WO2022022589A1 - Cell search method, medium, and user equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to a cell search method for a user equipment, comprising: obtaining cell search prior parameters; and under the condition that it is determined that the cell search prior parameters comprise the current wireless communication information, searching for a wireless communication cell according to found cell search parameters. The embodiments of the present application further relate to a chip system, a machine-readable medium, and a user equipment.

Description

Cell search method, medium and user equipment

This application claims to be filed with the China Patent Office on July 31, 2020, with the application number of 202010761467.3 and the priority of the Chinese patent application titled "Cell Search Method, Medium and User Equipment", the entire contents of which are incorporated into this application by reference.

technical field

One or more embodiments of the present application generally relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to a cell search method, medium, and user equipment.

Background technique

Generally, the process of performing a cell search after a user equipment (User Equipment, UE) is powered on is as follows:

The Non-access Stratum (NAS) of the UE obtains the current public land mobile phone network (Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN) related information, and sends the search to the Radio Resource Control (Radio Resource Control, RRC) layer of the UE. Network request (PLMN_search_req) message, requesting to search the available cells of the UE in the current PLMN.

After receiving the network search request from the NAS layer, the RRC layer sends a cell search request (cell_search_req) to the physical layer (Physical, PHY), and then the PHY layer sends a cell search response message (cell_search_ind) to the RRC layer to notify the RRC layer whether the cell is searched. In general, the PHY layer may first perform a cell search based on the frequency points where the UE has successfully searched for a cell in the history. If no cell information is found, the PHY layer may perform a full-band scan to search for available cells. Specifically, in the case where the PHY layer has successfully searched for a cell according to the frequency point of the UE history and no cell is found, the RRC layer sends a frequency band scan request (band_scan_req) to the PHY layer, and according to the frequency band scan response message (band_scan_ind) from the PHY layer ) to determine all the frequency points to be searched. For each frequency point to be searched, the above process of sending a cell search request (cell_search_req) by the RRC layer and sending a cell search response message (cell_search_ind) by the PHY layer is repeated until a cell available to the UE in the current PLMN is searched.

For each frequency to be searched, the PHY layer needs to perform cell search one by one for all combinations of cell search parameters supported by the frequency, which results in a longer time for the UE to acquire the network. For example, for a synchronization raster (Synchronization Raster) frequency that can support two subcarrier spaces (SCS) and three values of M, there are six possible combinations of cell search parameters, which means, The PHY layer needs to perform six cell searches for each frequency point to be searched, which greatly increases the cell search time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present application is described below from various aspects, and the embodiments and beneficial effects of the following various aspects can be referred to each other.

According to a first aspect of the present application, a cell search method for user equipment is provided, comprising:

Acquire a priori parameters for cell search, where the priori parameters for cell search are parameters of the first wireless network corresponding to cells successfully searched by the user equipment or other user equipments in history, wherein the priori parameters for cell search include information of the first wireless network, at least one of a first frequency band and a first frequency point in the first frequency band, and at least one of a subcarrier space (SCS) and an M value,

According to the cell search a priori parameter, a cell of a second wireless network that performs wireless communication with the user equipment is searched, wherein the information of the first wireless network includes information of the second wireless network.

In some embodiments, the information of the first wireless network includes a first public land mobile network (PLMN) identifier, a first tracking area identifier (TAI), a first PLMN+RNAC, a first base station identifier and a first At least one of a cell group identifier.

In some embodiments, the information of the second wireless network includes a second public land mobile network identifier, a second tracking area identifier (TAI), a second PLMN+RNAC, a second base station identifier, and a second cell group at least one of the identifiers.

In some embodiments, the M value is 1, 3, or 5.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: searching for the cell according to a priori frequency points, wherein the a priori frequency points include the frequency points corresponding to the cells successfully searched by the user equipment or other user equipments in history;

In a case where it is determined that the cell is not searched according to the a priori frequency point, the cell search a priori parameter is acquired.

In some embodiments, the obtaining the cell search a priori parameters includes obtaining the cell search a priori parameters stored in the user equipment, or receiving the cell search a priori parameters from a cloud server.

In some embodiments, in the case where the cell of the second wireless network cannot be successfully searched according to the cell search a priori parameters, searching for the cell of the second wireless network according to the remaining cell search parameters cell, wherein the remaining cell search parameters are other cell search parameters supported by the provider of the second wireless network in addition to the cell search a priori parameters, wherein the remaining cell search parameters include the subcarrier spacing (sub carrier space, SCS) and at least one of the M value.

In some embodiments, the method further includes, in the case that the information of the first wireless network does not include the information of the second wireless network, searching for a second cell according to a second cell search parameter supported by a provider of the second wireless network. The cell of the second wireless network, wherein the second cell search parameter includes at least one of the subcarrier space (SCS) and the M value.

In some embodiments, the method further includes, in the case that the SCS or the M value on which the cell is successfully searched is inconsistent with the cell search a priori parameter, according to the basis on which the cell is successfully searched. The SCS and/or the M value updates the cell search a priori parameter.

In some embodiments, updating the cell search prior parameter according to the SCS and/or the M value on which the cell is successfully searched further comprises updating the cell search prior stored in the user equipment check parameters, or update the cell search a priori parameters in the cloud server.

In some embodiments, the method further includes camping on the cell by the user equipment if the cell is successfully searched.

According to a second aspect of the present application, a chip system is provided, the chip system includes a processor and a data interface, and the processor reads an instruction stored in a memory through the data interface, so as to execute the method described in the first step of the present application. The cell search method described in one aspect.

According to a third aspect of the present application, there is provided a machine-readable medium on which instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed on the machine, cause the machine to perform as described in the first aspect of the present application method described.

According to a fourth aspect of the present application, a user equipment is provided, including a processor; and a memory, on which instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the user equipment is made to execute as described herein. The method described in the first aspect of the application is applied.

According to some aspects of the present application, the effects include, but are not limited to: by combining the big data of the cloud server or the self-learning function of the UE, the UE can use the SCS and the M value of the cells that have been successfully searched in history to construct the cell search a priori parameters surface. If the UE can successfully search for a cell and camp on it according to the cell search a priori parameter table, the cell search time will be greatly shortened, and the search based on non-a priori cell search parameters can be effectively reduced. For example, for SCS that can support 15kHz and 30kHz, and synchronous grid frequencies with M values of 1, 3, and 5, there are six possible combinations of cell search parameters. If the cell search a priori parameters can be successful When a cell is found, it can save up to 5/6 of the search time.

Description of drawings

1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 2(a)-Fig. 2(d) respectively show the schematic diagrams of the possible SSBs corresponding to the synchronization grid in NR;

FIG. 3 is a signal flow diagram of cell search for UE according to an embodiment of the present application;

4 is a flowchart of cell search for UE according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a system-on-a-chip 500 according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present application.

detailed description

The present application will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements or data, these elements or data should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one feature from another. For example, a first feature could be termed a second feature, and, similarly, a second feature could be termed a first feature, without departing from the scope of example embodiments.

It should be noted that in this specification, like numerals and letters refer to like items in the following figures, so that once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be used in subsequent figures. for further definitions and explanations.

In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1 , the wireless signal of the base station 100 can cover multiple cell areas. After the UE 200 is powered on, it needs to obtain time and frequency synchronization with a certain cell of the base station 100, and this process of synchronizing and establishing a connection with the base station is called a cell search. Usually, in order to be able to quickly search for a cell when it is turned on or connected to the Internet next time, the UE will use historical or preset frequency point information, such as the cell that covers the wireless communication network in the area where the user often resides, home address or work place, etc. Parameter information such as base station identifier or cell identifier.

However, when the historical or preset frequency points are invalid, the UE cannot search for a cell according to the above-mentioned historical or preset frequency points, such as the relevant frequency point information of the cell where the user often resides. The frequency point or the frequency point supported by the terminal equipment can be searched to confirm whether there is a cell available to the UE.

In the design of a New Radio (NR) system, the base station needs to send a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) for user equipment to perform synchronization, system information acquisition, measurement evaluation, and the like. The SSB consists of two parts, a synchronization signal (Synchronization Signal, SS) and a physical broadcast channel (Physical Broadcast Channel, PBCH). The SS is further divided into two parts: a primary synchronization signal (Primary Synchronization Signal, PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (Secondary Synchronization Signal, SSS). After detecting the SSB, the user equipment can obtain the cell to which the currently detected SSB belongs by parsing the PSS and SSS in the SSB.

