Access methods in integrated networks

Abstract

Embodiments of this disclosure relate to access methods in integrated networks. According to embodiments of this disclosure, a network device sends its location information, and a terminal device selects a potential network device based on its location and the location information. Furthermore, the terminal device selects a serving network device based on downlink and uplink measurements. This reduces transmission latency and saves power consumption at the terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the field of communications, particularly to non-terrestrial networks, and especially to methods, apparatuses, devices, and computer-readable storage media for access methods in integrated networks. Background Technology

[0002] Due to limited resources and infrastructure in remote areas, terrestrial networks struggle to provide 5G coverage. The main advantage of introducing non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) is enabling ubiquitous 5G service to end devices by extending connectivity in areas with low population and device density, and the overall deployment cost can potentially be far lower than providing permanent terrestrial infrastructure. Using spaceborne or airborne platforms to provide reliable coverage in remote areas offers significant advantages. However, it also introduces other challenges. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Generally, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for integrating access methods and corresponding communication devices in a network.

[0004] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to enable the first device to: receive, at the first device and from the second device, location information of a plurality of third devices. The first device is also enabled to determine a set of candidate third devices from the plurality of third devices based on the location information and the location of the first device. The first device is also enabled to send an access request to the set of candidate third devices to measure the quality of communication between the first device and the set of candidate third devices. The first device is also enabled to determine a target third device from the set of candidate third devices based on the quality of communication.

[0005] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor; at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to enable the second device to: obtain location information of a plurality of third devices at the second device; and also enable the second device to send the location information to a first device for the first device to determine a target third device.

[0006] In a third aspect, a third device is provided. The third device includes at least one processor; at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the third device to: send location information from the third device to the second device; also cause the third device to receive an access request from the first device in response to determining that the distance between the third device and the first device is less than a threshold distance; also cause the third device to perform uplink measurements based on the access request to obtain the quality of communication between the first device and the third device; and also cause the third device to transmit the quality of communication to either the first device or the second device.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes receiving location information of a plurality of third devices at a first device and from a second device. The method further includes determining a candidate set of third devices from the plurality of third devices based on the location information and the location of the first device. The method also includes sending an access request to the candidate set of third devices to measure the quality of communication between the first device and the candidate set of third devices. The method further includes determining a target third device from the candidate set of third devices based on the quality of communication.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes obtaining location information of a plurality of third devices at a second device. The method also includes sending the location information to a first device for the first device to determine a target third device.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes sending location information from a third device to a second device. The method also includes receiving an access request from the first device in response to determining that the distance between the third device and the first device is less than a threshold distance. The method further includes performing uplink measurements based on the access request to obtain the quality of communication between the first device and the third device. The method also includes transmitting the quality of communication to either the first device or the second device.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes components for receiving location information of a plurality of third devices at a first device and from a second device; components for determining a set of candidate third devices from the plurality of third devices based on the location information and the location of the first device; components for sending an access request to the set of candidate third devices to measure the quality of communication between the first device and the set of candidate third devices; and components for determining a target third device from the set of candidate third devices based on the quality.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes components for obtaining location information of a plurality of third devices at a second device; and components for sending the location information to a first device so that the first device can determine a target third device.

[0012] In a ninth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes components for transmitting location information from a third device to a second device; components for receiving an access request from a first device in response to determining that the distance between the third device and the first device is less than a threshold distance; components for performing uplink measurements based on the access request to obtain the quality of communication between the first device and the third device; and components for transmitting the quality of communication to the first device or the second device.

[0013] In a tenth aspect, a non-transient computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions for causing a device to perform at least the method according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects above.

[0014] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 An example communication network that can implement embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 2 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 3 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between communication devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between communication devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 7 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0023] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustration only and to help those skilled in the art understand and implement this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0026] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0027] In this disclosure, references to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it refers to a feature, structure, or characteristic that is considered to be possible in combination with other embodiments within the knowledge of those skilled in the art, whether or not it is explicitly described.

[0028] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0029] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise,” “comprising,” “have,” “having,” “include,” and / or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0030] As used herein, the term "circuit system" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0031] (a) Pure hardware circuit implementation (such as implementations only in analog and / or digital circuit systems) and

[0032] (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable):

[0033] (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and

[0034] (ii) Any part of a hardware processor(s) having software (including (multiple) digital signal processors), software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions.

[0035] (c) (Multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors (such as (multiple) microprocessors or a portion thereof) require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not exist when it is not required for operation.

[0036] This definition of circuit system applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As another example, as used herein, the term circuit system also covers implementations of hardware circuitry or processors (or processors), or a portion of hardware circuitry or processors and their accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuit system also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0037] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), New Radio (NR), Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will naturally be communication technologies and systems that embody future types of this disclosure. This disclosure should not be construed as limiting its scope to the systems described above.

[0038] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Network devices can refer to base stations (BS) or access points (APs), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Head (RH), Remote Radio Head (RRH), relays, low-power nodes (such as femtoseconds, picoseconds), etc., depending on the terminology and technology used in the application.

