Wireless communication method for mobility processing

Abstract

Wireless communication methods, systems, and apparatus for mobility processing. Wireless communication for use in a wireless terminal includes: receiving cell reselection information from a wireless network node; and, based on the cell reselection information, prioritizing at least one first cell of a first network type for cell selection in a cell reselection process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present document relates generally to wireless communications and, more particularly, to a wireless communications method for mobility handling. Background Art

[0002] Nowadays, user equipment (UE) can be served not only by terrestrial networks (TN) but also by non-terrestrial networks (NTN). In NTN, network coverage is provided by three different satellites:

[0003] Geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite: a circular orbit 35786km above the Earth's equator and in the direction of the Earth's rotation. Objects in this orbit have an orbital period equal to the Earth's rotation period, and therefore appear to be stationary at a fixed position in the sky to ground observers.

[0004] Low Earth Orbit (LWO) satellite: an orbit around the Earth with an altitude between 300km and 1500km.

[0005] Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite: The region of space around the Earth above low Earth orbit and below geostationary orbit.

[0006] GEO satellites are stationary relative to the Earth, while LEO and MEO satellites move around the Earth. Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the movement of a satellite is shown. Figure 1 As shown, due to the movement of the satellite, the network coverage provided by the satellite may change from cell CE2 to another cell CE1. Due to the movement of the satellite, the network can further cover a large number of UEs (for example, UEs located in cell CE1 and on the edge of cell CE2, such as Figure 1 In this case, due to satellite mobility, the network may need to move a large number of UEs from cell CE2 to cell CE1. Since the UE may be served by both NTN and TN at the same time, how to determine whether the UE should be moved to the cell of NTN or the cell of TN becomes an issue that needs to be discussed.

[0007] Furthermore, since the number of UEs that need to move may be large, if the network triggers a large number of UEs to move to the cell CE1 one by one, it will be inefficient and consume resources. Summary of the invention

[0008] This document relates to methods, systems and devices for mobility handling.

[0009] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method for use in a wireless terminal. The wireless communication method includes:

[0010] receiving cell reselection information from a radio network node; and

[0011] For selecting a cell for a cell reselection procedure based on the cell reselection information, at least one first cell of a first network type is prioritized.

[0012] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features:

[0013] Preferably, the first network type is a network type of a wireless network node.

[0014] Preferably, the first network type is one of a non-terrestrial network NTN or a terrestrial network TN.

[0015] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises receiving an indication from the radio network node of selecting one of the at least one first cell of the first network type as the selected cell for the cell reselection procedure.

[0016] Preferably, the cell reselection information is broadcast in system information.

[0017] Preferably, the cell reselection information is in the radio resource control RRC signaling.

[0018] Preferably, the cell reselection information includes a cell list of at least one NTN cell.

[0019] Preferably, the first network type is NTN, and the selected cell is one of at least one NTN cell in the cell list.

[0020] Preferably, the first network type is TN, and it is avoided that the selected cell is one of at least one NTN cell in the cell list.

[0021] Preferably, for selecting a cell for a cell reselection procedure, at least one first frequency of at least one first cell of a first network type is prioritized.

[0022] Preferably, at least one first frequency of at least one first cell of the first network type is prioritized by increasing a value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one first frequency.

[0023] Preferably, the range of values ​​of the frequency level reselection priority is extended.

[0024] Preferably, the wireless communication method further includes:

[0025] receiving a priority offset from a wireless network node, and

[0026] A value of a frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one first frequency is adjusted by a priority offset.

[0027] Preferably, a value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one first frequency is increased to be greater than a value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one second frequency of at least one second cell of the second network type, and the second network type is different from the first network type.

[0028] Preferably, at least one first cell of the first network type is prioritized in the following manner:

[0029] A cell-level reselection priority associated with each of at least one first cell of a first network type is configured to have a first value that is greater than a second value of a cell-level reselection priority associated with each of at least one third cell of a third network type, wherein the third network type is different from the first network type.

[0030] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises receiving, from the radio network node, an indication of whether the neighboring cell is one of the at least one first cell of the first network type.

[0031] Preferably, the neighboring cells are associated with the cell reselection process.

[0032] Preferably, the cell reselection procedure is one of an intra-NTN cell reselection procedure, a TN to NTN reselection procedure or an NTN to TN cell reselection procedure.

[0033] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises receiving an identifier list from a radio network node, the identifier list comprising at least one of a closed access group identifier of the at least one first cell or a network identifier of the at least one first cell.

[0034] Preferably, the wireless terminal prioritizes at least one first cell of the first network type based on the list of identifiers.

[0035] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises receiving, from the wireless network node, a satellite type and / or an NTN type of at least one of at least one independent non-public network, at least one closed access group, or at least one public mobile network.

