant parameters of the uplink synchronization signal, so as to realize uplink synchronization with the second network element before the secondary cell is activated.

Exemplary, the first configuration information includes relevant parameters of the terminal device for transmitting the uplink synchronization signal on the secondary cell, which specifically includes, but is not limited to: time-frequency resources occupied by transmitting the uplink synchronization signal, pseudo-random sequences used by the uplink synchronization signal, a transmission mode of the uplink synchronization signal, and the like.

Step 503: the first network element sends a first trigger instruction to the terminal equipment.

The first trigger instruction is used for indicating the terminal equipment to send an uplink synchronization signal on the secondary cell, and the first trigger instruction can be carried in the MAC CE or downlink control information (Downlink Control Information, DCI). For example, the first trigger instruction is carried in a MAC CE, where the MAC CE includes a plurality of bits (bits), each bit corresponding to a secondary cell of the terminal device. If the value of a certain bit is 1, the triggering terminal equipment sends the uplink synchronous signal on the auxiliary cell corresponding to the bit. Correspondingly, after receiving the first trigger instruction sent by the first network element, the terminal equipment sends an uplink synchronous signal on the configured time-frequency resource, namely, a sending mode II corresponding to the uplink synchronous signal in the first configuration information.

Step 504: and the terminal equipment sends an uplink synchronous signal to the second network element.

The uplink synchronization signal may be an uplink signal such as a preamble signal or a sounding reference signal sent by the terminal device.

And the terminal equipment transmits the uplink synchronous signal to the second network element according to the time-frequency resource occupied by the uplink synchronous signal, the pseudo-random sequence used by the uplink synchronous signal, the transmission mode of the uplink synchronous signal and the like which are included in the first configuration information.

Step 505: the second network element calculates a secondary cell TA value.

Specifically, the second network element receives an uplink synchronization signal sent by the terminal device, and then calculates a secondary cell TA value according to the uplink synchronization signal, where the secondary cell TA value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal device and the second network element.

Step 506: the second network element sends the secondary cell TA value to the first network element.

In the embodiment of the present application, the secondary cell and the primary cell are respectively deployed on different network elements, and the TA value of the secondary cell is transferred through an Xn interface signaling between the first network element and the second network element, where the Xn interface signaling includes, but is not limited to, the following contents: terminal equipment identification, auxiliary cell identification, TA value of terminal equipment in auxiliary cell.

Step 507a: the first network element sends a secondary cell TA value to the terminal device, where the secondary cell TA value may be carried in a MAC CE or DCI.

Step 507b: the first network element sends auxiliary cell access indication information to the terminal equipment.

Step 507: the first network element sends auxiliary cell access indication information (auxiliary cell TA value) to the terminal device.

This step may be understood as combining the step 507a and the step 507b into one step 507, i.e. the first network element sends the access indication information of the secondary cell to the terminal device, where the access indication information includes the TA value of the terminal device in the secondary cell.

Step 508: and the terminal equipment adjusts the TA value and performs data transmission with the second network element.

And the terminal equipment transmits uplink data on the auxiliary cell, and adopts the TA value to carry out timing adjustment during transmission.

In the embodiment of the application, before the auxiliary cell is activated, the uplink synchronization of the terminal equipment and the auxiliary cell is completed, so that after the auxiliary cell is activated, the terminal equipment can be accessed into the activated auxiliary cell to directly perform uplink data transmission, the transmission time delay is greatly reduced, the time consumed in the communication process is saved, and the communication efficiency is improved.

Referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method according to the embodiment of the present application, which may also be understood as a modification or addition of the above-mentioned flowchart of the communication method in fig. 4 or fig. 5.

As shown in fig. 6, a communication system to which the communication method of the embodiment of the present application is applied includes, but is not limited to, a terminal device, a first network element, and a second network element. The terminal device in fig. 4 corresponds to the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application; the first network element in fig. 4 is equivalent to the first network element in the embodiment of the present application; the second network element in fig. 4 corresponds to the second network element in the embodiment of the present application.

The communication method in the embodiment of the application is that the auxiliary cell in the CA scene is in advance downlink synchronization, and the main conception is as follows: before the secondary cell is activated, the terminal equipment performs downlink synchronization in the secondary cell in advance. After the auxiliary cell is activated, the terminal equipment can directly perform downlink data transmission in the auxiliary cell without performing downlink synchronization in the auxiliary cell, so that the time delay of the terminal equipment for performing downlink transmission in the auxiliary cell is reduced.

As shown in fig. 6, the communication method of the embodiment of the present application may include steps S601 to S606, wherein the execution order of steps S601 to S606 is not limited thereto, and specifically includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:

step S601: the terminal device accesses a primary cell, which adds a secondary cell (inactive) to the terminal device.

Step S602: the first network element sends synchronization indication information.