[0039] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not a limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices can include, but are not limited to: mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image acquisition terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop mounted devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless client devices (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronics devices, commercially operated equipment and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment", "communication equipment", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0040] As mentioned earlier, NTN also presents some challenges in other aspects. For NTN, the round-trip time (RTT) to the terminal equipment can be significantly longer than in terrestrial networks. Therefore, it is necessary to consider its impact on different aspects of new radio (NR) design, including cell search, timing advance (TA) adjustment, and random access channel (RACH) procedures.

[0041] Large propagation delays can lead to lengthy random access (RA) response processes. Traditional preamble transmission / retransmission based on the traditional gNB-UE handshake can cause large access delays and long RA delays, which translates to long data transmission delays. Therefore, it is essential to reduce RA transmission / retransmission delays based on onboard gNB information to enable efficient and power-saving terminal equipment.

[0042] For Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) systems in NTN networks, there is a significant variation in latency due to the rapid movement and non-stationary nature of satellites and terminal equipment. In conventional technologies, there might be a phase where satellites and terminal equipment must scan the available antenna space until they find a suitable beam pair (the appropriate spot beam on the appropriate satellite) for communication. This is called the Cell Search (CS) procedure. Afterward, terminal equipment in idle mode can initiate a Random Access (RA) procedure to obtain specific information from the serving satellite. If the CS and RA phases are not properly managed, it can significantly impact latency-sensitive applications, potentially degrading overall performance. Another issue is that the individual TAs (Target Acquisition Parameters) of terminal equipment must be updated rapidly and dynamically, requiring appropriate TA index values.

[0043] Furthermore, it is crucial that the terminal device selects the final serving satellite based on the uplink / downlink results of the CS and RA phases. For these reasons, it is necessary to propose a faster and more reliable beampair discovery method. It is also necessary to establish a fine-grained approach for accessing the airborne gNB in ​​the CS and contention-based RA phases as a reference method, and to design a rapid, NTN-specific airborne gNB approach in the contention-free RA phase. Moreover, it is necessary to consider multiple key factors simultaneously, including latency, TA adjustment, link reliability, and UE power consumption, rather than just a single aspect.

[0044] In traditional technologies, downlink-based measurements are used for cell selection / reselection and access. Terminal devices can first perform downlink synchronization with idle / airborne neighboring cells and then perform downlink measurements. However, because the terminal device must first align its beam with the target network device before downlink synchronization and measurements, significant power consumption and time delays can occur.

[0045] Furthermore, uplink-based measurements have been proposed. The terminal device does not need to perform downlink synchronization. The terminal device only sends uplink reference signals or pilot signals (periodically or event-triggered) for surrounding onboard gNBs to perform downlink measurements. Based on the assumption that if the terminal device is strictly uplink synchronized to the NTN UE-relay, then the terminal device should coarsely synchronize uplink to other network devices. Assuming that surrounding onboard gNBs can detect the terminal device's uplink reference signal, each of the surrounding onboard gNBs performs uplink measurements, including uplink beam alignment and uplink channel quality measurements such as RSRP. The corresponding onboard gNB sends a report table (RT) to the NTN UE-relay via the NTN link, including UL beam alignment information and search information. The NTN UE-relay then finally updates the set of onboard gNBs it serves; that is, the NTN UE-relay decides which onboard gNB should serve the relevant terminal device next. The NTN UE-relay can select the maximum signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) to obtain optimal channel propagation conditions.

[0046] However, the final target network equipment is determined entirely by NTN UE-relay based on uplink measurements, which may not be optimal for downlink transmission, as most conventional satellite systems operate within frequency bands designated for Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode, particularly in GEO and MEO systems. It may also impact downlink performance, as downlink transmission may still be the primary mode of data communication.

[0047] Other conventional technologies do not consider optimizing air-to-ground transmission efficiency. Furthermore, they do not consider methods to simultaneously avoid UE power consumption and maintain transmission reliability, which is crucial in practical applications. Therefore, new mechanisms are needed for access integration systems.

[0048] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the network device sends its location information, and the terminal device selects a potential network device based on its location and the location information. Furthermore, the terminal device selects a serving network device based on downlink and uplink measurements. This reduces transmission latency and saves power consumption at the terminal device.

[0049] The principles and embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 1 An example communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown.

[0050] Figure 1A schematic diagram of a communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. The communication system 100 includes a first device 110, a second device 120, and a third device 130. For ease of explanation, the first device 110 may be referred to as a terminal device 110, and the second device 120 may be referred to as a network device 120. It should be noted that the first device and the second device are interchangeable. For example, a process described as being implemented on a terminal device may also be implemented on a network device, and vice versa.

[0051] The link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 can be referred to as the "downlink", and the link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 can be referred to as the "uplink".

[0052] Communication system 100, as part of a communication network, includes terminal devices 110-1, 110-2, ..., 110-N (collectively referred to as "terminal device 110", where N is an integer). Communication system 100 includes one or more network devices, such as network device 120. Network device 120 may be an NTN UE-relay or (NTN IAB). NTN UE-relay is similar to the concept of terrestrial dual connectivity. For example, in NTN's discussion of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), when HARQ is deactivated, HARQ operations can still be resumed in terrestrial network offloading scenarios (with reduced latency) by utilizing dual connectivity with the ground station when a certain quality of service needs to be guaranteed. Once the terminal device is within the coverage of the ground node along with the NTN node, the initial transmission can be sent via the NTN link, while HARQ retransmissions (other RVs) and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback can simply flow via the ground link (i.e., not the unstable NTN link). Here, the NTN UE-relay is not a full-featured network device; it has buffering, relaying, and control functions, and in a sense, a repeater / IAB entity can be used to replace the NTN UE-relay. Furthermore, in addition to GPS and GNSS, location information can be obtained from other positioning methods.

