WO2023109873A1

WO2023109873A1 - Terminal device capability reporting method, and associated communication apparatus, medium and chip

Info

Publication number: WO2023109873A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/139138
Authority: WO
Inventors: 王�锋; 张旭; 彭金磷
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2021-12-15
Filing date: 2022-12-14
Publication date: 2023-06-22
Also published as: CN116264686A

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure are a terminal device capability reporting method, and an associated communication apparatus, a medium and a chip. A terminal device reports capability information of the terminal device to a network device. The capability information comprises a list of first frequency band sets supported by the terminal device and a list of second frequency band sets supported by the terminal device. The list of first frequency band sets comprises a first number of first frequency band sets, and indication information of each first frequency band set comprises indexes of a second number of frequency bands and a switching time at which the terminal device is switched between the frequency bands. The list of second frequency band sets indicates a third number of second frequency band sets. Indication information of the second frequency band sets comprises no frequency band index. Frequency bands in the second frequency band sets are indicated by indexes of frequency bands comprised in a plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band sets. The plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets comprise a fourth number of frequency bands. The first number is greater than the third number, and the second number is less than the fourth number. In this way, the amount of reporting of the second list of second frequency band sets can be reduced, thereby saving signaling overheads.

Description

Method for reporting capability of terminal equipment and associated communication device, medium and chip

technical field

The present disclosure relates to the communication field, and more specifically, to a method for reporting capabilities of a terminal device and an associated communication device, medium, and chip.

Background technique

With the development of communication technology, a carrier aggregation technology (carrier aggregation, CA) has been proposed. According to the carrier aggregation technology, a terminal device is configured with multiple cells, where each cell includes a downlink carrier and 0 to 2 uplink carriers. A terminal device can activate some cells in multiple cells, but some terminal devices have limited uplink capabilities, and can only configure and activate two uplink carriers at most. According to a proposed uplink transmission mode, if a terminal device supports two uplink carriers (for example, carrier 1 and carrier 2), the terminal device can perform transmission switching on these two carriers, thereby improving the utilization rate of the radio frequency chain. For example, in one case an end-device could have 1 RF chain on

carrier

1 and 1 RF chain on carrier 2, in another case an end-device could have no RF chain on carrier 1 and one on carrier There are 2 RF chains on 2. It can be seen that the terminal device supports a maximum of 1 radio frequency chain on the carrier 1, and supports a maximum of 2 radio frequency chains on the carrier 2. The terminal equipment can switch between these two situations, that is, one radio frequency chain can be switched between two carriers, and switching between these two situations requires switching time. This switching time may be called an uplink switching gap (uplink switching gap). The terminal device does not wish to transmit on either of the 2 carriers during the uplink handoff interval. In addition, the traditional uplink transmission mode is enhanced, therefore, further research and discussion on the enhanced uplink transmission mode is required.

Contents of the invention

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reporting capabilities of terminal equipment in a communication system.

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for communication is provided. The method includes the terminal equipment reporting capability information about the terminal equipment to the network equipment. The capability information includes a first frequency band set list supported by the terminal device and a second frequency band set list supported by the terminal device. The first frequency band set list includes a first number of first frequency band sets, and the indication information of each first frequency band set includes an index of a second number of frequency bands and a switching time for a terminal device to switch between frequency bands. The second band set list indicates a third number of second band sets. The indication information of the second frequency band set does not include a frequency band index. The frequency bands in the second frequency band set are indicated by the indices of the frequency bands included in the plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set. The plurality of contiguous first frequency band sets includes a fourth number of frequency bands. The first number is greater than the third number, and the second number is smaller than the fourth number. In this manner, the amount of reporting of the second frequency band set list can be reduced, thereby saving signaling overhead.

In some embodiments, in the first frequency band set list, the frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set are sorted before the frequency band sets not corresponding to the second frequency band set. In some embodiments, the capability information also includes a first indication. The first indication is used to indicate the number of frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set in the first frequency band set list. In this way, it is easier to determine the correspondence between the second frequency band set and multiple first frequency band sets without reporting the frequency band index.

In some embodiments, the indication information of the second frequency band set further includes a first switching time, and the first switching time is used for switching between all frequency bands included in the second frequency band set. In this manner, the reporting amount of capability information is reduced.

In some embodiments, the indication information of the second frequency band set further includes multiple switching times, the multiple switching times are respectively used for switching between any two frequency bands included in the second frequency band set, and the multiple switching times At least one frequency band in the switching frequency bands corresponding to any two switching times in the time is different. In this way, when the terminal device switches between different frequency bands, a shorter switching time can be used. The switching duration will not be changed due to activation, deactivation, addition or release of other carriers.

In some embodiments, the indication information of the second frequency band set further includes a second switching time and a third switching time, wherein when the frequency bands in the second frequency band set are grouped, the second switching time is used within the group The frequency band is switched, and the third switching time is used for switching between groups. In this way, when the terminal device switches between different frequency bands, a shorter switching time can be used.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: if the first switching time is less than the fourth switching time in the plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set, the terminal device sets the first The switching time is applied to switching between frequency bands corresponding to the fourth switching time. The method further includes: if the first switching time is greater than the fourth switching time, the terminal device applies the fourth switching time to switching between frequency bands corresponding to the fourth switching time. In this way, terminal devices can use shorter switching times.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: the terminal device determining one or more target switching times from the plurality of switching times based on a configuration from the network device or based on a predetermined configuration; One or more target switching times are applied to switching between frequency bands included in the frequency band set. In this way, the configuration of the switching time by the network device is realized.

In some embodiments, the capability information further includes: a first frequency band combination list associated with the first frequency band set list and a second frequency band combination list associated with the second frequency band set list. The first frequency band combination list indicates a fifth number of first frequency band combinations. The second band combination list indicates a sixth number of second band combinations. The second frequency band combination corresponds to one or more continuous first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list. The indication information of the second frequency band combination does not include a frequency band index. The frequency bands in the second frequency band combination are indicated by indices of frequency bands included with one or more consecutive first frequency band combinations. The fifth number is greater than or equal to the sixth number. In this manner, the amount of reporting of the second frequency band combination list can be reduced, thereby saving signaling overhead.

In some embodiments, in the first frequency band combination list, frequency band combinations corresponding to the second frequency band combination are sorted before frequency band combinations not corresponding to the second frequency band combination. In some embodiments, the capability information further includes a third indication, where the third indication is used to indicate the number of frequency band combinations corresponding to the second frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list. In this way, without reporting the frequency band index, it is easier to determine the correspondence between the frequency band combinations in the second frequency band combination list and the frequency band combinations in the first frequency band list.

In some embodiments, if the third frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list of the terminal device includes the third frequency band, the fourth frequency band and the fifth frequency band, and the terminal device supports in the second frequency band combination list For switching among the third frequency band, the fourth frequency band, and the fifth frequency band, the indication information of the third frequency band combination includes the index of the third frequency band, the index of the fourth frequency band, and the index of the fifth frequency band, And the number of MIMO layers corresponding to the fifth frequency band in at least one set of feature set parameters corresponding to the third frequency band combination is zero. In this way, the one-to-one correspondence between the frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list and the frequency band combinations in the second frequency band combination list is realized.

In some embodiments, the frequency band set included in the second frequency band combination includes the frequency band set included in the one or more consecutive first frequency band combinations. In some embodiments, the capability information includes a second indication, and the second indication is used to indicate that the first combination of frequency bands can be used as the second set of frequency bands. In some embodiments, the capability information further includes a third indication, where the third indication is used to indicate the number of frequency band combinations corresponding to the second frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list. In this way, signaling overhead is saved.

In some embodiments, the first number is greater than or equal to N*M, the second number is 2, the third number is M, the fourth number is N, and the i+th in the second frequency band set list One frequency band set corresponds to the i*N+1th to (i+1)*Nth frequency band set in the first frequency band set list, and the i*N+1th to (i)th frequency band set in the first frequency band set list +1) * The N frequency bands included in the N frequency band set are the frequency bands included in the i+1th frequency band set in the second frequency band set list, where N is an integer not less than 3, and i and M are natural numbers. In this manner, the amount of reporting of the second frequency band set list can be reduced, thereby saving signaling overhead.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for communication is provided. The method includes: the network device receives capability information about the terminal device from the terminal device. The capability information includes a first frequency band set list supported by the terminal device and a second frequency band set list supported by the terminal device. The first frequency band set list includes a first number of first frequency band sets, and the indication information of each first frequency band set includes an index of a second number of frequency bands and a switching time for a terminal device to switch between frequency bands. The second band set list indicates a third number of second band sets. The indication information of the second frequency band set does not include a frequency band index. The frequency bands in the second frequency band set are indicated by the indices of the frequency bands included in the plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set. The plurality of contiguous first frequency band sets includes a fourth number of frequency bands. The first number is greater than the third number, and the second number is smaller than the fourth number. In this manner, the amount of reporting of the second frequency band set list can be reduced, thereby saving signaling overhead.

In some embodiments, in the first frequency band set list, the frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set are sorted before the frequency band sets not corresponding to the second frequency band set. In some embodiments, the capability information also includes a first indication. The first indication is used to indicate the number of frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set in the first frequency band set list. In this way, it is easier to determine the correspondence between the second frequency band set and multiple first frequency band sets without reporting the frequency band index. In this way, complex judgment by the base station is avoided, which is beneficial to the implementation of the base station.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: the network device sending a configuration to the terminal device, where the configuration indicates one or more target switching times. In this way, the configuration of the switching time by the network device is realized.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: if the indication information of the second frequency band set does not include switching time information, the network device determines the number of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set The longest switching time is used for switching between frequency bands included in the second frequency band set; or if the indication information of the second frequency band set does not include switching time information, the network device determines the multiple frequency bands corresponding to the second frequency band set Multiple switching times in the continuous first frequency band set are respectively used for switching between corresponding two frequency bands included in the second frequency band set. In this way, the reporting amount of capability information can be reduced.

In some embodiments, the capability information further includes: a first frequency band combination list associated with the first frequency band set list and a second frequency band combination list associated with the second frequency band set list. The first band combination list indicates a fifth number of first band combinations. The second band combination list indicates a sixth number of second band combinations. The second frequency band combination corresponds to one or more continuous first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list. The fifth number is greater than or equal to the sixth number. The indication information of the second frequency band combination does not include a frequency band index. The frequency bands in the second frequency band combination are indicated by indices of frequency bands included with one or more consecutive first frequency band combinations. In this manner, the amount of reporting of the second frequency band combination list can be reduced, thereby saving signaling overhead.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a chip is provided. The chip is configured to perform operations according to the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect above.

In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a chip is provided. The chip is configured to perform operations according to the method in any possible implementation manner of the second aspect above.