[0036] Preferably, the wireless communication method further includes:

[0037] receiving a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration SMTC of the NTN cell from the radio network node, wherein the SMTC is applied when performing measurements on the NTN cell;

[0038] receiving a window offset from a wireless network node; and

[0039] The SMTC of the NTN cell is adjusted based on the window offset and the SMTC of the TN cell, and the adjusted SMTC is applied when performing measurement on the NTN cell.

[0040] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method for use in a wireless network node. The wireless communication method includes transmitting cell reselection information to a wireless terminal for prioritizing at least one first cell of a first network type for selecting a cell for a cell reselection process.

[0041] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features:

[0042] Preferably, the first network type is a network type of a wireless network node.

[0043] Preferably, the first network type is one of a non-terrestrial network NTN or a terrestrial network TN.

[0044] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises transmitting to the wireless terminal an indication of selecting one of the at least one first cell of the first network type as the selected cell for the cell reselection procedure.

[0045] Preferably, the cell reselection information is broadcast in system information.

[0046] Preferably, the cell reselection information is in the radio resource control RRC signaling.

[0047] Preferably, the cell reselection information includes a cell list of at least one NTN cell.

[0048] Preferably, the first network type is NTN, and the selected cell is one of at least one NTN cell in the cell list.

[0049] Preferably, the first network type is TN, and it is avoided that the selected cell is one of at least one NTN cell in the cell list.

[0050] Preferably, at least one first frequency of at least one first cell of the first network type is prioritized to select the cell for the cell reselection procedure.

[0051] Preferably, at least one first frequency of at least one first cell of the first network type is prioritized by increasing a value of the frequency level reselection priority of each of the at least one frequency.

[0052] Preferably, the range of values ​​of the frequency level reselection priority is extended.

[0053] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises transmitting a priority offset to the wireless terminal for adjusting a value of the frequency level reselection priority of each of the at least one first frequency.

[0054] Preferably, the value of the frequency level reselection priority of each of the at least one first frequency is increased to be greater than the value of the frequency level reselection priority of each of the at least one second frequency of at least one second cell of the second network type, and the second network type is different from the first network type.

[0055] Preferably, at least one first cell of the first network type is prioritized in the following manner:

[0056] A cell-level reselection priority associated with each of at least one first cell of a first network type is configured to have a first value that is greater than a second value of a cell-level reselection priority associated with each of at least one third cell of a third network type, wherein the third network type is different from the first network type.

[0057] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises transmitting to the wireless terminal an indication of whether the neighboring cell is one of the at least one first cell of the first network type.

[0058] Preferably, the neighboring cells are associated with the cell reselection process.

[0059] Preferably, the cell reselection procedure is one of an intra-NTN cell reselection procedure, a TN to NTN reselection procedure or an NTN to TN cell reselection procedure.

[0060] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises transmitting an identifier list to the wireless terminal, the identifier list comprising at least one of a closed access group identifier of the at least one first cell or a network identifier of the at least one first cell.

[0061] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises transmitting a designated closed access group identifier of the wireless network node or a designated network identifier of the wireless network node to the wireless terminal.

[0062] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises transmitting to the wireless terminal a satellite type and / or an NTN type of at least one of at least one independent non-public network, at least one closed access group or at least one public mobile network.

[0063] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises transmitting a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration SMTC of the NTN cell to the wireless terminal.

[0064] Preferably, the wireless communication method further comprises transmitting a window offset to the wireless terminal to adjust a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration SMTC of the NTN cell based on the window offset and the SMTC of the TN cell.

[0065] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method for use in a wireless terminal. The wireless communication method includes:

[0066] receiving a group identifier configured for a handover process from a radio network node; and

[0067] The group identifier and at least one measurement result for a handover procedure are transmitted to a radio network node.

[0068] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features:

[0069] Preferably, the group identity is transmitted to the wireless terminal in system information or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0070] Preferably, the group identity is transmitted to the radio network node in a measurement report.

[0071] Preferably, the group identity is determined based on at least one of a location or a service type of the wireless terminal.

[0072] Preferably, the wireless communication method further includes:

[0073] receiving a handover command from a wireless network node, and

[0074] The switching process is performed based on the switching command.

[0075] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication method for use in a wireless network node. The wireless communication method comprises:

[0076] transmitting a group identifier for a handover process to a wireless terminal;

[0077] receiving a group identifier and at least one measurement result for a handover procedure from a wireless terminal, and

[0078] A first handover command for a handover procedure is transmitted to at least one first wireless terminal of the wireless terminal group corresponding to the group identifier.

