# US 2019/0174471 A1 · Signal Transmission Mode Switching Method, Base Station, and Terminal Device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0174471 A1 - Document ID: US20190174471A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/268,674 - Filed: 2019-02-06 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-08-12 - Applicants: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Qi Li - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190174471A1 ## CPC - H04W 36/305: {Handover due to radio link failure (control signalling for hand-off failure H04W36/0079)} - H04W 72/231: the control data signalling from the layers above the physical layer, e.g. RRC or MAC-CE signalling - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - H04W 72/21: in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network - H04W 72/23: in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal - H04W 48/12: using downlink control channel - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract The disclosure includes descriptions of methods and systems relate to a signal transmission mode switching method. On example method includes: when it is detected that signal transmission with a terminal device is abnormal, sending, to the terminal device, control instruction information that configures a signal transmission mode; and switching a current signal transmission mode to a to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode. The terminal device obtains, in a plurality of manners, a broadcast corresponding to the signal transmission mode to be switched to; determines, based on the broadcast, configuration information of the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode; configures the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the configuration information; and then switches the current signal transmission mode to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A signal transmission mode switching method, wherein the method comprises: detecting that signal transmission with a terminal device is abnormal; in response to detecting that signal transmission with the terminal device is abnormal, sending, to the terminal device, control instruction information that configures a signal transmission mode, wherein the control instruction information instructs the terminal device to switch a current signal transmission mode on the terminal device to a to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode; and switching the current signal transmission mode to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode, wherein the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode is a second signal transmission mode other than the current signal transmission mode. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting that the signal transmission with the terminal device is abnormal comprises: detecting that a received signal strength value of the terminal device is less than a first predetermined threshold; or detecting that a rate at which the terminal device sends an uplink signal is less than a second predetermined threshold. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the control instruction information comprises a new broadcast information element, wherein the terminal device determines, based on the new broadcast information element and a first broadcast, configuration information corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode, and the first broadcast is a broadcast corresponding to the current signal transmission mode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein before the switching the current signal transmission mode to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode, the method further comprises: adding a new broadcast information element to from a first broadcast corresponding to the current signal transmission mode or deleting a new broadcast information element from a first broadcast corresponding to the current signal transmission mode; and using an obtained broadcast as a second broadcast, wherein the terminal device determines, based on the second broadcast, configuration information corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode, and the first broadcast is a broadcast corresponding to the current signal transmission mode. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein before the switching the current signal transmission mode to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode, the method further comprises: sending uplink transmission resource indication information to the terminal device, wherein the uplink transmission resource indication information instructs the terminal device to: determine a uplink transmission resource; and transmit, to a base station by using the uplink transmission resource, a response message indicating successful configuration of the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, wherein the method further comprises: receiving the response message that indicates successful configuration of the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode and that is sent by the terminal device; and switching the current signal transmission mode to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the response message. ### Claim 7 A signal transmission mode switching method, wherein the method comprises: receiving control instruction information that configures a signal transmission mode and that is sent by a base station; and switching a current signal transmission mode to a to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the control instruction information, wherein the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode is a second signal transmission mode other than the current signal transmission mode. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the control instruction information comprises a new broadcast information element, and the method further comprises: determining, by a terminal device based on the new broadcast information element and a first broadcast, configuration information corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode, wherein the first broadcast is a broadcast corresponding to the current signal transmission mode; and configuring the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the configuration information. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein before the switching the current signal transmission mode to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the control instruction information, the method further comprises: receiving a second broadcast sent by the base station, wherein the second broadcast is a broadcast obtained after a new broadcast information element is added to or a new broadcast information element is deleted from a first broadcast, and the first broadcast is a broadcast corresponding to the current signal transmission mode; determining, based on the second broadcast, configuration information corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode; and configuring the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the configuration information. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein after the receiving control instruction information that configures a signal transmission mode and that is sent by a base station, the method further comprises: receiving a second broadcast sent by the base station, wherein the second broadcast is a broadcast corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode, the second broadcast comprises at least one of the following: an information element that is the same as an information element in a first broadcast; or an information element having a same property as an information element in at least one of a first broadcast or a newly added broadcast information element relative to the first broadcast, wherein the first broadcast is a broadcast corresponding to the current signal transmission mode; determining configuration information of the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the second broadcast; and configuring the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the configuration information. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein before the switching the current signal transmission mode to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the control instruction information, the method further comprises: separately receiving a first broadcast and a second broadcast; determining, from the first broadcast and the second broadcast, a broadcast corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode; determining, based on the broadcast corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode, configuration information corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode; and configuring the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the configuration information. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein before the switching the current signal transmission mode to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode, the method further comprises: receiving uplink transmission resource indication information sent by the base station; determining an uplink transmission resource based on the uplink transmission resource indication information; and transmitting, to the base station by using the uplink transmission resource, a response message indicating successful configuration of the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode. ### Claim 13 A terminal device, wherein the terminal device comprises: a receiver, configured to receive control instruction information that configures a signal transmission mode and that is sent by a base station; and a processor, configured to switch a current signal transmission mode to a to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the control instruction information, wherein the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode is a second signal transmission mode other than the current signal transmission mode. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The terminal device according to claim 13, wherein the control instruction information comprises a new broadcast information element, and the processor is configured to: determine, based on the new broadcast information element and a first broadcast, configuration information corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode, wherein the first broadcast is a broadcast corresponding to the current signal transmission mode; and configure the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the configuration information. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The terminal device according to claim 13, wherein the receiver is further configured to: before the processor switches the current signal transmission mode to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the control instruction information, receive a second broadcast sent by the base station, wherein the second broadcast is a broadcast obtained after a new broadcast information element is added to or a new broadcast information element is deleted from a first broadcast, and the first broadcast is a broadcast corresponding to the current signal transmission mode; and the processor is further configured to: determine, based on the second broadcast, configuration information corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode; and configure the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the configuration information. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The terminal device according to claim 13, wherein the receiver is further configured to: after receiving the control instruction information that configures the signal transmission mode and that is sent by the base station, receive a second broadcast sent by the base station, wherein the second broadcast is a broadcast corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode, the second broadcast comprises at least one of the following: an information element the same as an information element in a first broadcast; or an information element having a same property as an information element in at least one of a first broadcast or a new broadcast information element relative to the first broadcast, wherein the first broadcast is a broadcast corresponding to the current signal transmission mode; and the processor is further configured to: determine configuration information of the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the second broadcast; and configure the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the configuration information. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The terminal device according to claim 13, wherein the receiver is further configured to: before the processor switches the current signal transmission mode to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the control instruction information, separately receive a first broadcast and a second broadcast; and determine, from the first broadcast and the second broadcast, a broadcast corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode; and the processor is further configured to: determine, based on the broadcast corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode, configuration information corresponding to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode; and configure the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode based on the configuration information. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The terminal device according to claim 13, wherein the terminal device further comprises a transmitter; the receiver is further configured to: before the processor switches the current signal transmission mode to the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode, receive uplink transmission resource indication information sent by the base station; the processor is further configured to determine an uplink transmission resource based on the uplink transmission resource indication information; and the transmitter is configured to transmit, to the base station by using the uplink transmission resource, a response message indicating successful configuration of the to-be-switched-to signal transmission mode.