In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device comprises: at least one processing unit; and at least one memory, the at least one memory being coupled to the at least one processing unit and storing instructions for execution by the at least one processing unit, the instructions causing the terminal device when executed by the at least one processing unit Implement the method in any possible implementation manner according to the foregoing first aspect.

In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a network device is provided. The network device includes: at least one processing unit; and at least one memory, the at least one memory being coupled to the at least one processing unit and storing instructions for execution by the at least one processing unit, the instructions causing the network device when executed by the at least one processing unit Implement the method in any possible implementation manner according to the second aspect above.

In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product is tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium and includes computer-executable instructions. When executed, the computer-executable instructions cause the device to implement the The operation of the method.

In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes components for implementing the method in any possible implementation manner according to the foregoing first aspect.

In a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes components for implementing the method in any possible implementation manner according to the second aspect above.

In a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes components for implementing the method in any one possible implementation manner according to the above first aspect and components for implementing the method in any one possible implementation manner according to the above second aspect.

Description of drawings

The features, advantages and other aspects of various implementations of the present disclosure will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Several implementations of the present disclosure are shown here by way of illustration and not limitation, in the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C respectively show carrier switching scenarios according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows an interactive signaling diagram of a communication process according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a frequency band set according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 5 shows a flowchart implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

7A and 7B respectively show a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

Figure 8 shows a simplified block diagram of an example device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

In the various drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements.

Detailed ways

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; A more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are for exemplary purposes only, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "comprising" and its similar expressions should be interpreted as an open inclusion, that is, "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on". The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be read as "at least one embodiment". In this embodiment of the application, for a technical feature, the technical feature is distinguished by "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C" and "D", etc. The technical features described in the "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C" and "D" have no sequence or order of magnitude among the technical features described. Other definitions, both express and implied, may also be included below.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols such as Fourth Generation (4G) and Fifth Generation (5G), such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE) 802.11 and other wireless local area network communication protocols, and/or any other protocols currently known or developed in the future. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure are applied to any appropriate communication system, for example: General Packet Radio Service (General Packet Radio Service, GPRS), Long Term Evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE) system, Frequency Division Duplex (Frequency Division Duplex) , FDD) system, Time Division Duplex (TDD), Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS), Narrowband Internet Of Things (NB-IoT) communication system, the future fifth generation (5G) system or New Radio (New Radio, NR), etc.

For the purpose of illustration, the 5G 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3rd Generation Partnership Project, 3GPP) communication system is used as the background to describe the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the 3GPP communication system applied to 5G, but can be applied to any communication system with similar problems, such as wireless local area network (Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN), wired communication system, or other communication systems developed in the future, etc.

The term "terminal device" used in this disclosure refers to any terminal device capable of wired or wireless communication with network devices or with each other. The terminal equipment involved in this embodiment of the present application can also be referred to as a terminal, which can be a device with a wireless transceiver function, which can be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on water (such as Ships, etc.); can also be deployed in the air (such as aircraft, balloons and satellites, etc.). The terminal device may be user equipment (User Equipment, UE), where the UE includes a handheld device with a wireless communication function, a vehicle device, a wearable device, or a computing device. Exemplarily, the UE may be a mobile phone (Mobile Phone), a tablet computer or a computer with a wireless transceiver function. Terminal devices can also be virtual reality (Virtual Reality, VR) terminal devices, augmented reality (Augmented Reality, AR) terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in unmanned driving, wireless terminals in telemedicine, smart Wireless terminals in power grids, wireless terminals in Smart City, wireless terminals in Smart Home, etc. In the embodiment of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal may be a terminal; it may also be a device capable of supporting the terminal to realize the function, such as a chip system, and the device may be installed in the terminal. In the embodiment of the present application, the system-on-a-chip may be composed of chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices. In the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are described by taking the terminal as an example in which the device for realizing the functions of the terminal is a terminal and the terminal is a UE.

The term "network device" as used in this disclosure is an entity or node that can be used to communicate with end devices. The network equipment involved in this embodiment of the present application includes access network equipment, such as a base station (Base Station, BS). The BS may be a device deployed in a wireless access network and capable of wireless communication with a terminal. Among them, the base station may have various forms, such as a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay station, and an access point. Exemplarily, the base station involved in this embodiment of the present application may be a base station in 5G or a base station in LTE, where the base station in 5G may also be called a transmission reception point (Transmission Reception Point, TRP) or gNB. In the embodiment of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the network device may be a network device; it may also be a device capable of supporting the network device to realize the function, such as a chip system, and the device may be installed in the network device. In the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are described by taking the apparatus for realizing the functions of the network equipment as network equipment and taking the network equipment as a base station as an example.

The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application may be applied to wireless communication between communication devices. Wireless communication between communication devices may include: wireless communication between network devices and terminals, wireless communication between network devices and network devices, and wireless communication between terminals. Wherein, in the embodiment of the present application, the term "wireless communication" may also be referred to as "communication" for short, and the term "communication" may also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission" or "transmission".

As mentioned above, according to a proposed uplink transmission mode, if the terminal device supports two uplink carriers (for example, carrier 1 and carrier 2), the terminal device can perform transmission switching on these two carriers. For example, in the current protocol, among the capabilities of the terminal equipment of Release 16 (R16), the information element of the frequency band combination list (uplink handover frequency band combination list) is used to report the radio frequency chain handover capability. A frequency band combination list information element contains one or more new frequency band combinations. The frequency band combination information element includes frequency band parameters of all frequency bands in the frequency band combination and a feature set (Featureset) combination corresponding to the frequency band combination. The band combination information element also includes a band pair list (ie, a first band set list) (supportedBandPairListNR-r16). The band pair list contains one or more uplink switching band pairs (ULTxSwitchingBandPair-r16). The uplink switching frequency band pair is a frequency band pair that supports dynamic RF chain switching, including two frequency bands (bandIndexUL1-r16 and bandIndexUL2-r16), which means that the terminal device can perform dynamic RF chain switching on the carriers belonging to these two frequency bands. These two frequency bands must be frequency bands in the band combination. The uplink switching frequency band pair information element also includes a switching time (uplinkTxSwitchingPeriod-r16), indicating the switching time required for the radio frequency chain to perform dynamic radio frequency chain switching on the carriers belonging to the two frequency bands. Table 1 shows the band combination list information element. Table 2 shows the frequency band combination cells, where uplinkTxSwitching-OptionSupport-r16 in Table 2 indicates the supported mode, which can be switching mode, or concurrent mode, or both, and uplinkTxSwitching-PowerBoosting-r16 indicates the power Boost field. Table 3 shows the uplink switching frequency band pairs.

Table 1

Table 2

table 3

The term "radio frequency chain" used herein may refer to a transmit channel (Transmitter, TX), and may be called a radio frequency (radio frequency, RF) transmit channel. In the present disclosure, the transmission channel can work in the following manner, but is not limited to the following manner: the transmission channel can receive the baseband signal from the baseband chip, and perform radio frequency processing (such as up-conversion, amplification and filtering) on the baseband signal to obtain a radio frequency signal , and finally radiate the radio frequency signal into space through the antenna. Specifically, the transmit channel may include an antenna switch, an antenna tuner, a low noise amplifier (Low Noise Amplifier, LNA), a power amplifier (Power Amplifier, PA), a mixer (Mixer), a local oscillator (Local Oscillator, LO) , filter (Filter) and other electronic devices, these electronic devices can be integrated into one or more chips as required. The antenna can also sometimes be considered as part of the transmit channel. In this disclosure, the transmit channels are referred to as radio frequency chains for short. Optionally, the radio frequency chain in this application may also be replaced by an antenna, a radio frequency, a transmission channel, a transmission port, a reception channel or any combination thereof.

Further, in the ability report of the radio frequency chain switching of the version (R17) of the current protocol terminal equipment, a new information element of the frequency band combination list of R17 is newly created to distinguish it from the information element of the frequency band combination list of R16. Considering the enhancement of R17 compared to R16, one is to increase the radio frequency chain of carrier 1, and the other is to change the carrier of the frequency band from one carrier to two continuous carriers. In other words, both R16 and R17 are aimed at switching between two frequency bands. At the same time, consider that if a terminal device supports 2 radio frequency chains on one carrier, it must also support 1 radio frequency chain, and a terminal device supports 2 consecutive carriers on a frequency band, then it must also support 1 carrier on this frequency band. , and vice versa is not necessarily true. Therefore, a terminal device that supports R17 must support R16, but a terminal device that supports R16 does not necessarily support R17. That is to say, if a terminal device supports R17 radio frequency chain switching, the frequency band pair and frequency band combination supported by the R17 radio frequency chain switching must belong to the frequency band pair and frequency band combination supported by the R16 radio frequency chain switching of the UE terminal device. Therefore, when reporting frequency band pairs and frequency band combinations, if the frequency band pairs and frequency band combinations of R16 have been completely reported, then the frequency band information (for example, frequency band identification (identity, ID)) can be multiplexed by R17 to save signaling overhead. Therefore, the frequency band combination cell of R17 follows the frequency band information of the frequency band combination cell of R16.

Whether it is based on the uplink transmission mode of R16 or R17, it can only support the reporting of two frequency bands in a frequency band pair. However, the uplink transmission mode (for example, the uplink transmission mode according to R18) may also support more than 2 frequency bands in a frequency band pair. In this case, it is no longer possible to request the correspondence between the frequency band pairs in the R18 frequency band pair list and R16. Thus, the signaling reporting overhead of the R18 cannot be saved. Therefore, when the terminal device supports dynamic switching on more than two frequency bands, how to report frequency band combinations and frequency band pairs with low overhead needs to be solved urgently.

In addition, in the current protocol, the switching time when the terminal device switches between two frequency bands is reported for each frequency band pair, and different frequency band pairs may report different switching times. However, since the transmission mode can support more than 2 frequency bands in a frequency band pair, the switching time of terminal equipment on 3 or 4 frequency bands may be different. If only one switching time is reported, it will cause Waste of time-frequency resources. Therefore, when the terminal device supports dynamic switching on more than two frequency bands, how to report the switching time of the terminal device on the frequency band pair is worthy of further study.

In view of the above problems and other potential problems, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to terminal device capability reporting. The terminal device reports capability information about the terminal device to the network device. The capability information includes a first frequency band set list supported by the terminal device and a second frequency band set list supported by the terminal device. The first frequency band set list includes a first number of first frequency band sets. The indication information of each first frequency band set includes indices of the second number of frequency bands and a switching time for the terminal device to switch between the frequency bands. The second frequency band set list includes a third number of second frequency band sets. The indication information of the second frequency band set does not include a frequency band index. Frequency bands in the second set of frequency bands are indicated by indices of frequency bands included in a plurality of consecutive first set of frequency bands corresponding to the second set of frequency bands. The plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets includes a fourth number of frequency bands. The first number is greater than the third number. The second number is less than the fourth number. In this manner, the amount of reporting of the second frequency band set list can be reduced, thereby saving signaling overhead.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication environment 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The communication environment 100 includes a terminal device 110-1, a terminal device 110-2, ..., a terminal device 110-N, which may be collectively referred to as "terminal devices 110", where N is any positive integer. The communication environment 100 that is part of a communication network also includes a network device 120 . The terminal device 110 and the network device 120 can communicate with each other. Terminal device 110 may also receive messages from core network devices. The term "entity" used herein refers to a network element that can implement a specific function. As shown in FIG. 1 , a terminal device 110 communicates with a network device 120 (ie, via a Uu link). The term "uplink (UL) data" used herein refers to data sent by a terminal device to a network device. The term "downlink (Downlink, DL) data" used herein refers to data sent by a network device to a terminal device.