[0053] System 100 also includes network devices 130-1, 130-2, ..., 130-N (collectively referred to as "network devices 130", where N is an integer). Network devices 130 can be airborne network devices, such as satellites. Network device 120 is stationary and has a more reliable link with network devices 130 than with terminal device 110.

[0054] It should be understood that the communication system 100 may also include other elements omitted for clarity. It should be understood that... Figure 1The number of terminal devices and network devices shown is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. Terminal device 110, network device 120, and network device 130 can communicate with each other.

[0055] It should be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. System 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices appropriate for implementing embodiments of this disclosure.

[0056] Communication in communication system 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol(s), including but not limited to: cellular communication protocols such as first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), and fifth-generation (5G), wireless local area network communication protocols (such as IEEE 802.11), and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Furthermore, communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0057] Figure 2 A flowchart of an example method 200 implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 300 can be implemented on any suitable device. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 300 is described from the perspective of terminal device 110-1.

[0058] In box 210, terminal device 110-1 receives location information from multiple network devices 130 from network device 120. For example, the terminal device may receive the coordinates and ephemeris of network device 130. In a contention-free communication scenario, terminal device 110-1 can also receive system information from network device 120, which is initially obtained from the CS phase via Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) detection. For faster access, system information (e.g., common delay and location information) can be forwarded by network device 120 instead of being obtained from traditional SSB detection. Terminal device 110-1 can also receive propagation delay information from network device 120 to enable fast TA adjustment. This reduces transmission latency.

[0059] In box 220, terminal device 110-1 determines a set of candidate network devices (e.g., network devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3) from multiple network devices 130 based on location information and the location of terminal device 110-1. It should be noted that the number of candidate network devices can be any suitable number.

[0060] In some embodiments, terminal device 110-1 can determine the distance between terminal device 110-1 and network device 130. If the distance is less than a threshold distance, terminal device 110-1 can determine that the network device belongs to a candidate network device set. Alternatively, terminal device 110-1 can select multiple nearest network devices as a candidate network device set.

[0061] In some embodiments, terminal device 110-1 may calculate a nearest terminal device 130-1. Both terminal devices 110-1 and 130-1 know from the CS phase the optimal direction through which they should guide their beams, so they can exchange subsequent RA messages. In other embodiments, terminal device 110-1 may calculate several nearest candidate network devices 130 (e.g., network devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3) and guide the beam towards each network device 130 from the optimal direction. The guided beam may fall into three categories: biased, unbiased, and deafened. In some embodiments, particularly in the last case of deafened or congested, candidate beams can be explored once a direct path does not correspond to good channel conditions. For example, terminal device 110-1 may symmetrically form additional beams in adjacent directions to find stronger paths.

[0062] In a contention-based system scenario, terminal device 110-1 can receive one or more of the primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), or physical broadcast channel (PBCH) at the guided beam detection point to obtain system information. The propagation delay can be obtained from the system information. For a given beam covering a cell, there is a common propagation delay for all serving terminal devices.

[0063] The common propagation delay is at the point where terminal device 110-1 is located at the lowest point (Nadir) corresponding to the vertical coverage area. Terminal device 110-1 can use this information to compensate for the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission time, ensuring that PRACH messages from terminal device 110 within the beam are received by network device 130 more or less within the same time window. When deploying an NTN, the common corresponding delay can be roughly estimated at the base station side. For example, when deploying a satellite, its altitude information should be determined and available by itself. The propagation delay can then be estimated based on the altitude carried in the System Information Block (SIB). Since different airborne access points have different Nadir distances, different propagation delays can be obtained accordingly from each airborne network device.

[0064] In block 230, terminal device 110-1 sends an access request to a set of candidate network devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3. The access request can be used to measure communication quality. In some embodiments, as described above, terminal device 110-1 can obtain the propagation delay from a synchronization signal or from network device 120, and can send an access request with delay compensation based on the propagation delay.

[0065] In some embodiments, due to the mobility of the terminal device and positioning deviations or sudden changes, when the location of the terminal device 110-1 is relatively stable, the terminal device 110-1 can send PRACH(MSG.1) to the set of candidate network devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3 via the optimal direction obtained from the CS phase. In some embodiments, due to the high-speed mobility of the terminal device 110-1 and GPS-based deviations, the terminal device 110-1 can send PRACH(MSG.10) to the set of candidate network devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3 via beam scanning mode.

[0066] In box 240, terminal device 110-1 determines the target network device from the set of candidate network devices based on communication quality. Thus, a hybrid DL and UL measurement considering link reliability is implemented.

