CN115380571A

CN115380571A - Cell search method and device

Info

Publication number: CN115380571A
Application number: CN202080099605.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 付喆; ***
Original assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2020-05-14
Filing date: 2020-05-14
Publication date: 2022-11-22
Also published as: WO2021226953A1

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a cell search method and a cell search device, wherein the method comprises the following steps: the method comprises the steps that terminal equipment obtains first network slice information, the first network slice information comprises at least one piece of network slice information supported by the terminal equipment, the terminal equipment carries out cell search based on the first network slice information, a technical scheme for realizing the cell search after a network slice technology is introduced is provided, and the terminal equipment carries out the cell search based on the network slice information, so that the terminal equipment can directly search a cell of a network slice supported by the terminal equipment, and the process of the cell search is accelerated.

Description

Cell searching method and device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a cell search method and apparatus.

Background

With the pursuit of speed, delay, high-speed mobility, energy efficiency and the diversity and complexity in future life, the main application scenarios in the 5th generation cellular mobile communication system (5G, hereinafter also referred to as new radio, new air interface, or NR for short) are: enhanced Mobile broadband (eMBB) traffic, massive Machine-type Communication (mMTC) traffic, and high-reliability Low-Latency Communication (URLLC). In order to meet the requirements of the vertical industry on the aspects of delay, mobility, reliability, position precision and the like, a network slicing (network slicing) technology is introduced into a 5G system. The network slicing technique allows the network to be divided into multiple slices (slices), with different types of traffic being transmitted in different network slices without interfering with each other. For example, the services in the three application scenarios may be divided into three network slices, the charging policy, the security policy, the Quality of Service (QoS) policy, and the like of each network slice may be different, and the occurrence of large-scale traffic congestion in one network slice does not affect the normal operation of the services in other network slices.

After the network slicing technology is introduced, how the terminal device implements cell search is an urgent problem to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a cell search method and a cell search device, which can accelerate cell search.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a cell search method, which is applied to a terminal device, and the method includes:

acquiring first network slice information, wherein the first network slice information comprises information of at least one network slice supported by the terminal equipment;

performing a cell search based on the first network slice information.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a cell search apparatus, which is applied to a terminal device, and the apparatus includes:

an obtaining unit, configured to obtain first network slice information, where the first network slice information includes information of at least one network slice supported by the terminal device;

and the searching unit is used for searching the cell based on the first network slice information.

In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a terminal device, which includes a processor, a memory, a transceiver, and one or more programs, which are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, and which include instructions for performing some or all of the steps described in the method of the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for electronic data exchange, where the computer program makes a computer perform some or all of the steps described in the method of the first aspect.

In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product, where the computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, where the computer program is operable to cause a computer to perform some or all of the steps described in the method according to the first aspect of the embodiments of the present application. The computer program product may be a software installation package.

It can be seen that, in the embodiment of the present application, a terminal device obtains first network slice information, where the first network slice information includes information of at least one network slice supported by the terminal device, and the terminal device performs cell search based on the first network slice information, which provides a technical scheme for implementing cell search after introducing a network slice technology, and performs cell search based on the network slice information, so that the terminal device can directly search a cell of a network slice supported by the terminal device, and accelerate a cell search process.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network slice provided in an embodiment of the present application;

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

fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a cell search method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a cell search apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a computer device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The terminology used in the description of the embodiments section of the present application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments of the present application only and is not intended to be limiting of the present application. The terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc. in the description and claims of this application and in the accompanying drawings are used for distinguishing between different elements and not for describing a particular sequential order. Furthermore, the terms "include" and "have," as well as any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In order to better understand the scheme of the embodiments of the present application, the following first introduces related terms and concepts to which the embodiments of the present application may relate.

1) The terminal equipment is equipment with a wireless communication function, can be deployed on land and comprises an indoor or outdoor part, a handheld part, a wearable part or a vehicle-mounted part; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as a ship and the like); and may also be deployed in the air (e.g., airplanes, balloons, satellites, etc.). The terminal device may be a mobile phone (mobile phone), a tablet computer (pad), a computer with wireless transceiving function, a Virtual Reality (VR) terminal device, an Augmented Reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in unmanned driving (self driving), a wireless terminal in remote medical (remote medical), a wireless terminal in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), and the like. The terminal device may also be a handheld device with wireless communication function, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a computer device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a terminal device in a future 5G Network, or a terminal device in a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) for future evolution, and the like. The terminal devices in different networks may be called different names, for example: a user equipment, an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS), a remote Station, a remote terminal, a Mobile device, a user terminal, a Wireless communication device, a user agent or a user equipment, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) Station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a terminal device in a 5G network or a future evolution network, etc., which are not limited in this embodiment.

2) Network Slicing (Network Slicing): in a new generation of communication systems, network slices are introduced in order to meet the personalized needs of different services. By slicing the network resources, a single physical network can be divided into a plurality of logical virtual networks, independent network slices are distributed for a typical service scene, an enhanced network architecture is designed aiming at service requirements in the slices, effective resource distribution and flow optimization are realized, a plurality of network slices share a network infrastructure, the utilization rate of the network resources is improved, and optimal support is improved for different services used by different user groups. A network slice is mainly for a partition of a core network, and a RAN needs a specific Function to support multiple slices or support resource partitioning for different network slices, as shown in fig. 1, a network slice is generally a set of logical network functions that support communication service requirements of one or more situations, a terminal device reports a slice requirement, and a network device selects an appropriate Access and Mobility Management entity (AMF) according to the slice requirement reported by the terminal device to establish a service session between the terminal device and the network device, for example, based on a subscription or a type of the terminal device, the terminal device is guided to the selected slice in a manner that can meet requirements of an operator or a user.

3) Radio Resource Control (RRC) state: in order to reduce air interface signaling, quickly recover wireless connection and quickly recover data service in a 5G network environment, a new RRC state, namely an RRC _ INACTIVE state, is defined. This state is distinguished from the RRC _ IDLE (RRC IDLE) state and the RRC _ ACTIVE (RRC connected) state.