The synchronization instruction information may be sent in a broadcast message form, or may be directly sent to the terminal device, where the synchronization instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform downlink synchronization with the second network element before the secondary cell is activated.

In particular, the synchronization indication information may include, but is not limited to, second configuration information of the secondary cell.

The second configuration information includes relevant parameters of the downlink synchronization signal received by the terminal device on the secondary cell, and the terminal device can receive the downlink synchronization signal according to the relevant parameters of the downlink synchronization signal, so as to realize downlink synchronization with the second network element before the secondary cell is activated.

Exemplary, the second configuration information includes relevant parameters of the terminal device for receiving the downlink synchronization signal on the secondary cell, which specifically includes, but is not limited to: time-frequency resources occupied by receiving the downlink synchronous signals, a receiving mode of the downlink synchronous signals and the like.

Step S603: the first network element sends a second trigger instruction to the terminal equipment.

The second trigger instruction is configured to instruct the terminal device to receive the downlink synchronization signal in the second cell, where the second trigger instruction may be carried in the MAC CE or DCI. For example, the second trigger instruction is carried in a MAC CE, where the MAC CE includes a plurality of bits (bits), each bit corresponding to a secondary cell of the terminal device. If the value of a certain bit is 1, the triggering terminal equipment receives the downlink synchronous signal on the auxiliary cell corresponding to the bit. Correspondingly, the terminal equipment receives the downlink synchronous signal on the configured time-frequency resource after receiving the second trigger instruction sent by the first network element, namely, the receiving mode II corresponding to the downlink synchronous signal in the second configuration information.

Step S604: and the terminal equipment is in downlink synchronization in the auxiliary cell.

The downlink synchronization signal may be a downlink signal such as a synchronization signal block or a tracking reference signal.

And the terminal equipment receives the synchronous signal block or the tracking reference signal on the time-frequency resource in the second configuration information and performs time and frequency synchronization.

Step S605: the first network element sends auxiliary cell access indication information to the terminal equipment.

Step S606: and the terminal equipment performs data transmission with the second network element.

In the embodiment of the application, before the auxiliary cell is activated, the downlink synchronization of the terminal equipment and the auxiliary cell is completed, so that after the auxiliary cell is activated, the terminal equipment can be accessed into the activated auxiliary cell to directly perform downlink data transmission, the transmission time delay is greatly reduced, the time consumed in the communication process is saved, and the communication efficiency is improved.

Referring to fig. 7, fig. 7 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method according to the embodiment of the present application, which may also be understood as a modification or addition of the above-mentioned flowchart of the communication method in fig. 4 or fig. 5.

As shown in fig. 7, a communication system to which the communication method of the embodiment of the present application is applied includes, but is not limited to, a terminal device, a first network element, and a second network element. The terminal device in fig. 4 corresponds to the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application; the first network element in fig. 4 is equivalent to the first network element in the embodiment of the present application; the second network element in fig. 4 corresponds to the second network element in the embodiment of the present application.

The communication method in the embodiment of the application is that the auxiliary cell in the CA scene is uplink synchronized in advance, and the main conception is as follows: the synchronization indication information broadcast by the main cell contains related parameters of the uplink synchronization of the auxiliary cell, so that the terminal equipment can perform the uplink synchronization on the auxiliary cell before the main cell adds the auxiliary cell for the terminal equipment. After the main cell adds the auxiliary cell for the terminal equipment and activates the auxiliary cell, the terminal equipment can directly perform uplink transmission in the auxiliary cell without performing uplink synchronization in the auxiliary cell, so that the time delay of the terminal equipment for performing uplink transmission in the auxiliary cell is reduced.

As shown in fig. 7, the communication method of the embodiment of the present application may include steps S701 to S706, wherein the execution sequence of steps S701 to S706 is not limited thereto, and specifically includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:

step 701: the first network element broadcasts synchronization indication information, and correspondingly, the terminal equipment receives the synchronization indication information.

The synchronization indication information is used for indicating the terminal equipment to perform uplink synchronization with the first network element before accessing the primary cell and perform uplink synchronization with the second network element before accessing the secondary cell and the secondary cell is activated.

Specifically, the synchronization indication information may include, but is not limited to, uplink Random Access CHannel (RACH) configuration information of the primary cell (referred to herein as third configuration information) and RACH configuration information of the secondary cell (referred to herein as first configuration information).

The third configuration information includes relevant parameters of the uplink synchronization signal sent by the terminal device on the primary cell, and the terminal device can send the uplink synchronization signal according to the relevant parameters of the uplink synchronization signal, so as to realize uplink synchronization with the first network element before accessing the primary cell. The first configuration information includes relevant parameters of the uplink synchronization signal sent by the terminal equipment on the auxiliary cell, and the terminal equipment can send the uplink synchronization signal according to the relevant parameters of the uplink synchronization signal to realize uplink synchronization with the second network element before the auxiliary cell is accessed and activated.