[0067] In some embodiments, terminal device 110-1 may receive an access response from a set of candidate network devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3. The access response may include the quality of communication between terminal device 110-1 and the set of candidate network devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3. For example, candidate network device 130-1 may provide a signal quality metric in the random access response (MSG 2) to allow terminal device 110-1 to select the optimal uplink transmission beam. Terminal device 110-1 may perform downlink measurements on the access response. Terminal device 110-1 may determine the target network device based on the quality of communication and the downlink measurements.

[0068] Alternatively or additionally, terminal device 110-1 may receive a subset of the set of candidate network devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3 from network device 120. For example, terminal device 110-1 may receive identification information of network devices 130-1 and 130-2. The subset of candidate network devices may be determined by network device 120, which will be described in detail later. In this way, power consumption at the terminal device is saved. Terminal device 110-1 may perform downlink measurements on the access responses of the subset of candidate network devices 130-1 and 130-2. In some embodiments, terminal device 110-1 may measure the reference signal received power (RSRP) on the downlink. Alternatively or additionally, terminal device 110-1 may measure the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) on the downlink. Terminal device 110-1 may determine network device 130-1 as the target network device based on the downlink measurements. For example, if downlink measurements indicate that network device 130-1 has the best downlink quality, then terminal device 110-1 can determine that network device 130-1 is the target network device. In some embodiments, terminal device 110-1 can send information about the target network device 130-1 to network device 120.

[0069] Figure 3 A flowchart of an example method 300 implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 300 can be implemented on any suitable device. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 300 is described from the perspective of network device 120.

[0070] In box 310, network device 120 obtains location information for multiple network devices 130. The location information may include the coordinates and ephemeris of the network devices 130.

[0071] In box 320, network device 120 sends location information to terminal device 110-1. This location information is used by terminal device 110-1 to determine the target network device 130-1. In contention-free communication scenarios, network device 120 can also send system information to terminal device 110-1, which is initially obtained from the CS phase via Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) detection. For faster access, system information (e.g., common delay and location information) can be forwarded by network device 120 instead of being obtained from traditional SSB detection. Network device 120 can also send propagation delay information to terminal device 110-1 to enable fast TA adjustment. This reduces transmission latency.

[0072] In some embodiments, network device 120 may receive information about the quality of communication between terminal device 110-1 and a set of candidate network devices (e.g., network devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3). Network device 120 may determine a subset of the candidate network devices (network devices 130-1 and 130-2). For example, if network device 120 determines that the communication quality of network device 130-1 exceeds a threshold quality, network device 120 determines that network device 130-1 belongs to the subset. Alternatively, network device 120 may determine the number of network devices with better communication quality. This number can be any suitable number. Network device 120 may send information about the subset of candidate network devices to terminal device 110-1. Terminal device 110-1 can then determine the target network device from the subset of candidate network devices. In this way, the computational burden on the terminal device is relieved, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0073] In some embodiments, network device 120 may receive information from target network device 130-1 from terminal device 110-1. Network device 120 may notify other network devices 130 besides network device 130-1 that they failed in the selection and that terminal device 110-1 did not select them.

[0074] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 400 can be implemented on any suitable device. Reference will be made to... (The sentence is incomplete and requires further context to be fully translated.) Figure 1 Method 400 is described from the perspective of network device 130-1.

[0075] In box 410, network device 130-1 sends its location information to network device 120. The location information may include the coordinates and ephemeris of network device 130-1.

[0076] In box 420, network device 130-1 receives an access request from terminal device 110-1, and the distance between network device 130-1 and terminal device 110-1 is less than a threshold distance. As described above, terminal device 110-1 can select the set of network devices closest to terminal device 110-1 and send the request.

[0077] In block 430, network device 130-1 performs measurements on the access request to obtain the quality of communication between network device 130-1 and terminal device 110-1. In some embodiments, network device 130-1 may measure RSRP on the access request. Alternatively or additionally, network device 130-1 may perform SINR on the access request.

[0078] In block 440, network device 130-1 sends the quality of communication to terminal device 110-1 or network device 120. In some embodiments, network device 130-1 may generate an access response including the quality of communication and send the access response to terminal device 110-1. In other embodiments, network device 130-1 may send information about the quality of communication between terminal device 110-1 and network device 130-1 to network device 120.

[0079] In some embodiments, if terminal device 110-1 does not select network device 130-1, network device 130-1 may receive an indication of selection failure.

[0080] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of interaction 500 in a competition-based system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Interaction 500 can be implemented on any suitable device. For illustrative purposes only, interaction 500 is described as being implemented at terminal device 110-1, network device 120, and network devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3.

[0081] Network device 120 obtains location information from multiple network devices 130. The location information may include the coordinates and ephemeris of network devices 130. Network device 120 sends the 5008 location information to terminal device 110-1.

[0082] Terminal device 110-1 can calculate the nearest network device 130-1. Both terminal device 110-1 and network device 130 know from the CS phase the optimal direction they should guide their beams through, and therefore they will exchange subsequent RA messages. In some embodiments, terminal device 110-1 can calculate several nearest candidate network devices 130 (e.g., network devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3) and guide the beam towards each network device 130 from the optimal direction. The guided beam may be in three states: biased, unbiased, congested, or deaf. In a real-world environment, especially in the last case of congestion or deafness, candidate beams can be explored once the direct path does not correspond to good channel conditions. Terminal device 110-1 can symmetrically form additional beams in adjacent directions to find stronger paths. In fact, knowledge of the estimated terminal device location is extremely important for reducing discovery time. Furthermore, information about past beamforming attempts can provide important reference by testing the most successful connection on each access attempt.