Since the bandwidth of a single carrier that can be supported by NR is much larger than that of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, and the position of the SSB in the frequency domain in the NR system is not fixed, if the cell search method of LTE is used, it will lead to a relatively large number of problems. Long synchronization time and high power consumption.

NR defines a synchronization raster (Synchronization Raster) to indicate the possible location of the SSB in frequency. The purpose of this is to shorten the cell search time. The frequency location of the SSB, the SS _REF number, is the Global Synchronization Channel Number (GSCN), Table 5.4.3.1-1 of the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project, 3rd Generation Partnership Project) standard TS 38.104 (Table 1 below) Parameters for SS _REF and GSCN for all frequency ranges are defined:

5G NR includes nearly 30 operating frequency bands (NR Operating Band), and the 5G NR system has a large bandwidth (for example, 100MHz, 400MHz). In order to improve the cell search speed, the terminal device 100 may determine the frequency domain position of the SSB through a synchronization raster (Synchronization Raster), and the synchronization raster indicates the possible position of the SSB in frequency. Table 1 shows the corresponding relationship between the SS _REF (the position of the center frequency point of the SSB) and the GSCN parameters of the synchronization grid. As shown in Table 1, in the frequency range of 0 to 3000MHz, the step size of the synchronization grid is 1200kHz; in the frequency range of 3000MHz to 24250MHz, the step size of the synchronization grid is 1.44MHz; in the frequency range of 24250MHz to 100000MHz, the synchronization The step size of the grid is 17.28MHz. The terminal device 100 may perform a PSS/SSS search at the location of the SSREF in the frequency band it supports.

Table 1

1: The default value of the operating band for the channel grid with SCS spacing is M=3.

NR supports a total of 5 SCS configurations: 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz and 240kHz. Table 2 shows some working frequency bands, the corresponding relationship between the SCS and GSCN parameters supported by the working frequency bands. As shown in Table 2, a frequency band can support one or more SCS configurations. For example, the n41 band supports two SCS configurations of 15kHz and 30kHz, and the n257 band supports two SCS configurations of 120kHz and 240kHz.

Table 2

It can be seen from the above table that when the coverage frequency of the cell is from 0 to 3000Mhz, there are many situations where the SSB frequency is located, which are mainly related to the N value and the M value. For example, when the N value is 1, the above The formula can be calculated, the frequency of the SSB may be 1250Mhz, 1350Mhz, 1550Mhz, because the terminal device needs to search the network on multiple frequency points.

In addition, in NR, 3GPP mainly specifies two frequency band ranges. One is Sub 6GHz and the other is called Millimeter Wave. For different frequency bands, the system subcarrier space (SCS) is also different.

Therefore, in NR, due to the difference in M value and SCS, the synchronization grid in some frequency bands may correspond to the existence of multiple SSBs.

Fig. 2(a) to Fig. 2(c) respectively show different SSB situations corresponding to the synchronization grid in NR.

As shown in Figure 2(a), for example, only the frequency bands N77, N78 and N79 of a single M value and a single SCS are supported, and one synchronization grid corresponds to only one SSB.

Figure 2(b) shows a frequency point that supports a single M value and multiple SCSs, such as N41 and other frequency bands that support two SCS (15KHz or 30KHz), at this time, one synchronization grid corresponds to two SSBs.

Figure 2(c) shows the frequency points that support multiple M values and a single SCS, such as N1, N2 and other frequency bands that support 3 M values (that is, M=1 or 3 or 5). At this time, one synchronization grid corresponds to There are three SSBs.

Figure 2(d) shows the frequency points that support multiple M values and multiple SCSs. For example, N5, N66, etc. support 3 M values (ie M=1 or 3 or 5), two SCS (15KHz and 30KHz) At this time, there are six SSBs corresponding to one synchronization grid.

Therefore, when the historical and preset frequency points are invalid, for example, the user manually selects the network, fails to search for the historical frequency point when the network is turned on, the user roams to the environment of other operators, and there is no preset relevant frequency point, the user enters the NR weak signal, or When a network search needs to be performed in a no-signal area and other abnormal scenarios, it is necessary to perform a frequency band scan on the frequency band supported by the UE, and perform a cell search on all the scanned frequency points. If the synchronization grid supports SSBs with multiple M values and multiple SCSs, the number of cells to be searched will increase significantly, resulting in a longer time for cell search.

In addition, in practical situations, some operators' networks usually use only one combination of M value and SCS in some areas. If the search is still performed on SSBs of all possible combinations of SCS and M value, then most of the searches are performed. are invalid.

In view of the above problems, the technical solution of the present application provides a cell search method and user equipment, which can optimize the cell search method and reduce the wasted time of invalid search.

Next, the cell search method according to the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 3 is a signal flow diagram for a cell search method according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in Figure 3, the UE will perform a cell search after being powered on. In step 301, after obtaining the PLMN of the current wireless network, the NAS layer of the UE sends a network search request (PLMN_search_req) message to the RRC layer of the UE, requesting the RRC layer to search for available cells according to the PLMN of the current wireless network.

In an example, the PLMN of the wireless network can be preset in the SIM card, and the UE can directly read the PLMN from the SIM card. Alternatively, the UE may store the PLMN registered before the last shutdown or disconnection in the memory, so that it can be queried when the UE is turned on or connected to the network next time. The memory mentioned here can be any memory inside the UE, or it can be, for example, an external memory such as an SD card and a Micro SD card.

In one instance, if the SIM card does not have a preset PLMN or the UE does not store the PLMN registered before the last shutdown or disconnection, the NAS layer will follow the PLMN priority according to the provisions of the relevant protocol, such as RPLMN (Registered PLMN). , registered PLMN)>HPLMN(Home PLMN, home PLMN)>UPLMN(User Controlled PLMN, user controlled PLMN)>OPLMN(Operator Controlled PLMN, operator controlled PLMN) order to search the network.

Alternatively, the UE may also list all the PLMNs according to the provisions of the relevant protocol for the user to manually select.

In step 302, after receiving the network search request (PLMN_search_req) message from the NAS layer, the RRC layer of the UE sends a cell search request (cell_search_req) to the PHY layer, wherein the cell search request (cell_search_req) includes the prior frequency points to be searched, To request the PHY layer to perform a cell search based on a priori frequency points.

In an example, the prior frequency point is a frequency point corresponding to a cell successfully searched by the UE or other user equipment in the history. The frequency points here may include the frequency points corresponding to the above synchronization grids. The cells successfully searched by the UE in the history may be, for example, cells of the wireless communication network covering areas such as the user's home address or work place.

In one example, the UE may store the frequency points that it resided on before being powered off or offline last time in the memory as a priori frequency points to be queried when it is powered on or connected to the network next time. The memory mentioned here may be any memory inside the UE, or may be, for example, an external memory such as an SD card and a Micro SD card.

In an example, there may be one or more a priori frequency points. If there are multiple a priori frequency points, the RRC layer will send a cell search request (cell_search_req) to the PHY layer multiple times to request the PHY layer to follow the These a priori frequency points perform the search.

In an example, as described above, some synchronization grid frequency points in the NR system may have different SCS and M values, then in step 302, the RRC layer may perform different synchronization grid frequency points for each synchronization grid frequency point. The SCS and M-values are extended to derive SSB searches corresponding to various SCS and M-value combinations.

In one example, the prior frequency points can be stored in the cloud server in the form of a list. Based on the search request message, the UE requests to obtain a priori frequency point list from the cloud server. Similarly, the UE can store and update the frequency point information that resided before the last shutdown or disconnection to the cloud server.

If the cell is successfully searched according to the prior frequency point, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 3 in step 304, the UE will choose to camp on the current cell, and the RRC layer will report a successful network search confirmation message (PLMN_search_cnf) to the NAS.

In one example, the confirmation message of successful network search includes the cell identifier (Cell Identity). The steps or methods for the UE to successfully search for and camp on a cell are the same as those in the prior art, and are not repeated here.

However, when the historical or preset frequency points fail, for example, the user manually selects the network, fails to search for historical frequency points when the network is turned on, the user roams to the environment of other operators, and there is no preset relevant frequency point, the user enters the NR weak signal, or When a network search is required in a no-signal area and other abnormal scenarios, the UE cannot successfully search for a cell and camp on it based on the prior frequency point. As shown in FIG. 3 , in step 303 , if the UE does not successfully search for a cell, steps 305 and 306 are performed.