(1) RRC _ IDLE: the mobility is the cell selection reselection based on the UE, the paging is initiated by the CN, and the paging area is configured by the CN. There is no UE AS context on the base station side. There is no RRC connection.

(2) RRC _ ACTIVE: there is an RRC connection and the base station and UE have a UE AS context. The network terminal knows that the location of the UE is cell-specific. Mobility is network terminal controlled mobility. Unicast data may be transmitted between the UE and the base station.

(3) RRC _ INACTIVE: mobility is UE-based cell selection reselection, there is a connection between CN-NRs, UE AS context exists on a certain base station, paging is triggered by RAN, RAN-based paging area is managed by RAN, and network terminals know that UE location is based on RAN's paging area level.

4) Cell search: when the terminal equipment enters a system coverage area, the terminal equipment executes a cell search process so that the terminal equipment and a cell achieve synchronization in time slot and frequency. The terminal equipment in RRC _ IDLE state, RRC _ ACTIVE state and RRC _ INACTIVE state will perform cell search when the system moves, so as to realize mobility. In the cell search process, the terminal apparatus searches for a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB). The terminal device sweeps each supported frequency band in turn. The SSBs are located in a set of possible locations in each frequency band. The terminal device searches for the SSB using the synchronization grid, and after the SSB is found, the terminal device can obtain system Information such as a cell identifier and a Master Information Block (MIB).

5) A Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) is a Network established and operated by the government or its approved operator to provide Land Mobile communication services to the Public. The PLMN is identified by a Mobile Country Code (MCC) and a Mobile Network Code (MNC). To acquire network services such as voice, data, multimedia and the like, a mobile terminal first needs to select a suitable PLMN, perform cell search under the PLMN, and perform camping and initiate registration after finding an available cell. When The mobile terminal automatically selects a network, the terminal selects an appropriate PLMN for network registration according to The order of registering public land mobile network (Registered PLMN, RPLMN), local public land mobile network (Home PLMN, HPLMN), user Controlled public land mobile network (User Controlled PLMN, UPLMN), operator Controlled public land mobile network (Operator Controlled PLMN, OPLMN) and Other PLMN (Other PLMN) as specified in The third Generation Partnership project (3 gpp) TS23.122 protocol.

In a first part, the architecture and background of the communication system of the solution disclosed in the present application are presented below.

For example, please refer to fig. 2, fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes a plurality of Network devices 110 and a terminal device 120, where the plurality of Network devices 110 may be deployed in a Radio Access Network (RAN) 10, the number of the terminal devices 120 is usually multiple, and one or more terminal devices 120 may be distributed in a cell managed by each Network device 110, in this embodiment, when the terminal device 120 enters a system coverage range, the terminal device 120 executes a cell search process, and the terminal device 120 searches for a cell meeting a requirement in a coverage range of one or more Network devices 110.

Network device 110 and terminal device 120 may communicate with each other over the air interface, such as may be achieved through cellular technology. The scheme described in the embodiment of the present application may be applicable to a system of a 5G mobile communication technology, an evolved Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a communication system in which multiple communication technologies are integrated (for example, a communication system in which an LTE technology and an NR technology are integrated), or a subsequent Evolution communication system.

In the coverage area of the network device 110, the terminal device 120 may be connected wirelessly between the above devices in practical applications, and fig. 2 illustrates a solid line for convenience and intuition of the connection relationship between the devices. The communication link between network device 110 and terminal device 120 may include: downlink (DL) transmissions from network device 110 to terminal device 120, and/or uplink (Up Link, up) transmissions from terminal device 120 to network device 110. Downlink transmissions may also be referred to as forward link transmissions and uplink transmissions may also be referred to as reverse link transmissions.

The network device 110 in the RAN according to the embodiment of the present application may be a Base Station (BS), which is a device deployed in the RAN to provide a wireless communication function for a terminal. The base stations may include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, access points, and the like. In systems using different Radio Access technologies, names of devices having base station functions may be different, for example, in an LTE system, referred to as Evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB), in a 3G communication system, referred to as Node B (Node B), in an NR system, referred to as next generation Node (gnodeB, gNB), and Evolved Node B (ng-eNB), where the gNB and the terminal device communicate using NR technology, the ng-eNB and the terminal device communicate using Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) technology, and both the gNB and the ng-eNB may be connected to a 5G core network. The name "base station" may change as communication technology evolves. For convenience of description, in this embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned apparatuses for providing a wireless communication function for the terminal device 120 are collectively referred to as a network device.

It should be noted that the form and number of the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 shown in fig. 2 are only for example and do not constitute a limitation to the embodiment of the present application.

Currently, in order to meet the requirements of the vertical industry on delay, mobility, reliability, location accuracy, and the like, the RAN needs to enhance how to support vertical services in the access network. One of the ways is to provide a service with lower delay, higher targeting, higher flexibility and higher scalability for multiple services with different requirements based on network slices. More specifically, the RAN slice may allow application providers to participate in customizing the design, deployment, and operation of the RAN to better support the application provider's services. Therefore, release 17 introduces the enhancement of the access network to the slice, but Release 17 does not relate to the technical scheme of implementing cell search after introducing the network slice technology, and in the prior art, the information of the network slice is not considered during cell search, and the information of the network slice is not considered during the report of the PLMN information by the terminal device, which may cause the extension of the cell search process and influence the user experience.

In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a cell search method and apparatus, in which a terminal device obtains first network slice information, the first network slice information includes information of at least one network slice supported by the terminal device, and the terminal device performs cell search based on the first network slice information.

In the second section, the claims disclosed in the embodiments of the present application are presented below.

Referring to fig. 3, fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a cell search method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which can be applied to the communication system shown in fig. 2, as shown in fig. 3, the method includes the following steps:

s310, first network slice information is obtained, and the first network slice information comprises information of at least one network slice supported by the terminal equipment.

In this embodiment of the present application, when a terminal device needs to access a core network for service transmission, the terminal device may obtain information of at least one network slice that meets a service requirement of the terminal device, that is, information of at least one network slice supported by the terminal device.

