SMTC shifting for non-terrestrial networks

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) is configured to: receive synchronization signal (SS) / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block measurement timing information (SMTC) configuration information, the configuration information including at least two SMTC windows within an SMTC period; determining an association between the first satellite and a first one of the SMTC windows and between the second satellite and a second one of the SMTC windows; receiving first SMTC information of the first satellite during a first one of the SMTC windows, and receiving second SMTC information of the second satellite during a second one of the SMTC windows; and determining a first time shift of a first one of the SMTC windows within the SMTC period based on the first SMTC information, and determining a second time shift of a second one of the SMTC windows within the SMTC period based on the second SMTC information.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and in particular to SMTC shift for non-terrestrial networks. BACKGROUND

[0002] Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) refer to networks or network segments that use aerial or space vehicles (e.g., satellites) for transmission. An NTN network can provide a SS / PBCH block measurement timing information (SMTC) information period to a user equipment (UE), which the UE can use to determine an association between SMTC information and a satellite. However, due to the constant movement of the satellite, the SMTC period window can not always correspond to the satellite. Thus, due to the movement of the satellite, the UE can not be able to associate the SMTC information with the satellite previously associated with the SMTC information. SUMMARY

[0003] Some example embodiments relate to a method performed by a user equipment (UE). The method includes receiving synchronization signal (SS) / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block measurement timing information (SMTC) configuration information, the configuration information including at least two SMTC windows within an SMTC period; determining an association between a first satellite and a first SMTC window of the SMTC windows and a second satellite and a second SMTC window of the SMTC windows; receiving first SMTC information of the first satellite during the first SMTC window of the SMTC windows and second SMTC information of the second satellite during the second SMTC window of the SMTC windows; and determining a first time shift of the first SMTC window of the SMTC windows within the SMTC period based on the first SMTC information and a second time shift of the second SMTC window of the SMTC windows within the SMTC period based on the second SMTC information.

[0004] Other example embodiments relate to one or more processors configured to: receive synchronization signal (SS) / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) configuration information, the configuration information including at least two SMTC windows within an SMTC period; determine an association between a first satellite and a first SMTC window of the SMTC windows and a second satellite and a second SMTC window of the SMTC windows; receive first SMTC information of the first satellite during the first SMTC window of the SMTC windows and second SMTC information of the second satellite during the second SMTC window of the SMTC windows; and determine a first time shift of the first SMTC window of the SMTC windows within the SMTC period based on the first SMTC information and a second time shift of the second SMTC window of the SMTC windows within the SMTC period based on the second SMTC information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 An example network arrangement is shown in accordance with various example embodiments.

[0006] Figure 2 An example user equipment (UE) is shown in accordance with various example embodiments.

[0007] Figure 3A A first example scenario in which a UE receives SMTC measurement configuration from a network is shown in accordance with various example embodiments.

[0008] Figure 3B A second example scenario in which a UE receives SMTC measurement configuration from a network and shifts SMTC windows is shown in accordance with various example embodiments.

[0009] Figure 4 A third example scenario in which a UE performs SMTC window shifting based on SMTC information received from a network is shown in accordance with various example embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The example embodiments can be further understood with reference to the following description and

[0011] Exemplary embodiments are described with respect to a UE. However, references to a UE are provided for illustrative purposes only. Exemplary embodiments can be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Thus, a UE as described herein is used to represent any appropriate type of electronic component capable of connecting to an NTN and performing SMTC shifting in the NTN.

[0012] Exemplary embodiments are also described with respect to SMTC shifting. SMTC shifting occurs when a UE shifts a SMTC window within a SMTC period in the time domain, such that the SMTC window associated with a satellite is shifted according to the movement of the satellite to ensure that the satellite can be measured within the SMTC window. In some cases, the SMTC window in the SMTC period can overlap due to the shifting. Thus, in exemplary embodiments, an NTN UE can be configured to shift the SMTC window using various rules to avoid overlapping with other SMTC windows. As will be described herein, in one aspect, an NTN system can send SMTC configuration information that can be associated with a particular satellite within a SMTC window. In other aspects, an NTN UE can need to determine the association between a SMTC and a satellite within a SMTC window. Based on the SMTC configuration, the NTN UE can be configured to determine which direction to shift the SMTC window to measure the satellite associated with the SMTC window, as will be described in more detail below.