In step 305 , the UE 200 performs a full-band scan to search for available cells, for which the RRC layer sends a band scan request (band_scan_req) to the PHY layer, wherein the band scan request (band_scan_req) includes band information supported by the UE.

In step 306, the PHY layer will perform a search for all frequency bands supported by the UE 200 in sequence. After the PHY layer completes the full frequency band scan, the PHY layer reports the frequency point information to be searched in the frequency band to the RRC layer with a frequency band scan response message (band_scan_ind). The scan response message (band_scan_ind) includes the frequency points to be searched in the frequency band.

In an example, the PHY layer may arrange the frequency points to be searched in a certain order, for example, according to the received signal strength indication (Received Signal Strength Indication, RSSI) in descending order and report to the RRC layer.

In an example, the UE 200 may also preset a signal strength threshold, and the PHY may only report the scanned frequency point information that meets the signal strength threshold to the RRC layer.

As mentioned above, some synchronization grid frequency points in the NR system may have different SCS and M values, then in step 302, the RRC layer can perform different SCS and M values for each synchronization grid frequency point expansion, resulting in SSB searches corresponding to various combinations of SCS and M values. If the search is performed against all possible SCSs and SSBs derived from M values, it will inevitably lead to longer search times. In addition, in practical situations, some operators' networks usually use only one combination of M value and SCS in some areas. If the search is still performed on SSBs of all possible combinations of SCS and M value, then most of the searches are performed. are invalid.

According to the cell search method according to an embodiment of the present application, in step 307, the RRC layer will, according to the frequency point information reported by the PHY layer, combine with the cell search a priori parameters stored in the cloud server or the local memory of the UE to form a cell search a priori parameter corresponding to the frequency to be searched. The cell search parameter table corresponding to the point, wherein the cell search parameter table includes a cell search a priori parameter table and a cell search residual parameter table.

In one example, the cell search prior parameter table indicates a priori mapping relationship between wireless communication information and cell search parameters, wherein the wireless communication information includes at least one of wireless network information, a frequency band, and a frequency point within the frequency band, and the cell search The parameter includes at least one of a subcarrier space (SCS) and an M value, and the prior mapping relationship indicates that the UE200 or other user equipment has successfully searched for a cell corresponding to the wireless communication information according to the cell search parameter in the history of the UE200 or other user equipment. In the case of , the mapping relationship between wireless communication information and cell search parameters.

For example, the wireless network information includes the PLMN of the wireless network, Tracking Area Identity (TAI), PLMN+RNAC (RAN-Based Notification Area), base station identifier and cell (group) At least one of the identifiers (Cell Identity(Group)).

Cell search a priori parameters according to an example of the present application may be in the form of Table 1 below.

Table 1

index parameter 1 parameter 2 parameter 3 PLMN (TAI, PLMN+RNAC, base station ID, cell (group) ID) frequency band SCS M value 46000 N41 15kHz NA 46000 N66 15kHz 3

Table 1 shows that the PLMN is 46000, that is, the prior parameter information including the SCS and the M value in the N41 and N66 frequency bands where the wireless communication operator is China Mobile. These a priori parameter information are the cell search parameters (for example, PLMN 46000, frequency bands N41 and N66) corresponding to the above-mentioned wireless network information (for example, 46000 for PLMN and N41 and N66). , SCS and M value), in the above-mentioned a priori parameters, it can be confirmed that M=3 and SCS is 15kHz corresponding to the N66 frequency point corresponding to the existence of SSB to avoid multiple invalid network searches

In Table 1 above, the PLMN is used as an index, and the frequency band value, the SCS value, and the M value are used as three search parameters for illustration. Those skilled in the art can understand that the above-mentioned information of the wireless communication network such as TAI, PLMN+RNAC, frequency point, etc. can be used as the index value of the table. In addition, the form of the table and table items such as indexes and parameters can be set according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can understand that the specific information and parameters in the above table are for the purpose of illustration for the purpose of understanding, and are not intended to limit the technical solutions of the present application.

Optionally, as described above, if it is some frequency band with only one SCS and M value, the searched parameter may only include one of SCS or M value. For example, the N41 frequency band whose M value in the above table is the default value can only include one parameter of SCS.

In an example, the cell search priori parameters may be stored in the cloud server. When the UE initiates a cell search, the RRC layer may send a request to the cloud server, and the cloud server may deliver the cell search priori parameters to the UE according to the request of the RRC layer.

Here, the cell search a priori parameters stored in the cloud server are formed based on the wireless network information and cell search parameters corresponding to the cells successfully searched by all UEs or other user equipments in history, such as the table shown in Table 1, also Can be any other form of table, can have different index and parameter items.

In an example, for the frequency points that can be derived from the SCS and M values in the NR system, the cell search a priori parameters can also be formed according to the current wireless communication operator default or specific SCS and M value settings. For example, for the above-mentioned N66 frequency band with PLMN of 46000, that is, the N66 frequency band of China Mobile, assuming that the default SCS of China Mobile is 15kHz, and the value of M is 5, the priority is to use the SCS of 15kHz and the value of M as 5 as the cell. Search parameters.

In one example, the cell search a priori parameters may also be preset in the local memory of the UE during the factory setting phase. For example, the cell search prior parameters in the cloud server are pre-stored in the local memory of the UE. Those skilled in the art can understand that the local memory may be any built-in memory of the UE. It can also be in external memory such as SD card, Micro SD card, etc. After the UE is powered on, the RRC layer can directly read the cell search a priori parameters in the built-in storage or other local storages.

In an example, the cloud server and the local memory of the UE may also only store cell search parameters on which the UE 200 or other user equipment successfully searches for a cell. Based on the cell search parameters including the SCS and the M value in the cloud server or the local storage, the RRC layer or the PHY layer constructs a cell search a priori parameter table.

The RRC layer of the UE 200 forms a cell search a priori parameter table corresponding to the frequency to be searched according to the cell search a priori parameters according to the frequency information from the PHY layer.

Taking the above Table 1 as an example, if the frequency band currently supported by UE200 is N66 under PLMN46000, the corresponding cell search a priori parameters include SCS of 15 kHz and M value of 3. After forming the above-mentioned cell search a priori parameter table, the RRC layer of the UE may also form a cell search residual parameter table corresponding to the frequency to be searched. The cell search remaining parameter table is also formed based on the above-mentioned wireless communication information and cell search parameters, and may also refer to the form as in Table 1 above, which will not be repeated here. Alternatively, if it is confirmed that the current network does not have other cell search parameters except the cell search a priori parameters, the cell search residual parameter table may not be constructed.

Likewise, the cell search residual parameter table may also be formed by the PHY layer of the UE. The cell search parameters in the cell search remaining parameter table include other cell search parameters except the cell search parameters in the cell search prior parameter table in the combination of cell search parameters corresponding to the frequency to be searched.

Taking the above Table 1 as an example, the cell search parameters in Table 1, which are a priori parameters of the cell search, are formed according to the SCS and the M value corresponding to the cells successfully retrieved in the history. The current wireless network information supported by the UE 200 includes a combination of PLMN of 46000 and frequency band of N66, and the cell search a priori parameter only includes a combination of SCS of 15 kHz and M of 3. However, when the PLMN is 46000 and the frequency band is N66, the SCS that the synchronization grid frequency can support includes 15kHz and 30kHz, and the M value can be 1, 3 and 5, so there are six possible combinations of cell search parameters.

At this time, the SCS and M value parameters in the remaining cell search parameter table corresponding to the frequency points to be searched should be the cell search parameter combination in the cell search a priori parameter table (that is, the SCS is 15kHz, and M is other combinations than 3), for example, as shown in Table 2 below:

Table 2

index parameter 1 parameter 2 parameter 3 PLMN (TAI, PLMN+RNAC, base station ID, cell (group) ID) frequency band SCS M value 46000 N66 15kHz 1 46000 N66 15kHz 5 46000 N66 30kHz 1 46000 N66 30kHz 3

46000 N66 30kHz 5

In addition, according to some embodiments of the present application, other cell search parameters (eg, SCS and M value) supported by the UE 200 but not present in the cell search a priori parameter table may also be included in Table 2. For example, when the PLMN is 46000, the frequency bands supported by UE200 include N41 and N66, but only the SCS and M values corresponding to PLMN46000 and N66 are obtained from the cell search a priori parameter table, then Table 2 can also include the corresponding to N41. Combinations of SCS and M values (eg, single-M, multi-SCS combinations supported by N41 shown in Figure 2b).