The terminal equipment locally stores pre-configured first network slice information before registering to access the network, and can acquire the first network slice information from the SIM card. In some possible examples, the terminal device may also receive first network slice information from the network device, where the first network slice information may be carried in RRC signaling, MAC Control Element (MAC CE) signaling, or a broadcast message. It should be noted that the terminal device may receive the first network slice information from the network device, where the first network slice information is obtained by the frequency sweep this time, or obtained by the terminal device before this time, and this is not limited in this embodiment of the application.

Further, the RRC signaling may include, but is not limited to, any one of an RRC Release message, an RRC connection reconfiguration message, an RRC connection reestablishment message, an RRC connection setup message, an RRC connection resume message, or other RRC message.

Optionally, the first network slice information includes at least one of: network slice identification, frequency band, network slice priority, cell identification and frequency point identification.

The Network Slice identifier may include one or more Network Slice identifiers, that is, the first Network Slice Information may include a Network Slice identifier list, and the Network Slice identifier may be represented by Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (NSSAI). The NSSAI is formed by one or more pieces of Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI), each S-NSSAI is used to identify one Network Slice type, and may also be understood as S-NSSAI is used to identify a Network Slice, or may be understood as S-NSSAI is identification Information of a Network Slice, for example, a supported Network Slice includes a Network Slice 1 and a Network Slice 2, and a Network Slice in the first Network Slice Information for identifying the Network Slice 1 is identified as S-NSSAI 1, and a Network Slice in the first Network Slice Information for identifying the Network Slice 2 is identified as S-NSSAI 2. The terminal device may support 8S-NSSAIs. The S-NSSAI is composed of a service type (Slice/ServiceType, SST) and a Slice group (Slice identifier, SD) serving different terminal devices under the same SST. In some possible examples, the Network Slice Identity may be a Network Slice Identity (NSID) used to identify a Network Slice type.

Further, the first network slice information includes information of at least one network slice, and the information of each network slice in the first network slice information may include at least one of a network slice identifier, a frequency band, a network slice priority, a cell identifier, and a frequency point identifier, and thus, the frequency band, the frequency point identifier, the cell identifier, and the network slice priority may include one or more. In the embodiment of the present application, the first network slice information may be stored in a list form, as shown in table 1; the storage units may also be separately stored, which is not limited in this application.

TABLE 1

Network slice identification	Frequency band	Frequency point identification	Cell identity	Network slice priority
S－NSSAI 1	2570MHz－2620MHz	1	A	2
S－NSSAI 2	1880MHz－1920MHz	2	B	3
……	……	……	……	……

It should be noted that, one or more frequency points may be included in a frequency band in one network slice, and one or more cells may be included in one frequency point, and the number and data of the frequency bands, the frequency point identifiers, and the frequency point identifiers in table 1 are merely used for examples, and do not form a limitation to the embodiment of the present application.

And S320, searching the cell based on the first network slice information.

In this embodiment of the present application, when a terminal device enters a system coverage, a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) of the terminal device instructs an Access Stratum (AS) to perform cell search, and after receiving a cell search instruction of the NAS, the AS of the terminal device performs cell search based on the first network slice information.

Optionally, the performing cell search based on the first network slice information includes: determining target information for cell search based on the first network slice information, wherein the target information comprises at least one of a first frequency band, a first frequency point and a first cell; and searching the cell based on the target information to obtain the target public land mobile network PLMN information.

When the terminal device stores the cell search process of the cell information, the AS of the terminal device may screen target information to be searched for cell search based on the first network slice information, and notify the NAS of a cell search result. The terminal equipment can also search the full frequency band according to the self capability and setting, and then determine whether at least one of the searched frequency band, frequency point and cell is the frequency band, frequency point or cell corresponding to the network slice supported by the terminal equipment based on the first network slice information, if so, the terminal equipment informs the NAS of the frequency band, frequency point or PLMN information in the cell obtained by frequency sweeping, otherwise, the terminal equipment continues to search the cell.

The embodiment of the application provides a method for cell search based on network slice information, which carries out cell search based on at least one of frequency band, frequency point and cell of network slice, so that the cell searched by AS can meet the network slice requirement of terminal equipment, thereby accelerating the cell search process.

In a possible embodiment, the first network slice information is information of one network slice supported by the terminal device; the first frequency band is the frequency band in the first network slice information; the first frequency point is a frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier in the first network slice information; the first cell is a cell corresponding to the cell identifier in the first network slice information.

Specifically, if the first network slice information only includes information of one network slice supported by the terminal device, the terminal device may perform a search according to at least one of a frequency band corresponding to the network slice, a frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier, and a cell corresponding to the cell identifier.

In a possible embodiment, the first network slice information is information of a plurality of network slices supported by the terminal device;

the first frequency band is one of the following: any one frequency band in the first network slice information, all frequency bands in the first network slice information, and the frequency band corresponding to a first network slice priority in the first network slice information, wherein the first network slice priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle;

the first frequency point is one of the following: a frequency point corresponding to any one of the frequency point identifiers in the first network slice information, frequency points corresponding to all the frequency point identifiers in the first network slice information, and a frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier corresponding to a second network slice priority in the first network slice information, wherein the second network slice priority is determined based on a high priority preference principle;

the first cell is one of the following: a cell corresponding to any one of the cell identifiers in the first network slice information, cells corresponding to all the cell identifiers in the first network slice information, and a cell corresponding to a cell identifier corresponding to a third network slice priority in the first network slice information, where the third network slice priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle.