[0013] In 5G NR, an NTN can use an aerial vehicle or a space vehicle for transmission. In one example, the aerial vehicle can include a satellite, such as a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a highly eccentric orbit (HEO) satellite, or another type of satellite. In another example, the space vehicle can include a high altitude platform (HAPS).

[0014] Exemplary embodiments are directed to introducing SMTC configuration information associated with a particular satellite for a UE to allow the UE to perform SMTC shifting in the time domain for the satellite. In other exemplary embodiments, a UE can be configured to perform satellite detection in a SMTC window at a particular time to determine which satellites can be associated with the SMTC window. Based on the satellite detection, the UE can perform a set of operations. In one aspect, the UE can be configured to use a particular satellite as a reference satellite for SMTC and perform SMTC shifting based on the reference satellite. In another aspect, the UE can be configured to select a direction of shifting for a SMTC window to avoid collision with other SMTC windows. In another aspect, the UE can be configured to shift a SMTC window according to a direction in which a satellite moves within a SMTC period, such that shifting the SMTC window can not result in overlapping with other SMTC windows in the SMTC period.

[0015] Figure 1 An example network arrangement 100 is shown in accordance with various example embodiments. The example network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE 110 can be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, tablet computer, desktop computer, smart phone, phablet, embedded device, wearable device (e.g., a head-mounted display (HMD), AR glasses, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. It will also be appreciated that a practical network arrangement can include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Thus, the example of a single UE 110 is provided for illustrative purposes only.

[0016] The UE 110 can be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of the network arrangement 100, the network with which the UE 110 can wirelessly communicate is a 5G NR Radio Access Network (RAN) 120. However, the UE 110 can also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., a 5G Cloud RAN, a Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN), a Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, a traditional cellular network, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc.), and the UE 110 can also communicate with networks through a wired connection. With reference to the example embodiments, the UE 110 can establish a connection with at least the 5G NR RAN 120. Thus, the UE 110 can have a 5G NR chipset to communicate with the NR RAN 120.

[0017] The 5G NR RAN 120 can be part of a cellular network that can be deployed by a network operator (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). The 5G NR RAN 120 can include, for example, a cell or base station (Node B, eNodeB, HeNB, eNB, gNB, gNodeB, macrocell, microcell, small cell, femtocell, etc.) configured to transmit and receive traffic from UEs equipped with the appropriate cellular chipset.

[0018] In the network arrangement 100, the UE 110 can connect to the 5G NR-RAN 120 via the gNB 120A. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any association procedure can be performed for connecting the UE 110 to the 5G NR-RAN 120. For example, as described above, the 5G NR-RAN 120 can be associated with a particular cellular provider at which the UE 110 and / or its user has an agreement and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR-RAN 120, the UE 110 can transmit the corresponding credential information to associate with the 5G NR-RAN 120.

[0019] UE 110 can connect to gNB 120A via satellite 130. Satellite 130 can communicate with UE 110 via a service link or wireless interface. Satellite 130 can also communicate with gNB 120A via a feeder link or wireless interface. In some embodiments, satellite 130 can operate as a passive or transparent network relay node between UE 110 and gNB 120A. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any associated procedures can be performed to connect satellite 130 to UE 110 and gNB 120A.

[0020] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that network arrangement 100 can also include various other networks and components, such as a cellular core network, the Internet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), etc. However, these other networks / components are not relevant to the example embodiments and therefore will not be described in further detail.

[0021] Figure 2 An example UE 110 according to various example embodiments is shown. UE 110 will be described with reference to network arrangement 100 of Figure 1 UE 110 can include a processor 205, a memory arrangement 210, a display device 215, an input / output (I / O) device 220, a transceiver 225, and other components 230. Other components 230 can include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a power source, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting UE 110 to other electronic devices, etc.

