IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,238,801
Granted Patent B2
US 12,238,801 · App. 17/670,135 · Granted Feb 25, 2025

Communication method and apparatus

Inventors: Rui Wang (Shanghai, CN); Haibo Xu (Beijing, CN)
Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
H04W76/16H04L5/0053H04W92/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,238,801
App. No.
17/670,135
Granted
Feb 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments of this application disclose a communication method and apparatus, and relate to the field of communication technologies. A first access network node determines to deactivate a secondary cell group SCG or activate the SCG; and the first access network node sends first indication information to a second base station, where the first indication information indicates the second base station to send an SCG deactivation command or an SCG activation command to a terminal, where the first access network node belongs to a first base station, the first base station is a master node or a secondary node of the terminal during dual connectivity communication, and the SCG is one or more cells managed by the secondary node.

Claims (81)

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a first access network node, to deactivate a secondary cell group (SCG) or activate the SCG; and

triggering a terminal, a first base station, a second base station, or another network device to store at least a recoverable portion of configuration information associated with reactivating the SCG or recover the recoverable portion of configuration information associated with reactivating the SCG, the triggering performed by at least sending, by the first access network node, first indication information to the second base station, wherein:

the first indication information indicates, in response to the first access network node determining to deactivate the SCG, to the second base station to send an SCG deactivation command to the terminal or indicates, in response to the first access network node determining to activate the SCG, to the second base station to send an SCG activation command to the terminal;

the first access network node belongs to the first base station, the first base station being a master node or a secondary node (SN) of the terminal during dual connectivity communication; and

when the first base station is the master node, the second base station is the secondary node, or when the first base station is the secondary node, the second base station is the master node, the SCG comprising one or more cells managed by the secondary node.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

sending, by the first access network node, second indication information to a second access network node, wherein the second indication information indicates, in response to the first access network node determining to deactivate the SCG, to the second access network node to deactivate the SCG or indicates, in response to the first access network node determining to activate the SCG, to the second access network node to activate the SCG, the second access network node belonging to the first base station,

wherein the second indication information triggers the second access network node to store at least the recoverable portion of configuration information associated with reactivating the SCG or recover the recoverable portion of configuration information associated with reactivating the SCG.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein:

the first access network node is configured to perform one or more of the following operations of the first base station:

a radio resource control (RRC) protocol stack;

a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) protocol stack; or

a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer; and

the second access network node is configured to perform one or more of the following operations:

a radio link control (RLC) protocol stack; a media access control (MAC) protocol stack; or

a physical layer (PHY) protocol stack.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:

the first access network node comprises a first apparatus and a second apparatus;

the first apparatus is configured to perform a control plane function of the first access network node; and

the second apparatus is configured to perform a user plane function of the first access network node.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein:

determining to deactivate the SCG or activate the SCG comprises determining, by the first apparatus, to deactivate the SCG or activate the SCG; and

sending the first indication information to the second base station comprises sending, by the first apparatus, the first indication information to the second base station.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:

sending, by the first apparatus, third indication information to the second apparatus, wherein the third indication information indicates, in response to the first access network node determining to deactivate the SCG, to the second apparatus to deactivate the SCG or indicates, in response to the first access network node determining to activate the SCG, to the second apparatus to activate the SCG,

wherein the third indication information triggers the second apparatus to store at least the recoverable portion of configuration information associated with reactivating the SCG or recover the recoverable portion of configuration information associated with reactivating the SCG.

7. The method according to claim 4 , wherein:

determining to deactivate the SCG or activate the SCG comprises determining, by the second apparatus, to deactivate the SCG or activate the SCG; and

sending the first indication information to the second base station comprises sending, by the second apparatus, a notification message to the first apparatus to instruct the first apparatus to send the first indication information to the second base station.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining to deactivate the SCG or activate the SCG comprises:

determining, by the first access network node, to deactivate the SCG or activate the SCG based on one or more of: assistance information sent by the second base station, assistance information sent by the terminal, or a transmission situation of data carried by the first base station.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein deactivating the SCG comprises at least one of:

stopping data transmission on a secondary cell group radio link control bearer (SCG RLC) bearer;

stopping data transmission on a bearer, or SN terminated bearer, whose packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) is terminated at the secondary node;

stopping data transmission on an SCG RLC entity; or

stopping data transmission on an SN PDCP entity.