[0083] Network device 130-1 sends 5018 PSS / SSS / PBCH to terminal device 130-1. Similarly, network device 130-2 sends 5020 PSS / SSS / PBCH to terminal device 130-1, and network device 130-3 sends 5022 PSS / SSS / PBCH to terminal device 130-1. Terminal device 110-1 can obtain system information based on the PSS / SSS / PBCH and obtain the propagation delay from the system information. For a given beam in the coverage cell, there is a common propagation delay d1 for all serving terminal devices. The common propagation delay is at the point where terminal device 110-1 is located at the lowest point distance corresponding to the vertical coverage area.

[0084] Terminal devices can use this information to compensate for PRACH transmission time, ensuring that PRACH messages from terminal devices within the beam are received by network device 130 in almost the same time window. In practice, when deploying NTN, the common response delay can be roughly estimated at the base station side. For example, when deploying a satellite, its altitude information should be determined and available by itself. The propagation delay can then be estimated based on the altitude carried in the SIB. Since different airborne access points have different minimum point distances, the corresponding propagation delays d1, d2, and d3 from each network device 130 can be known. However, even if only the differential value (after common propagation compensation) remains, the differential propagation delay can still be hundreds of kilometers and cannot be ignored.

[0085] Due to the mobility and positioning deviations or sudden changes of terminal device 110-1, if the location of terminal device 110-1 is stable, terminal device 110-1 sends 5024PRACH (MSG.1) to candidate network device 130-1 via the optimal direction obtained from the CS phase. Due to high-speed mobility and GPS-based deviations, terminal device 110-1 can send an access request (MSG.1) to candidate network device 130-1 via beam scanning mode. Similarly, terminal device 110-1 also sends 5026 access request (MSG.1) to candidate network device 130-2, and 5028 access request (MSG.1) to candidate network device 130-3.

[0086] In some embodiments, network device 130-1 sends a random access response (MSG.2) including a signal quality metric at 5030 to allow terminal device 110-1 to select the optimal uplink Tx beam. Similarly, network device 130-2 sends a random access response (MSG.2) including a signal quality metric at 5032, and network device 130-3 sends a random access response (MSG.2) including a signal quality metric at 5034.

[0087] Alternatively, network device 130 can execute a measurement access request to obtain the communication quality between terminal device 110-1 and the corresponding network device 130. Network device 130-1 sends its measurement report 5036 to network device 120. Similarly, network device 130-2 sends its measurement report 5038 to network device 120, and network device 130-3 sends its measurement report 5040 to network device 120. Network device 120 identifies 5042 potential network devices (e.g., network devices 130-1 and 130-2). Network device 120 sends 5044 information about the potential network devices. Network device 130-2 sends 5046 a random access response (MSG.2), and network device 130-2 sends 5048 a random access response (MSG.2).

[0088] Terminal device 110-1 performs a scheduled transport (RRC connection request) in MSG.3, and network devices 130-1 and 130-2 perform contention resolution in MSG.4. Terminal device 110-1 can perform downlink synchronization to potential candidate network devices 130-1 and 130-2 by performing downlink measurements on MSG.4. Terminal device 110-1 determines target network device 130-1 (5052). Terminal device 110-1 sends target network device 130-1 information (5054) to network device 120. In some embodiments, network device 120 can notify network devices 130 which network devices 130 were not selected as serving network devices 130.

[0089] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of interaction 600 in a contention-free system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Interaction 600 can be implemented on any suitable device. For illustrative purposes only, interaction 600 is described as being implemented at terminal device 110-1, network device 120, and network devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3.

[0090] Network device 120 obtains location information from multiple network devices 130. The location information may include the coordinates and ephemeris of the network devices 130. Network device 120 sends the 6008 location information to terminal device 110-1. In some embodiments, network device 120 may notify terminal device 110-1 of all necessary system information (SI) initially obtained from the CS phase via SS block detection. For fast access, necessary system information (such as common delay and location information) can be forwarded via NTN UE-relay instead of being obtained from traditional SSB detection. In some embodiments, network device 120 may also notify terminal device 110-1 of the common propagation delay to enable fast TA adjustment.

[0091] Terminal device 110-1 calculates 6010 a nearest network device 130-1 or several nearest candidate network devices 130 (e.g., network devices 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3) and directs the beam containing MSG.1 directly toward each network device 130 from the optimal direction. The directed beam may also exhibit three conditions: biased, unbiased, blocked, or deafened. Regarding beam adjustment for alignment with network devices 130, due to drastic changes related to the terminal device's positioning and orientation, the receiver and transmitter beams have become irreversibly misaligned. Several methods exist to address this issue. For example, when the required beam alignment change is small, the beam tuning process (i.e., selecting nearby beams to test whether these provide better signal quality) is sufficient to maintain the communication link. However, when the beam is irreversibly misaligned, a scheme utilizing multiple inertial sensors and other positioning information sources within the device can be used to re-establish beam alignment and allow the terminal device to re-switch to the RRC connection state.