[0022] Processor 205 can be configured to execute various engines of UE 110. For example, the engines can include an SMTC shift engine 235. SMTC shift engine 235 can perform various operations involving: example reception of SMTC information associated with a particular satellite; performance of satellite detection in an SMTC window at a time (Tl); and shifting of the SMTC window in a particular direction based on the SMTC information received from the network to avoid the SMTC window overlapping in the SMTC cycle. These operations will be described in detail below.

[0023] The engine 235 referenced above is provided for illustrative purposes only as an application (e.g., program) executed by the processor 205. The functionality associated with the engine 235 can also be represented as a separate combined component of the UE 110 or can be a modular component coupled to the UE 110, e.g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit can include input circuitry to receive signals and processing circuitry to process the signals and other information. The engine can also be embodied as one application or multiple separate applications. Moreover, in some UEs, the functionality described with respect to the processor 205 is split between two or more processors, such as a baseband processor and an application processor. The example embodiments can be implemented in accordance with any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0024] The memory arrangement 210 can be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110. The display device 215 can be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, while the I / O device 220 can be a hardware component that enables the user to enter input. The display device 215 and the I / O device 220 can be separate components or can be integrated together, such as a touchscreen. The transceiver 225 can be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN 120 and / or any other appropriate type of network. Thus, the transceiver 225 can operate on various different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of contiguous frequencies).

[0025] As described above, example embodiments are directed to introducing techniques performed by a UE for shifting a SMTC window associated with a satellite in a SMTC window in an NTN. In some example embodiments, the network can configure the UE with SMTC information associated with a particular satellite. In one option, the network can configure one SMTC for one satellite. In another option, the network can configure one SMTC index for one group of satellites. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these configurations are not limited to these and other configurations can be configured for the UE. Thus, in example embodiments, the UE can perform SMTC window shifting based on the SMTC configuration received from the network. In other example embodiments, the network can configure the UE with a SMTC window without any association between the SMTC information within the SMTC window and a satellite. Thus, in these example embodiments, the UE can perform satellite detection within the SMTC window and perform SMTC window shifting based on the detected satellite associated with the SMTC window using various operations as will be described in greater detail below.

[0026] Figure 3A A first example scenario 300 is shown in which a UE receives a SMTC measurement configuration from a network in accordance with various example embodiments. Reference will be made to FIG. 1 in describing the example scenario 300.Figure 1 Network layout 100 and Figure 2 UE110 to describe Figure 3A .

[0027] like Figure 3A As shown, the network can provide SMTC information for a carrier on UE 110 in the form of an SMTC measurement configuration. The SMTC measurement configuration can be received by UE 110 via a System Information Block (SIB). In this exemplary scenario 300, the SMTC measurement configuration may include an SMTC period 335, which includes a first SMTC window 305 (with an SMTC offset 310) and a second SMTC window 320 (with an SMTC offset 330). As shown in FIG3, if SMTC windows 305 and 320 are not shifted, then SMTC windows 305 and 320 will repeat simultaneously in each SMTC period. In this example, the SMTC measurement configuration may or may not include the association between satellites and corresponding SMTC windows. For example, if the SMTC measurement configuration includes satellite information corresponding to SMTC windows 305 and 320, then information indicating that satellite 310 corresponds to SMTC window 305 and satellite 325 corresponds to SMTC window 320 will be provided to UE 110; for example, UE 110 will receive SMTC information from the satellites in the corresponding SMTC windows. If the SMTC measurement configuration does not include satellite information corresponding to the SMTC window, UE 110 will perform blind detection to determine which satellite is transmitting SMTC information during SMTC windows 305 and 320.

[0028] In either case, in this example, UE 110 will determine that satellite 310 transmits SMTC information during SMTC window 305, and satellite 325 transmits SMTC information during SMTC window 320. As those skilled in the art will understand, the satellite's SMTC information may include various information about the satellite, including, for example, the trajectory the satellite is moving along, the speed the satellite is moving along, etc. For example, Figure 3 shows the trajectory of each of satellites 310 and 325. Based on this information, UE 110 can understand that the SMTC window corresponding to the satellite may have to shift within SMTC period 335 to allow UE 110 to continue detecting SMTC information transmitted by the satellite.