Specifically, if the first network slice information includes information of a plurality of network slices supported by the terminal device, the terminal device may randomly select at least one of a frequency band, a frequency point corresponding to a frequency point identifier, and a cell corresponding to a cell identifier in the first network slice information to search, or the terminal device searches at least one of all frequency bands, frequency points corresponding to all frequency point identifiers, and cells corresponding to all cell identifiers included in the first network slice. Further, if the first network slice information includes network slice priorities of a plurality of network slices, the terminal device may preferentially select at least one of a frequency band corresponding to a network slice with the highest network slice priority, a frequency point corresponding to a frequency point identifier, and a cell corresponding to a cell identifier according to the sequence of the network slice priorities to search, and if the terminal device does not search a suitable cell, the terminal device searches at least one of a frequency band corresponding to a network slice with a secondary network slice priority, a frequency point corresponding to a frequency point identifier, and a cell corresponding to a cell identifier, and so on until a suitable cell is searched. In the embodiment of the application, a method for searching a cell when a terminal device supports a plurality of network slices is provided, and the service of the network slices with the network slice priority is ensured, so that the cell searching process is accelerated.

In another possible embodiment, the first frequency band is a frequency band determined from at least one candidate frequency band; the first frequency point is a frequency point determined from at least one candidate frequency point; the first cell is a cell determined from at least one candidate cell; the at least one candidate cell, the at least one candidate frequency band and the at least one candidate frequency point are all information searched by the terminal equipment.

When the terminal device does not store the cell information, the terminal device may perform full-band search according to the capability and setting of the terminal device, so as to obtain at least one of at least one candidate frequency band, at least one candidate frequency point, and at least one candidate cell. And the terminal equipment determines the first frequency band from at least one candidate frequency band based on the frequency band in the first network slice information, determines the first frequency point from at least one candidate frequency point, and determines the first cell from at least one candidate cell. The embodiment of the application provides a cell searching method based on network slice information, at least one of a frequency band, a frequency point and a cell of searching is determined through the network slice information, so that the cell searched by an AS can meet the network slice requirement of terminal equipment, and the cell searching process is accelerated.

Optionally, the first network slice information is information of one network slice supported by the terminal device;

the first frequency band is the first candidate frequency band, the first candidate frequency band is matched with the frequency band in the first network slice information, and the at least one candidate frequency band comprises the first candidate frequency band;

the first frequency point is the first candidate frequency point, the first candidate frequency point is matched with the frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier in the first network slice information, and the at least one candidate frequency point comprises the first candidate frequency point;

the first cell is the first candidate cell, the first candidate cell is matched with a cell corresponding to the cell identifier in the first network slice information, and the at least one candidate cell includes the first candidate cell.

The terminal device matches at least one candidate frequency band with a frequency band in the first network slice information, and determines the first candidate frequency band as the first frequency band under the condition that the first candidate frequency band is matched with the frequency band in the first network slice information. And the terminal equipment respectively matches at least one candidate frequency point with the frequency points corresponding to the frequency point identifiers in the first network slice information, and determines the first candidate frequency point as the first frequency point under the condition that the first candidate frequency point is matched with the frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier in the first network slice information. And the terminal equipment respectively matches at least one candidate cell with the cells corresponding to the cell identifiers in the first network slicing information, and determines the first candidate cell as the first cell under the condition that the first candidate cell is matched with the cells corresponding to the cell identifiers in the first network slicing information.

Further, when any one of the at least one candidate frequency band, the at least one candidate frequency point, and the at least one candidate cell is not matched with the frequency band in the first network slice information, the terminal equipment AS may notify the NAS that a corresponding PLMN is not searched, or the AS may report a PLMN of a cell with the strongest signal quality in a Radio Access Technology (RAT) and/or indicate the PLMN AS a PLMN corresponding to a non-network slice to the NAS.

Optionally, the first network slice information is information of a plurality of network slices supported by the terminal device;

the first frequency band is the second candidate frequency band, the second candidate frequency band is matched with any frequency band in the first network slice information, or the second candidate frequency band is matched with the frequency band corresponding to a fourth slice priority in the first network slice information, the fourth network slice priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle, and the at least one candidate frequency band comprises the second candidate frequency band;

the first frequency point is the second candidate frequency point, the second candidate frequency point is matched with a frequency point corresponding to any frequency point identifier in the first network slicing information, or the second candidate frequency band is matched with a frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier corresponding to a fifth slicing priority, the fifth network slicing priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle, and the at least one candidate frequency point comprises the second candidate frequency point;

the first cell is the second candidate cell, the second candidate cell is matched with a cell corresponding to any cell identifier in the first network slice information, or the second candidate frequency band is matched with a cell corresponding to a cell identifier corresponding to a sixth slice priority, the sixth network slice priority is determined based on a high priority preference principle, and the at least one candidate cell includes the second candidate cell.

When the first network slice information comprises information of network slices supported by a plurality of terminal devices, the terminal devices respectively match at least one candidate frequency band with all frequency bands in the first network slice information, and under the condition that the first candidate frequency band is matched with any frequency band in the first network slice information, the first candidate frequency band is determined as a first frequency band; or when the first network slice information includes the network slice priorities of the plurality of network slices, according to the sequence of the network slice priorities, the terminal device matches at least one candidate frequency band with the frequency band corresponding to the highest network slice priority respectively, determines the first candidate frequency band as the first frequency band under the condition that the first candidate frequency band is matched with the frequency band corresponding to the highest network slice priority, otherwise, the terminal device matches the at least one candidate frequency band with the frequency band corresponding to the next highest network slice priority respectively, and so on until the first frequency point is determined.

And if the first candidate frequency band is not matched with the frequency band corresponding to the highest network slice priority, the fourth network slice priority is the next highest network slice priority, and so on.

In the embodiment of the present application, the method for determining the first frequency point and the first cell is similar to the method for determining the first frequency band, and is not described in detail here. The embodiment of the application provides a method for cell search when a terminal device supports a plurality of network slices, and ensures the service of the network slices with the network slice priority, thereby accelerating the cell search process.

Further, under the condition that one of the at least one candidate frequency band, the at least one candidate frequency point, and the at least one candidate cell is not matched with all frequency bands in the first network slice information, the terminal device AS may notify the NAS that a corresponding PLMN is not searched, or the AS may report a PLMN of a cell with the strongest signal quality in a Radio Access Technology (RAT), and/or indicate the PLMN AS a PLMN corresponding to a non-network slice to the NAS.