[0079] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features:

[0080] Preferably, the group identity is transmitted to the wireless terminal in system information or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0081] Preferably, the group identity is transmitted to the radio network node in a measurement report.

[0082] Preferably, the group identity is determined based on at least one of a location or a service type of the wireless terminal.

[0083] Preferably, the at least one first wireless terminal includes all wireless terminals in the wireless terminal group.

[0084] Preferably, the at least one first wireless terminal comprises a part of wireless terminals in the wireless terminal group.

[0085] Preferably, the wireless communication method further includes:

[0086] transmitting a second handover command for a handover process to at least one second terminal of the wireless terminal group,

[0087] The first handover command indicates the first cell, and

[0088] The second handover command indicates a second cell different from the first cell.

[0089] The present disclosure relates to a wireless terminal. The wireless terminal comprises:

[0090] a communication unit configured to receive cell reselection information from a radio network node; and

[0091] A processor is configured to prioritize at least one first cell of a first network type based on the cell reselection information for selecting a cell for a cell reselection process.

[0092] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features:

[0093] Preferably, the processor is further configured to execute the aforementioned wireless communication method for the terminal.

[0094] The present disclosure relates to a radio network node. The radio network node comprises a communication unit configured to transmit cell reselection information to a wireless terminal for prioritizing at least one first cell of a first network type for selecting cells for a cell reselection process.

[0095] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features:

[0096] Preferably, the radio network node further comprises a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the aforementioned wireless communication method for the radio network node.

[0097] The present disclosure relates to a wireless terminal. The wireless terminal includes a communication unit, which is configured to:

[0098] receiving a group identifier configured for a handover process from a wireless network node, and

[0099] The group identifier and at least one measurement result for a handover procedure are transmitted to a radio network node.

[0100] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features:

[0101] Preferably, the wireless terminal further comprises a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the aforementioned wireless communication method for the terminal.

[0102] The present disclosure relates to a wireless network node. The wireless network node includes a communication unit, which is configured to:

[0103] transmitting a group identifier for a handover process to a wireless terminal;

[0104] receiving a group identifier and at least one measurement result for a handover procedure from a wireless terminal, and

[0105] A first handover command for a handover procedure is transmitted to at least one first wireless terminal of the wireless terminal group corresponding to the group identifier.

[0106] Various embodiments may preferably implement the following features:

[0107] Preferably, the radio network node further comprises a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the aforementioned wireless communication method for the radio network node.

[0108] The present disclosure relates to a computer program product including a computer-readable program medium code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement the aforementioned wireless communication method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0109] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are directed to providing features that will become apparent by reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. According to various embodiments, exemplary systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and not limitation, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art who have read this disclosure that various modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments while remaining within the scope of this disclosure.

[0110] Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. Additionally, the specific order and / or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein are merely exemplary methods. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps of the disclosed methods or processes may be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or actions in a sample order, and the present disclosure is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented, unless otherwise expressly stated.

[0111] The above and other aspects and their embodiments are described in more detail in the drawings, the description and the claims.

[0112] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the movement of a satellite.

[0113] Figure 2 An example of a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0114] Figure 3 An example of a schematic diagram of a network node according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0115] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0116] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing a process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0117] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0118] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0119] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a wireless terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The wireless terminal 20 may be a user equipment (UE), a mobile phone, a laptop, a tablet computer, an e-book, or a portable computer system, and is not limited thereto. The wireless terminal 20 may include a processor 200 (such as a microprocessor or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), a storage unit 210, and a communication unit 220. The storage unit 210 may be any data storage device that stores program code 212 accessed and executed by the processor 200. Embodiments of the storage unit 212 include, but are not limited to, a subscriber identity module (SIM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk, and an optical data storage device. The communication unit 220 may be a transceiver and is used to transmit and receive signals (e.g., messages or packets) according to the processing results of the processor 200. In an embodiment, the communication unit 220 communicates with the communication unit 220 via Figure 2 At least one antenna 222 is shown for transmitting and receiving signals.

[0120] In an embodiment, the storage unit 210 and the program code 212 may be omitted, and the processor 200 may include the storage unit having the stored program code.

[0121] Processor 200 may implement any of the steps of the exemplary embodiments on wireless terminal 20 , for example by executing program code 212 .

[0122] The communication unit 220 may be a transceiver. Alternatively or additionally, the communication unit 220 may be a combination of a transmission unit and a reception unit configured to transmit and receive signals to and from a wireless network node (eg, a base station), respectively.