Illustratively, the third configuration information (or the first configuration information) includes related parameters of the terminal device for transmitting the uplink synchronization signal on the primary cell (or the secondary cell), which specifically includes, but is not limited to: time-frequency resources occupied by sending the uplink synchronous signals, pseudo-random sequences used by the uplink synchronous signals, and the like.

The time-frequency resource occupied by sending the uplink synchronization signal is taken as a necessary option in the configuration parameter, and may be periodically repeated in the time domain, for example, the time-frequency resource occupies the last symbol of each time slot, or may have no periodicity in the time domain. The pseudo-random sequence used by the uplink synchronous signal can be a ZC sequence as a necessary choice in configuration parameters, and correspondingly, the configuration parameters related to the ZC sequence can be a root sequence index for generating the ZC sequence, etc.

According to the embodiment of the application, the terminal equipment can send the uplink synchronous signal according to the configuration information through the third configuration information and the parameters related to the uplink synchronous signal in the first configuration information, so that uplink synchronization with the first network element and the second network element is realized, transmission delay is reduced, and communication efficiency is improved.

Step 702a: the terminal device sends an uplink synchronization signal on a time-frequency resource used by a random access channel of the primary cell.

The time-frequency resource and the uplink synchronization signal here are the time-frequency resource and the uplink synchronization signal corresponding to the primary cell indicated in the third configuration information, and the uplink synchronization signal may be an uplink signal such as a preamble signal or a sounding reference signal sent by the terminal device.

Step 702b: the first network element sends a primary cell TA value to the terminal device, which may be carried in a random access response (Random Access Response, RAR).

Step 703a: the terminal equipment transmits an uplink synchronous signal on a time-frequency resource used by a random access channel of the auxiliary cell.

The time-frequency resource and the uplink synchronization signal here are the time-frequency resource and the uplink synchronization signal corresponding to the secondary cell indicated in the first configuration information, and the uplink synchronization signal may be an uplink signal such as a preamble signal or a sounding reference signal sent by the terminal device.

Step 703b: the second network element sends a secondary cell TA value to the terminal device, which may be carried in a random access response (Random Access Response, RAR).

Step 704: and the first network element corresponding to the main cell sends a message to the terminal equipment, and is used for adding the auxiliary cell to the terminal equipment.

Step 705: optionally, the first network element sends a secondary cell activation instruction to the terminal device.

Step 706: and the terminal equipment adjusts the TA value and performs data transmission with the second network element.

And the terminal equipment transmits uplink data on the auxiliary cell, and the TA value of the auxiliary cell acquired in the step 703b is adopted for timing adjustment during transmission.

Referring to fig. 8, fig. 8 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method according to the embodiment of the present application, which may also be understood as a modification or addition of the above-mentioned flowchart of the communication method in fig. 4 or fig. 5 or fig. 7.

It should be understood that, the communication system to which the communication method of the embodiment of the present application is applied and the scenario to which the inter-station carrier aggregation shown in fig. 2 is applied are similar to the communication method in fig. 7, and are not repeated here.

As shown in fig. 8, the communication method of the embodiment of the present application may include steps S801 to S807, wherein the order of execution of steps S801 to S807 is not limited thereto, and specifically includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:

step 801: the first network element broadcasts synchronization indication information, and correspondingly, the terminal equipment receives the synchronization indication information.

Similar to step 701 described above, further description is omitted here.

Step 802a: the terminal device sends an uplink synchronization signal on a time-frequency resource used by a random access channel of the primary cell.

Similar to step 702a, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

Step 802b: the first network element sends the primary cell TA value to the terminal device.

Similar to step 702b, a detailed description is omitted.

Step 803: the terminal equipment transmits an uplink synchronous signal on a time-frequency resource used by a random access channel of the auxiliary cell.

Similar to step 703a described above, no further description is provided here.

Step 804: the second network element sends the secondary cell TA value to the first network element.

After receiving an uplink synchronization message sent by a terminal device on a time-frequency resource used by a random access channel of a secondary cell, the second network element calculates a TA value of the terminal device in the secondary cell, and then the second network element sends the TA value of the secondary cell to the first network element.

Step 805: the first network element corresponding to the primary cell sends a message to the terminal equipment, wherein the message is used for adding the secondary cell to the terminal equipment, and the message also comprises the TA value of the terminal equipment in the secondary cell.

Step 806: optionally, the first network element sends a secondary cell activation instruction to the terminal device.

Step 807: and the terminal equipment adjusts the TA value and performs data transmission with the second network element.

And the terminal equipment transmits uplink data on the auxiliary cell, and the TA value of the auxiliary cell obtained in the step 805 is adopted for timing adjustment during transmission.