Communications environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices and cells. In the communication environment 100, the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 may communicate data and control information with each other. It should be understood that the number of various devices and their connections shown in FIG. 1 are given for illustrative purposes and no limitation is suggested. Communications environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices and networks suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

Communications in communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to first generation cellular communication protocol (1G), second generation cellular communication protocol (2G), third generation cellular communication protocol (3G), WLAN communication protocols such as fourth-generation cellular communication protocols (4G) and fifth-generation cellular communication protocols (5G), such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, etc., and/or any other currently known or will develop in the future. In addition, communication may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (Time Division Multiple Access) Access, TDMA), frequency division duplex (Frequency Division Duplex, FDD), time division duplex (Time Division Duplex, TDD), multiple input multiple output (Multi-Input Multi-Output, MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing ( Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform-spread-OFDM (Discrete Fourier Transform-spread-OFDM, DFT-s-OFDM), and/or any other technology currently known or to be developed in the future.

As shown in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C , the terminal device 110 - 1 is configured by the base station with at least three carriers, namely, carrier 201 , carrier 202 and carrier 203 . The terminal device 110-1 may perform radio frequency chain switching on the carrier 201, the carrier 202, and the carrier 203, and the total number of radio frequency chains on the three carriers is two. In some embodiments, each RF chain switch may involve 2 carriers. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A , terminal device 110 - 1 switches two radio frequency chains from carrier 203 to carrier 202 , and/or from carrier 202 to carrier 201 . In other embodiments, radio frequency chain switching may involve 3 carriers. As shown in FIG. 2B , terminal device 110 - 1 switches one radio frequency chain carrier 203 to carrier 202 and switches another radio frequency chain carrier from carrier 201 to carrier 202 . In some embodiments, radio frequency chain switching may only switch one radio frequency chain. As shown in FIG. 2C , terminal device 110 - 1 switches one radio frequency chain carrier 201 to carrier 202 . It can be understood that the radio frequency chain switching shown in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C is only exemplary, not limiting. Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in scenarios as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C . Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied in other scenarios not shown.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be discussed in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. For ease of discussion, the process of reporting capabilities of a terminal device and the signaling interaction between communication entities according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the exemplary communication environment in FIG. 1 . It should be understood that example embodiments of the present disclosure may be similarly applied in other communication environments.

In some embodiments, the network device 230 sends (3010) a request for a capability query of the terminal device to the terminal device 110-1. The term "capability of a terminal device" or "UE capability" as used herein may refer to which functions the terminal device supports. The cellular wireless communication system relies on the accurate and efficient coordination and intercommunication between the base station and the terminal equipment, and the capability of the terminal equipment is an important part of the coordination between the base station and the terminal equipment. The base station can make correct scheduling for the terminal equipment only after knowing the capability of the terminal equipment. If the terminal device supports a certain function, the base station can configure the function for the terminal device. If the terminal device does not support a certain function, the base station cannot configure the function for the terminal device.

After receiving the above request, the terminal device 110-1 may parse the request to obtain the capability report requirement information of the terminal device. For example, the request for the terminal device capability query may include instructions for instructing the terminal device 110 - 1 which terminal device capabilities the network device 230 wants to know. The terminal equipment capability reporting requirement information may also include one or more of the following: the highest protocol version supported by the network equipment, the frequency band range that needs to be reported by the terminal equipment, and the flag bit of the network equipment function item.

The terminal device 110-1 reports (3020) the capability information of the terminal device to the network device 120. The capability information of the terminal device may include capabilities of different levels. For example, the capability information of the terminal device may include specific capabilities of the terminal device. Each terminal device may have different capabilities, and such terminal device capabilities are applicable to all carriers and carrier combinations supported by the terminal device. In some embodiments, the capability information of the terminal device may include the capability of the terminal device at the band combination (Band Combination, BC) level. In other embodiments, the capability information of the terminal device may also be reported according to the layering of the protocol stack.

The reported capability information includes a list of the first frequency band set supported by the terminal device 110-1. For the purpose of explanation only, hereinafter, a frequency band set included in the first frequency band set list is referred to as a "first frequency band set". The first frequency band set list includes a first number of first frequency band sets. The indication information of each first frequency band set includes indices of the second number of frequency bands and switching time between the frequency bands. The reported capability information also includes a list of the second frequency band set supported by the terminal device 110-1. For the purpose of explanation only, hereinafter, a frequency band set included in the second frequency band set list is referred to as a "second frequency band set". The second frequency band set list indicates a third number of second frequency band sets. Each second frequency band set corresponds to multiple consecutive first frequency band sets respectively. A frequency band in the second frequency band set is indicated by an index of a frequency band included in a plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set. That is to say, the indication information of each second frequency band set does not include the index of the frequency band. In other words, the index of the frequency band included in the second frequency band set list is in the corresponding frequency band set in the first frequency band set list. In some embodiments, the indication information of all frequency band sets included in the first frequency band set list includes 2 frequency bands and a switching time. The number of sets in the first frequency band set list is greater than or equal to N*M, where N is greater than or equal to 3, and M is the number of frequency band sets in the second frequency band set list. The i*N+1th to (i+1)*Nth frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list correspond to the i+1th frequency band set in the second frequency band set column. The i*N+1th to (i+1)*Nth frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list only contain N frequency bands, and these N frequency bands are in the i+1th frequency band set in the second frequency band set list frequency band.

It can be understood that the first frequency band set list and the second frequency band set list may be frequency band set lists according to other protocol versions. For illustration purposes only, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first frequency band set list is described by taking the frequency band set list according to R16 as an example, and the second frequency band set list is described by taking the frequency band set list according to R18 as an example.

If the terminal device 110-1 supports the R18 frequency band set, then the terminal device 110-1 also supports the R16 and/or R17 frequency band set backed by the frequency band set. By way of example only, a band combination may contain 3 bands: Band A, Band B, and Band C. It can be understood that the frequency band combination may also include other numbers of frequency bands. A terminal device that supports R16 but does not support R18 can report frequency band A+frequency band B, or report frequency band A+frequency band C, or not report frequency band B+frequency band C. However, if a terminal device that supports R18 supports frequency band A + frequency band B + frequency band C, then the parameters of the R16 frequency band set in the terminal equipment capability need to be reported to support all three frequency band sets, that is, frequency band A + frequency band B, frequency band A + frequency band C and frequency band B + Band C must both be supported.

In some embodiments, the second set of frequency bands may include 3 frequency bands. At this time, the second frequency band set corresponds to three first frequency band sets. Certain embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to FIG. 4 . As shown in FIG. 4 , there is a corresponding relationship between the number of frequency band sets in the second frequency band set list in the reported capability information and the number of frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list. The first frequency band set in the second frequency band set list (420) corresponds to the first three frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list (410). In this case, each first frequency band set in the first frequency band set list includes 2 frequency bands. At this time, the first frequency band set list may include the following first frequency band sets: frequency band A+frequency band B, frequency band B+frequency band C, frequency band A+frequency band C, and frequency band C+frequency band D. As shown in Figure 4, the indication information of the first frequency band set in the first frequency band set list may include: the switching time between frequency band A and frequency band B is 35us, the switching time between frequency band B and frequency band C is 35us, and the frequency band The switching time between A and Band C is 140us, and the switching time between Band C and Band D is 140us. The frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set list in the first frequency band set list may be sorted before the frequency band sets not corresponding to the second frequency band set list. Here, the frequency bands included in the corresponding frequency band sets are a subset of the frequency bands included in the frequency band sets in the second frequency band set list. In this manner, the reporting amount of capability information is reduced.

Table 4 shows an example of information elements of the first frequency band set list.

Table 4

It can be seen from Table 4 that the first frequency band set list includes 4 first frequency band sets, and each first frequency band set includes 2 frequency bands. The indication information of the first frequency band set in the first frequency band set list includes frequency band indices A and B, and the switching time is 35us. The indication information of the second frequency band set includes frequency band indexes B and C, and the switching time is 35us. The indication information of the third frequency band set includes frequency band indexes A and C, and the switching time is 140us. The indication information of the fourth frequency band set includes frequency band indices C and D, and switching time 140 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , the second frequency band set list includes one second frequency band set. The second frequency band set includes 3 frequency bands, frequency band A, frequency band B and frequency band C. The second frequency band set corresponds to the first three frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list, that is, frequency band A+frequency band B, frequency band B+frequency band C, and frequency band A+frequency band C. Table 5 shows an example of information elements of the second frequency band set list. It can be understood that the information elements shown in Table 5 only show information about the frequency band index and switching time, and the information elements in the second frequency band set list may also include other information not shown in Table 5.

table 5

It can be seen from Table 5 that the second frequency band set list includes 1 second frequency band set. The switching time of the second frequency band set is 140us. The second frequency band set list does not include indexes of the 3 frequency bands included in the second frequency band set. The three frequency bands are indicated by the index of the frequency band included in the frequency band set corresponding to the second frequency band set in the first frequency band set list. That is, the 3 frequency bands are indicated by the frequency band indices A, B and C included in the first 3 frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list. In this manner, the second frequency band set list can continue to use the frequency band index in the first frequency band set list, so that the index of the frequency band does not need to be reported, thereby reducing signaling in the reported capability information. It can be understood that the number of frequency band sets, frequency band data, frequency band index and switching time shown in FIG. 4 , Table 4 and Table 5 are exemplary rather than limiting.

In other embodiments, the second frequency band set may include 4 frequency bands. At this time, the second frequency band set corresponds to six first frequency band sets. In this case, the first frequency band set in the second frequency band set list may correspond to the first six frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list. For example, the first frequency band set list may include the following first frequency band set: frequency band A+frequency band B, frequency band A+frequency band C, frequency band A+frequency band D, frequency band B+frequency band C, frequency band B+frequency band D, and frequency band C+frequency band D. The second frequency band set list may include one second frequency band set. The second frequency band set includes 4 frequency bands, frequency band A, frequency band B, frequency band C and frequency band D. Similarly, in this case, the second frequency band set list does not include indexes of the 4 frequency bands included in the second frequency band set. These 4 frequency bands are indicated by the index of the frequency band included in the frequency band set corresponding to the frequency band set in the first frequency band set list. That is, the 4 frequency bands are indicated by the frequency band indices A, B, C and D included in the first 6 frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list.