[0029] Figure 3B A second exemplary scenario is illustrated, according to various exemplary embodiments, in which the UE receives SMTC measurement configuration from the network and shifts the SMTC window. It should be understood that... Figure 3B It shows the relationship with Figure 3B The same SMTC, but at a later time, for example, Figure 3B SMTC cycle 335 in Figure 3Aafter the SMTC period in Figure 3B The SMTC windows 305 and 320 in Figure 3A The SMTC windows 305 and 320 in Figure 3A are the same as in Figure 3A However, in this example, the satellites have moved since the scenario in Figure 3B In Figure 3B , the UE has used the SMTC information collected during the SMTC windows 305 and 320 to shift the SMTC windows 305 and 320 within the SMTC period 335, as shown in Figure 3B In this example, the SMTC windows 305 and 320 have been shifted such that they overlap at the time of Figure 3B However, this is for illustrative purposes only, and depending on the SMTC information, the SMTC windows 305 and 320 can or can not overlap at any particular time. In this example, overlap is shown because at the time of the UE 110 is not capable of measuring SMTC information for both satellites 310 and 325 simultaneously, e.g., the UE 110 does not have the capability to measure satellites 310 and 325 simultaneously during the overlapping SMTC windows.

[0030] Figure 3B Accordingly, example embodiments provide ways to handle scenarios in which SMTC window shifting can result in overlapping windows as shown in Figure 3A In some example embodiments, as described above, the SMTC measurement configuration provided by the network (e.g., in a SIB) will indicate the association between SMTC information and a particular satellite. The SMTC information can include the SMTC window size, the SMTC period, the offset, and the SMTC index. Accordingly, in the examples of Figure 3B and the SMTC information can include information indicating that satellite 310 corresponds to SMTC window 305 and satellite 325 corresponds to SMTC window 320.

[0031] In these example embodiments, the network will prioritize one of the satellites, e.g., satellite 310 or 325. The UE will measure / detect the prioritized satellite in the corresponding SMTC window. For example, if satellite 310 is prioritized, then the UE 110 will detect the SMTC information during SMTC window 305. Based on this SMTC information, the UE 110 will shift the SMTC window 305 within the SMTC period 335, e.g., as shown in Figure 3BThe UE 110 can measure / detect SMTC information of the satellite 310 during the SMTC window 305, and continue to measure / detect the satellite 310’s SMTC information during the SMTC window 305. The UE 110 can measure / detect the satellite 325 in the SMTC window 320. However, in the case that the SMTC windows 305 and 320 overlap, the UE 110 will ignore measuring the satellite 325, e.g., the UE 110 will measure / detect the satellite 310 which is the prioritized satellite.

[0032] As described above, the SMTC window 305 can be shifted based on SMTC information received from the satellite 310. This SMTC information used for SMTC window shifting can be referred to as ephemeris information (satellite movement) of the satellite 310.

[0033] In the above example, it is considered that the SMTC configuration information associates a single satellite with a single SMTC window. However, in other example embodiments, the SMTC configuration information can associate a group of satellites (e.g., one or more satellites) with one SMTC window. For example, in FIG. 3, the satellite 310 can be considered as two satellites (e.g., satellite 310a and satellite 310b). Thus, in this example, both the satellites 310a and 310b can be associated with the SMTC window 305, e.g., the UE 110 can measure / detect the SMTC information of the satellites 310a and 310b during the SMTC window 305. In this scenario, the above-described example embodiments can also apply, e.g., instead of prioritizing a single satellite, a group of satellites can be prioritized, and this group of satellites will always be measured during the corresponding SMTC window regardless of where the SMTC window is shifted within the SMT period 335.