[0092] Due to the mobility and positioning deviations or sudden changes of terminal device 110-1, if the location of terminal device 110-1 is stable, terminal device 110-1 sends 6024PRACH (MSG.1) to candidate network device 130-1 via the optimal direction obtained from the CS phase. Due to high-speed mobility and GPS-based deviations, terminal device 110-1 can send an access request (MSG.1) to candidate network device 130-1 via beam scanning mode. Similarly, terminal device 110-1 also sends 6026 access request (MSG.1) to candidate network device 130-2, and 6028 access request (MSG.1) to candidate network device 130-3.

[0093] In some embodiments, network device 130-1 sends a random access response (MSG.2) including a signal quality metric at 6030 to allow terminal device 110-1 to select the optimal uplink Tx beam. Similarly, network device 130-2 sends a random access response (MSG.2) including a signal quality metric at 6032, and network device 130-3 sends a random access response (MSG.2) including a signal quality metric at 6034.

[0094] Alternatively, network device 130 can execute a measurement access request to obtain the communication quality between terminal device 110-1 and the corresponding network device 130. Network device 130-1 sends its measurement report 5036 to network device 120. Similarly, network device 130-2 sends its measurement report 5038 to network device 120, and network device 130-3 sends its measurement report 5040 to network device 120. Network device 120 identifies 5042 potential network devices (e.g., network devices 130-1 and 130-2). Network device 120 sends 5044 information about the potential network devices. Network device 130-2 sends 6046 a random access response (MSG.2), and network device 130-2 sends 6048 a random access response (MSG.2).

[0095] Subsequently, terminal device 110-1 performs downlink RS measurement in MSG.2. Based on the downlink measurement, the terminal device ultimately selects 6052 as the serving network device 130-1 and feeds back 6054 to network device 120. Network device 120 can notify which network devices 130 were not selected as serving network devices.

[0096] Embodiments of this disclosure can maintain link reliability and reduce UE power consumption. Embodiments of this disclosure can provide fine-grained network device analysis in both the CS and contention-based RA phases. Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure provide rapid network device analysis in both the CS and contention-free RA phases, which is preferred in NTN systems due to large transmission delays. Embodiments of this disclosure establish an efficient interaction mechanism by introducing an NTN UE-relay entity. Embodiments of this disclosure greatly simplify the traditional CS phase. Embodiments of this invention can achieve fast and reliable beampair discovery and rapid TA adjustment. Embodiments of this disclosure combine DL and UL measurements, taking into account both link reliability and UE power consumption.

[0097] In some embodiments, the apparatus for performing method 200 (e.g., terminal device 110-1) may include corresponding components for performing corresponding steps in method 200. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit system or a software module.

[0098] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: components for receiving location information of a plurality of third devices at a first device and from a second device; components for determining a set of candidate third devices from the plurality of third devices based on the location information and the location of the first device; components for sending an access request to the set of candidate third devices to measure the quality of communication between the first device and the set of candidate third devices; and components for determining a target third device from the set of candidate third devices based on the communication quality.

[0099] In some embodiments, the components for determining a candidate set of third devices include: components for determining a distance between the first device and one of a plurality of third devices based on location information and the location of the first device; and components for determining that one of the plurality of third devices belongs to the candidate set of third devices in response to the distance being less than a threshold distance.

[0100] In some embodiments, the components for determining the target third device include: components for receiving an access response from a set of candidate third devices, the access response including the quality of communication between the first device and the set of candidate third devices; and components for determining the target third device based on the quality of communication.

[0101] In some embodiments, the components for determining the target third device include: components for receiving information from the second device about a subset of a set of candidate third devices, the quality of communication between the subset and the first device exceeding a threshold quality; and components for determining the target third device from the subset.

[0102] In some embodiments, the components for sending an access request to a set of candidate third devices include: components for receiving system information from a second device; components for determining a propagation delay from the system information; and components for sending an access request with propagation delay compensation.

[0103] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for sending information about a target third device to a second device.

[0104] In some embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device, the second device includes a network device, and the third device includes another network device.

[0105] In some embodiments, the apparatus for performing method 300 (e.g., network device 120) may include corresponding components for performing corresponding steps in method 300. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit system or a software module.

[0106] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for obtaining location information of a plurality of third devices at a second device; and components for sending location information to a first device for the first device to determine a target third device.

[0107] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for receiving information about the quality of communication between the first device and a set of candidate third devices from a plurality of candidate third devices; components for determining a subset of the candidate third devices based on quality, wherein the quality of communication between the subset and the first device exceeds a threshold quality; and components for sending information about the subset of candidate third devices to the first device.

[0108] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a component for sending system information to a first device, the system information including a propagation delay from the system information.

[0109] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for receiving information about a target third device from a first device; and components for notifying a plurality of third devices other than the target third device of a selection failure.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device, the second device includes a network device, and the third device includes another network device.

[0111] In some embodiments, the means for performing method 400 (e.g., network device 130-1) may include corresponding components for performing corresponding steps in method 400. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit system or a software module.

[0112] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for transmitting location information from a third device to a second device; components for receiving an access request from a first device in response to determining that the distance between the third device and the first device is less than a threshold distance; components for performing uplink measurements based on the access request to obtain the quality of communication between the first device and the third device; and components for transmitting the quality of communication to the first device or the second device.