In some other embodiments, both a frequency band set including 3 frequency bands and a frequency band set including 4 frequency bands exist in the second frequency band set list, and frequency bands in different frequency band sets have no overlap. In this case, the first frequency band set in the first frequency band set list may be sorted in a specific order. For example, as an example, the first second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list includes 3 frequency bands, and the second frequency band set includes 4 frequency bands. In this case, in some embodiments, in the list of the first frequency band set, the frequency band set corresponding to the first second set may be sorted in the first frequency band set corresponding to the second second frequency band set. Before band collection. As another example, the first second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list includes 4 frequency bands, and the second frequency band set includes 3 frequency bands. In this case, in some embodiments, in the list of the first frequency band set, the frequency band set corresponding to the first second set may be sorted in the first frequency band set corresponding to the second second frequency band set. Before band collection. Just as another example, the first second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list includes 4 frequency bands, the second second frequency band set includes 3 frequency bands, and the third second frequency band set includes 3 frequency bands. In this case, in some embodiments, in the list of the first frequency band set, the frequency band set corresponding to the first second set may be sorted in the first frequency band set corresponding to the second second frequency band set. The frequency band set is before the frequency band set, and the frequency band set corresponding to the second frequency band set is sorted before the frequency band set corresponding to the third frequency band set. In this manner, the reporting amount of capability information is reduced.

In some embodiments, the network device 120 may determine the second frequency band set list of the terminal device 110-1 according to the number of frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list, the frequency band index, and the number of frequency band sets in the second frequency band set list Whether the second frequency band set in includes 3 frequency bands or 4 frequency bands. For example, if the second frequency band set list includes 2 second frequency band sets, and the number of frequency band sets included in the first frequency band set list is greater than or equal to 6 and less than 9, the network device 120 may determine that the 2 frequency band sets included in the second frequency band set list The second frequency band set supports 3 frequency bands. In other embodiments, if the second frequency band set list includes 2 second frequency band sets, and the number of frequency band sets included in the first frequency band set list is 9, the network device 120 may determine (1) One second frequency band set supports 3 frequency bands and another second frequency band set supports 4 frequency bands, or (2) 2 second frequency band sets included in the second frequency band set list support 3 frequency bands. The network device 120 may further determine the above case (1) or (2) according to the frequency band index included in the frequency band set in the first frequency band set list. For example, the network device 120 may judge according to the frequency band conditions in the 6 consecutive or 3 consecutive frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list, for example, the 6 consecutive or 3 consecutive frequency bands starting from i*3 may be The condition of frequency bands in a set of frequency bands is judged, and i is a natural number. For example, the network device 120 may make a judgment according to frequency band conditions in the first 6 or first 3 frequency band sets. As an example, if the frequency band set included in the first frequency band set list is: frequency band A+frequency band B, frequency band B+frequency band C, frequency band A+frequency band C, frequency band D+frequency band E, frequency band E+frequency band F, frequency band F+frequency band D, frequency band H+frequency band J, frequency band J+frequency band K, frequency band G+frequency band K, then the network device 120 can determine that the second frequency band set list includes two frequency band sets including 3 frequency bands, that is, frequency band A+frequency band B+frequency band C, and frequency band D+frequency band E+frequency band F. As another example, if the frequency band sets included in the first frequency band set list are: frequency band A+frequency band B, frequency band A+frequency band C, frequency band A+frequency band D, frequency band B+frequency band C, frequency band B+frequency band D, frequency band C+frequency band D, frequency band G+frequency band E, frequency band E+frequency band F, frequency band F+frequency band G, then the network device 120 can determine that the second frequency band set list includes a frequency band set including 4 frequency bands and another frequency band set including 3 frequency bands, that is, frequency band A+frequency band B + frequency band C + frequency band D, frequency band G + frequency band E + frequency band F. In this way, reporting volume is reduced.

In other embodiments, the reported capability information may further include the first indication. The first indication is used to indicate the number of frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set in the first frequency band set list. Here, the frequency bands included in the corresponding frequency band sets are a subset of the frequency bands included in the frequency band sets in the second frequency band set list. For example, in some embodiments, the first indication may indicate that the P first frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list correspond to the second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list. As an example, if the first band set list has 12 first band sets, the value of P is 9, and the second band set list has 2 band sets, then the second band set list includes a band set containing 4 bands and another bandset containing 3 bands. And, if the first frequency band set associated with the second frequency band set including 4 frequency bands in the first frequency band set list can be sorted before the first frequency band set associated with the second frequency band set including 3 frequency bands, the network The device 120 may determine that the first second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list includes 4 frequency bands, and the second frequency band set includes 3 frequency bands. In some embodiments, the second frequency band set including 4 frequency bands is sorted before the second frequency band set including 3 frequency bands in the second frequency band set list. In this case, if the first frequency band set list has 12 first frequency band sets, the value of P is 9, and there are 2 frequency band sets in the second frequency band set list, then the second frequency band set list includes a A frequency band set and another frequency band set including 3 frequency bands, the network device 120 may determine that the first second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list includes 4 frequency bands, and the second frequency band set in the second includes 3 frequency bands band. In this case, in the corresponding first frequency band set list, the first 6 first frequency band sets correspond to the frequency band set including 4 frequency bands, and the 7th to 9th first frequency band sets correspond to the frequency band set including 3 frequency bands . Alternatively, the network device 120 may determine the sets in the second frequency band set list according to the frequency bands included in the first frequency band set in the first frequency band set list. For example, if the frequency band set included in the first frequency band set list is: if it is frequency band A+frequency band B, frequency band A+frequency band C, frequency band A+frequency band D, frequency band B+frequency band C, frequency band B+frequency band D, frequency band C+frequency band D, frequency band G+ frequency band E, frequency band E+frequency band F, and frequency band F+frequency band G, then the network device 120 can determine that the first frequency band set in the second frequency band set column contains 4 frequency bands, and the second frequency band set contains 3 frequency bands, namely , Frequency band A + frequency band B + frequency band C + frequency band D, frequency band G + frequency band E + frequency band F. As another example, if the first frequency band set list has 12 first frequency band sets, the value of P is 9, and there are 3 frequency band sets in the second frequency band set list, then the second frequency band set list includes 3 frequency band sets and each A frequency band set contains 3 frequency bands.

In some embodiments, when there is both a second frequency band set including 3 frequency bands and a second frequency band set including 4 frequency bands in the second frequency band set list, the first indication may indicate that in the first frequency band set list The P first frequency band sets correspond to the second frequency band set including 3 frequency bands in the second frequency band set list. This means that the remaining second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list includes 4 frequency bands. As an example, if there are 12 first frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list, the value of P is 3, there are 2 frequency band sets in the second frequency band set list, and the first frequency band set list is the same as the first frequency band set that includes 3 frequency bands. The first frequency band set associated with the second frequency band set is sorted before the first frequency band set associated with the second frequency band set including 4 frequency bands, then the first 3 first frequency band sets in the first frequency band set and the first frequency band set including 3 frequency bands associated with the second set of frequency bands. Thus, the network device 120 may determine that the first second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list includes 3 frequency bands, and the second frequency band set includes 6 frequency bands. In this case, the network device 120 may also determine that the remaining three first frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list do not have a corresponding relationship with the second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list. vice versa. That is, when there is both a second frequency band set including 3 frequency bands and a second frequency band set including 4 frequency bands in the second frequency band set list, the first indication may indicate P first frequency bands in the first frequency band set list The set corresponds to the second frequency band set including 4 frequency bands in the second frequency band set list. This means that the remaining second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list includes 3 frequency bands. In this way, complex judgment by the base station is avoided, which is beneficial to the implementation of the base station.

In yet other embodiments, the first indication may indicate the number of the second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list. For example, the first indication may indicate that there are Q second frequency band sets in the second frequency band set list. As an example, if the first band set list has 12 first band sets, the value of Q is 1, and the first band sets associated with the second band set comprising 4 bands in the first band set list can be sorted Before the first frequency band set associated with the second frequency band set including 3 frequency bands, the network device 120 may determine that the second frequency band set list includes a second frequency band set, and the second frequency band set includes 4 frequency bands. Alternatively, in this case, if the first frequency band set lists 12 first frequency band sets, the value of Q is 1, and the terminal device does not support the second frequency band set including 4 frequency bands, then the network device 120 may determine The second frequency band set list includes a second frequency band set, and the second frequency band set includes 3 frequency bands. Alternatively, the first indication may indicate Q, and Q may indicate the number of second frequency band sets including 3 frequency bands in the second frequency band set list, or the number of second frequency band sets including 4 frequency bands. For example, when there may be a second frequency band set including 3 frequency bands and a second frequency band set including 4 frequency bands in the second frequency band set list, if Q represents the number of the second frequency band set including 4 frequency bands, And there are two second frequency band sets in the second frequency band set list, and the value of Q is 1, then the network device 120 can determine that the first second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list is the second frequency band including 4 frequency bands set, the second second frequency band set is a second frequency band set including 3 frequency bands. Further, the network device 120 may determine that the first six first frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list correspond to the first second frequency band set, and the seventh to ninth first frequency band sets correspond to the second second frequency band set. In this way, it is convenient for the base station to judge the reporting situation of the terminal equipment, and the implementation of the base station is simplified.

Alternatively, the first indication may indicate that the P first frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list correspond to the Q second frequency band sets in the second frequency band set list. As another example, if there are 12 first frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list, the value of P is 6, there are at least 2 frequency band sets in the second frequency band set list, and the value of Q is 1, then the first frequency band set The first six first frequency band sets in are associated with the second frequency band set including four frequency bands. Therefore, the network device 120 may determine that the first second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list includes 4 frequency bands, and the remaining second frequency band sets include 3 frequency bands. This means that the remaining second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list includes 3 frequency bands. In this way, complex judgment by the base station is avoided, which is beneficial to the implementation of the base station.

In some embodiments, the combination of frequency bands where the first frequency band set is located may serve as the second frequency band set. In other words, the frequency band combination associated with the first frequency band set may serve as the second frequency band set. Here, the association of the frequency band set with the frequency band combination may mean that the frequency band set belongs to the frequency band combination. In this case, the frequency band combination in the capability information reported by the terminal device 110-1 may include second indication information for indicating whether the frequency band combination supports the second frequency band set list. This reduces reporting volume.