[0034] The network can determine a group of satellites based on ephemeris information of multiple satellites. For example, if the trajectories of these satellites are the same, these satellites can be configured in one group. In another example, if the distances between these satellites and the UE 110 are within a certain range, e.g., the distance increment between {the distance between the satellite 310a and the UE 110} and {the distance between the satellite 310b and the UE 110} is below a certain threshold, the satellites can be configured in one group. In another example, if the satellites are in geosynchronous orbit (GSO) and can be detected by the UE 110 in one single SMTC window, the satellites can be configured in one group. In additional examples, if the distances between satellites are within a certain range (e.g., the satellites are in a certain small area), the satellites can be configured in one group.

[0035] If the satellites in the same group are non-GSO (NGSO), the UE 110 can measure / monitor X satellites in the group simultaneously based on the existing UE capability of “25-5 parallel measurements of multiple NGSO satellites within SMTC.”

[0036] In other exemplary embodiments, the SMTC configuration information received from the network may not include the association information between the satellite and the SMTC window. In these exemplary embodiments, UE 110 at T1 (e.g., in Figure 3A Satellite detection is performed in all configured SMTC windows (at the specified time). UE 110 then determines which satellites are associated with which SMTC window, for example, in... Figure 3A In the example, satellite 310 is detected in SMTC window 305, and satellite 325 is detected in SMTC window 320. UE110 can then store this association based on the first detection for future measurements and SMTC window shifting.

[0037] In these exemplary embodiments, UE 110 will determine a satellite as the reference satellite for the SMTC, and the SMTC window shift will be based on that reference satellite. Therefore, the difference between the above exemplary embodiments and these exemplary embodiments is that in the above exemplary embodiments, the network selects a reference satellite (e.g., a preferred satellite), while in these exemplary embodiments, the reference satellite is determined by UE 110.

[0038] UE 110 may determine a reference satellite based on any factor or combination of factors. For example, UE 110 may select a reference satellite based on the satellite with the strongest received reference signal power (RSRP), received reference signal quality (RSRQ), or signal-to-noise ratio (SINR) measured by the UE. In another example, UE 110 may select a reference satellite based on the satellite with the shortest distance to UE 110 in the SMTC. In yet another example, if the serving satellite is also in the SMTC, UE 110 may select a reference satellite based on the serving satellite. In an additional example, UE 110 may select a reference satellite based on the satellite with the lowest velocity in the SMTC.

[0039] Similar to the examples above, in these exemplary implementations, the SMTC window can be considered to be available for a group of satellites rather than a single satellite. In this example, UE 110 will determine the SMTC window shift based on the trajectories of most satellites in the SMTC. For example, if the UE is at T1 (e.g., Figure 3A If M+N satellites are detected in SMTC 1 at a time when M satellites share the same trajectory and the other N satellites share the same trajectory that is different from those M satellites, then if M>N, the SMTC window shift will be based on the ephemeris information of the M satellites.

[0040] Figure 4A third exemplary scenario 400 is illustrated, in which the UE performs SMTC window shifting based on SMTC information received from the network, according to various exemplary embodiments. In this example, the SMTC configuration information received from the network may not include satellite-to-SMTC window association information. Therefore, UE 110 performs satellite detection in all configured SMTC windows at T1 and subsequently determines which satellites are associated with which SMTC window. In this example, during SMTC cycle 435, satellite 410 is associated with SMTC window 440, and satellites 420 and 430 are associated with SMTC window 450. UE 110 may then store this association based on the first detection for future measurements and SMTC window shifting.

[0041] like Figure 4 As shown, satellites 420 and 430 are both associated with SMTC window 450. In this example, it can be assumed that each of satellites 410 to 430 is moving, and therefore SMTC windows 440 and 450 will be shifted by UE 110. However, in this example, it can be assumed that satellites 420 and 430 are moving along different trajectories, for example, in opposite directions, at very different speeds, etc. Therefore, when UE 110 receives SMTC information from satellites 420 and 430, UE 110 will determine that the associated SMTC window 450 may need to be shifted differently for satellites 420 and 430. Since UE 110 will not create a new SMTC window, UE 110 will determine whether SMTC window 450 should be shifted based on satellite 420 or satellite 430.