[0113] In some embodiments, the component for transmitting the quality of communication to the first device includes: a component for generating an access response indicating the quality of communication; and a component for transmitting the access response to the first device.

[0114] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a component for receiving an indication of selection failure from a second device in response to determining that the quality of communication is below a threshold quality.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device, the second device includes a network device, and the third device includes another network device.

[0116] Figure 7 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 700 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1 The network device 120 or terminal device 110-1 shown. As shown, device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to processor 710, and one or more communication modules (e.g., transmitters and / or receivers (TX / RX)) 740 coupled to processor 710.

[0117] The communication module 740 is used for bidirectional communication. The communication module 740 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0118] Processor 710 can be of any type suitable for a local technology network, and as a non-limiting example, can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 700 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0119] Memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power outages.

[0120] Computer program 730 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 710. Program 730 may be stored in ROM 724. Processor 710 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 730 into RAM 722.

[0121] The embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented via program 730, enabling device 700 to execute as described in the reference. Figures 2 to 6 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented in hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0122] In some embodiments, program 730 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 700 (such as memory 720) or other storage devices accessible by device 700. Device 700 may load program 730 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 722 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 8 An example of a computer-readable medium 800 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. A program 730 is stored on the computer-readable medium.

[0123] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0124] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions (such as those included in program modules) that are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above-referenced... Figure 2-6 Methods 200 to 400 are described. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of a program module can be combined or split among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions for a program module can execute on a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, a program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0125] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code enables the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0126] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0127] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer floppy disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0128] Furthermore, although operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the specific order shown or sequentially, or that all shown operations be performed to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0129] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that this disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms for implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the first device: The system receives system information and positioning information of multiple third devices from the second device at the first device, wherein the positioning information includes the coordinates and ephemeris of the multiple third devices, and the system information includes altitude information of the multiple third devices; Based on the location information and the location of the first device, a candidate third device set is determined from the plurality of third devices, wherein the candidate third device set includes one or more third devices that are less than a threshold distance from the first device; Access requests are sent to one or more third devices in the candidate third device set to measure the quality of communication between the first device and the candidate third device set, wherein the access requests are compensated for propagation delays associated with the one or more third devices, and the propagation delays associated with the one or more third devices are estimated based on the height information of the corresponding third devices among the plurality of third devices carried in the system information; as well as The second device receives information about a subset of the candidate third device set, and determines a target third device from the subset, wherein the quality of communication between the subset and the first device exceeds a threshold quality.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device further comprises: Send information about the target third device to the second device.

3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device includes a terminal device, the second device includes a network device, and the third device includes another network device.

4. A second device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the second device: System information and positioning information of multiple third devices are obtained at the second device, wherein the positioning information includes the coordinates and ephemeris of the multiple third devices, and the system information includes altitude information of the multiple third devices, wherein the altitude information of the multiple third devices will be used by the first device to estimate the associated propagation delay; Send the system information and the location information to the first device. Receive information about the quality of communication between the first device and the candidate third device set from the plurality of third devices, wherein the candidate third device set includes one or more third devices that are located at a distance of less than a threshold distance from the first device; Based on the quality, a subset of the candidate third device set is determined, wherein the quality of communication between the subset and the first device exceeds a threshold quality. as well as Information about the subset of candidate third devices is sent to the first device for the first device to determine the target third device from the subset.

5. The second device according to claim 4, wherein the second device further comprises: Receive information about the target third device from the first device; and Send a selection failure indication to the plurality of third devices other than the target third device.

6. The second device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the first device includes a terminal device, the second device includes a network device, and the third device includes another network device.

7. A third device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the third device: The system information and positioning information are sent from the third device to the second device, wherein the positioning information includes the coordinates and ephemeris of the third device, and the system information includes altitude information about the third device, wherein the altitude information of the third device will be used by the first device to estimate the propagation delay associated with the third device; In response to determining that the distance between the third device and the first device is less than a threshold distance, an access request is received from the first device, wherein the access request is compensated for by the propagation delay associated with the third device; Perform uplink measurements based on the access request to obtain the communication quality between the first device and the third device; as well as The quality of the communication sent to the first device or the second device, wherein when the quality is higher than a quality threshold, the third device will be provided by the second device to the first device as a third device in a subset of the third device set, so that the first device can determine the target third device.

8. The third device according to claim 7, wherein the quality of communication transmitted by the third device to the first device is achieved by: Generate an access response indicating the quality of the communication; and Send the access response to the first device.

9. The third device according to claim 7, wherein the quality of communication is below a threshold quality, and further causes the third device to: Receive an indication of selection failure from the second device.

10. The third device according to claim 7, wherein the first device includes a terminal device, the second device includes a network device, and the third device includes additional network devices.