[0123] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a radio network node 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The radio network node 30 may be a satellite, a base station (BS), a network entity, a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a radio network controller (RNC), and is not limited thereto. The radio network node 30 may include a processor 300 such as a microprocessor or an ASIC, a storage unit 310, and a communication unit 320. The storage unit 310 may be any data storage device that stores program code 312 accessed and executed by the processor 300. Examples of the storage unit 312 include, but are not limited to, a SIM, a ROM, a flash memory, a RAM, a hard disk, and an optical data storage device. The communication unit 320 may be a transceiver and is used to transmit and receive signals (e.g., messages or packets) according to the processing results of the processor 300. In an example, the communication unit 320 communicates with the communication unit 320 via Figure 3 At least one antenna 322 is shown for transmitting and receiving signals.

[0124] In an embodiment, the storage unit 310 and the program code 312 may be omitted. The processor 300 may include a storage unit having stored program code.

[0125] The processor 300 may implement any of the steps described in the exemplary embodiments on the radio network node 30 , for example by executing the program code 312 .

[0126] The communication unit 320 may be a transceiver. Alternatively or additionally, the communication unit 320 may be a combination of a transmission unit and a reception unit configured to transmit and receive signals to and from a wireless terminal (eg, user equipment), respectively.

[0127] When operating in an idle radio resource control (RRC) state (i.e., RRC_IDLE) or an inactive RRC state (i.e., RRC_INACTIVE), the UE moves from one cell to another by performing a cell selection procedure and a cell reselection procedure. In the present disclosure, the cell selection procedure may be equivalent to the cell reselection procedure. In addition, in the present disclosure, the cell selection may be equivalent to the cell reselection.

[0128] Note that the cell selection / reselection process of the present disclosure may include an intra-NTN cell selection / reselection process, a TN to NTN cell selection / reselection process and / or an NTN to TN cell selection / reselection process.

[0129] Furthermore, when operating in the RRC connected state (ie, RRC_CONNECTED), the network (eg, a radio network node) moves the UE from one cell to another cell by providing a handover command to the UE, for example, for performing a handover procedure.

[0130] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a process 40 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In process 40, a network (e.g., a radio network node) transmits cell reselection information to a UE residing in a serving cell of the network. Based on the cell reselection information, the UE prioritizes at least one cell CE_A of a network type NT_A for selecting a cell during a cell selection / reselection process. By transmitting the cell reselection information to the UE, the network is able to control the UE to preferentially select one of the at least one cell CE_A of the network type NT_A as the selected cell for the cell selection / reselection process. In other words, for a cell selection / reselection process based on the cell reselection information, the UE prioritizes the network type NT_A over other network types.

[0131] In an embodiment, after selecting a cell for the cell selection / reselection process, the UE moves to the selected cell.

[0132] In an embodiment, the network controls the UE to move to a cell of a network of the same network type. That is, the network type NT_A is the network type of the network because at least one cell CE_A is preferentially selected as the selected cell of the cell selection / reselection process. For example, when the network type of the network is a non-terrestrial network (NTN), the network type NT_A is NTN; and when the network type of the network is a terrestrial network (TN), the network type NT_A is TN.

[0133] In an embodiment, the network type NT_A is NTN.

[0134] In an embodiment, the network type NT_A is TN.

[0135] In an embodiment, the UE prioritizes at least one cell CE_A of the network type NT_A by selecting one of the at least one cells CE_A of the network type NT_A as the selected cell for the cell selection / reselection process based on the cell reselection information. In other words, in response to the cell reselection information, the UE selects one of the at least one cells CE_A of the network type NT_A for the cell selection / reselection process and moves to the selected cell of the network type NT_A.

[0136] In an embodiment, the network may also transmit to the UE an indication IND_CS (eg, Figure 4 Based on the indication IND_CS, the UE selects one of the at least one cell CE_A of the network type NT_A for the cell selection / reselection procedure and moves to the selected cell of the network type NT_A.

[0137] In an embodiment, the network determines that during the cell selection / reselection process, all UEs residing in the service cell of the network should prioritize network type NT_A. In this embodiment, the network may broadcast cell reselection information to all UEs residing in the service cell of the network. For example, the cell reselection information may be configured in system information broadcast by the network (e.g., a master information block (MIB), a system information block (SIB) 1, or a newly designed SIB containing information related to neighboring cells related to the cell selection / reselection process). Note that since the cell selection / reselection process includes an intra-NTN cell selection / reselection process, a TN to NTN cell selection / reselection process, and an NTN to TN cell selection / reselection process, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the newly designed SIB may be designed to contain information related to neighboring cells for all three cell selection / reselection processes. In another embodiment, one newly designed SIB contains information related to neighboring cells related to the intra-NTN cell selection / reselection process, another newly designed SIB contains information related to neighboring cells related to the TN to NTN cell selection / reselection process, and yet another newly designed SIB contains information related to neighboring cells related to the NTN to TN cell selection / reselection process.