[0042] In these exemplary embodiments, UE 110 may use SMTC information received for satellites 410 to 430 to determine future SMTC window shifting operations to be performed by UE 110, for example, based on ephemeris information of each of satellites 410 to 430. Using this information, UE 110 may determine SMTC window shifts that will occur for SMTC window 440 associated with satellite 410, SMTC window 450 associated with satellite 420, and SMTC window 440 associated with satellite 430. Based on this information, UE 110 may determine whether the shifted SMTC window 440 will overlap with the shift of SMTC window 450 of either satellite 420 or 430. Therefore, if UE 110 determines that there will be no overlap for one of the satellites—for example, the shift of SMTC window 450 of satellite 430 will not result in any overlap with the shift of SMTC window 440—UE 110 will shift SMTC windows 440 and 450 respectively based on the SMTC information of satellites 420 and 430. Thus, in this example, satellite 420 and its corresponding shift will be ignored.

[0043] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above can be implemented in any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration, or a combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments can include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms with compatible operating systems, Windows OS, Mac platforms and MAC OS, mobile devices with operating systems such as iOS, Android, and the like. Exemplary embodiments of the above-described methods can be embodied as a program including code lines stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, can be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0044] While the present application describes various embodiments each having different features in various combinations, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any feature of one embodiment can be combined with features of another embodiment in any manner not specifically otherwise recited, either functionally or logically, that is not inconsistent with the operation or stated function of the device or disclosed embodiments.

[0045] It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a way that minimizes risks to the privacy of the users, and that is in accordance with the principles set out in this document. Further, users should be given the opportunity to opt out where personal information data is likely to be disclosed.

[0046] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Receive Synchronization Signal (SS) / Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) Block Measurement Timing Information (SMTC) configuration information, the configuration information including at least two SMTC windows within the SMTC period; Determine the association between the first satellite and the first SMTC window in the SMTC window, and between the second satellite and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window; During the first SMTC window of the SMTC window, the first SMTC information of the first satellite is received, and during the second SMTC window of the SMTC window, the second SMTC information of the second satellite is received; as well as Based on the first SMTC information, a first time shift of the first SMTC window within the SMTC window in the SMTC period is determined, and based on the second SMTC information, a second time shift of the second SMTC window within the SMTC window in the SMTC period is determined.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the SMTC configuration information includes the SMTC window size of the first SMTC window and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window, the offset of each SMTC window in the first SMTC window and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window, and the SMTC index of each SMTC window in the first SMTC window and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the association between the first satellite and the first SMTC window in the SMTC window and the second satellite and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window is based on association information included in the SMTC configuration information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the SMTC configuration information further includes an indication that one of the first satellite or the second satellite is a reference satellite, and the method further includes: When the shifted first SMTC window and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window overlap in time, the SMTC signal transmitted by the reference satellite is measured, and the SMTC signal transmitted by the other satellite is ignored.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first satellite is a first group of satellites and the second satellite is a second group of satellites, wherein the first time shift is based on the SMTC information from any satellite in the first group of satellites, and the second time shift is based on the SMTC information from any satellite in the second group of satellites.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first group of satellites and the second group of satellites are grouped based on one of the following: (a) the trajectory of each of the satellites, (b) the distance between each of the satellites and the UE, (c) whether the satellites are in geosynchronous orbit (GSO) and can be detected by the UE in a single SMTC window, or (d) the distance between each of the satellites.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the association between the first satellite and the first SMTC window in the SMTC window and the second satellite and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window comprises: SMTC information is detected in each of the first SMTC window and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window; It is determined that the first SMTC information detected in the first SMTC window of the SMTC window corresponds to the first satellite; It is determined that the second SMTC information detected in the second SMTC window of the SMTC window corresponds to the second satellite; as well as The association between the first satellite and the first SMTC window in the SMTC window, and between the second satellite and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window, is stored.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: Choose either the first satellite or the second satellite as the reference satellite; as well as When the shifted first SMTC window and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window overlap in time, the SMTC signal transmitted by the reference satellite is measured, and the SMTC signal transmitted by the other satellite is ignored.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reference satellite is selected based on at least one of the following: (a) reference signal received power (RSRP), (b) reference signal received quality (RSRQ), (c) signal-to-noise ratio (SINR), (d) the distance between the first satellite and the second satellite and the UE, (e) whether the first satellite or the second satellite is a serving satellite, or (f) the speed of the first satellite or the second satellite.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first satellite comprises a first group of satellites and a second group of satellites. The first time shift is based on the number of satellites in the first group that share the same trajectory. The second time shift is based on the number of satellites in the second group that share the same trajectory. The number of satellites in the first group of satellites is not less than the number of satellites in the second group of satellites.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the second satellite comprises a second satellite transmitting the second SMTC information and a third satellite transmitting third SMTC information detected in the second SMTC window within the SMTC window, wherein determining the second time shift of the second SMTC window within the SMTC period comprises: The second time shift of the second SMTC window in the SMTC window is determined based on the second SMTC information; as well as The second time shift of the second SMTC window in the SMTC window is determined based on the third SMTC information.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: Determine whether the shifted first SMTC window in the SMTC window overlaps with the second SMTC window in the SMTC window that is shifted based on the second SMTC information; as well as Determine whether the shifted first SMTC window in the SMTC window overlaps with the shifted second SMTC window in the SMTC window based on the third SMTC information.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: Use the second SMTC window in the shifted SMTC window that does not overlap with the shifted first SMTC window in the SMTC window.