The indication information of the second frequency band set may also include switching time between frequency bands. In some embodiments, the indication information of the second frequency band set includes the first switching time. The first switching time is used for switching between all frequency bands in the second frequency band set. As an example only, if the second set of frequency bands includes frequency band A, frequency band B, and frequency band C, and the first switching time is 140us, the terminal device 110-1 applies 140us between frequency band A and frequency band B, between frequency band A and frequency band C, and between band B and band C. Optionally, in this case, if the terminal device 110-1 switches between the frequency band A, the frequency band B and the frequency band C, the terminal device 110-1 applies 140us to the switching between the above three frequency bands. In some other embodiments, if there is a switching time shorter than the first switching time among multiple consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set in the list of the first frequency band set, the terminal device 110-1 may The switching time is applied to the frequency band. For example, the second frequency band set corresponds to three first frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list: frequency band A+frequency band B, frequency band B+frequency band C, and frequency band A+frequency band C. The indication information of the first frequency band set also includes: the switching time between frequency band A and frequency band B is 35us, the switching time between frequency band B and frequency band C is 35us, and the switching time between frequency band A and frequency band C is 210us. In this case, terminal device 110-1 may apply 35us to the handover between frequency band A and frequency band B, 35us to the handover between frequency band B and frequency band C, and 140us (ie, the first handover time) Applied to switching between Band A and Band C. Optionally, in this case, if the terminal device 110-1 switches between the frequency band A, the frequency band B and the frequency band C, the terminal device 110-1 applies 140us to the switching between the above three frequency bands. In this manner, the reporting amount of capability information is reduced.

In other embodiments, the indication information of the second frequency band set includes multiple switching times. The multiple switching times are respectively used for switching between any two frequency bands included in the second frequency band set. At least one frequency band in the switching frequency bands corresponding to any two switching times among the multiple switching times is different. As an example only, if the second set of frequency bands includes frequency band A, frequency band B, and frequency band C, and the plurality of switching times are 35us, 140us, and 210us respectively, the terminal device 110-1 may apply 35us to frequency band A and frequency band B For switching between bands, apply 140us to switching between band A and band C, and apply 210us to switching between band B and band C. Alternatively, if the terminal device 110-1 switches between the frequency band A, the frequency band B and the frequency band C, the terminal device 110-1 applies 210us to the switching between the above three frequency bands. It can be understood that the above correspondence between the switching time and the second frequency band set is only exemplary and not limiting. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may send (3040) the configuration to the end device 110-1. The configuration indicates one or more of the plurality of switching times described above. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may determine the indicated one or more switching times from the aforementioned plurality of switching times based on the configuration. Alternatively, the terminal device 110-1 may also determine the indicated one or more switching times from the foregoing multiple switching times based on a predetermined configuration. For example, if the predetermined configuration indicates to adopt the longest switching time and the above multiple switching times include 35us, 140us and 210us, the terminal device 110-1 may apply 210us to the switching between frequency bands. It should be noted that the switching time or preparation time reserved during actual scheduling or configuration cannot exceed the capability of the terminal equipment. In this way, when the radio frequency chain is switched between different frequency bands, the terminal device 110-1 can adopt a shorter switching time. The switching duration of the RF chain will not be changed due to activation/deactivation, addition or release of other carriers.

In some other embodiments, if the indication information of the second frequency band set does not include switching time information, the network device 120 may determine that among the multiple consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set in the first frequency band set list The longest switching time of is used for switching between frequency bands included in the second frequency band set. In other words, the terminal device 110-1 does not report the switching time in the indication information of the second frequency band set, and implicitly indicates that the longest switching time reported in the first frequency band set list is used for switching between the frequency bands included in the frequency band set . As an example only, the second frequency band set includes frequency band A, frequency band B, and frequency band C, and the second frequency band set corresponds to the three first frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list: frequency band A+frequency band B, frequency band B+frequency band C , Band A + Band C. The indication information of the first frequency band set also includes: the switching time between frequency band A and frequency band B is 35us, the switching time between frequency band B and frequency band C is 35us, and the switching time between frequency band A and frequency band C is 140us. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 applies 140us to switching between the frequency band A and the frequency band B, between the frequency band A and the frequency band C, and between the frequency band B and the frequency band C. Optionally, in this case, if the terminal device 110-1 switches between the frequency band A, the frequency band B and the frequency band C, the terminal device 110-1 applies 140us to the switching between the above three frequency bands. This reduces the amount of reporting and reduces the complexity of scheduling.

In other embodiments, if the indication information of the second frequency band set does not include switching time information, the network device 120 may determine the number of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set in the first frequency band set list The multiple switching times are respectively used for switching between corresponding two frequency bands included in the second frequency band set. In other words, the terminal device 110-1 does not report the switching time in the indication information of the second frequency band set, and implicitly indicates to reuse the switching time in the list of the first frequency band set. As an example only, the second frequency band set includes frequency band A, frequency band B, and frequency band C, and the second frequency band set corresponds to the three frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list: frequency band A+frequency band B, frequency band B+frequency band C, frequency band A+band C. The indication information of the first frequency band set also includes: the switching time between frequency band A and frequency band B is 35us, the switching time between frequency band B and frequency band C is 35us, and the switching time between frequency band A and frequency band C is 140us. In this case, terminal device 110-1 may apply 35us to switching between frequency band A and frequency band B, apply 140us to switching between frequency band A and frequency band C, and apply 35us to switching between frequency band B and frequency band C switch between. Optionally, in this case, if terminal device 110-1 switches among frequency band A, frequency band B, and frequency band C, terminal device 110-1 applies the longest switching time (ie, 140us) to the above three switching between frequency bands. In this way, the amount of reporting is reduced, so that the terminal can adopt a shorter switching time.

In other embodiments, the frequency bands in the second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list may be grouped. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may report two switching times in the indication information of the second frequency band set, one is used for switching between frequency bands within the group (that is, the second switching time), and the other is used for group switching. Switch between the frequency bands (that is, the third switching time). As an example only, the second set of frequency bands includes frequency band A, frequency band B and frequency band C, and frequency band A and frequency band B are grouped together. The second switching time is 35us, and the third switching time is 140us. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may apply 35us to the handover between frequency band A and frequency band B, and apply 140us to the handover of the radio frequency chain between frequency band A and frequency band C and between frequency band B and frequency band C. The amount of switching time reporting is reduced.

In some embodiments, the indication information of the second frequency band set may further include downlink interruption on the sixth frequency band during uplink radio frequency chain switching. The sixth frequency band is a frequency band of the combination of frequency bands where the second frequency band set is located. The downlink interruption condition may indicate whether the sixth frequency band will generate a downlink interruption during the uplink handover. In other embodiments, the indication information of the second frequency band set may not report downlink interruption. In this case, the downlink interruption condition in the indication information of the first frequency band set in the first frequency band set list may be used. In some embodiments, if the terminal device reporting the second set of frequency bands only involves two frequency bands during handover, the downlink interruption in the indication information of the corresponding first set of frequency bands may be used. For example, if the second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list includes frequency band A+frequency band B, and the indication information of the second frequency band set does not include downlink interruption, the first frequency band in the first frequency band set list corresponding to the second frequency band set The set includes frequency band A+frequency band B, and the indication information of the first frequency band set indicates that no downlink interruption occurs on the sixth frequency band. In this case, the network device 120 may determine that when the terminal device 110-1 switches between the frequency band A and the frequency band B according to the second frequency band set, there is no downlink interruption on the sixth frequency band. In some other embodiments, if the terminal device reporting the second frequency band set involves three or more frequency bands during handover, the downlink in the indication information of multiple first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set is interrupted Circumstances can be inherited. If at least one of the indication information of these first frequency band sets indicates that a downlink interruption occurs on the sixth frequency band, the network device 120 may determine that when the terminal device 110-1 switches between frequency band A, frequency band B, and frequency band C, when There is a downstream outage on Band 6. As an example, the second frequency band set includes frequency band A, frequency band B and frequency band C. The second frequency band set corresponds to the three first frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list: frequency band A+frequency band B, frequency band B+frequency band C, and frequency band A+frequency band C. The indication information of the first frequency band set also includes: the handover between frequency band A and frequency band B has no downlink interruption on frequency bands A, B and C, and the handover between frequency band B and frequency band C does not have downlink interruption on frequency bands A, B and C No downlink interruption, switching between band A and band C No downlink interruption on bands A, B, and C. In this case, the network device 120 may determine that when the terminal device 110-1 switches between the frequency band A, the frequency band B and the frequency band C, there is no downlink interruption on the frequency bands A, B and C. As another example, if the indication information of the first frequency band set also includes: handover between frequency band A and frequency band B has no downlink interruption on frequency bands A, B, and C, and handover between frequency band B and frequency band C , B, and C, and there is no downlink interruption on frequency band A and frequency band C, and there is a downlink interruption on frequency band C, then the network device 120 can determine that the terminal device 110-1 is switching between frequency band A, frequency band B, and frequency band C. When switching, there is a downlink interruption on frequency band C, and no downlink interruption occurs on frequency band A and frequency band B.

The capability information reported by the terminal device 110-1 may further include a first frequency band combination list associated with the first frequency band set list and a second frequency band combination list associated with the second frequency band set list. For the purpose of explanation only, hereinafter, a set of frequency bands included in the first band combination list is referred to as a "first frequency band combination", and a set of frequency bands included in the second frequency band combination list is referred to as a "second frequency band combination". The first band combination list indicates a fifth number of first band combinations, and the second band combination list indicates a sixth number of second band combinations. There is a corresponding relationship between the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list and one or more frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list. Here, the frequency bands included in the first frequency band combination that have a corresponding relationship in the first frequency band combination are a subset or all of the frequency bands included in the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list. In some embodiments, the frequency bands included in each second frequency band combination included in the second frequency band combination list are the frequency bands included in one or more consecutive first frequency band combinations corresponding to the second frequency band combination. As an example only, if the frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list contains frequency band A+frequency band B+frequency band D, frequency band A+frequency band C+frequency band D, frequency band B+frequency band C+frequency band D, the second frequency band combination list contains only one frequency band combination, and the frequency band There is a corresponding relationship between the combination and the above-mentioned combination of multiple frequency bands. At this time, the frequency bands included in the frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list are the frequency bands included in the above multiple frequency band combinations, that is, frequency band A+frequency band B+frequency band C+frequency band D. The indication information of each second frequency band combination does not include the index of the frequency band. In other words, the index of the frequency band included in the second frequency band combination list is in the corresponding frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list.

In some implementations, there may be a one-to-one correspondence between the first frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list and the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list, that is, the fifth number is equal to the sixth number. In this case, if one or more first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list are not supported in the second frequency band combination list, the corresponding second frequency band set list may be empty. Alternatively, at least one field in the corresponding second frequency band combination list may be empty, for example, the switching mode may be empty and/or the downlink interruption field may be empty and/or the power boosting field may be empty. In this manner, the terminal device reports capability information in a relatively simple manner, reducing the implementation complexity of the terminal device.