In the embodiment of the present application, the primary cell broadcasts the uplink synchronization parameter of the secondary cell, so that the terminal device can perform uplink synchronization in the secondary cell before the primary cell adds the secondary cell to the terminal device. After the main cell adds the auxiliary cell for the terminal equipment and activates the auxiliary cell, the terminal equipment can directly perform uplink transmission in the auxiliary cell without performing uplink synchronization in the auxiliary cell, so that the time delay of the terminal equipment for uplink transmission in the auxiliary cell is reduced, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In addition, in the conventional multi-carrier network, each carrier needs to send a downlink synchronization signal (such as SSB) for the terminal device to perform downlink synchronization on the carrier. Referring to fig. 9A, fig. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating an effect of a multi-carrier network according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 9A, carrier 1 (i.e., a primary carrier or a primary cell) sends SSB to a terminal device for downlink synchronization between the terminal device and the primary cell, and carrier 2 (i.e., a secondary carrier or a secondary cell) sends SSB to the terminal device for downlink synchronization between the terminal device and the secondary cell.

In order to reduce the energy consumption of a multi-carrier network, one possible method is: when there are few terminal devices in the network, only one carrier is reserved for serving the terminal devices, and other carriers are closed; and if the data volume of the terminal equipment is larger at a certain moment, temporarily starting the closed carrier to provide service for the terminal equipment. Referring to fig. 9B, fig. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating an effect of another multi-carrier network according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 9B, when there are fewer terminal devices in the network, only the carrier 1 is reserved to serve the terminal devices, and the carrier 2 is closed; when the data volume of the terminal equipment is large, the carrier 2 is temporarily started to provide service for the terminal equipment. After the carrier 2 is temporarily turned on, a downlink synchronization signal needs to be sent, such as a synchronization signal block or a tracking reference signal, and the like, so as to perform downlink synchronization with the terminal device. In order to enable the terminal device to receive the downlink synchronization signal as soon as possible, so as to perform downlink synchronization with the carrier 2, the embodiment of the present application proposes that, for the terminal device that has already accessed the carrier 1, the carrier 1 (i.e. the primary carrier or the primary cell) informs the terminal device to receive the downlink synchronization signal of the carrier 2 (i.e. the secondary carrier or the secondary cell).

Referring specifically to fig. 10, fig. 10 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, and may also be understood as a modification or addition of the foregoing flowchart of the communication method in fig. 4 or fig. 6.

As shown in fig. 10, a communication system to which the communication method of the embodiment of the present application is applied includes, but is not limited to, a terminal device, a first network element, and a second network element. The terminal device in fig. 4 corresponds to the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application; the first network element in fig. 4 is equivalent to the first network element in the embodiment of the present application; the second network element in fig. 4 corresponds to the second network element in the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 10, the communication method of the embodiment of the present application may include steps S1001 to S1007, wherein the order of execution of steps S1001 to S1007 is not limited thereto, and specifically includes, but is not limited to, the following steps:

step S1001: the terminal device accesses a primary cell, which adds a secondary cell (inactive) to the terminal device.

Step S1002: the first network element sends synchronization indication information.

Exemplary, the second configuration information includes relevant parameters of the terminal device for receiving the downlink synchronization signal on the secondary cell, which specifically includes, but is not limited to: time-frequency resources occupied by receiving the downlink synchronous signals, time-frequency positions of the downlink synchronous signals, a receiving mode of the downlink synchronous signals and the like.

The time-frequency resource occupied by receiving the downlink synchronization signal and the receiving mode of the downlink synchronization signal are consistent with the description in fig. 6, and are not repeated here.

The time-frequency position of the downlink synchronization signal may adopt an absolute value (for example, directly indicate the time slot number or the resource block number where the downlink synchronization signal is located) or a relative value (for example, indicate the offset of the time domain or the resource block, that is, the offset between the time slot or the resource block where the downlink synchronization signal is located and the time slot or the resource block occupied by the synchronization indication information). The downlink synchronization signal may be a synchronization signal block or other signals such as tracking reference signals. The synchronization indication information may be carried in a separate MAC CE or DCI, or may be carried in a secondary cell activation instruction, which is not limited herein.

Step S1003: the first network element sends a second trigger instruction to the terminal equipment.

Step S1004: the first network element sends a downlink synchronous signal to the terminal equipment, and the terminal equipment receives the downlink synchronous signal sent by the first network element.

Step S1005: and the terminal equipment is in downlink synchronization in the auxiliary cell.

And the terminal equipment receives the synchronous signal block or the tracking reference signal at the time-frequency position in the second configuration information and performs time and frequency synchronization.

Step S1006: the first network element sends auxiliary cell access indication information to the terminal equipment.

Step S1007: and the terminal equipment performs data transmission with the second network element.