It should be noted that the first frequency band may include one or more frequency bands, the first frequency point may include one or more frequency points, and the first cell may include one or more cells. For example, when the first network slice information includes one network slice information supported by the terminal device, the first frequency band may include one frequency band, and when the first network slice information includes a plurality of network slice information supported by the terminal device, and the first frequency band is all frequency bands in the first network slice information, the first frequency band may include a plurality of frequency bands.

In a possible embodiment, the performing cell search based on the target information to obtain target PLMN information includes:

searching a target cell based on the target information, the target cell being at least one of: the cell with the maximum signal intensity value in the frequency points of the first frequency band, the cell with the maximum number of the network slice identifiers in the frequency points of the first frequency band, and the cell with the maximum number of the beams with the beam quality greater than or equal to a preset threshold in the frequency points of the first frequency band;

and determining the PLMN information corresponding to the target cell as the target PLMN information.

Specifically, after the terminal device AS determines the first frequency band, a cell with the largest signal intensity value in all frequency points of the first frequency band may be searched, for example, assuming that the first frequency band includes frequency point 1, frequency point 2 and frequency point 3, frequency point 1 includes cell 1, frequency point 2 includes cell 2 and cell 3, frequency point 3 includes cell 4 and cell 5, and the terminal device searches a cell with the largest signal intensity in all frequency points to obtain cell 4, then the target cell is cell 4. The terminal device may also search a cell with the largest signal intensity value in each frequency point of the first frequency band, for example, if the first frequency band includes frequency point 1, frequency point 2 and frequency point 3, frequency point 1 includes cell 1, frequency point 2 includes cell 2 and cell 3, frequency point 3 includes cell 4 and cell 5, the terminal device searches a cell with the largest signal intensity in each frequency point to obtain cell 1, cell 2 and cell 4, and then the target cell includes cell 1, cell 2 and cell 4. In a possible example, the terminal device may search for a cell in which the signal strength value in all frequency points or in each frequency point of the first frequency band is greater than or equal to the signal strength threshold and includes the largest number of network slice identifiers, or may search for a cell in which the signal strength value is most closely matched with the network slice of the terminal device within a certain range (for example, the number of matched user slices is the largest, or the number of matched network slices is the largest). In a possible example, the terminal device may search for a cell with the largest number of beams, where the beam quality of all frequency points or each frequency point of the first frequency band is greater than or equal to a preset threshold. And after the terminal equipment searches for the target cell, reporting PLMN information of the target cell to the NAS.

Further, when the terminal device searches each frequency point of the first frequency band, the first search result may include a plurality of cells. In order to optimize the PLMN selection process, the terminal device may further search, when the first search result includes multiple cells with the largest signal strength value, the multiple cells with the largest signal strength value including the cell with the largest number of network slice identifiers to obtain a second search result, and if the second search result includes multiple cells, the terminal device may further search, from the multiple cells, the cell with the largest number of beams whose beam quality is greater than or equal to the preset threshold. For example, assume that a first frequency band includes a frequency point 1, a frequency point 2, and a frequency point 3, the frequency point 1 includes a cell 1, the frequency point 2 includes a cell 2 and a cell 3, the frequency point 3 includes a cell 4 and a cell 5, the terminal device searches the cell with the largest signal strength in each frequency point to obtain the cell 1, the cell 2, and the cell 4, then the terminal device searches the cell with the largest number of network slice identifiers from the cell 1, the cell 2, and the cell 4 to obtain the cell 2 and the cell 4, then the terminal device searches the cell with the largest number of beams with the beam quality greater than or equal to a preset threshold from the cell 2 and the cell 4 to obtain the cell 2, and finally the cell 2 is used as a target cell.

Optionally, when the target information includes the first frequency point, the target cell is at least one of the following: the cell with the maximum signal intensity value in the first frequency point, the cell with the maximum number of the network slice identifiers in the first frequency point, and the cell with the maximum number of the beams with the beam quality greater than or equal to a preset threshold in the first frequency point.

Specifically, when the target information includes the first frequency point, the terminal device may search a cell with a largest signal intensity value in the first frequency point of the first frequency band, or the signal intensity value in the first frequency point of the first frequency band is greater than or equal to a signal intensity threshold and includes a cell with a largest number of network slice identifiers, or the cell with a largest number of beams with a largest beam quality in the first frequency point of the first frequency band greater than or equal to a preset threshold, or the signal intensity value in the first frequency point of the first frequency band is greater than or equal to a signal intensity threshold and includes a cell with a largest number of network slice identifiers and a largest number of beams with a largest beam quality greater than or equal to a preset threshold. And after the terminal equipment searches for the target cell, reporting the PLMN information of the target cell to the NAS.

Further, when the first frequency point includes multiple frequency points, the terminal device may search the cell with the largest signal intensity value in each frequency point, then search the cell with the largest number of network slice identifiers, and finally search the cell with the largest number of beams whose beam quality is greater than or equal to the preset threshold.

Optionally, in a case that the target information includes the first cell, the target cell is at least one of the following: the cell with the largest signal intensity value in the first cell, the cell with the largest number of the network slice identifiers in the first cell, and the cell with the largest number of the beams with the beam quality larger than or equal to a preset threshold in the first cell.

Specifically, when the target information includes a first cell and the first cell includes a plurality of cells, the terminal device may search a cell with a largest signal intensity value in the first cell of the first frequency point of the first frequency band, or the terminal device may search a cell with a largest number of network slice identifiers in the first cell of the first frequency point of the first frequency band, or the terminal device may search a cell with a largest number of beams whose beam quality is greater than or equal to a preset threshold in the first cell of the first frequency point of the first frequency band.

The method of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below by taking as an example that the first network slice information includes information of one network slice supported by the terminal device.