[0138] In an embodiment, the network determines that a portion of the UEs residing in the serving cell of the network should prioritize network type NT_A during the cell selection / reselection process, and at least one remaining UE does not have to prioritize network type NT_A. In this case, cell reselection information is provided for each UE. For example, the cell reselection information may be configured in a dedicated RRC signaling, such as an RRCRelease message or an RRCReject message, and the dedicated RRC signaling is transmitted to each of the UEs determined to prioritize network type NT_A.

[0139] In an embodiment, the cell reselection information comprises a cell list of at least one NTN cell (ie, cells of NTN).During the cell selection / reselection procedure based on the cell list, the UE prioritizes at least one cell CE_A of the network type NT_A.

[0140] In an embodiment, the cell list comprises at least one physical layer cell identity (PCI) of at least one NTN cell in the cell list.

[0141] In an embodiment, the network type NT_A is NTN, and the cell list of the cell reselection information is a white list. In this embodiment, the UE prioritizes at least one cell CE_A of the network type NT_A by selecting one of the at least one NTN cells in the cell list (e.g., at least one cell CE_A) as the selected cell for the cell selection / reselection process. For example, the UE may perform measurements on at least one NTN cell in the cell list when receiving the cell list, and perform a cell selection / reselection process to select one of the at least one NTN cell in the cell list. When considering the additional delay in the NTN, the SS / PBCH (synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel) block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) in the existing TN may not be sufficient. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, an SMTC window may be introduced for the NTN cell or SMTC offset, wherein the SMTC offset is used to adjust the SMTC used in the TN cell to obtain an applicable SMTC for the NTN cell. The NTN-specific SMTC window or SMTC offset may be configured per NTN cell or per satellite, and may be provided to the UE from the network via system information or dedicated RRC signaling. Next, the UE adjusts the SMTC of the NTN cell based on the SMTC offset and the SMTC of the TN cell (eg, extends the time window corresponding to the SMTC of the TN cell by the SMTC offset), and applies the adjusted SMTC when performing measurement of the NTN cell.

[0142] In an embodiment, the network type NT_A is TN, and the cell list becomes a blacklist. In this embodiment, the UE avoids selecting a cell from at least one NTN cell (e.g., at least one cell CE_A) in the cell list for the cell selection / reselection process. That is, the selected cell to avoid the cell selection / reselection process is one of the at least one NTN cell in the cell list. For example, the UE may skip measuring at least one NTN cell in the cell list when receiving the cell list, and perform a cell reselection process to select a TN cell (i.e., a cell of TN) that is not included in the cell list.

[0143] In an embodiment, the UE also receives an indication from the network ( Figure 4In an example, the indication is broadcast in system information (e.g., MIB, SIB1 or other SIBs). In another example, the indication is transmitted in dedicated RRC signaling.

[0144] In an embodiment, NTN cells and TN cells may be deployed at different frequencies. In this embodiment, for selecting a cell for the cell selection / reselection process, at least one frequency FREQ_A of at least one cell CE_A of network type NT_A is prioritized.

[0145] In an embodiment, at least one frequency FREQ_A of at least one cell CE_A of network type NT_A is prioritized by increasing the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one frequency FREQ_A. In this embodiment, when the value of the frequency level priority is larger, the frequency level priority is higher, and the UE preferentially selects the frequency associated with the frequency level priority having a higher value during the cell selection / reselection process.

[0146] In an embodiment, the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one frequency FREQ_A is increased (e.g., configured or assigned) to a higher value within a value range of the frequency level reselection priority. For example, in a new radio (NR) network, the value range of the frequency level reselection priority may be from 0 to 7. The value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one frequency FREQ_A may be increased to 5, 6, or 7.

[0147] In an embodiment, the network type NT_A is NTN, and when the value of the frequency level reselection priority ranges from 0 to 7, the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the frequencies of the NTN cells (e.g., at least one frequency FREQ_A of at least one cell CE_A) is increased to 5, 6 or 7.

[0148] In an embodiment, the network type NT_A is TN, and when the value of the frequency level reselection priority ranges from 0 to 7, the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the frequencies of the TN cells (e.g., at least one frequency FREQ_A of at least one cell CE_A) is increased to 5, 6 or 7.

[0149] In an embodiment, when a UE is served by both an NTN and a TN, there are more frequencies in the network deployment. Therefore, in this embodiment, the value range of the frequency level reselection priority is extended (e.g., expanded). For example, the value range of the frequency level reselection priority can be extended from a range of 0 to 7 to another range of 0 to 15.

[0150] In an embodiment, the network type NT_A is NTN, and when the value range of the frequency level reselection priority is extended from 0 to 15, the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each NTN cell (eg, at least one cell_CE_A) is increased to 13, 14 or 15.