11. A method for communication, comprising: The system receives system information and positioning information of multiple third devices from a first device and a second device, wherein the positioning information includes the coordinates and ephemeris of the multiple third devices, and the system information includes altitude information of the multiple third devices; Based on the location information and the location of the first device, a candidate third device set is determined from the plurality of third devices, wherein the candidate third device set includes one or more third devices that are less than a threshold distance from the first device; Access requests are sent to one or more third devices in the candidate third device set to measure the quality of communication between the first device and the candidate third device set, wherein the access requests are compensated for propagation delays associated with the one or more third devices, and the propagation delays associated with the one or more third devices are estimated based on the height information of the corresponding third devices among the plurality of third devices carried in the system information; as well as The second device receives information about a subset of the candidate third device set, and determines a target third device from the subset, wherein the quality of communication between the subset and the first device exceeds a threshold quality.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: Send information about the target third device to the second device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first device includes a terminal device, the second device includes a network device, and the third device includes another network device.

14. A method for communication, comprising: System information and positioning information of multiple third devices are obtained at the second device, wherein the positioning information includes the coordinates and ephemeris of the multiple third devices, and the system information includes altitude information of the multiple third devices, wherein the altitude information of the multiple third devices will be used by the first device to estimate the associated propagation delay; as well as Send the system information and the location information to the first device, and receive information about the quality of communication between the first device and the candidate third device set from the plurality of third devices, wherein the candidate third device set includes one or more third devices that are less than a threshold distance from the first device; Based on the quality, a subset of the candidate third device set is determined, wherein the quality of communication between the subset and the first device exceeds a threshold quality. as well as Information about the subset of candidate third devices is sent to the first device for the first device to determine the target third device from the subset.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: Receive information about the target third device from the first device; as well as Notify the plurality of third devices other than the target third device of the indication of selection failure.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first device includes a terminal device, the second device includes a network device, and the third device includes another network device.

17. A method for communication, comprising: The system information and positioning information are sent from the third device to the second device, wherein the positioning information includes the coordinates and ephemeris of the third device, and the system information includes altitude information about the third device, wherein the altitude information of the third device will be used by the first device to estimate the propagation delay associated with the third device; In response to determining that the distance between the third device and the first device is less than a threshold distance, an access request is received from the first device, wherein the access request is compensated for by the propagation delay associated with the third device; Perform uplink measurements based on the access request to obtain the communication quality between the first device and the third device; as well as The quality of the communication sent to the first device or the second device, wherein when the quality is higher than a quality threshold, the third device will be provided by the second device to the first device as a third device in a subset of the third device set, so that the first device can determine the target third device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the quality of transmitting communication to the first device comprises: Generate an access response indicating the quality of the communication; as well as Send the access response to the first device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the quality of the communication is below a threshold quality, and the method further comprises: Receive an indication of selection failure from the second device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first device includes a terminal device, the second device includes a network device, and the third device includes another network device.

21. An apparatus for communication, comprising: A component for receiving system information and positioning information of a plurality of third devices at a first device and from a second device, wherein the positioning information includes the coordinates and ephemeris of the plurality of third devices, and the system information includes altitude information about the plurality of third devices; A component for determining a candidate set of third devices from the plurality of third devices based on the positioning information and the location of the first device, wherein the candidate set of third devices includes one or more third devices that are less than a threshold distance from the first device; A component for sending an access request to the set of candidate third devices to measure the quality of communication between the first device and the set of candidate third devices, wherein the access request is compensated for propagation delays associated with the one or more third devices, and the propagation delays associated with the one or more third devices are estimated based on the height information of the total number of corresponding third devices carried in the system information; as well as Components for receiving information from the second device about a subset of the candidate third device set and for determining a target third device from the subset, wherein the quality of communication between the subset and the first device exceeds a threshold quality.

22. An apparatus for communication, comprising: Components for obtaining system information and positioning information of multiple third devices at a second device, wherein the positioning information includes the coordinates and ephemeris of the multiple third devices, and the system information includes altitude information of the multiple third devices, wherein the altitude information of the multiple third devices will be used by a first device to estimate associated propagation delay; A component for sending the system information and the positioning information to the first device; A component for receiving information about the quality of communication between the first device and the set of candidate third devices from a plurality of third devices, wherein the set of candidate third devices includes one or more third devices located at a distance less than a threshold distance from the first device; A component for determining a subset of the candidate third device set based on the quality, wherein the quality of communication between the subset and the first device exceeds a threshold quality; as well as A component for sending information about the subset of candidate third devices to the first device for the first device to determine the target third device.

23. A device for communication, comprising: Components for transmitting system information and positioning information from a third device to a second device, wherein the positioning information includes the coordinates and ephemeris of the third device, and the system information includes altitude information about the third device, wherein the altitude information of the third device will be used by a first device to estimate the propagation delay associated with the third device; A component for receiving an access request from a first device in response to determining that the distance between the third device and the first device is less than a threshold distance, wherein the access request is compensated for by the propagation delay associated with the third device; Components for performing uplink measurements based on the access request to obtain the quality of communication between the first device and the third device; as well as The component for sending the quality of communication to the first device or the second device, wherein when the quality is higher than a quality threshold, the third device is provided by the second device to the first device as a third device in a subset of the third device set, so that the first device can determine the target third device.

24. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions causing the machine to perform the method according to any one of claims 11 to 13 when executed by at least one processing unit of the machine.

25. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions causing the machine to perform the method according to any one of claims 14 to 16 when executed by at least one processing unit of the machine.

26. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions causing the machine to perform the method according to any one of claims 17 to 20 when executed by at least one processing unit of the machine.

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