And when the terminal equipment enters the system coverage range, the NAS of the terminal equipment indicates the AS to search the cell. After receiving the cell search instruction of the NAS, the AS of the terminal device may preferentially select at least one of a frequency band in the first network slice information, a frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier, and a cell corresponding to the cell identifier to perform cell search based on the acquired first network slice information, so AS to obtain PLMN information. Specifically, the terminal device searches for a cell with the largest signal intensity value among all frequency points of the frequency band, and reports PLMN information of the cell to the NAS. The cell with the maximum signal strength value may be of each frequency point, or may be of all frequency points. Or the terminal equipment searches a cell with the maximum signal intensity value in the frequency points corresponding to the frequency point identification, and reports the PLMN information of the cell to the NAS. Or the terminal device searches the cell with the maximum signal intensity value in the cell corresponding to the cell identifier, and reports the PLMN information of the cell to the NAS.

In another possible example, when the terminal device enters the system coverage, the NAS of the terminal device instructs the AS to perform cell search. After receiving a cell search indication of the NAS, the AS of the terminal device may determine, based on the acquired first network slice information, that at least one of the searched second frequency band, the searched second frequency point, and the searched second cell is included in the first network slice information, that is, when the searched second frequency band, the searched second frequency point, and the searched second cell are respectively a frequency band corresponding to a network slice supported by the terminal device, a frequency point corresponding to a frequency point identifier, and a cell corresponding to a cell identifier, the terminal device notifies PLMN information of at least one of the scanned second frequency band, the scanned second frequency point, and the scanned second cell to the PLMN information, otherwise, the AS of the terminal device may notify that a corresponding PLMN is not searched, or report NAS information of the cell having the largest RAT signal intensity value and/or indicate that the PLMN information is PLMN information corresponding to a non-network slice. Specifically, the terminal device searches for a cell with the largest signal intensity value among all frequency points of the second frequency band, and reports PLMN information of the cell to the NAS. The cell with the largest signal intensity value may be of each frequency point, or of all frequency points. Or the terminal equipment searches the cell with the maximum signal intensity value in the second frequency point and reports the PLMN information of the cell to the NAS. Or the terminal equipment searches the cell with the maximum signal intensity value in the second cell and reports the PLMN information of the cell to the NAS.

It can be seen that, in the embodiment of the present application, a terminal device obtains first network slice information, where the first network slice information includes information of at least one network slice supported by the terminal device, and the terminal device performs cell search based on the first network slice information, which provides a technical scheme for implementing cell search after introducing a network slice technology, and the terminal device performs cell search based on the network slice information, so that the terminal device can directly search a cell of a network slice supported by the terminal device, thereby accelerating the process of cell search.

The following describes a cell search apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application in detail with reference to fig. 4.

Referring to fig. 4, fig. 4 is a cell search apparatus 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the apparatus 400 may be a terminal device. The apparatus 400 comprises: an acquisition unit 410 and a search unit 420.

In a possible implementation manner, the apparatus 400 is configured to execute various flows and steps corresponding to the terminal device in the cell search method.

An obtaining unit 410, configured to obtain first network slice information, where the first network slice information includes information of at least one network slice supported by the terminal device;

a searching unit 420, configured to perform cell search based on the first network slice information.

Optionally, the search unit 420 is specifically configured to:

determining target information for cell search based on the first network slice information, wherein the target information comprises at least one of a first frequency band, a first frequency point and a first cell;

and performing cell search based on the target information to obtain target Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) information.

the first frequency band is the frequency band in the first network slice information;

the first frequency point is a frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier in the first network slice information;

the first cell is a cell corresponding to the cell identifier in the first network slice information.

the first frequency band is one of the following: any frequency band in the first network slice information, all frequency bands in the first network slice information, and the frequency band corresponding to a first network slice priority in the first network slice information, wherein the first network slice priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle;

Optionally, the first frequency band is a frequency band determined from at least one candidate frequency band;

the first frequency point is a frequency point determined from at least one candidate frequency point;

the first cell is a cell determined from at least one candidate cell;

the at least one candidate cell, the at least one candidate frequency band and the at least one candidate frequency point are all information searched by the terminal equipment.

the first frequency point is the second candidate frequency point, the second candidate frequency point is matched with a frequency point corresponding to any frequency point identifier in the first network slice information, or the second candidate frequency band is matched with a frequency point corresponding to a frequency point identifier corresponding to a fifth slice priority, the fifth network slice priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle, and the at least one candidate frequency point comprises the second candidate frequency point;

Optionally, in the aspect of performing cell search based on the target information to obtain target PLMN information, the searching unit 420 is specifically configured to:

Optionally, when the target information includes the first cell, the target cell is at least one of the following: the cell with the largest signal intensity value in the first cell, the cell with the largest number of the network slice identifiers in the first cell, and the cell with the largest number of the beams with the beam quality larger than or equal to a preset threshold in the first cell.

It should be appreciated that the apparatus 400 herein is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" herein may refer to an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (e.g., a shared, dedicated, or group processor) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that support the described functionality. In an optional example, it may be understood by those skilled in the art that the apparatus 400 may be specifically a terminal device in the foregoing embodiment, and the apparatus 400 may be configured to execute each procedure and/or step corresponding to the terminal device in the foregoing method embodiment, and for avoiding repetition, details are not described here again.

The apparatus 400 of each of the above schemes has a function of implementing corresponding steps executed by the terminal device in the above method; the functions can be realized by hardware, and the functions can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software comprises one or more units corresponding to the functions; for example, the acquisition unit may be replaced by a transceiver and the search unit may be replaced by a processor.

In an embodiment of the present application, the apparatus 400 in fig. 4 may also be a chip or a chip system, for example: system on Chip (SoC). Correspondingly, the obtaining unit may be a transceiver circuit of the chip, and is not limited herein.

Fig. 5 illustrates a computer device 500 provided by an embodiment of the application, where the computer device 500 includes a processor 510, a memory 520, a transceiver 530, and one or more programs, where the one or more programs are stored in the memory 520 and configured to be executed by the processor 510.

In one possible implementation, the computer device is a terminal device, and the program includes instructions for performing the following steps:

performing a cell search based on the first network slice information.