In step 307, after the cell search a priori parameter table and the cell search residual parameter table corresponding to the frequency points to be searched are formed, step 308 and step 309 are executed, that is, the RRC layer sends a cell search request (cell_search_req) to the PHY layer, and then The PHY layer sends a cell search response message (cell_search_ind) to the RRC layer according to the result of the cell search to notify the RRC layer whether a cell is found, and repeats this process until all the frequency points are traversed. The cell search response message (cell_search_ind) includes the frequency points that can successfully search for the cell.

In an example, the PHY layer may first perform a cell search according to a cell search a priori parameter table corresponding to the frequency to be searched. The UE first needs to determine current wireless communication information, that is, at least one of wireless network information, a frequency band, and a frequency point within the frequency band. If the current wireless communication information is included in the cell search a priori parameter table, the cell search parameters associated with the current wireless communication information, ie SCS and M value, are determined by searching the cell search a priori parameter table.

For example, if the current wireless communication information includes PLMN of 46000 and frequency band of N66, the PHY layer can find the corresponding cell search parameters according to Table 1, that is, the PHY layer will search for cells according to the cell search parameters with SCS of 15kHz and M value of 3 Do a cell search.

If the cell cannot be successfully searched according to the cell search parameters in the cell search prior parameter table, then the cell search is carried out according to the cell search remaining parameter table, that is, the cell that is associated with the current wireless communication information is determined by looking up the cell search remaining parameter table. Search parameters, namely SCS and M value.

Still taking the current wireless communication information including the PLMN as 46000 and the frequency band as N66 as an example, the PHY layer can find the corresponding cell search parameter according to the cell search a priori parameter table, that is, Table 1 is SCS equal to 15kHz, and M value is 3. However, if the PHY layer cannot successfully search for a cell according to the cell search parameters in the cell search prior parameter table, the PHY layer will look up the cell search remaining parameter table, that is, Table 2.

According to Table 2, the PHY layer will perform cell search according to the cell search parameters of different SCS and M value combinations in turn.

Alternatively, in an example, if a cell cannot be successfully searched according to the cell search parameters of a certain frequency band in the cell search a priori parameter table, the search for the frequency band can also be directly ended to speed up the network search.

Optionally, the cell search a priori parameter table and the cell search residual parameter table corresponding to the frequency points to be searched may be formed at the same time in step 307, or the cell a priori parameter table corresponding to the frequency points to be searched may be formed first. , in step 309, if the PHY layer fails to successfully search for a cell according to the cell search prior parameter table, it constructs a corresponding cell search remaining parameter table.

Those skilled in the art can understand that, if a cell can be successfully searched according to the cell prior parameter table, it is also not necessary to form a cell search remaining parameter table. Or if the cell search parameter of a certain frequency band in the cell search prior parameter table fails to successfully search for a cell, the search for the frequency band can also be directly ended to speed up the network search.

In addition, those skilled in the art can understand that if the UE cannot successfully search for a cell according to the cell a priori parameter table corresponding to the frequency to be searched or the cell search parameters in the cell search remaining parameter table, it means that the UE fails to search the network. , and will not be repeated here.

Steps 308 and 309 are similar to the above-mentioned steps 302 and 303, and are not repeated here.

If the cell is successfully searched, the UE will choose to camp on the cell. In step 310, the RRC layer reports a successful network search confirmation message (PLMN_search_cnf) to the NAS, wherein the network search successful confirmation message includes the cell identifier (Cell Identity). If no cell is found, RRC reports the failure of network search to the NAS layer. Step 310 is similar to the above-mentioned step 304, and is not repeated here.

If the cell is successfully searched in step 310, then in step 311, the UE will update the cell search a priori parameters.

For example, if the UE fails to successfully search for a cell according to the cell search a priori parameters in Table 1, then the PHY layer will perform a cell search according to the remaining cell search parameters shown in Table 2 above. If a cell is successfully searched, the PHY layer reports the corresponding cell search parameters to the RRC layer, and the RRC layer updates the cell search a priori parameters according to the cell search parameters in the cell search remaining parameter table reported by the PHY layer. If the PHY layer successfully searches for a cell with a PLMN of 46000 and a N66 frequency band based on the cell search parameters with SCS of 15kHz and M of 5, the cell search parameters in Table 1 will be updated to Table 3 below.

table 3

index parameter 1 parameter 2 parameter 3 PLMN (TAI, PLMN+RNAC, base station ID, cell (group) ID) frequency band SCS M value 46000 N41 15kHz NA 46000 N66 15kHz 5

In addition, those skilled in the art can understand that the update of the cell search a priori parameters may not only be the update of the above-mentioned cell search parameters, but also the addition of entries.

For example, if the UE searches for a PLMN of 46003, that is, a cell in the N1 frequency band of China Telecom, the corresponding cell search parameter SCS is 30kHz, and the M value is 3, then the cell search priori parameters can be updated to the following Table 4:

Table 4

index parameter 1 parameter 2 parameter 3 PLMN (TAI, PLMN+RNAC, base station ID, cell (group) ID) frequency band SCS M value 46000 N41 15kHz NA 46000 N66 15kHz 3 46003 N1 30kHz 3

In an example, if the cell is successfully searched, the UE may report the cell search parameters corresponding to the currently accessed cell to the cloud server, and the cloud server updates the cell search prior parameters according to the cell search parameters reported by the UE.

In an example, the cloud server may judge the confidence of the cell search parameters reported by the UE, and selectively form and update the cell search a priori parameters. For example, if the SCS and M value parameters reported by the UE are different under the same PLMN, the same TAI, and the base station identifier, the cloud server can select a combination of SCS and M value that accounts for the largest proportion of the total data volume. As a cell search parameter, the combination of SCS and M value with a small amount of data is discarded.

Alternatively, in an example, the UE may also store the cell search parameters corresponding to the currently accessed cell, and update the cell search a priori parameters in the local memory for use in subsequent network searches.

In one example, cell search a priori parameters in UE local memory may also be updated based on user triggers. For example, by clicking or selecting, the user synchronizes the cell search a priori parameters in the UE with the cell search a priori parameters in the cloud server. This synchronization or update method is similar to the update of application software in the prior art. This will not be repeated here.

Alternatively, when the UE performs a cell search next time, it may request to obtain the updated cell search a priori parameters from the cloud server. For example, when the UE initiates a cell search, the RRC layer sends a request to the cloud server, and the cloud server delivers the cell search a priori parameters to the UE according to the request of the RRC layer. At this time, the UE may perform version comparison between the cell search priori parameters from the cloud server and the cell search priori parameter table in the UE local memory, and update the cell search priori parameters in the local memory.

In one example, the cell search a priori parameters in the UE memory can also be actively synchronized or updated by the UE periodically. For example, proactively sync with cloud servers on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Alternatively, the cloud server may also actively push the update of the cell search prior parameters to the UE. Those skilled in the art can understand that the updating of the cell search a priori parameters is not limited to the above manner.

According to the cell search method of the present application, by combining the big data of the cloud server or the self-learning function of the UE, the UE can construct a cell search a priori parameter table using the SCS and M values of cells successfully searched in history. If the UE can successfully search for a cell and camp on it according to the cell search a priori parameter table, the cell search time will be greatly shortened, and the search based on non-a priori cell search parameters can be effectively reduced. For example, for SCS that can support 15kHz and 30kHz, and synchronous grid frequencies with M values of 1, 3, and 5, there are six possible combinations of cell search parameters. If the cell search a priori parameters can be successful When a cell is found, it can save up to 5/6 of the search time.

Next, the flow of the cell search method according to the present application will be described with reference to FIG. 4 . FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a cell search method for a UE according to an embodiment of the present application.

When the UE is powered on and performs a cell search, as shown in Figure 4, in step 401, the RRC layer of the UE receives a network search request (PLMN_search_req) message from the NAS layer, and searches the current PLMN according to the network search request message. community. Step 401 corresponds to step 301 in FIG. 3 .

In an example, the PLMN of the wireless network can be preset in the SIM card, and the UE can directly read the PLMN from the SIM card. Alternatively, the UE may store the PLMN registered before the last shutdown or disconnection in the memory, so that it can be queried when the UE is turned on or connected to the network next time. The memory mentioned here can be any memory inside the UE, or it can be, for example, an external memory such as an SD card and a Micro SD card.

In one instance, if the SIM card does not have a preset PLMN or the UE does not store the PLMN registered before the last shutdown or disconnection, the NAS layer will follow the PLMN priority according to the provisions of the relevant protocol, such as RPLMN (Registered PLMN). , registered PLMN)>HPLMN(Home PLMN, home PLMN)>UPLMN(User Controlled PLMN, user controlled PLMN)>OPLMN(Operator Controlled PLMN, operator controlled PLMN) order to search the network.