[0151] In an embodiment, the network type NT_A is TN, and when the value range of the frequency level reselection priority is extended from 0 to 15, the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each TN cell (e.g., at least one cell_CE_A) is increased to 13, 14 or 15.

[0152] In an embodiment, Figure 4 As shown, the UE also receives a priority offset from the network. After receiving the priority offset, the UE adjusts the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with at least one frequency FREQ by the priority offset.

[0153] In an embodiment, the network type NT_A is NTN, and when the value of the frequency level reselection priority ranges from 0 to 7, the priority offset may be 8. The UE adds 8 to the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one frequency FREQ_A (i.e., associated with each of the NTN cells). As a result, the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each NTN cell is between 8 and 15, and is always greater than the value associated with each TN cell. That is, during the cell selection / reselection process, each of the NTN cells has a higher priority than each of the TN cells to be selected.

[0154] In an embodiment, the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one frequency FREQ_A is increased to be greater than the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one frequency FREQ_B of the at least one second cell CE_B of the network type NT_B, wherein the network type NT_B is different from the network type NT_A. For example, when the value range of the frequency level reselection priority is from 0 to 15, the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one frequency FREQ_A can be configured between 8 and 15 to ensure that the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one frequency FREQ_A is always higher than the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one frequency FREQ_B. In this embodiment, the network type NT_A can be NTN, and the network type NT_B can be TN.

[0155] In an embodiment, NTN cells and TN cells may be deployed at the same frequency. In this embodiment, a cell-level reselection priority is introduced for selecting cells for the cell selection / reselection process. The cell-level reselection priority of each cell of the network may be configured to the UE via system information or dedicated RRC signaling. The UE may prioritize at least one cell CE_A by configuring the cell-level reselection priority associated with each of at least one cell CE_A to be higher than the cell-level reselection priority associated with each of at least one cell CE_C of a network type NT_C, wherein the network type NT_C is different from the network type NT_A. In this embodiment, the network type NT_A may be NTN, and the network type NT_C may be TN. For example, the cell-level reselection priority of at least one cell CE_A may be configured with a value VA_A, and the cell-level reselection priority of at least one cell CE_C may be configured with a value VA_B that is less than the value VA_A.

[0156] It should be noted that the methods of using cell-level reselection priorities to prioritize at least one cell CE_A of network type NT_A can refer to those methods of using frequency-level reselection priorities to prioritize at least one frequency FREQ_A, with necessary modifications, and are not described here for the sake of brevity.

[0157] In an embodiment, the network also transmits an indication IND_PC to the UE (eg Figure 4 When receiving the indication IND_PC, the UE considers the network type of the neighboring cell when selecting a cell for the cell selection / reselection process.

[0158] In an embodiment, the indication IND_PC is transmitted in system information (eg, MIB, SIB1 or other SIBs) or in dedicated RRC signaling.

[0159] In an embodiment, the network type NT_A is NTN. When receiving an indication IND_PC (e.g., indicating "prioritizeNTN") indicating that the network type of the neighboring cell is the network type NT_A (i.e., NTN), the UE considers the network type of the neighboring cell and prioritizes the NTN cell (i.e., at least one cell CE_A) relative to the TN cell.

[0160] In an embodiment, the network type NT_A is TN. When receiving an indication IND_PC (e.g., indicating "prioritizeTN") indicating that the network type of the neighboring cell is the network type NT_A (i.e., NTN), the UE considers the network type of the neighboring cell and prioritizes the TN cell (i.e., at least one cell CE_A) relative to the NTN cell.

[0161] In an embodiment, the network type NT_A is NTN, and the network type NT_A (i.e., NTN) is preferentially processed by configuring the network of the network type NT_A as a non-public network. In this embodiment, at least one cell CE_A of the network type NT_A is assigned a designated closed access group (CAG) identifier and / or a network identifier (NID) to identify the non-public network formed by at least one cell CE_A of the network type NT_A. For example, the CAG identifier is configured to identify a closed access group of a non-public network, and the NID identifies an independent non-public network (SNPN) in conjunction with a public mobile network (PLMN) ID. At least one cell NT_A may broadcast the assigned closed access group identifier and / or the assigned network identifier in system information. In addition, the UE is configured with an allowed CAG identifier list identifier and / or an allowed NID list. Note that the allowed CAG identifier list identifier may only contain the designated CAG identifier assigned to at least one cell CE_A of the network type NT_A, and the allowed NID list may only include the NID assigned to at least one cell CE_A of the network type NT_A.

[0162] When the UE supports only non-public networks, the UE selects only cells having a CAG identifier in the configured allowed CAG identifier list and / or having an NID in the configured allowed NID list when performing a cell reselection procedure. Therefore, when configured with the allowed CAG identifier list identifier and / or the allowed NID list, the UE supporting only non-public networks selects a cell for the cell reselection procedure from at least one cell CE_A of the network type NT_A (i.e., an NTN cell).