In the embodiment of the application, the first network element informs the terminal equipment of the time-frequency position of the downlink synchronization signal sent by the auxiliary cell, so that the terminal equipment can quickly locate and receive the downlink synchronization signal sent by the auxiliary cell, the time delay of the terminal equipment for downlink synchronization in the auxiliary cell is reduced, the complexity of the terminal equipment for searching the downlink synchronization signal in the auxiliary cell is reduced, the downlink synchronization of the terminal equipment and the auxiliary cell is completed before the auxiliary cell is activated, the terminal equipment can be accessed to the activated auxiliary cell for directly carrying out downlink data transmission after the auxiliary cell is activated, the transmission time delay is greatly reduced, the time consumed in the communication process is saved, and the communication efficiency is improved.

The method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above with reference to fig. 4 to 10.

The following describes in detail the apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application with reference to fig. 11 to 13.

It will be appreciated that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the first network element, the second network element and the terminal device include corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules for performing the respective functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the elements and method steps of the examples described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Whether a function is implemented as hardware, software, or computer software driven hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution.

Referring to fig. 11, fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 11, the communication device 110 may include a transceiver unit 1101 and a processing unit 1102. The transceiver 1101 and the processing unit 1102 may be software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

Among them, the transceiver unit 1101 may implement a transmitting function and/or a receiving function, and the transceiver unit 1101 may also be described as a communication unit. The transceiver unit 1101 may also be a unit integrating an acquisition unit for implementing a receiving function and a transmission unit for implementing a transmitting function. Alternatively, the transceiver 1101 may be configured to receive information sent by other devices, and may also be configured to send information to other devices.

In one possible design, the communication device 110 may correspond to the first network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 4, for example, the communication device 110 may be the first network element or a chip in the first network element. The communication device 110 may comprise means for performing the operations performed by the first network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 4 and the respective means in the communication device 110 are for implementing the operations performed by the first network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 4. Wherein, each unit is described as follows:

a transceiver 1101, configured to send synchronization instruction information, where the synchronization instruction information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element before the second cell is activated; the communication device is a device corresponding to a first cell, the second network element is a network element corresponding to the second cell, and the terminal equipment is currently in a state of being accessed into the first cell;

the transceiver 1101 is configured to send, to the terminal device, access indication information of the second cell, where the access indication information is used to indicate the terminal device to access the activated second cell.

In this embodiment of the present application, a communication method is provided, where a first network element sends synchronization indication information, where the synchronization indication information may be sent in a broadcast message, or may be directly sent to a terminal device, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives synchronization indication information sent by the first network element, where the synchronization indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with a second network element before the second cell is activated. The first network element is a network element corresponding to a first cell, the second network element is a network element corresponding to a second cell, and the terminal equipment is currently in a state of accessing the first cell, wherein the second cell is any auxiliary cell added to the terminal equipment by the first cell through an RRC reconfiguration message, so that the terminal equipment can be subsequently accessed to the auxiliary cell (the second cell) for communication, and corresponding service is obtained. After the terminal equipment completes uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element, and the second cell is activated, the first network element sends access indication information of the second cell to the terminal equipment, and correspondingly, the terminal equipment receives the access indication information sent by the first network element, wherein the access indication information is used for indicating the terminal equipment to access the activated second cell and perform data transmission with the second network element, so that corresponding service is obtained. In this embodiment of the present application, the first network element and the second network element may be understood as two different network devices, or may be understood as different functional modules integrated in the same network device, and specifically, when the first cell and the second cell are respectively deployed on different network devices (such as a base station), the first network element and the second network element are two different network devices, and when the first cell and the second cell are deployed on the same network device (such as a base station), the first network element and the second network element are two different functional modules integrated in the network device, and communication between the first network element and the second network element is communication between the two different functional modules.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver 1101 is configured to receive a timing advance value sent by the second network element, where the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal device and the second network element;

The transceiver 1101 is further configured to send the timing advance value to the terminal device.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to send a first trigger instruction to the terminal device, where the first trigger instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to send the uplink synchronization signal on the second cell.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to send a second trigger instruction to the terminal device, where the second trigger instruction is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the downlink synchronization signal on the second cell.

In another possible design, the communication device 110 may correspond to the second network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 4, for example, the communication device 110 may be the second network element or a chip in the second network element. The communication device 110 may comprise means for performing the operations performed by the second network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 4 and the respective means in the communication device 110 are for implementing the operations performed by the second network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 4. Wherein, each unit is described as follows:

A processing unit 1102, configured to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the terminal device before the second cell is activated; the communication device is a device corresponding to the second cell, and the terminal equipment is currently in a state of accessing the first cell;

a transceiving unit 1101, configured to perform data transmission with the terminal device after the second cell is activated.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver 1101 is configured to receive an uplink synchronization signal sent by the terminal device;

the processing unit 1102 is specifically configured to calculate a timing advance value according to the uplink synchronization signal, where the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the terminal device and the communication device;

The transceiver 1101 is configured to send the timing advance value to the first network element, where the first network element is a network element corresponding to the first cell.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver 1101 is specifically configured to send a downlink synchronization signal to the terminal device at a target time-frequency location, where the target time-frequency location is a time-frequency location of the downlink synchronization signal, and the downlink synchronization signal is used for performing downlink synchronization with the terminal device.