Alternatively, the UE may also list all the PLMNs according to the provisions of the relevant protocol for the user to manually select.

Next, in step 402, the RRC layer of the UE sends a cell search request (cell_search_req) to the PHY layer to request the PHY layer to perform a cell search according to a priori frequency points. Step 402 corresponds to step 302 in FIG. 3 .

In an example, the prior frequency point is a frequency point corresponding to a cell successfully searched by the UE or other user equipment in the history. The frequency points here may include the frequency points corresponding to the above synchronization grids. The cells successfully searched by the UE in the history may be, for example, cells of the wireless communication network covering areas such as the user's home address or work place.

In one example, the UE may store the frequency points that it resided on before being powered off or offline last time in the memory as a priori frequency points to be queried when it is powered on or connected to the network next time. The memory mentioned here can be any memory inside the UE, or it can be, for example, an external memory such as an SD card and a Micro SD card.

In an example, there may be one or more a priori frequency points. If there are multiple a priori frequency points, the RRC layer will send a cell search request (cell_search_req) to the PHY layer multiple times to request the PHY layer to follow the These a priori frequency points perform the search.

In an example, as described above, some synchronization grid frequency points in the NR system may have different SCS and M values, then in step 302, the RRC layer may perform different synchronization grid frequency points for each synchronization grid frequency point. The SCS and M-values are extended to derive SSB searches corresponding to various SCS and M-value combinations.

In one example, the prior frequency points can be stored in the cloud server in the form of a list. Based on the search request message, the UE requests to obtain a priori frequency point list from the cloud server. Similarly, the UE can store and update the frequency point information that resided before the last shutdown or disconnection to the cloud server.

Next, in step 403, the PHY layer sends a cell search response message (cell_search_ind) to the RRC layer to notify the RRC layer whether the cell is searched for. Step 403 corresponds to step 303 in FIG. 3 .

If the cell is successfully searched according to the prior frequency point, in step 404, the UE will camp on the current cell, and the RRC layer will report to the NAS a successful network search confirmation message (PLMN_search_cnf).

In one example, the confirmation message of successful network search includes the cell identifier (Cell Identity). The steps or methods for the UE to successfully search for and camp on a cell are the same as those in the prior art, and are not repeated here.

However, when the historical and preset frequency points fail, for example, the user manually selects the network, the network fails to search for historical frequency points when the network is turned on, the user roams to the environment of other operators, and there is no preset relevant frequency point, the user enters the NR weak signal, or When a network search is required in a no-signal area and other abnormal scenarios, the UE cannot successfully search for a cell and camp on it based on the prior frequency point. At this time, the determination in step 403 is NO, and step 405 is executed next.

In step 405, the RRC layer performs a full-band scan to search for available cells, and the RRC layer sends a band scan request (band_scan_req) to the PHY layer. The RRC layer sends a frequency band scan to the PHY layer to obtain frequency information of the wireless network currently communicating with the UE. Step 405 corresponds to step 305 in FIG. 3 , and details are not repeated here.

Next, in step 406, the PHY layer will perform a search for all frequency bands supported by the UE in turn. When the PHY layer completes the full frequency band scan, it reports the frequency point information to be searched in the frequency band to the RRC layer with a frequency band scan response message (band_scan_ind). .

In an example, the PHY layer may arrange the frequency points to be searched in a certain order, for example, according to the received signal strength indication (Received Signal Strength Indication, RSSI) in descending order and report to the RRC layer.

In an example, the UE may also preset a signal strength threshold, and the PHY may only report the scanned frequency point information that meets the signal strength threshold to the RRC layer.

As mentioned above, some synchronization grid frequency points in the NR system may have different SCS and M values, then in step 402, the RRC layer can perform different SCS and M values for each synchronization grid frequency point expansion, resulting in SSB searches corresponding to various combinations of SCS and M values. If the search is performed against all possible SCSs and SSBs derived from M values, it will inevitably lead to longer search times. In addition, in practical situations, some operators' networks usually use only one combination of M value and SCS in some areas. If the search is still performed on SSBs of all possible combinations of SCS and M value, then most of the searches are performed. are invalid.

Next, according to the cell search method according to an embodiment of the present application, in step 407, the RRC layer will combine the cell search a priori parameters stored in the cloud server or the local memory of the UE according to the frequency point information reported by the PHY layer to form a cell search priori The cell search a priori parameter table and the cell search residual parameter table corresponding to the search frequency point.

In one example, the cell search prior parameter table indicates a priori mapping relationship between wireless communication information and cell search parameters, wherein the wireless communication information includes at least one of wireless network information, a frequency band, and a frequency point within the frequency band, and the cell search The parameter includes at least one of a subcarrier space (SCS) and an M value, and the prior mapping relationship indicates that the UE200 or other user equipment has successfully searched for a cell corresponding to the wireless communication information according to the cell search parameter in the history of the UE200 or other user equipment. In the case of , the mapping relationship between wireless communication information and cell search parameters.

For example, the wireless network information includes the PLMN of the wireless network, Tracking Area Identity (TAI), PLMN+RNAC (RAN-Based Notification Area), base station identifier and cell (group) At least one of the identifiers (Cell Identity(Group)).

Step 407 constitutes the cell search a priori parameter table and the cell search remaining parameter table corresponding to the frequency to be searched, which is the same as step 307 in the above-mentioned Fig. 3, and the cell search a priori parameter table can also be in the form of the above-mentioned Table 1, here No longer.

Similarly, taking the above Table 1 as an example, the cell search parameters in Table 1, which are a priori parameters of cell search, are formed according to the SCS and M values corresponding to cells successfully searched in history. Assuming that the PLMN is 46000 and the frequency band is N66, there are two types of SCS, 15kHz and 30kHz, and the M value can be 1, 3 or 5, so the corresponding cell search parameters can have six combinations. At this time, the SCS and M-value parameters in the cell search residual parameter table formed by the RRC layer should be other combinations excluding the cell search parameters in the cell search a priori parameter table. The cell search remaining parameter table may be in the form of Table 2 above, which will not be repeated here.

In step 407, after the cell search a priori parameter table and the cell search residual parameter table are formed, step 408 and step 409 are executed, that is, the RRC layer sends a cell search request (cell_search_req) to the PHY layer, and then the PHY layer sends a cell search request to the PHY layer according to the result of the cell search. The RRC layer sends a cell search response message (cell_search_ind) to notify the RRC layer whether a cell is found, and repeats this process until all the frequency points are traversed.

In step 408, the PHY layer first performs a cell search according to the cell search a priori parameter table. If the cell is successfully searched, step 404 is executed, that is, the UE will choose to camp in the current cell, and the RRC layer will report to the NAS the successful network search. Confirmation message (PLMN_search_cnf).

If the cell cannot be successfully searched, step 409 is executed again, and the PHY layer performs cell search according to the cell search remaining parameter table.

In an example, optionally, if a cell cannot be successfully searched for a cell according to the cell search parameters of a certain frequency band in the cell search a priori parameter table, the search for the frequency band can also be directly ended to speed up the network search.

In an example, optionally, the cell search a priori parameter table and the cell search residual parameter table may be formed in step 407 at the same time, and then step 408 and step 409 are executed respectively. Alternatively, the cell a priori parameter table may be constructed first in step 407, and in step 408, when the PHY layer fails to successfully search for a cell according to the cell search prior parameter table, the cell search remaining parameter table is constructed, and the execution is performed. The search of step 409.

In addition, those skilled in the art can understand that if the cell can be successfully searched according to the cell prior parameter table, the cell search remaining parameter table may not be formed. Alternatively, if it is confirmed that the current network does not have residual cell search parameters except for the cell search a priori parameters, the cell search residual parameter table may not be constructed.

Steps 408 and 409 are similar to the above-mentioned steps 308 and 309, and are not repeated here.

If no cell is found according to step 409, in step 411, the RRC reports the failure of network search to the NAS layer. If the cell is successfully searched, then in step 410, the UE will choose to camp on the current cell and update the cell search a priori parameters. The manner and method for the UE to select and camp on the current cell are the same as in step 404, which belong to the prior art, and are not described herein again.