[0163] When the UE supports both non-public networks and public networks, in the case where the UE is configured with an allowed CAG identifier list identifier and / or an allowed NID list, the UE gives priority to cells having CAG identifiers in the configured allowed CAG identifier list and / or having NIDs in the configured allowed NID list for a cell reselection procedure. As a result, the UE supporting both non-public networks and public networks gives priority to at least one cell CE_A of the network type NT_A for a cell reselection procedure.

[0164] In an embodiment where a network of network type NT_A is configured as a non-public network, a satellite type (e.g., GEO, LEO, or MEO) and / or an NTN type (e.g., a GEO network, a LEO network, or a MEO network) is configured per SNPN or per CAG or per PLMN. In addition, the satellite type and / or NTN type of at least one SNPN, at least one CAG, and / or at least one PLMN is provided to the UE via system information or dedicated RRC signaling.

[0165] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a process 50 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In process 50, a network (e.g., a radio network node) transmits a group identifier (ID) to a UE to identify a group of UEs. The group ID may be assigned to the UE for a handover process. Next, for example, when the UE determines that at least one handover condition (e.g., at least one measurement report condition) is satisfied, the UE transmits the group ID together with at least one measurement result to the network for a handover process. Based on the group ID and the at least one measurement result, the network determines to move all or part of the UEs in the group associated with the group ID to other cells. When the network determines Figure 5 When the UE does not need to move to another cell, the network does not Figure 5 The UE transmits a handover command as shown in FIG. Figure 5 When the UE needs to move to another cell, the network performs handover preparation and sends Figure 5 The UE shown in FIG. transmits a handover command. After receiving the handover command, the UE performs a handover procedure based on the handover command and moves to another cell.

[0166] In an embodiment, the group ID assigned by the network is determined based on at least one of the location or service type of the UE. For example, the service type includes voice communication service, video streaming service, data communication service, etc. In other words, the network divides at least one UE residing in its serving cell into at least one group based on the location and / or service type of each of the at least one UE.

[0167] In an embodiment, the group ID is provided from the network to the UE via system information or dedicated RRC signaling (eg, RRCReconfiguration message).

[0168] In an embodiment, the group ID may be transmitted from the UE to the network via dedicated RRC signaling (eg, measurement reporting).

[0169] In an embodiment, the network may move all or part of at least one UE to the same cell.

[0170] In an embodiment, the network may move all or part of at least one UE to a different cell.

[0171] Figure 6 FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 In the wireless network node NN1 (for example, Figure 5 The network shown in FIG. 1 has a cell CE1, and there are 7 UEs in the cell CE1. Based on the locations and / or service types of the 7 UEs, the radio network node divides the 7 UEs into 2 groups TG1 and TG2, and assigns group IDs (e.g., indexes 1 and 2) of the groups TG1 and TG2 to the 7 UEs. Figure 6 In the embodiment, when determining that at least one measurement report condition is satisfied, one of the UEs in the group TG1 transmits a measurement report including the group ID of the group TG1 and at least one measurement result to the radio network node NN1 to notify the radio network node NN1 that the UEs in the group TG1 can be moved (e.g., switched) to the cell CE2 of the radio network node NN2. When receiving the measurement report including the group ID of the group TG1, the radio network node NN1 determines to move all the UEs in the group TG1 to the cell CE2 and performs switching preparation with the radio network node NN2. Next, the radio network node NN1 transmits a switching command to all the UEs in the group TG1, and all the UEs in the group TG1 move to CE2.

[0172] Figure 7 FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 In the wireless network node NN1 (for example, Figure 5 The network shown in FIG. 1 has a cell CE1, and there are also 7 UEs in the cell CE1. Based on the locations and / or service types of the 7 UEs, the radio network node divides the 7 UEs into 2 groups TG1 and TG2, and assigns group IDs (e.g., indexes 1 and 2) of the groups TG1 and TG2 to the 7 UEs. Figure 7, when determining that at least one measurement report condition is satisfied, UE UE1 in group TG1 transmits a measurement report including the group ID of group TG1 and at least one measurement result to radio network node NN1, so as to inform radio network node NN1 that the UEs of group TG1 can be moved (e.g., handed over) to cell CE2 of radio network node NN2 or to cell CE3 of radio network node NN3. When receiving the measurement report from UE UE1, radio network node NN1 determines to hand over UE UE1 and UE2 (i.e., part of UEs) in group TG1 to other cells. In addition, radio network node NN1 determines to hand over UE UE1 to cell CE3, and to hand over UE UE2 to cell CE2. Next, radio network node NN1 performs handover preparation with radio network nodes NN2 and NN3, respectively, and transmits handover commands to UE UE1 and UE2, respectively. After receiving the handover commands, UE UE2 moves to cell C2 and UE UE1 moves to cell CE3. Note that the other two UEs in group TG1 still reside in cell CE1.