In another possible design, the communication device 110 may correspond to the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in fig. 4, for example, the communication device 110 may be a terminal device or a chip in the terminal device. The communication device 110 may comprise means for performing the operations performed by the terminal equipment in the method embodiment shown in fig. 4 and the respective means in the communication device 110 are for implementing the operations performed by the terminal equipment in the method embodiment shown in fig. 4. Wherein, each unit is described as follows:

a transceiver 1101, configured to receive synchronization instruction information sent by a first network element, where the synchronization instruction information is used to instruct the communication device to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with a second network element before the second cell is activated; the communication device is connected with the first cell, and the second cell is connected with the second cell;

The transceiver 1101 is configured to receive access indication information of the second cell sent by the first network element, where the access indication information is used to indicate the communication device to access the activated second cell.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver 1101 is further configured to receive a timing advance value sent by the first network element, where the timing advance value is used for uplink data transmission between the communication device and the second network element.

In one possible embodiment, the communication device further comprises:

and a processing unit 1102, configured to perform uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization with the second network element according to the synchronization instruction information.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver 1101 is further configured to receive a downlink synchronization signal sent by the second network element at a target time-frequency location, where the target time-frequency location is a time-frequency location of the downlink synchronization signal;

the processing unit 1102 is specifically configured to perform downlink synchronization with the second network element according to the downlink synchronization signal.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver unit 1101 is configured to access the activated second cell according to the access indication information.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver 1101 is further configured to receive a first trigger instruction sent by the first network element;

the processing unit 1102 is specifically configured to send the uplink synchronization signal on the second cell according to the first trigger instruction.

In a possible implementation manner, the transceiver 1101 is further configured to receive a second trigger instruction sent by the first network element;

The processing unit 1102 is specifically configured to receive the downlink synchronization signal on the second cell according to the second trigger instruction.

According to the embodiment of the application, each unit in the apparatus shown in fig. 11 may be separately or all combined into one or several additional units, or some (some) units may be further split into multiple units with smaller functions to form the unit, which may achieve the same operation without affecting the implementation of the technical effects of the embodiment of the application. The above units are divided based on logic functions, and in practical applications, the functions of one unit may be implemented by a plurality of units, or the functions of a plurality of units may be implemented by one unit. In other embodiments of the present application, the network-based device may also include other units, and in practical applications, these functions may also be implemented with assistance from other units, and may be implemented by cooperation of multiple units.

It should be noted that the implementation of each unit may also correspond to the corresponding description of the method embodiments shown in fig. 4, fig. 5, fig. 6, fig. 7, fig. 8, and fig. 10.

In the communication device 110 depicted in fig. 11, before the secondary cell is activated, uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization between the UE and the secondary cell is completed, so that after the secondary cell is activated, the UE can access the activated secondary cell to directly perform data transmission, thereby greatly reducing transmission delay, saving time consumed in the communication process, and improving communication efficiency.

Referring to fig. 12, fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

It should be understood that the communication device 120 shown in fig. 12 is only an example, and the communication device of the embodiment of the present application may further include other components, or include components similar in function to the respective components in fig. 12, or not all components in fig. 12.

The communication device 120 includes a communication interface 1201 and at least one processor 1202.

The communication device 120 may correspond to any network element or equipment of the first network element, the second network element or the terminal equipment. The communication interface 1201 is configured to receive and transmit signals, and the at least one processor 1202 executes program instructions to cause the communication device 120 to implement the respective flow of the method performed by the corresponding network element in the above-described method embodiment.

In one possible design, the communication device 120 may correspond to the first network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 4, for example, the communication device 120 may be the first network element or a chip in the first network element. The communication device 120 may comprise means for performing the operations performed by the first network element in the above-described method embodiments, and the respective means in the communication device 120 are respectively for implementing the operations performed by the first network element in the above-described method embodiments. The method can be specifically as follows:

In another possible design, the communication device 120 may correspond to the second network element in the method embodiment shown in fig. 4, for example, the communication device 120 may be the second network element or a chip in the second network element. The communication device 120 may comprise means for performing the operations performed by the second network element in the above-described method embodiments, and the respective means in the communication device 120 are respectively for implementing the operations performed by the second network element in the above-described method embodiments. The method can be specifically as follows:

In another possible design, the communication device 120 may correspond to the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in fig. 4, for example, the communication device 120 may be a terminal device or a chip in the terminal device. The communication device 120 may include means for performing the operations performed by the terminal apparatus in the above-described method embodiments, and each means in the communication device 120 is respectively for implementing the operations performed by the terminal apparatus in the above-described method embodiments. The method can be specifically as follows:

In the communication device 120 depicted in fig. 12, before the secondary cell is activated, uplink synchronization or downlink synchronization between the UE and the secondary cell is completed, so that after the secondary cell is activated, the UE can access the activated secondary cell to directly perform data transmission, thereby greatly reducing transmission delay, saving time consumed in the communication process, and improving communication efficiency.