Regarding updating the cell search a priori parameters in step 410, for example, if the UE does not successfully search for a cell according to the cell search a priori parameters in Table 1, then the PHY layer will search for the remaining parameters according to the cell search parameters shown in Table 2 above. Do a cell search. If a cell is successfully searched, the PHY layer reports the cell search parameters to the RRC layer, and the RRC layer updates the cell search a priori parameters according to the cell search parameters reported by the PHY layer. If the PHY layer successfully searches for a cell with a PLMN of 46000 and an N66 frequency band according to the cell search parameters with SCS of 15kHz and M of 5, the cell search parameters in the cell search prior parameters in Table 1 will be updated to the above table. 3. For details, reference may be made to the above-mentioned step 311, which will not be repeated here.

In addition, those skilled in the art can understand that the update of the cell search a priori parameters may not only be the update of the above-mentioned cell search parameters, but also the addition of entries. For details, reference may be made to the above-mentioned Table 4, which will not be repeated here.

In one example, if the cell is successfully searched, the UE may report the cell search parameters corresponding to the currently accessed cell to the cloud server, and the cloud server updates the cell search prior parameters according to the cell search parameters reported by the UE.

In one example, the cloud server may judge the confidence of the cell search parameters reported by all UEs, and selectively form and update the cell search priori parameters. For example, if the SCS and M value parameters reported by the UE are different under the same PLMN, the same TAI, and the base station identifier, the cloud server can select a combination of SCS and M value that accounts for the largest proportion of the total data volume. As a cell search parameter, the combination of SCS and M value with a small amount of data is discarded.

Alternatively, in an example, the UE may also store the cell search parameters corresponding to the currently accessed cell, and update the cell search a priori parameters in the local memory for use in subsequent network searches.

In one example, cell search a priori parameters in UE local memory may also be updated based on user triggers. For example, the user may click or select to synchronize the cell search a priori parameters in the UE with the cell search a priori parameters in the cloud server. This synchronization or update method is similar to the software update in the prior art. Here No longer.

Alternatively, when the UE performs cell search next time, it may request to obtain the updated cell search a priori parameters from the cloud server. For example, when the UE initiates a cell search, the RRC layer sends a request to the cloud server, and the cloud server delivers the cell search a priori parameters to the UE according to the request of the RRC layer. At this time, the UE may compare the cell search a priori parameters from the cloud server with the cell search a priori parameters in the local memory of the UE, and update the cell search a priori parameters in the local memory.

In one example, the cell search a priori parameters in the UE memory can also be actively synchronized or updated by the UE periodically. For example, proactively sync with cloud servers on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Alternatively, the cloud server may also actively push the update of the cell search prior parameters to the UE. Those skilled in the art can understand that the updating of the cell search a priori parameters is not limited to the above manner.

The cell search method according to an embodiment of the present application has been described in detail above with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 . According to the cell search method of an embodiment of the present application, by combining the big data of the cloud server or the self-learning function of the UE, the UE can construct a cell search priori parameter table using the SCS and M value of cells successfully searched in history. If the UE can successfully search for a cell and camp on it according to the cell search a priori parameter table, the cell search time will be greatly shortened, and the search based on non-a priori cell search parameters can be effectively reduced. For example, for SCS that can support 15kHz and 30kHz, and synchronous grid frequencies with M values of 1, 3, and 5, there are six possible combinations of cell search parameters. If the cell search a priori parameters can be successful When a cell is found, it can save up to 5/6 of the search time.

Referring now to FIG. 5, shown is a block diagram of a system-on-a-chip 500 according to one embodiment of the present application. System-on-a-chip 500 may include one or more processors 502 , system control logic 508 coupled to at least one of processors 502 , system memory 504 coupled to system control logic 1708 , non-volatile memory 504 coupled to system control logic 508 Memory (NVM) 506 , and network interface 510 to system control logic 508 .

Processor 502 may include one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Processor 502 may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (eg, graphics processors, application processors, baseband processors, etc.). In the embodiments herein, the processor 502 may be configured to perform one or more embodiments in accordance with the various embodiments shown in Figures 3-4.

In some embodiments, system control logic 508 may include any suitable interface controller to provide any suitable interface to at least one of processors 502 and/or any suitable device or component in communication with system control logic 508 .

In some embodiments, system control logic 508 may include one or more memory controllers to provide an interface to system memory 504 . System memory 504 may be used to load as well as store data and/or instructions. In some embodiments, memory 504 of device 500 may include any suitable volatile memory, such as suitable dynamic random access memory (DRAM).

NVM/memory 506 may include one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media for storing data and/or instructions. In some embodiments, NVM/memory 506 may include any suitable non-volatile memory such as flash memory and/or any suitable non-volatile storage device, such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive, hard disk drive), CD (Compact Disc) , CD-ROM) drive, at least one of DVD (Digital Versatile Disc, Digital Versatile Disc) drive.

NVM/memory 506 may include a portion of the storage resources installed on the device of device 500, or it may be accessed by the device, but not necessarily part of the device. For example, NVM/storage 506 may be accessed over the network via network interface 510.

In particular, system memory 504 and NVM/memory 506 may include temporary and permanent copies of instructions 520, respectively. The instructions 520 may include instructions that, when executed by at least one of the processors 502, cause the device 500 to implement the methods shown in FIGS. 3-4. In some embodiments, instructions 520 , hardware, firmware, and/or software components thereof may additionally/alternately reside in system control logic 508 , network interface 510 , and/or processor 502 .

In one embodiment, at least one of the processors 502 may be packaged with logic for one or more controllers of the system control logic 508 to form a system-in-package (SiP). In one embodiment, at least one of the processors 502 may be integrated on the same die with logic for one or more controllers of the system control logic 508 to form a System on Chip (SoC).

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a user equipment 600 according to an embodiment of the present application.

The user equipment 600 may include a processor 110, an external memory interface 120, an internal memory 121, a universal serial bus (USB) connector 130, a charging management module 140, a power management module 141, a battery 142, an antenna 1, an antenna 2 , mobile communication module 150, wireless communication module 160, audio module 170, speaker 170A, receiver 170B, microphone 170C, headphone jack 170D, sensor module 180, buttons 190, motor 191, indicator 192, camera 193, display screen 194, and Subscriber identification module (subscriber identification module, SIM) card interface 195 and so on. The sensor module 180 may include a pressure sensor 180A, a gyroscope sensor 180B, an air pressure sensor 180C, a magnetic sensor 180D, an acceleration sensor 180E, a distance sensor 180F, a proximity light sensor 180G, a fingerprint sensor 180H, a temperature sensor 180J, a touch sensor 180K, and ambient light. Sensor 180L, bone conduction sensor 180M, etc.

It can be understood that the structures illustrated in the embodiments of the present application do not constitute a specific limitation on the user equipment 600 . In other embodiments of the present application, the user equipment 600 may include more or less components than shown, or combine some components, or separate some components, or arrange different components. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

The processor 110 may include one or more processing units, for example, the processor 110 may include an application processor (application processor, AP), a modem processor, a graphics processor (graphics processing unit, GPU), an image signal processor (image signal processor, ISP), controller, video codec, digital signal processor (digital signal processor, DSP), baseband processor, and/or neural-network processing unit (neural-network processing unit, NPU), etc. Wherein, different processing units may be independent devices, or may be integrated in one or more processors.

The processor can generate an operation control signal according to the instruction operation code and timing signal, and complete the control of fetching and executing instructions.

A memory may also be provided in the processor 110 for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in processor 110 is cache memory. This memory may hold instructions or data that have just been used or recycled by the processor 110 . If the processor 110 needs to use the instruction or data again, it can be called directly from the memory. Repeated accesses are avoided and the latency of the processor 110 is reduced, thereby increasing the efficiency of the system.

In some embodiments, the processor 110 may include one or more interfaces. The interface may include an integrated circuit (inter-integrated circuit, I2C) interface, an integrated circuit built-in audio (inter-integrated circuit sound, I2S) interface, a pulse code modulation (pulse code modulation, PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous transceiver (universal asynchronous transmitter) receiver/transmitter, UART) interface, mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), general-purpose input/output (GPIO) interface, subscriber identity module (SIM) interface.

The wireless communication function of the user equipment 600, for example, the cell search method according to the embodiment of the present application, may be implemented by the antenna 1, the antenna 2, the mobile communication module 150, the wireless communication module 160, the modulation and demodulation processor, and the baseband processor.

Antenna 1 and Antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in user equipment 600 may be used to cover a single or multiple communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve antenna utilization. For example, the antenna 1 can be multiplexed as a diversity antenna of the wireless local area network. In other embodiments, the antenna may be used in conjunction with a tuning switch.