Optionally, the performing cell search based on the first network slice information includes:

the first frequency point is one of the following: a frequency point corresponding to any one of the frequency point identifiers in the first network slice information, frequency points corresponding to all the frequency point identifiers in the first network slice information, and frequency points corresponding to the frequency point identifiers corresponding to a second network slice priority in the first network slice information, wherein the second network slice priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle;

the first cell is a cell determined from at least one candidate cell;

Optionally, the performing cell search based on the target information to obtain target PLMN information includes:

searching a target cell based on the target information, wherein the target cell is at least one of the following: the cell with the maximum signal intensity value in the frequency points of the first frequency band, the cell with the maximum number of the network slice identifiers in the frequency points of the first frequency band, and the cell with the maximum number of the beams with the beam quality greater than or equal to a preset threshold in the frequency points of the first frequency band;

It will be appreciated that the memory 520 may include both read-only memory and random access memory, and provides instructions and data to the processor. The portion of memory may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may also store device type information.

It should be understood that, in the embodiment of the present application, the processor 510 of the above apparatus may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), and the processor 510 may also be other general processors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, and the like. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

In implementation, the steps of the above method may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present application may be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or may be implemented by a combination of hardware and software elements in a processor. The software elements may be located in ram, flash, rom, prom, or eprom, registers, among other storage media that are well known in the art. The storage medium is located in a memory, and a processor executes instructions in the memory and combines hardware thereof to perform the steps of the above-described method. To avoid repetition, it is not described in detail here.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, where the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program for electronic data exchange, where the computer program makes a computer perform some or all of the steps described in the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

Embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, where the computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, and the computer program is operable to cause a computer to perform some or all of the steps described in the above method for a terminal device. The computer program product may be a software installation package.

It should be understood that the term "and/or" herein is merely one type of association relationship that describes an associated object, meaning that three relationships may exist, e.g., a and/or B may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various method steps and elements described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both, and that the steps and elements of the various embodiments have been described above generally in terms of their functionality in order to clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the technical solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

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

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the units is only one logical division, and other divisions may be realized in practice, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may also be an electric, mechanical or other form of connection.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one position, or may be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiments of the present application.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit. The integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware, or may also be implemented in the form of a software functional unit.

The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be substantially or partially contributed by the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution may be embodied in a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and other various media capable of storing program codes.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and these modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

A cell search method is applied to a terminal device, and the method comprises the following steps:

acquiring first network slice information, wherein the first network slice information comprises information of at least one network slice supported by the terminal equipment;

performing a cell search based on the first network slice information.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first network slice information comprises at least one of: network slice identification, frequency band, network slice priority, cell identification and frequency point identification.
The method of claim 2, wherein the conducting the cell search based on the first network slice information comprises:

determining target information for cell search based on the first network slice information, wherein the target information comprises at least one of a first frequency band, a first frequency point and a first cell;

and searching the cell based on the target information to obtain the target public land mobile network PLMN information.
The method according to claim 3, wherein the first network slice information is information of one network slice supported by the terminal device;

the first frequency band is the frequency band in the first network slice information;

the first frequency point is a frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier in the first network slice information;

the first cell is a cell corresponding to the cell identifier in the first network slice information.
The method of claim 3, wherein the first network slice information is information of a plurality of network slices supported by the terminal device;

the first frequency band is one of the following: any one frequency band in the first network slice information, all frequency bands in the first network slice information, and the frequency band corresponding to a first network slice priority in the first network slice information, wherein the first network slice priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle;

the first frequency point is one of the following: a frequency point corresponding to any one of the frequency point identifiers in the first network slice information, frequency points corresponding to all the frequency point identifiers in the first network slice information, and a frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier corresponding to a second network slice priority in the first network slice information, wherein the second network slice priority is determined based on a high priority preference principle;

the first cell is one of the following: a cell corresponding to any one of the cell identifiers in the first network slice information, cells corresponding to all the cell identifiers in the first network slice information, and a cell corresponding to a cell identifier corresponding to a third network slice priority in the first network slice information, where the third network slice priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle.
The method of claim 3,

the first frequency band is a frequency band determined from at least one candidate frequency band;

the first frequency point is a frequency point determined from at least one candidate frequency point;

the first cell is a cell determined from at least one candidate cell;

the at least one candidate cell, the at least one candidate frequency band and the at least one candidate frequency point are all information searched by the terminal equipment.
The method of claim 6, wherein the first network slice information is information of one network slice supported by the terminal device;

the first frequency band is the first candidate frequency band, the first candidate frequency band is matched with the frequency band in the first network slice information, and the at least one candidate frequency band comprises the first candidate frequency band;

the first frequency point is the first candidate frequency point, the first candidate frequency point is matched with the frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier in the first network slice information, and the at least one candidate frequency point comprises the first candidate frequency point;

the first cell is the first candidate cell, the first candidate cell is matched with a cell corresponding to the cell identifier in the first network slice information, and the at least one candidate cell includes the first candidate cell.
The method of claim 6, wherein the first network slice information is information of a plurality of network slices supported by the terminal device;

the first frequency band is the second candidate frequency band, the second candidate frequency band is matched with any frequency band in the first network slice information, or the second candidate frequency band is matched with the frequency band corresponding to a fourth slice priority in the first network slice information, the fourth network slice priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle, and the at least one candidate frequency band comprises the second candidate frequency band;

the first frequency point is the second candidate frequency point, the second candidate frequency point is matched with a frequency point corresponding to any frequency point identifier in the first network slicing information, or the second candidate frequency band is matched with a frequency point corresponding to a frequency point identifier corresponding to a fifth slicing priority, the fifth network slicing priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle, and the at least one candidate frequency point comprises the second candidate frequency point;

the first cell is the second candidate cell, the second candidate cell is matched with a cell corresponding to any cell identifier in the first network slice information, or the second candidate frequency band is matched with a cell corresponding to a cell identifier corresponding to a sixth slice priority, the sixth network slice priority is determined based on a high priority preference principle, and the at least one candidate cell includes the second candidate cell.
The method according to any of claims 3-8, wherein the performing a cell search based on the target information to obtain target PLMN information comprises:

searching a target cell based on the target information, the target cell being at least one of: the cell with the maximum signal intensity value in the frequency points of the first frequency band, the cell with the maximum number of the network slice identifiers in the frequency points of the first frequency band, and the cell with the maximum number of the beams with the beam quality greater than or equal to a preset threshold in the frequency points of the first frequency band;

and determining the PLMN information corresponding to the target cell as the target PLMN information.
The method according to claim 9, wherein in case that the target information includes the first frequency point, the target cell is at least one of: the cell with the maximum signal intensity value in the first frequency point, the cell with the maximum network slice identification number in the first frequency point, and the cell with the maximum beam number in the first frequency point, wherein the beam quality of the cell is greater than or equal to a preset threshold.
The method of claim 9, wherein in the case that the target information comprises the first cell, the target cell is at least one of: the cell with the largest signal intensity value in the first cell, the cell with the largest number of the network slice identifiers in the first cell, and the cell with the largest number of the beams with the beam quality larger than or equal to a preset threshold in the first cell.
A cell search device, applied to a terminal device, the device comprising:

an obtaining unit, configured to obtain first network slice information, where the first network slice information includes information of at least one network slice supported by the terminal device;

and the searching unit is used for searching the cell based on the first network slice information.
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first network slice information comprises at least one of: network slice identification, frequency band, network slice priority, cell identification and frequency point identification.
The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the search unit is specifically configured to:

determining target information for cell search based on the first network slice information, wherein the target information comprises at least one of a first frequency band, a first frequency point and a first cell;

and searching the cell based on the target information to obtain the target public land mobile network PLMN information.
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first network slice information is information of one network slice supported by the terminal device;

the first frequency band is the frequency band in the first network slice information;

the first frequency point is a frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier in the first network slice information;

the first cell is a cell corresponding to the cell identifier in the first network slice information.
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first network slice information is information of a plurality of network slices supported by the terminal device;

the first frequency band is one of the following: any one frequency band in the first network slice information, all frequency bands in the first network slice information, and the frequency band corresponding to a first network slice priority in the first network slice information, wherein the first network slice priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle;

the first frequency point is one of the following: a frequency point corresponding to any one of the frequency point identifiers in the first network slice information, frequency points corresponding to all the frequency point identifiers in the first network slice information, and a frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier corresponding to a second network slice priority in the first network slice information, wherein the second network slice priority is determined based on a high priority preference principle;

the first cell is one of the following: a cell corresponding to any one of the cell identifiers in the first network slice information, cells corresponding to all the cell identifiers in the first network slice information, and a cell corresponding to a cell identifier corresponding to a third network slice priority in the first network slice information, where the third network slice priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle.
The apparatus of claim 14,

the first frequency band is a frequency band determined from at least one candidate frequency band;

the first frequency point is a frequency point determined from at least one candidate frequency point;

the first cell is a cell determined from at least one candidate cell;

the at least one candidate cell, the at least one candidate frequency band and the at least one candidate frequency point are all information searched by the terminal equipment.
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first network slice information is information of one network slice supported by the terminal device;

the first frequency band is the first candidate frequency band, the first candidate frequency band is matched with the frequency band in the first network slice information, and the at least one candidate frequency band comprises the first candidate frequency band;

the first frequency point is the first candidate frequency point, the first candidate frequency point is matched with the frequency point corresponding to the frequency point identifier in the first network slice information, and the at least one candidate frequency point comprises the first candidate frequency point;

the first cell is the first candidate cell, the first candidate cell is matched with a cell corresponding to the cell identifier in the first network slice information, and the at least one candidate cell includes the first candidate cell.
The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first network slice information is information of a plurality of network slices supported by the terminal device;

the first frequency band is the second candidate frequency band, the second candidate frequency band is matched with any frequency band in the first network slice information, or the second candidate frequency band is matched with the frequency band corresponding to a fourth slice priority in the first network slice information, the fourth network slice priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle, and the at least one candidate frequency band comprises the second candidate frequency band;

the first frequency point is the second candidate frequency point, the second candidate frequency point is matched with a frequency point corresponding to any frequency point identifier in the first network slicing information, or the second candidate frequency band is matched with a frequency point corresponding to a frequency point identifier corresponding to a fifth slicing priority, the fifth network slicing priority is determined based on a high priority selection principle, and the at least one candidate frequency point comprises the second candidate frequency point;

the first cell is the second candidate cell, the second candidate cell is matched with a cell corresponding to any cell identifier in the first network slice information, or the second candidate frequency band is matched with a cell corresponding to a cell identifier corresponding to a sixth slice priority, the sixth network slice priority is determined based on a high priority preference principle, and the at least one candidate cell includes the second candidate cell.
The apparatus according to any of claims 13-19, wherein in the performing cell search based on the target information to obtain target PLMN information, the searching unit is specifically configured to:

searching a target cell based on the target information, wherein the target cell is at least one of the following: the cell with the maximum signal intensity value in the frequency point of the first frequency band, the cell with the maximum number of the network slice identifiers in the frequency point of the first frequency band, and the cell with the maximum number of the beams with the beam quality greater than or equal to a preset threshold in the frequency point of the first frequency band;

and determining the PLMN information corresponding to the target cell as the target PLMN information.
The apparatus of claim 20, wherein in the case that the target information includes the first frequency point, the target cell is at least one of: the cell with the maximum signal intensity value in the first frequency point, the cell with the maximum network slice identification number in the first frequency point, and the cell with the maximum beam number in the first frequency point, wherein the beam quality of the cell is greater than or equal to a preset threshold.
The apparatus of claim 21, wherein in the case that the target information comprises the first cell, the target cell is at least one of: the cell with the largest signal strength value in the first cell, the cell with the largest number of the network slice identifiers in the first cell, and the cell with the largest number of the beams with the beam quality greater than or equal to a preset threshold in the first cell.
A terminal device, characterized in that the terminal device comprises a processor, a memory, a transceiver, and one or more programs stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, the programs comprising instructions for carrying out the steps in the method according to any one of claims 1-11.
A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program for electronic data exchange, wherein the computer program causes a computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-11.