For the case where the communication device may be a chip or a chip system, reference may be made to the schematic structure of the chip shown in fig. 13.

As shown in fig. 13, chip 130 includes a processor 1301 and an interface 1302. Wherein the number of processors 1301 may be one or more, and the number of interfaces 1302 may be a plurality. It should be noted that, the functions corresponding to the processor 1301 and the interface 1302 may be implemented by a hardware design, a software design, or a combination of hardware and software, which is not limited herein.

Optionally, the chip 130 may further include a memory 1303, where the memory 1303 is configured to store necessary program instructions and data.

In this application, the processor 1301 may be configured to invoke, from the memory 1303, a program for implementing a communication method provided in one or more devices or network elements in the first network element, the second network element, or the terminal device, and execute instructions included in the program. Interface 1302 may be used to output results of execution by processor 1301. In this application, interface 1302 may be specifically configured to output various messages or information of processor 1301.

The communication method provided in one or more embodiments of the present application may refer to the foregoing embodiments shown in fig. 4, fig. 5, fig. 6, fig. 7, fig. 8, and fig. 10, and will not be described herein.

The processor in embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), but may also be other general purpose processors, digital signal processors (digital signal processor, DSP), application specific integrated circuits (application specific integrated circuit, ASIC), off-the-shelf programmable gate arrays (field programmable gate array, FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or the like. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

The memory in the embodiments of the present application is configured to provide a storage space, where data such as an operating system and a computer program may be stored. The memory includes, but is not limited to, random access memory (random access memory, RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (erasable programmable read only memory, EPROM), or portable read-only memory (compact disc read-only memory, CD-ROM).

According to the method provided by the embodiment of the application, the embodiment of the application further provides a computer readable storage medium, where a computer program is stored, and when the computer program runs on one or more processors, the method shown in fig. 4, fig. 5, fig. 6, fig. 7, fig. 8, and fig. 10 can be implemented.

According to the method provided by the embodiment of the application, the application further provides a computer program product, which comprises: computer program which, when run on a computer, can implement the methods shown in the above figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10.

The embodiments of the present application further provide a system, which includes at least one communication device 110 or 120 or chip 130 as described above, for performing the steps performed by the corresponding network element in any of the embodiments of fig. 4, fig. 5, fig. 6, fig. 7, fig. 8, and fig. 10.

The embodiment of the application also provides a processing device, which comprises a processor and an interface; the processor is configured to perform the method of any of the method embodiments described above.

It should be understood that the processing means may be a chip. For example, the processing means may be a field programmable gate array (field programmable gate array, FPGA), a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (digital signal processor, DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (application specific integrated circuit, ASIC), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (field programmable gate array, FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware components, a system on chip (SoC), a central processor (central processor unit, CPU), a network processor (network processor, NP), a digital signal processing circuit (digital signal processor, DSP), a microcontroller (micro controller unit, MCU), a programmable controller (programmable logic device, PLD) or other integrated chip. The disclosed methods, steps, and logic blocks in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented or performed. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present application may be embodied directly in hardware, in a decoded processor, or in a combination of hardware and software modules in a decoded processor. The software modules may be located in a random access memory, flash memory, read only memory, programmable read only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. as well known in the art. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in combination with its hardware, performs the steps of the above method.

It will be appreciated that the memory in embodiments of the present application may be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. The nonvolatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a Programmable ROM (PROM), an Erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically Erasable EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be random access memory (random access memory, RAM) which acts as an external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to comprise, without being limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

In the above embodiments, it may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of 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, the processes or functions described in accordance with embodiments of the present application are produced in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (digital subscriber line, DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that contains an integration of one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a high-density digital video disc (digital video disc, DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a Solid State Disk (SSD)), or the like.

The first network element, the second network element, and the terminal device in the foregoing respective apparatus embodiments and the first network element, the second network element, and the terminal device in the method embodiments completely correspond, and the respective modules or units perform respective steps, for example, the communication unit (transceiver) performs the steps of receiving or transmitting in the method embodiments, and other steps except for transmitting and receiving may be performed by the processing unit (processor). Reference may be made to corresponding method embodiments for the function of a specific unit. Wherein the processor may be one or more.

It should be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Thus, various embodiments are not necessarily referring to the same embodiments throughout the specification. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

It should be understood that, in the embodiments of the present application, the numbers "first" and "second" … are merely for distinguishing different objects, such as for distinguishing different network devices, and are not limited to the scope of the embodiments of the present application, but are not limited thereto.

It should also be understood that, in this application, "when …", "if" and "if" all refer to a corresponding process that the network element will make under some objective condition, are not limited in time, nor do it require that the network element be implemented with a judging action, nor are other limitations meant to be present.