The mobile communication module 150 may provide wireless communication solutions including 2G/3G/4G/5G etc. applied on the user equipment 600 . The mobile communication module 150 may include at least one filter, switch, power amplifier, low noise amplifier (LNA) and the like. The mobile communication module 150 can receive electromagnetic waves from the antenna 1, filter and amplify the received electromagnetic waves, and transmit them to the modulation and demodulation processor for demodulation. The mobile communication module 150 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modulation and demodulation processor, and then turn it into an electromagnetic wave for radiation through the antenna 1 . In some embodiments, at least part of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 may be provided in the processor 110 . In some embodiments, at least part of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 may be provided in the same device as at least part of the modules of the processor 110 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the above-mentioned NAS layer, RRC layer, and PHY layer according to the embodiment of the present application may be provided in the mobile communication module 150 as functional modules.

The modem processor may include a modulator and a demodulator. Wherein, the modulator is used to modulate the low frequency baseband signal to be sent into a medium and high frequency signal. The demodulator is used to demodulate the received electromagnetic wave signal into a low frequency baseband signal. Then the demodulator transmits the demodulated low-frequency baseband signal to the baseband processor for processing. The low frequency baseband signal is processed by the baseband processor and passed to the application processor. The application processor outputs sound signals through audio devices (not limited to the speaker 170A, the receiver 170B, etc.), or displays images or videos through the display screen 194 . In some embodiments, the modem processor may be a stand-alone device. In other embodiments, the modem processor may be independent of the processor 110, and may be provided in the same device as the mobile communication module 150 or other functional modules.

In some embodiments, the antenna 1 of the user equipment 600 is coupled with the mobile communication module 150, and the antenna 2 is coupled with the wireless communication module 160, so that the user equipment 600 can communicate with the network and other devices through wireless communication technology. The wireless communication technologies may include global system for mobile communications (GSM), general packet radio service (GPRS), code division multiple access (CDMA), broadband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Time Division Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), BT, GNSS, WLAN, NFC , FM, and/or IR technology, etc.

The external memory interface 120 can be used to connect an external memory card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the storage capacity of the user equipment 600. The external memory card communicates with the processor 110 through the external memory interface 120 to realize the data storage function. For example to save files like music, video etc in external memory card. In the embodiment of the present application, the cell search parameter table may be stored in an external memory card connected through the external memory interface 120 .

Internal memory 121 may be used to store computer executable program code, which includes instructions. The internal memory 121 may include a storage program area and a storage data area. The storage program area can store an operating system, an application program required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), and the like. The storage data area may store data (such as audio data, phone book, etc.) created during the use of the user equipment 600 and the like. In addition, the internal memory 121 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, flash memory device, universal flash storage (UFS), and the like. The processor 110 executes various functional applications and data processing of the user equipment 600 by executing instructions stored in the internal memory 121 and/or instructions stored in a memory provided in the processor. In the embodiment of the present application, the internal memory 121 may be used to store a cell search parameter table, and the processor 110 may be configured to execute the cell search method according to FIG. 3-4 .

The SIM card interface 195 is used to connect a SIM card. The SIM card can be contacted and separated from the user equipment 600 by inserting into the SIM card interface 195 or pulling out from the SIM card interface 195 . The user equipment 600 may support 1 or N SIM card interfaces, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. The SIM card interface 195 can support Nano SIM card, Micro SIM card, SIM card and so on. Multiple cards can be inserted into the same SIM card interface 195 at the same time. The types of the plurality of cards may be the same or different. The SIM card interface 195 can also be compatible with different types of SIM cards. The SIM card interface 195 is also compatible with external memory cards. The user equipment 600 interacts with the network through the SIM card to implement functions such as call and data communication. In some embodiments, the user equipment 600 employs an eSIM, ie an embedded SIM card. The eSIM card can be embedded in the user equipment 600 and cannot be separated from the user equipment 600 . In the embodiment of the present application, the information of the wireless communication network such as PLMN can be stored in the SIM card.

Each method implementation of the present application can be implemented by means of software, magnetic components, firmware, and the like.

Program code may be applied to input instructions to perform the functions described herein and to generate output information. The output information can be applied to one or more output devices in a known manner. For the purposes of this application, a processing system includes any system having a processor such as, for example, a digital signal processor (DSP), microcontroller, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or microprocessor.

The program code may be implemented in a high-level procedural language or an object-oriented programming language to communicate with the processing system. The program code may also be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In fact, the mechanisms described herein are not limited to the scope of any particular programming language. In either case, the language may be a compiled language or an interpreted language.

One or more aspects of at least one embodiment may be implemented by representative instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, the instructions representing various logic in a processor, the instructions, when read by a machine, cause the machine to make Logic that implements the techniques described herein. These representations, referred to as "IP cores," may be stored on tangible computer-readable storage media and provided to multiple customers or production facilities for loading into the manufacturing machines that actually manufacture the logic or processors.

Although the description of this application will be presented in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this application are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the embodiments is to cover other alternatives or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present application. The following description will contain numerous specific details for the purpose of providing an in-depth understanding of the present application. This application may also be practiced without these details. Furthermore, some specific details will be omitted from the description in order to avoid obscuring or obscuring the gist of the present application. It should be noted that the embodiments in the present application and the features of the embodiments may be combined with each other under the condition of no conflict.

Additionally, various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the illustrative embodiments; however, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations do not need to be performed in presentation order.

As used herein, the term "module" or "unit" may refer to, be or include: an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a (shared, dedicated or group) process executing one or more software or firmware programs and/or memory, combinational logic circuits, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.

In the drawings, some structural or method features are shown in specific arrangements and/or sequences. It should be understood, however, that such specific arrangements and/or orderings may not be required. In some embodiments, the features may be arranged in a manner and/or order different from that shown in the illustrative figures. Additionally, the inclusion of structural or method features in a particular figure is not meant to imply that such features are required in all embodiments, and in some embodiments these features may not be included or may be combined with other features.

Embodiments of the mechanisms disclosed herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination of these implementation methods. Embodiments of the present application may be implemented as a computer program or program code executing on a programmable system including multiple processors, a memory system (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements) , multiple input devices, and multiple output devices.

Program code may be applied to input instructions to perform the functions described herein and to generate output information. The output information can be applied to one or more output devices in a known manner. For the purposes of this application, a processing system includes any system having a processor such as, for example, a digital signal processor (DSP), microcontroller, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or microprocessor.

The program code may be implemented in a high-level procedural language or an object-oriented programming language to communicate with the processing system. The program code may also be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In fact, the mechanisms described in this application are not limited in scope to any particular programming language. In either case, the language may be a compiled language or an interpreted language.

In some cases, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. In some cases, one or more aspects of at least some embodiments may be implemented by representative instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, the instructions representing various logic in a processor, which when read by a machine cause The machine fabricates logic for performing the techniques described in this application. These representations, referred to as "IP cores," may be stored on tangible computer-readable storage media and provided to multiple customers or production facilities for loading into the manufacturing machines that actually manufacture the logic or processors.

Such computer readable storage media may include, but are not limited to, non-transitory tangible arrangements of items manufactured or formed by machines or equipment, including storage media such as hard disks Any other type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, compact disks Disk Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), Compact Disk Rewritable (CD-RW), and Magneto-Optical Optical Disks; Semiconductor Devices such as Read Only Memory (ROM), such as Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) and Static Random Access Random Access Memory (RAM) such as memory (SRAM), Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), Flash Memory, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM); Phase Change Memory (PCM); Magnetic Cards or optical card; or any other type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.

Accordingly, embodiments of the present application also include non-transitory computer-readable storage media containing instructions or containing design data, such as a hardware description language (HDL), which defines the structures, circuits, devices, Processor and/or System Characteristics.

In conjunction with the above, the application also provides the following embodiments:

According to a first aspect of the present application, a cell search method for user equipment is provided, including: a radio resource control (RRC) layer unit of the user equipment obtains a cell search a priori parameter table, wherein the cell search first The experimental parameter table indicates a priori mapping relationship between the first wireless communication information and the first cell search parameter, wherein the first wireless communication information includes first wireless network information, a first frequency band, and a first frequency band within the first frequency band. At least one of a frequency point, the first cell search parameter includes at least one of a subcarrier space (SCS) and an M value, and the prior mapping relationship indicates that the user equipment or other user equipment The mapping relationship between the first wireless communication information and the first cell search parameter when the cell corresponding to the first wireless communication information is successfully searched according to the first cell search parameter in the history;

The RRC unit acquires second wireless communication information related to wireless communication performed by the user equipment, where the second wireless communication information includes second wireless network information, a second frequency band, and a second frequency band within the second frequency band. at least one of the frequency points;

In the case that the RRC unit determines that the first wireless communication parameter includes the second wireless communication information, the RRC unit searches the cell search priori parameter table for a location related to the second wireless communication information. the first cell search parameter of the prior mapping relationship, and the physical layer (PHY) unit of the user equipment searches for the cell of the wireless communication according to the found first cell search parameter.