In some embodiments, the first frequency band combination list includes three first frequency band combinations: frequency band A+frequency band B, frequency band B+frequency band C, and frequency band C+frequency band D, and the first frequency band combination list does not support reporting frequency band A+frequency band B+band C. If the terminal device 110-1 supports switching of radio frequency chains on three frequency bands, the second frequency band combination list may include a second frequency band combination: frequency band A+frequency band B+frequency band C, and the indication information of the second frequency band combination is not The index of the band is included, ie, the band indices A, B and C are not included. The index of the frequency band included in the second frequency band combination list is in the corresponding frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list. At this time, the corresponding relationship between the first frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list and the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list may be a one-to-N relationship, that is, the fifth number is greater than the sixth number. For example, the number of first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list may be N times the number of second frequency band combinations in the second frequency band combination list. For example, the kth second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list corresponds to the first frequency band combination from (k-1)*N+1 to k*N in the first frequency band combination list, the first frequency band The K*N+1th and subsequent first frequency band combinations in the combination list do not correspond to the second frequency band combination list, where K is the number of second frequency band combinations in the second frequency band combination list. In some embodiments, (associated) frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list that have a corresponding relationship with the second frequency band combination list may be sorted before frequency band combinations that do not have a corresponding relationship with the second frequency band combination list. Alternatively, the frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list corresponding to the second frequency band combination list may be sorted after the frequency band combinations not corresponding to the second frequency band combination list. For example, if the number of the second frequency band combinations in the second frequency band combination list is K, the number of the first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list is L, and the k second frequency band combination corresponds to the first frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list The first frequency band combination from L-(K-k+1)*N+1 to L-(K-k)*N, then the L-(K-k+1)*N in the first frequency band combination list and previous first band combinations do not correspond to second band combination list. In this manner, the second frequency band combination does not need to report the frequency band index, which reduces the reporting amount of the second frequency band combination.

In other embodiments, the second frequency band combinations in the second frequency band combination list may correspond to N first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list, and the second frequency band combinations in the second frequency band combination list may also correspond to M first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list. As an example only, the second frequency band combination in the second band combination list may correspond to the three first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list, and the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list may also correspond to the first frequency band The 4 first band combinations in the combination list. In some embodiments, the network device 120 may determine the second frequency band combination of the terminal device 110-1 according to the number of the first frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list and the number of the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list Band information in the list. As an example, if there are 6 first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list, and 1 second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list, and the frequency band combinations included in the first frequency band combination list are: frequency band A+frequency band B, frequency band A+frequency band C, frequency band B+frequency band C, frequency band B+frequency band D, frequency band C+frequency band D, frequency band D+frequency band E, then the network device 120 can determine that the second frequency band set list includes 1 second frequency band combination as frequency band A+frequency band B+frequency band C. In this manner, the second frequency band combination does not need to report the frequency band index, thereby reducing the reporting amount of the second frequency band combination.

In another embodiment, the capability information reported by the terminal device 110-1 may include a third indication. The third indication is used to indicate the number of frequency band combinations corresponding to the second frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list. Here, the frequency bands included in the first frequency band combination that has a corresponding relationship are a subset or all of the frequency bands included in the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list. Alternatively, the third indication may be used to indicate the number of frequency band combinations corresponding to the first frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list. Alternatively, the third indication may be used to indicate that there is a corresponding relationship between X first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list and Y second frequency band combinations in the second frequency band combinations. In this way, the second frequency band combination in the capability information does not need to report the frequency band index, which reduces the reporting amount of the second frequency band combination.

In other embodiments, the first frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list may have a one-to-one correspondence with the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list, and the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list may also correspond to N first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list. At this time, the first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list may be sorted in a specific order. For example, in the first frequency band combination list, the first frequency band combinations corresponding to the second frequency band combinations in the second frequency band combination list one-to-one can be sorted in the second frequency band combinations in the second frequency band combination list one-to-one correspondence Before the first band combination. Alternatively, in the first frequency band combination list, the first frequency band combination corresponding one-to-one to the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list may be sorted one more than the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list. After the corresponding first band combination. At this time, the third indication in the capability information reported by the terminal device 110-1 may indicate which frequency band combinations of the first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list are one-to-one, which are many-to-one, or which are not corresponding . As an example only, if the third indication includes two numbers N and M, N may indicate that the first N first frequency band combinations are in one-to-one correspondence with the second frequency band combination, and M may indicate the following M first frequency band combinations There is a one-to-one correspondence with the second frequency band combination. For example, if the first frequency band combination list includes 4 first frequency band combinations, the value of N is 1, the value of M is 3, and there are two frequency band combinations in the second frequency band combination list, then the network device 120 can determine the first frequency band combination There is a one-to-one correspondence between the first frequency band combination and the second frequency band combination in the first position in the list, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the second to four first frequency band combinations and the second frequency band combination. In this case, as an example only, if the first band combination list includes the following band combinations: Band E + Band F + Band G, Band A + Band B, Band A + Band C, Band B + Band C, then the second band combination list includes two frequency band combinations, that is, frequency band E+frequency band F+frequency band G and frequency band A+frequency band B+frequency band C. In this manner, the second frequency band combination in the capability information does not need to report a specific frequency band index, which reduces the reporting amount of the second frequency band combination.

As another example, the third indication in the capability information reported by the terminal device 110-1 may indicate which frequency band combinations of the second frequency band combinations in the second frequency band combination list are one-to-one and which are one-to-many. As an example only, if the third indication includes two numbers P and Q, then P may indicate that the first P second frequency band combinations are in one-to-one correspondence with the first frequency band combination, and Q may indicate that the subsequent Q second frequency band combinations are in one-to-one correspondence with the first frequency band combination. The first frequency band combination is a one-to-many correspondence. For example, if the first frequency band combination list includes 4 first frequency band combinations, the value of P is 1, and the value of Q is 1, then the network device 120 may determine the second frequency band combination that is the first in the second frequency band combination list There is a one-to-one correspondence with the first frequency band combination, and a one-to-many correspondence between the second frequency band combination and the first frequency band combination. In this case, as an example only, if the first band combination list includes the following band combinations: Band E + Band F + Band G, Band A + Band B, Band A + Band C, Band B + Band C, then the second band combination list includes two frequency band combinations, that is, frequency band E+frequency band F+frequency band G and frequency band A+frequency band B+frequency band C. In this manner, the second frequency band combination does not need to report the frequency band index, which reduces the reporting amount of the second frequency band combination.

In other embodiments, the third indication may be used to indicate that there is a corresponding relationship between X first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list and Y second frequency band combinations in the second frequency band combinations. As an example, if the first frequency band combination list includes 4 first frequency band combinations, the value of X is 3, and the value of Y is 1, the network device 120 may determine the first to third first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list. The frequency band combination corresponds to the first second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list. Optionally, the correspondence between the remaining second frequency band combinations and the first frequency band combinations may be provided by the values of X2 and Y2 included in the capability information or be a one-to-one relationship. For example, there is a corresponding relationship between X2 first frequency band combinations and Y2 first frequency band combinations in the remaining second frequency band combinations. In this manner, the index of the frequency band does not need to be reported in the second frequency band combination list, thereby reducing the amount of reporting capability information.

In some embodiments, the frequency band set included in the second frequency band combination includes one or more consecutive frequency band sets included in the first frequency band combination corresponding to the second frequency band combination. For example, the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list corresponds to the N first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list, and then the i-th frequency band set of the second frequency band combination corresponds to the N first frequency band combinations mentioned above. The i-th frequency band set. In other words, the frequency bands in the i-th frequency band set are the frequency bands in the i-th frequency band set in the N first frequency band combinations. If the frequency band combination reported by the terminal device 110-1 in the first frequency band combination list includes frequency band A+frequency band B, frequency band A+frequency band C, and frequency band B+frequency band C, the frequency band sets contained in these three frequency band combinations are respectively, frequency band A+frequency band B, Band A + Band C, Band B + Band C. The second frequency band combination list includes only one frequency band combination, and this frequency band combination corresponds to the first three first frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list. At this time, the frequency band contained in the frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list is frequency band A+frequency band B+frequency band C, the frequency band included in the frequency band set in the frequency band combination is A+frequency band B+frequency band C, and the indication information of the frequency band combination does not include Indexes of these bands. In this manner, the amount of reporting capability information is reduced.

In other embodiments, if the third frequency band combination of the terminal device 110-1 in the first frequency band combination list includes the third frequency band, the fourth frequency band and the fifth frequency band, and the terminal device 110-1 is in the second frequency band combination list To support switching between the third frequency band, the fourth frequency band, and the fifth frequency band, the indication information of the third frequency band group includes the index of the third frequency band, the index of the fourth frequency band, and the index of the fifth frequency band. The number of MIMO layers corresponding to the fifth frequency band in at least one set of feature set parameters corresponding to the third frequency band combination is zero. As used herein, the term "MIMO layer count" may refer to the number of data streams that are spatially transmitted simultaneously. In other words, the maximum number of MIMO layers corresponding to some frequency bands in the feature set parameters corresponding to the frequency band combinations reported by the R18-supporting terminal device 110-1 is 0. For example, if the terminal device 110-1 reports in R16 that it supports dynamic switching between frequency band A+frequency band B but does not support the combination of frequency bands reported at this time as frequency band A+frequency band B+frequency band C, that is to say, it does not support dynamic switching between A+B It also supports frequency band C transmission. If R18 reports support for dynamic switching between frequency band A + frequency band B + frequency band C, then the terminal device 110-1 can report supported frequency band combinations in R16 including frequency band A + frequency band B + frequency band C. In this way, the frequency band combination of R16 and The frequency band combination of R18 can correspond one by one. At this time, the number of MIMO layers corresponding to frequency band C is 0 in at least one group of parameters among the feature set parameters corresponding to the frequency band combination of R16. For example, the number of MIMO layers in the feature set parameters corresponding to the frequency band combination of R16 may include one or more of the following groups 1+2+0, or 2+2+0, or 2+1+0, to represent the terminal equipment 110-1 does not support frequency band A + frequency band B + frequency band C at the same time. In the feature set parameters corresponding to the frequency band combination of R18, there is a set of parameters that the number of MIMO layers is 2+2+2, or 1+2+2, or 2+1+1 (or other combinations of 2 and or 1), to This means that the terminal device 110-1 supports dynamic switching on frequency bands A+B+C. In this manner, the terminal device reports capability information in a simpler manner, reducing the implementation complexity of the UE.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the flow of an exemplary communication method 500 . The method 500 is implemented at a terminal device, for example, the terminal device 110-1.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 - 1 receives a request from the network device 120 for the capability query of the terminal device. After receiving the above request, the terminal device 110-1 may parse the request to obtain the capability report requirement information of the terminal device. For example, the request for the terminal device capability query may include instructions for instructing the terminal device 110 - 1 which terminal device capabilities the network device 230 wants to know. The terminal equipment capability reporting requirement information may also include one or more of the following: the highest protocol version supported by the network equipment, the frequency band range that needs to be reported by the terminal equipment, and the flag bit of the network equipment function item.