10. A first access network node, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first access network node to perform operations comprising:

determining to deactivate a secondary cell group (SCG) or activate the SCG; and

triggering a terminal, a first base station, a second base station, or another network device to store at least a recoverable portion of configuration information associated with reactivating the SCG or recover the recoverable portion of configuration information associated with reactivating the SCG, the triggering performed by at least sending first indication information to the second base station, wherein:

the first indication information indicates, in response to determining to deactivate the SCG, to the second base station to send an SCG deactivation command to the terminal or indicates, in response to determining to activate the SCG, to the second base station to send an SCG activation command to the terminal;

the first access network node belongs to the first base station, the first base station being a master node or a secondary node of the terminal during dual connectivity communication; and

when the first base station is the master node, the second base station is the secondary node, or when the first base station is the secondary node, the second base station is the master node, the SCG comprising one or more cells managed by the secondary node.

11. The first access network node according to claim 10 , wherein the computer program or instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first access network node to perform operations comprising:

sending second indication information to a second access network node, wherein the second indication information indicates, in response to determining to deactivate the SCG, to the second access network node to deactivate the SCG or indicates, in response to determining to activate the SCG, to the second access network node to activate the SCG, the second access network node belonging to the first base station.

12. The first access network node according to claim 11 , wherein:

the first access network node is configured to perform one or more of the following operations of the first base station:

a radio resource control (RRC) protocol stack;

a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) protocol stack; and

a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer; and

the second access network node is configured to perform one or more of the following operations:

a radio link control (RLC) protocol stack;

a media access control (MAC) protocol stack; and

a physical layer (PHY) protocol stack.

13. The first access network node according to claim 10 , wherein:

the first access network node comprises a first apparatus and a second apparatus;

the first apparatus is configured to perform a control plane function of the first access network node; and

the second apparatus is configured to perform a user plane function of the first access network node.

14. The first access network node according to claim 13 , wherein:

determining to deactivate the SCG or activate the SCG comprises determining, by the first apparatus, to deactivate the SCG or activate the SCG; and

sending the first indication information to the second base station comprises sending, by the first apparatus, the first indication information to the second base station.

15. A communications apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the communications apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving first indication information from a first access network node, wherein:

the first indication information indicates to the communications apparatus to send a secondary cell group (SCG) deactivation command or an SCG activation command to a terminal;

the first access network node belongs to a first base station, the communications apparatus being a master node or a secondary node of the terminal during dual connectivity communication; and

when the communications apparatus is the master node, the first base station is the secondary node, or when the communications apparatus is the secondary node, the first base station is the master node, the SCG comprising one or more cells managed by the secondary node; and

triggering the terminal, the first base station, a second base station, or another network device to store at least a recoverable portion of configuration information associated with reactivating the SCG or recover the recoverable portion of configuration information associated with reactivating the SCG, the triggering performed by at least sending the SCG deactivation command or the SCG activation command to the terminal.

16. The communications apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein:

the first access network node comprises a first apparatus and a second apparatus;

the first apparatus is configured to perform a control plane function of the first access network node;

the second apparatus is configured to perform a user plane function of the first access network node; and

receiving the first indication information from the first access network node comprises:

receiving the first indication information from the first apparatus.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the SCG deactivation command indicates to the terminal to store at least the recoverable portion of configuration information associated with reactivating the SCG or the SCG activation command indicates to the terminal to recover the recoverable portion of configuration information associated with reactivating the SCG.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the SCG deactivation command triggers suspension of a data transmission tunnel on an X2/Xn interface, or the SCG activation command triggers recovery of the data transmission tunnel on the X2/Xn interface.

19. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the assistance information comprises an active status determined based on a measured data amount associated with the SCG, and determining to deactivate the SCG or activate the SCG comprises determining whether the measured data amount is high, medium, or low.

20. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the assistance information comprises an active status determined based on a measured data amount associated with the SCG, and determining to deactivate the SCG comprises determining that the measured data amount is less than a threshold, or determining to activate the SCG comprises determining that the measured data amount is greater to or equal to the threshold.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 26, 2024
From: WANG, RUI; XU, HAIBO
To: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 068706/0929 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTCN2019100885 · Aug 15, 2019
Related Publication 20220167449A1 · May 26, 2022
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