In some embodiments, the first wireless network information includes a first public land mobile network identifier, a first tracking area identifier (TAI), a first PLMN+RNAC, a first base station identifier, and a first cell group identifier at least one of the symbols.

In some embodiments, the second wireless network information includes a second public land mobile network identifier, a second tracking area identifier (TAI), a second PLMN+RNAC, a second base station identifier, and a second cell group identifier at least one of the symbols.

In some embodiments, it further comprises: the RRC unit receives a network search request (PLMN_search_req) from a non-access stratum (NAS) unit of the user equipment to request the RRC unit to search for available cells, wherein the The network search request includes a second public land mobile network identifier;

In response to the network search request, the RRC unit sends a first cell search request (cell_search_req) to the PHY unit, so as to request the PHY unit to search for the cell according to the a priori frequency point corresponding to the PLMN, The a priori frequency points include the frequency points corresponding to the cells successfully searched by the user equipment or other user equipment in the history;

If it is determined that the PHY unit does not search for the cell according to the prior frequency point, the RRC unit sends a frequency band search request (band_search_req) to the PHY unit to request the PHY unit to search for the wireless said second frequency band of communications; and

The second frequency band of the wireless communication from the PHY unit is received.

In some embodiments, the radio resource control (RRC) layer unit of the user equipment obtains the cell search a priori parameter table, including: the RRC unit obtains the cell search a priori parameter table stored in the user equipment or the RRC unit sends a cell search a priori parameter table request to the cloud server to request the cloud server to send the cell search a priori parameter table and receive the cell search a priori parameter table from the cloud server .

In some embodiments, in the case that the RRC unit determines that the first wireless communication parameter includes the second wireless communication information, the RRC unit searches the cell search a priori parameter table for a parameter related to the first wireless communication parameter. The first cell search parameter for which the second wireless communication information has a priori mapping relationship, further comprising:

The RRC unit sends a second cell search request (cell_search_req) to the PHY unit, so as to request the PHY unit to search for the cell of the wireless communication according to the found first cell search parameter.

In some embodiments, the second cell search request (cell_search_req) further includes that the first cell is not included in the second cell search parameters related to the second wireless communication information supported by the wireless communication provider The remaining cell search parameters other than the search parameters, wherein the second cell search parameter includes at least one of the subcarrier space (SCS) and the M value.

In some embodiments, in the case that the PHY unit cannot successfully search for the cell of the wireless communication according to the found first cell search parameter, the PHY unit searches for the remaining cell parameters, The cell for the wireless communication is searched.

In some embodiments, it also includes:

In a case where the RRC unit determines that the first wireless communication parameter does not include the second wireless communication information, the RRC unit sends a second cell search request (cell_search_req) to the PHY unit to request the PHY The unit searches for the cell of the wireless communication according to a second cell search parameter related to the second wireless communication information supported by the provider of the wireless communication, wherein the second cell search parameter includes the subcarrier at least one of the sub carrier space (SCS) and the M value.

In some embodiments, it also includes:

In a case where the RRC unit determines that the first wireless communication parameter does not include the second wireless communication information, the PHY unit is based on a parameter supported by a provider of the wireless communication related to the second wireless communication information. The second cell search parameter is to search for the cell of the wireless communication, wherein the second cell search parameter includes at least one of the subcarrier space (SCS) and the M value.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: in the case that the found first cell search parameter includes the SCS or the M value, and the PHY unit successfully searches for the cell, or the PHY If the SCS or the M value based on which the unit successfully searches for the cell is inconsistent with the found first cell search parameter, the PHY unit will successfully search for the cell based on the SCS or the M value. SCS and/or the M value is sent to the RRC unit;

The RRC unit updates the cell search a priori parameter table according to the SCS and/or the M value from the PHY unit.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: in the case that the found first cell search parameter includes the SCS or the M value, and the PHY unit successfully searches for the cell, or the PHY If the SCS or the M value based on which the unit successfully searches for the cell is inconsistent with the found first cell search parameter, the PHY unit will successfully search for the cell based on the SCS or the M value. The SCS and/or the M value is sent to the RRC unit; and

The RRC unit sends the SCS and/or the M value from the PHY unit to the cloud server for updating the cell search a priori parameter table.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: if the PHY unit successfully searches for the cell, the RRC unit sends a network search request response (PLMN_search)_cnf) to the NAS unit, wherein the network search request The response includes the identifier of the cell.

According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed on the machine, cause the machine to perform the first aspect according to the present application the method described.

According to a third aspect of the present application, there is provided a user equipment, comprising: a processor; and a memory, on which instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the user equipment is made to execute according to the The method of the first aspect of the present application.

Claims (14)

A cell search method for user equipment, comprising: Acquire a priori parameters for cell search, where the priori parameters for cell search are parameters of the first wireless network corresponding to cells successfully searched by the user equipment or other user equipments in history, wherein the priori parameters for cell search include information of the first wireless network, at least one of a first frequency band and a first frequency point in the first frequency band, and at least one of a subcarrier space (SCS) and an M value, According to the cell search a priori parameter, a cell of a second wireless network that performs wireless communication with the user equipment is searched, wherein the information of the first wireless network includes information of the second wireless network. The cell search method according to claim 1, wherein the information of the first wireless network comprises a first public land mobile network (PLMN) identifier, a first tracking area identifier (TAI), a first PLMN+ At least one of RNAC, a first base station identifier, and a first cell group identifier. The cell search method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information of the second wireless network comprises a second public land mobile network identifier, a second tracking area identifier (TAI), a second PLMN+RNAC , at least one of a second base station identifier and a second cell group identifier. The cell search method according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The M value is 1, 3 or 5. The cell search method according to any one of claims 1-4, further comprising: Search the cell according to a priori frequency points, wherein the a priori frequency points include the frequency points corresponding to the cells successfully searched by the user equipment or other user equipment in the history; In a case where it is determined that the cell is not searched according to the a priori frequency point, the cell search a priori parameter is acquired. The cell search method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the acquiring a priori parameters for cell search comprises: obtaining the cell search a priori parameters stored in the user equipment, or The cell search a priori parameters are received from a cloud server. The cell search method according to claim 6, wherein in the case that the cell of the second wireless network cannot be successfully searched according to the cell search a priori parameters, the search is performed according to the remaining cell search parameters. the cell of the second wireless network, wherein the remaining cell search parameters are other cell search parameters supported by a provider of the second wireless network in addition to the cell search a priori parameters, wherein the remaining cell search parameters The cell search parameter includes at least one of the subcarrier space (SCS) and the M value. The cell search method of claim 7, further comprising: In the case that the information of the first wireless network does not include the information of the second wireless network, searching for all the information of the second wireless network according to the second cell search parameter supported by the provider of the second wireless network The cell, wherein the second cell search parameter includes at least one of the sub-carrier space (SCS) and the M value. The cell search method of claim 8, further comprising: In the case that the SCS or the M value on which the cell is successfully searched is inconsistent with the cell search a priori parameter, according to the SCS and/or the M value on which the cell is successfully searched value to update the cell search a priori parameters. The cell search method according to claim 9, wherein updating the cell search a priori parameter according to the SCS and/or the M value on which the cell is successfully searched further comprises: updating the cell search a priori parameters stored in the user equipment, or The cell search a priori parameters in the cloud server are updated. The cell search method according to any one of claims 1-10, further comprising: If the cell is successfully searched, the user equipment camps on the cell. A chip system, characterized in that the chip system includes a processor and a data interface, and the processor reads an instruction stored in a memory through the data interface to execute any one of claims 1-11 The described cell search method. A machine-readable medium, characterized in that instructions are stored on the medium, and when the instructions are executed on the machine, the instructions cause the machine to execute the method of any one of claims 1-11 . A user equipment, characterized in that it includes: processor; A memory having instructions stored on the memory which, when executed by the processor, cause the user equipment to perform the method of any one of claims 1-11.

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