At block 510 , the terminal device 110 - 1 reports the capability information of the terminal device to the network device 120 . The capability information of the terminal device may include capabilities of different levels. For example, the capability information of the terminal device may include specific capabilities of the terminal device. Each terminal device may have different capabilities, and such terminal device capabilities are applicable to all carriers and carrier combinations supported by the terminal device. In some embodiments, the capability information of the terminal device may include the capability of the terminal device at the band combination (Band Combination, BC) level. In other embodiments, the capability information of the terminal device may also be reported according to the layering of the protocol stack.

The reported capability information includes a list of the first frequency band set supported by the terminal device 110-1. The first frequency band set list includes a first number of first frequency band sets. The indication information of each first frequency band set includes indices of the second number of frequency bands and switching time between the frequency bands. The reported capability information also includes a list of the second frequency band set supported by the terminal device 110-1. The second frequency band set list indicates a third number of second frequency band sets. Each second frequency band set corresponds to multiple consecutive first frequency band sets respectively. A frequency band in the second frequency band set is indicated by an index of a frequency band included in a plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set. That is to say, the indication information of each second frequency band set does not include the index of the frequency band. In other words, the index of the frequency band included in the second frequency band set list is in the corresponding frequency band set in the first frequency band set list. In some embodiments, the indication information of all frequency band sets included in the first frequency band set list includes 2 frequency bands and a switching time. The number of sets in the first frequency band set list is greater than or equal to N*M, where N is greater than or equal to 3, and M is the number of frequency band sets in the second frequency band set list. The i*N+1th to (i+1)*Nth frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list correspond to the i+1th frequency band set in the second frequency band set column. The i*N+1th to (i+1)*Nth frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list only contain N frequency bands, and these N frequency bands are in the i+1th frequency band set in the second frequency band set list frequency band. The first frequency band set list and the second frequency band set list have been described with reference to FIG. 3 , and for the purpose of brevity, details are not repeated here.

The indication information of the second frequency band set in the capability information reported by the terminal device 110-1 may further include a switching time between frequency bands for each frequency band set. In some embodiments, the indication information of the second frequency band set includes the first switching time. The first switching time is used for switching between all frequency bands in the second frequency band set. In other embodiments, the indication information of the second frequency band set includes multiple switching times. The multiple switching times are respectively used for switching between any two frequency bands included in the second frequency band set. At least one frequency band in the switching frequency bands corresponding to any two switching times among the multiple switching times is different.

In some embodiments, end device 110 - 1 may receive configuration from network device 120 at block 520 . The configuration indicates one or more of the plurality of switching times described above. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may determine the indicated one or more switching times from the aforementioned plurality of switching times based on the configuration. Alternatively, the terminal device 110-1 may also determine the indicated one or more switching times from the foregoing multiple switching times based on a predetermined configuration. For example, a predetermined configuration may indicate that the longest switching time is taken. It should be noted that the switching time or preparation time reserved during actual scheduling or configuration cannot exceed the capability of the terminal equipment. In this way, when the radio frequency chain is switched between different frequency bands, the terminal device 110-1 can adopt a shorter switching time. The switching time of the RF chain will not be changed due to the activation/deactivation, addition or release of other carriers. In some other embodiments, the indication information of the second frequency band set does not include switching time information. In other embodiments, the frequency bands in the second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list may be grouped. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may report two switching times in the indication information of the second frequency band set, one is used for switching between frequency bands within the group (that is, the second switching time), and the other is used for group switching. Switch between the frequency bands (that is, the third switching time). The switching time has been described with reference to FIG. 3 , and for the sake of brevity, details are not repeated here.

The capability information reported by the terminal device 110-1 may further include a first frequency band combination list associated with the first frequency band set list and a second frequency band combination list associated with the second frequency band set list. The first frequency band combination list includes a fifth number of first frequency band combinations, and the second frequency band combination list includes a sixth number of second frequency band combinations. There is a corresponding relationship between the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list and one or more frequency band combinations in the first frequency band combination list. Here, the frequency bands included in the first frequency band combination that have a corresponding relationship in the first frequency band combination are a subset or all of the frequency bands included in the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list. In some embodiments, the frequency bands included in each second frequency band combination included in the second frequency band combination list are the frequency bands included in one or more consecutive first frequency band combinations corresponding to the second frequency band combination. In some implementations, there may be a one-to-one correspondence between the first frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list and the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list, that is, the fifth number is equal to the sixth number. In some implementations, the corresponding relationship between the first frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list and the second frequency band combination in the second frequency band combination list may be a one-to-N relationship, that is, the fifth number is greater than the sixth number. The first frequency band combination list and the second frequency band combination list have been described with reference to FIG. 3 , and for the sake of brevity, details are not repeated here.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the flow of an exemplary communication method 600 . Method 600 is implemented at a network device, eg, network device 120 .

In some embodiments, the network device 120 sends a request for capability query of the terminal device to the terminal device 110-1. The request for the terminal device capability query may include instructions for instructing the terminal device 110 - 1 which terminal device capabilities the network device 230 wants to know. The terminal equipment capability reporting requirement information may also include one or more of the following: the highest protocol version supported by the network equipment, the frequency band range that needs to be reported by the terminal equipment, and the flag bit of the network equipment function item.

At block 610, the network device 120 receives capability information of the terminal device from the terminal device 110-1. The capability information of the terminal device may include capabilities of different levels. For example, the capability information of the terminal device may include specific capabilities of the terminal device. Each terminal device may have different capabilities, and such terminal device capabilities are applicable to all carriers and carrier combinations supported by the terminal device. In some embodiments, the capability information of the terminal device may include the capability of the terminal device at the band combination (Band Combination, BC) level. In other embodiments, the capability information of the terminal device may also be reported according to the layering of the protocol stack.

In some embodiments, at block 620, the network device 120 may send the configuration to the end device 110-1. The configuration indicates one or more of the plurality of switching times described above. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may determine the indicated one or more switching times from the aforementioned plurality of switching times based on the configuration. It should be noted that the switching time or preparation time reserved during actual scheduling or configuration cannot exceed the capability of the terminal equipment. In this way, when the radio frequency chain is switched between different frequency bands, the terminal device 110-1 can adopt a shorter switching time. The switching duration of the RF chain will not be changed due to activation/deactivation, addition or release of other carriers.

In some other embodiments, if the indication information of the second frequency band set does not include switching time information, the network device 120 may determine a plurality of consecutive frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set in the first frequency band set list The longest switching time in is used for switching between frequency bands included in the second frequency band set. In other words, the terminal device 110-1 does not report the switching time in the indication information of the second frequency band set, and implicitly indicates that the longest switching time reported in the first frequency band set list is used for switching between the frequency bands included in the frequency band set . In other embodiments, if the indication information of the second frequency band set does not include switching time information, the network device 120 may determine the number of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set in the first frequency band set list The multiple switching times are respectively used for switching between corresponding two frequency bands included in the second frequency band set. In other words, the terminal device 110-1 does not report the switching time in the indication information of the second frequency band set, and implicitly indicates to reuse the switching time in the list of the first frequency band set. In other embodiments, the frequency bands in the second frequency band set in the second frequency band set list may be grouped. In this case, the terminal device 110-1 may report two switching times in the indication information of the second frequency band set, one is used for switching between frequency bands within the group (that is, the second switching time), and the other is used for group switching. Switch between the frequency bands (that is, the third switching time). The switching time has been described with reference to FIG. 3 , and for the sake of brevity, details are not repeated here.

7A to 7B show schematic block diagrams of communication devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The communication means may be implemented as a device or a chip in a device, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

The communication device 710 shown in FIG. 7A may be implemented on a terminal device. The communication device 710 includes a reporting unit 711 . The reporting unit 711 is configured to report capability information about the terminal device to the network device. The capability information includes a first frequency band set list supported by the terminal device and a second frequency band set list supported by the terminal device. The first frequency band set list includes a first number of first frequency band sets, and the indication information of each first frequency band set includes an index of a second number of frequency bands and a switching time for a terminal device to switch between frequency bands. The second band set list indicates a third number of second band sets. The indication information of the second frequency band set does not include a frequency band index. The frequency bands in the second frequency band set are indicated by the indices of the frequency bands included in the plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set. The plurality of contiguous first frequency band sets includes a fourth number of frequency bands. The first number is greater than the third number, and the second number is smaller than the fourth number. The communication device 710 may further include other units, configured to implement the methods described in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 .

The communication device 720 shown in FIG. 7B may be implemented at a network device. The communication device 720 includes a receiving unit 721 . The receiving unit 721 is configured to receive capability information about the terminal device from the terminal device. The capability information includes a first frequency band set list supported by the terminal device and a second frequency band set list supported by the terminal device. The first frequency band set list includes a first number of first frequency band sets, and the indication information of each first frequency band set includes an index of a second number of frequency bands and a switching time for a terminal device to switch between frequency bands. The second band set list indicates a third number of second band sets. The indication information of the second frequency band set does not include a frequency band index. The frequency bands in the second frequency band set are indicated by the indices of the frequency bands included in the plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set. The plurality of contiguous first frequency band sets includes a fourth number of frequency bands. The first number is greater than the third number, and the second number is smaller than the fourth number. . The communication device 720 may further include other units, configured to implement the methods described in FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 .

FIG. 8 is a simplified block diagram of an example device 800 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 800 can be used to realize the terminal device and the network device as shown in FIG. 1 . As shown, device 800 includes one or more processors 810 , one or more memories 820 coupled to processors 810 , and a communication module 840 coupled to processors 810 .

The communication module 840 can be used for two-way communication. The communication module 840 may have at least one communication interface for communication. Communication interfaces may include any interface necessary to communicate with other devices.

Processor 810 may be of any type suitable for the local technical network, and may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (Digital Signal Processor, DSP), or a control-based One or more of the multi-core controller architectures of the processor. Device 800 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, that are time slaved to a clock that is synchronized to a main processor.

Memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include but are not limited to at least one of the following: read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM) 824, erasable programmable read-only memory (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, EPROM), flash memory, hard disk , Compact Disc (CD), Digital Video Disk (Digital Versatile Disc, DVD) or other magnetic and/or optical storage. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, at least one of: Random Access Memory (RAM) 822, or other volatile memory that does not persist for the duration of a power outage.

The computer program 830 comprises computer-executable instructions executed by the associated processor 810 . The program 830 can be stored in the ROM 820. Processor 810 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 830 into RAM 820.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of a program 830 such that the device 800 may perform any process as discussed with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 . Embodiments of the present disclosure can also be realized by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

In some embodiments, program 830 may be tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 800 (such as in memory 820 ) or other storage device accessible by device 800 . Program 830 may be loaded from a computer readable medium into RAM 822 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any type of tangible nonvolatile memory such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like.