14. One or more processors, said one or more processors being configured to: Receive Synchronization Signal (SS) / Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) Block Measurement Timing Information (SMTC) configuration information, the configuration information including at least two SMTC windows within the SMTC period; Determine the association between the first satellite and the first SMTC window in the SMTC window, and between the second satellite and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window; During the first SMTC window of the SMTC window, the first SMTC information of the first satellite is received, and during the second SMTC window of the SMTC window, the second SMTC information of the second satellite is received; as well as Based on the first SMTC information, a first time shift of the first SMTC window within the SMTC window in the SMTC period is determined, and based on the second SMTC information, a second time shift of the second SMTC window within the SMTC window in the SMTC period is determined.

15. One or more processors according to claim 14, wherein determining the association between the first satellite and the first SMTC window in the SMTC window and the second satellite and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window is based on association information included in the SMTC configuration information.

16. The one or more processors of claim 15, wherein the SMTC configuration information further includes an indication that one of the first satellite or the second satellite is a reference satellite, and the one or more processors are further configured to: When the shifted first SMTC window and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window overlap in time, the SMTC signal transmitted by the reference satellite is measured, and the SMTC signal transmitted by the other satellite is ignored.

17. One or more processors of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors determine the association between the first satellite and the first SMTC window in the SMTC window and the second satellite and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window in a manner that: SMTC information is detected in each of the first SMTC window and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window; It is determined that the first SMTC information detected in the first SMTC window of the SMTC window corresponds to the first satellite; It is determined that the second SMTC information detected in the second SMTC window of the SMTC window corresponds to the second satellite; as well as The association between the first satellite and the first SMTC window in the SMTC window, and between the second satellite and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window, is stored.

18. The one or more processors of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Select either the first satellite or the second satellite as the reference satellite; and When the shifted first SMTC window and the second SMTC window in the SMTC window overlap in time, the SMTC signal transmitted by the reference satellite is measured, and the SMTC signal transmitted by the other satellite is ignored.

19. The processor of claim 17, wherein the second satellite comprises a second satellite transmitting the second SMTC information and a third satellite transmitting third SMTC information detected in the second SMTC window within the SMTC window, wherein the processor determines the second time shift of the second SMTC window within the SMTC period by: The second time shift of the second SMTC window in the SMTC window is determined based on the second SMTC information; and The second time shift of the second SMTC window in the SMTC window is determined based on the third SMTC information.

20. The one or more processors of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine whether the shifted first SMTC window in the SMTC window overlaps with the second SMTC window in the SMTC window that is shifted based on the second SMTC information; Determine whether the shifted first SMTC window in the SMTC window overlaps with the second SMTC window in the SMTC window that is shifted based on the third SMTC information; as well as Use the second SMTC window in the shifted SMTC window that does not overlap with the shifted first SMTC window in the SMTC window.

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