It should also be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, "B corresponding to a" means that B is associated with a from which B may be determined. It should also be understood that determining B from a does not mean determining B from a alone, but may also determine B from a and/or other information.

It should also be understood that the term "and/or" is merely one association relationship describing the associated object, and means that three relationships may exist, for example, a and/or B may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the front and rear associated objects are an "or" relationship.

Similar to the term "appearing in this application includes one or more of the following: the meaning of the expressions a, B, and C "generally means that the item may be any one of the following unless otherwise specified: a, A is as follows; b, a step of preparing a composite material; c, performing operation; a and B; a and C; b and C; a, B and C; a and A; a, A and A; a, A and B; a, a and C, a, B and B; a, C and C; b and B, B and C, C and C; c, C and C, and other combinations of a, B and C. The above is an optional entry for the item exemplified by 3 elements a, B and C, when expressed as "the item includes at least one of the following: a, B, … …, and X ", i.e. when there are more elements in the expression, then the entry to which the item is applicable can also be obtained according to the rules described above.

It may be understood that, in the embodiment of the present application, the first network element, the second network element, and the terminal device may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiment of the present application, these steps or operations are merely examples, and other operations or variations of various operations may also be performed in the embodiment of the present application. Furthermore, the various steps may be performed in a different order presented in accordance with embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all of the operations in the embodiments of the present application may be performed.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, specific working procedures of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to corresponding procedures in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not repeated herein.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods may be implemented in other manners. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative, e.g., the division of the units is merely a logical function division, and there may be additional divisions when actually implemented, e.g., multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted or not performed. Alternatively, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed with each other may be an indirect coupling or communication connection via some interfaces, devices or units, which may be in electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate units may or may not be physically separate, and units shown as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units may be integrated in one unit.

The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be embodied essentially or in a part contributing to the prior art or in a part of the technical solution, in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium, including several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, or other various media capable of storing program codes.

The foregoing is merely specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think about changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and the changes and substitutions are intended to be covered by the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronization indication information comprises first configuration information of the second cell; the first configuration information comprises parameters of the terminal equipment for sending an uplink synchronization signal on the second cell, and the first configuration information is used for uplink synchronization between the terminal equipment and the second network element before the second cell is activated.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first configuration information comprises one or more of:

4. A method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the synchronization indication information further comprises second configuration information of the second cell; the second configuration information includes parameters of the terminal device receiving a downlink synchronization signal on the second cell, and is used for downlink synchronization between the terminal device and the second network element before the second cell is activated.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second configuration information comprises one or more of:

6. The method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the access indication information comprises a timing advance value for uplink data transmission with the second network element by the terminal device.

7. The method according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that before said sending the access indication information of the second cell to the terminal device, the method further comprises:

8. A method of communication, comprising:

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the uplink synchronization with the terminal device comprises:

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein said performing downlink synchronization with the terminal device comprises:

11. A method of communication, comprising:

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the synchronization indication information comprises first configuration information of the second cell; the first configuration information comprises parameters of the terminal equipment for sending an uplink synchronization signal on the second cell, and the first configuration information is used for uplink synchronization between the terminal equipment and the second network element before the second cell is activated.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first configuration information comprises one or more of:

14. The method according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the synchronization indication information further comprises second configuration information of the second cell; the second configuration information includes parameters of the terminal device receiving a downlink synchronization signal on the second cell, and is used for downlink synchronization between the terminal device and the second network element before the second cell is activated.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second configuration information comprises one or more of:

16. The method according to any of claims 11 to 15, wherein the access indication information comprises a timing advance value for uplink data transmission with the second network element by the terminal device.

17. The method according to any of the claims 11 to 15, wherein before said receiving the access indication information of the second cell sent by the first network element, the method further comprises:

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein after receiving the synchronization indication information sent by the first network element, the method further comprises:

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said synchronizing downstream with said second network element comprises:

20. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein after said receiving the access indication information of the second cell sent by the first network element, the method further comprises:

21. A communication device comprising means or units for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 or of claims 8 to 10 or of claims 11 to 20.

22. A communication device, comprising: a processor;

the computer program or instructions, when invoked by the processor in a memory, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 10, or the method of any one of claims 11 to 20, to be performed.

23. A communication device, comprising: logic circuitry and a communication interface;

the communication interface is used for receiving information or sending information;

the logic circuit is configured to receive information or transmit information through the communication interface, to cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 10, or the method of any one of claims 11 to 20 to be performed.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising:

The computer readable storage medium is used for storing instructions or a computer program; the instructions or the computer program, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 10, or the method of any one of claims 11 to 20 to be implemented.

25. A computer program product, comprising: instructions or computer programs;

the instructions or the computer program, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 10, or the method of any one of claims 11 to 20 to be implemented.

26. A communication system comprising a communication device according to claim 21, or a communication device according to claim 22, or a communication device according to claim 23.