In general, the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques or methods described herein can be implemented as, without limitation, Exemplary, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product comprises computer-executable instructions, eg included in program modules, executed in a device on a real or virtual processor of a target to perform the process/method as described above with reference to FIGS. 3-6 . Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided as desired among the program modules. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

Computer program codes for implementing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages. These computer program codes can be provided to processors of general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, or other programmable data processing devices, so that when the program codes are executed by the computer or other programmable data processing devices, The functions/operations specified in are implemented. The program code may execute entirely on the computer, partly on the computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server.

In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, and the like. Examples of signals may include electrical, optical, radio, sound, or other forms of propagated signals, such as carrier waves, infrared signals, and the like.

A computer readable medium may be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program for or related to an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More detailed examples of computer-readable storage media include electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random storage access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash), optical storage, magnetic storage, or any suitable combination thereof.

In addition, while operations of methods of the present disclosure are depicted in a particular order in the figures, this does not require or imply that operations must be performed in that particular order, or that all illustrated operations must be performed, to achieve desirable results. Conversely, the steps depicted in the flowcharts may be performed in an altered order. Additionally or alternatively, certain steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step for execution, and/or one step may be decomposed into multiple steps for execution. It should also be noted that the features and functions of two or more devices according to the present disclosure may be embodied in one device. Conversely, the features and functions of one device described above may be further divided to be embodied by a plurality of devices.

Having described various implementations of the present disclosure, the foregoing description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed implementations. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described implementations. The choice of terminology used herein is intended to well explain the principles of each implementation, practical applications or improvements to technologies in the market, or to enable other ordinary skilled persons in the technical field to understand the various implementations disclosed herein.

Claims

A method for communication, characterized in that the method comprises:

The terminal device reports capability information about the terminal device to the network device, where the capability information includes a first frequency band set list supported by the terminal device and a second frequency band set list supported by the terminal device,

Wherein the first frequency band set list includes a first number of first frequency band sets, and the indication information of each first frequency band set includes an index of a second number of frequency bands and a switching time for the terminal device to switch between frequency bands ,as well as

Wherein the second frequency band set list indicates a third number of second frequency band sets, the indication information of the second frequency band set does not include a frequency band index, and the frequency bands in the second frequency band set correspond to the second frequency band set Index indications of frequency bands included in a plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets, the plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets include a fourth number of frequency bands, the first number is greater than the third number, and the second The number is less than the fourth number.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the first frequency band set list, the frequency band sets that have a corresponding relationship with the second frequency band set are sorted to the ones that do not have a corresponding relationship with the second frequency band set before the frequency band collection.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the capability information further includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate that there is a corresponding relationship between the first frequency band set list and the second frequency band set The number of band sets.
The method according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the indication information of the second frequency band set further includes one of the following:

a first switching time, the first switching time is used for switching between all frequency bands included in the second frequency band set,

A plurality of switching times, the plurality of switching times are respectively used for switching between any two frequency bands included in the second frequency band set, and any two switching times in the plurality of switching times correspond to the At least one frequency band is different, or

The second switching time and the third switching time, wherein when the frequency bands in the second frequency band set are grouped, the second switching time is used for frequency band switching within the group, and the third switching time is used for inter-group switching switch.
According to the method described in claim 4, it is characterized in that, described method also comprises:

If the first switching time is less than the fourth switching time in the plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set, the terminal device applies the first switching time to the switching between frequency bands corresponding to the fourth switching time; or

If the first switching time is greater than the fourth switching time, the terminal device applies the fourth switching time to switching between frequency bands corresponding to the fourth switching time.
The method according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the capability information further includes: a first frequency band combination list associated with the first frequency band set list and a list associated with the second frequency band set list of associated second band combinations,

Wherein the first frequency band combination list indicates the fifth number of first frequency band combinations, the second frequency band combination list indicates the sixth number of second frequency band combinations, and the second frequency band combination is the same as that in the first frequency band combination list Corresponding to one or more continuous first frequency band combinations, the indication information of the second frequency band combination does not include a frequency band index, and the frequency bands in the second frequency band combination are combined with the one or more continuous first frequency band combinations The index of the frequency band included indicates that the fifth number is greater than or equal to the sixth number.
The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, in the first frequency band combination list, the frequency band combinations that have a corresponding relationship with the second frequency band combination are sorted in the order that there is no corresponding relationship with the second frequency band combination before the band combination.
The method according to claim 6, wherein if the third frequency band combination of the terminal device in the first frequency band combination list includes the third frequency band, the fourth frequency band and the fifth frequency band, and the terminal device supporting switching between the third frequency band, the fourth frequency band, and the fifth frequency band in the second frequency band combination list,

Then the indication information of the third frequency band combination includes the index of the third frequency band, the index of the fourth frequency band, the index of the fifth frequency band, and the at least one set of feature set parameters corresponding to the third frequency band combination The number of MIMO layers corresponding to the fifth frequency band is zero.
The method according to claim 6, wherein the frequency band set included in the second frequency band combination includes the frequency band set included in the one or more continuous first frequency band combinations.
The method according to claim 6, wherein the capability information includes a second indication, and the second indication is used to indicate that the first frequency band combination can be used as the second frequency band set.
The method according to claim 6, wherein the capability information further includes a third indication, and the third indication is used to indicate that there is a corresponding relationship between the first frequency band combination list and the second frequency band combination The number of band combinations.
The method according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first number is greater than or equal to N*M, the second number is 2, the third number is M, and the first The number is N, and the i+1th frequency band set in the second frequency band set list corresponds to the i*N+1th to (i+1)*Nth frequency band set in the first frequency band set list, The N frequency bands included in the i*N+1th to (i+1)*Nth frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list are included in the i+1th frequency band set in the second frequency band set list , where N is an integer not less than 3, and i and M are natural numbers.
A method for communication, characterized in that the method comprises:

The network device receives capability information about the terminal device from the terminal device, where the capability information includes a first frequency band set list supported by the terminal device and a second frequency band set list supported by the terminal device,

Wherein the first frequency band set list includes a first number of first frequency band sets, and the indication information of each first frequency band set includes an index of a second number of frequency bands and a switching time for the terminal device to switch between frequency bands ,as well as

Wherein the second frequency band set list indicates a third number of second frequency band sets, the indication information of the second frequency band set does not include a frequency band index, and the frequency bands in the second frequency band set correspond to the second frequency band set Index indications of frequency bands included in a plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets, the plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets include a fourth number of frequency bands, the first number is greater than the third number, and the second The number is less than the fourth number.
The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, in the first frequency band set list, the frequency band sets that have a corresponding relationship with the second frequency band set are sorted to the ones that do not have a corresponding relationship with the second frequency band set before the frequency band collection.
The method according to claim 13, wherein the capability information further includes a first indication, and the first indication is used to indicate that there is a corresponding relationship between the first frequency band set list and the second frequency band set The number of band sets.
The method according to any one of claims 13-15, wherein the indication information of the second frequency band set further includes one of the following:

A first switching time, the first switching time is used for switching between the used frequency bands included in the second frequency band set, and any two switching times in the plurality of switching times correspond to at least one frequency band in the switching frequency bands different,

A plurality of switching times, the plurality of switching times are respectively used for switching between any two frequency bands included in the second frequency band set, or

The second switching time and the third switching time, wherein when the frequency bands in the second frequency band set are grouped, the second switching time is used for frequency band switching within the group, and the third switching time is used for inter-group switching switch.
The method according to any one of claims 13-15, further comprising:

If the indication information of the second frequency band set does not include switching time information, the network device determines that the longest switching time among the plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set is used for the switching between frequency bands included in the second set of frequency bands; or

If the indication information of the second frequency band set does not include switching time information, the network device determines that multiple switching times in the plurality of consecutive first frequency band sets corresponding to the second frequency band set are respectively used for the switching between the corresponding two frequency bands included in the second frequency band set.
The method according to any one of claims 13-17, wherein the capability information further includes: a first frequency band combination list associated with the first frequency band set list and a list associated with the second frequency band set list of associated second band combinations,

Wherein the first frequency band combination list indicates the fifth number of first frequency band combinations, the second frequency band combination list indicates the sixth number of second frequency band combinations, and the second frequency band combination is the same as that in the first frequency band combination list Corresponding to one or more continuous first frequency band combinations, the indication information of the second frequency band combination does not include a frequency band index, and the frequency bands in the second frequency band combination are combined with the one or more continuous first frequency band combinations The index of the frequency band included indicates that the fifth number is greater than or equal to the sixth number.
The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, in the first frequency band combination list, the frequency band combinations that have a corresponding relationship with the second frequency band combination are sorted in the order that there is no corresponding relationship with the second frequency band combination before the band combination.
The method according to claim 18, wherein if the third frequency band combination of the terminal device in the first frequency band combination list includes the third frequency band, the fourth frequency band and the fifth frequency band, and the terminal device is in The second frequency band combination list supports switching between the third frequency band, the fourth frequency band, and the fifth frequency band,

Then the indication information of the third frequency band combination includes the index of the third frequency band, the index of the fourth frequency band, the index of the fifth frequency band, and the at least one set of feature set parameters corresponding to the third frequency band combination The number of MIMO layers corresponding to the fifth frequency band is zero.
The method according to claim 18, wherein the frequency band set included in the second frequency band combination includes the frequency band set included in the one or more continuous first frequency band combinations.
The method according to claim 18, wherein the capability information includes a second indication, and the second indication is used to indicate that the first frequency band combination can be used as the second frequency band set.
The method according to claim 18, wherein the capability information further includes a third indication, and the third indication is used to indicate a frequency band related to the second frequency band combination in the first frequency band combination list number of combinations.
The method according to any one of claims 13-16, wherein the first number is greater than or equal to N*M, the second number is 2, the third number is M, and the first The number is N, and the i+1th frequency band set in the second frequency band set list corresponds to the i*N+1th to (i+1)*Nth frequency band set in the first frequency band set list, The N frequency bands included in the i*N+1th to (i+1)*Nth frequency band sets in the first frequency band set list are included in the i+1th frequency band set in the second frequency band set list , where N is an integer not less than 3, and i and M are natural numbers.
A computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 13 or any one of claims 14 to 25 is realized. The operations described by the item's methods.
A chip configured to perform the operations recited in any one of claims 1 to 13 or the method of any one of claims 14 to 24.
A terminal device, characterized in that the terminal device includes:

at least one processing unit; and

at least one memory coupled to the at least one processing unit and storing instructions for execution by the at least one processing unit which, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the terminal device to implement A method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.
A network device, characterized in that the network device includes:

at least one processing unit; and

at least one memory coupled to the at least one processing unit and storing instructions for execution by the at least one processing unit that, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the network device to implement A method according to any one of claims 14 to 24.