[0173] According to the aforementioned embodiments, a cell selection / reselection process and / or a handover process in a network including both an NTN and a TN becomes more efficient.

[0174] Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented merely as examples rather than as limitations. Similarly, various figures may depict example architectures or configurations, which are provided to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the exemplary features and functions of the present disclosure. However, such a person will understand that the present disclosure is not limited to the example architectures or configurations shown, but may be implemented using various alternative architectures and configurations. Additionally, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, one or more features of an embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0175] It should also be understood that any reference to an element using designations such as "first," "second," etc. herein generally does not limit the number or order of these elements. Rather, these designations may be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of elements. Thus, a reference to a first element and a second element does not mean that only two elements can be used, or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner.

[0176] Additionally, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols (e.g., which may be referenced in the above description) may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0177] Those of skill will further understand that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, units, processors, devices, circuits, methods, and functions described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementations, analog implementations, or a combination of both), firmware, various forms of programs or design codes combined with instructions (which, for convenience, may be referred to herein as "software" or "software units"), or any combination of these technologies.

[0178] In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, units, circuits and steps have been described above in their functional aspects as a whole. Whether this functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware or software or a combination of these technologies depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. Skilled technicians can implement the described functionality in various ways for each specific application, but this implementation decision will not lead to departing from the scope of this disclosure. According to various embodiments, processors, devices, components, circuits, structures, machines, units, etc. can be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein. The term "configured to" or "configured for" used herein with respect to a specific operation or function refers to a processor, device, component, circuit, structure, machine, unit, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed and / or arranged to perform a specific operation or function.

[0179] In addition, the technician will understand that the various illustrative logic blocks, units, devices, components and circuits described herein can be implemented in or performed by an integrated circuit (IC), which can include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device or any combination thereof. The logic blocks, units and circuits may further include antennas and / or transceivers to communicate with various components within the network or within the device. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in an alternative solution, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a combination of multiple microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a digital signal processor core, or any other suitable configuration to perform the functions described herein. If implemented in software, the function can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Therefore, the steps of the method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0180] Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, which include any media that can be enabled to transfer a computer program or code from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. As an example and not limitation, such a computer-readable medium can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0181] In this document, the term "unit" as used herein refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the associated functions described herein. Additionally, for the purpose of discussion, various units are described as discrete modules; however, as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, two or more units may be combined to form a single unit that performs the associated functions.

[0182] Additionally, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, a memory or other storage device and a communication component may be used. It should be understood that, for the sake of clarity, the above description has described the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it is apparent that any suitable functional distribution between different functional units, processing logic elements or domains may be used without departing from the present disclosure. For example, a function shown as being performed by a separate processing logic element or controller may be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Therefore, references to specific functional units are merely references to suitable means for providing the described functionality, rather than indicating a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0183] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as set forth in the above claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method for use in a wireless terminal, comprising: receiving cell reselection information from a radio network node, wherein the network type of the radio network node is a first network type; as well as based on the cell reselection information, for selecting a cell for a cell reselection process, prioritizing at least one first cell of the first network type or prioritizing at least one first frequency of at least one first cell of the first network type, The cell reselection information includes a cell list of at least one non-terrestrial network NTN cell, and wherein the first network type is NTN, and the selected cell is one of the at least one NTN cell in the cell list, or the first network type is a terrestrial network TN, and the selected cell is avoided to be one of the at least one NTN cell in the cell list, in: The at least one first cell of the first network type is prioritized in the following manner: configuring a cell level reselection priority associated with each of at least one first cell of the first network type to have a first value that is greater than a second value of a cell level reselection priority associated with each of at least one third cell of a third network type that is different from the first network type, At least one first frequency of at least one first cell of the first network type is prioritized in the following manner: A value of a frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one first frequency is increased. 2 . The wireless communication method according to claim 1 , wherein the first network type is one of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or a terrestrial network (TN).

3. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, further comprising: An indication is received from the radio network node selecting one of at least one first cell of a first network type as a selected cell for the cell reselection procedure. 4 . The wireless communication method according to claim 1 , wherein the cell reselection information is broadcast in system information.

5. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein the cell reselection information is in radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The wireless communication method according to claim 1 , wherein a range of values ​​of the frequency level reselection priority is extended.

7. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a priority offset from the wireless network node, and A value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one first frequency is adjusted by the priority offset.

8. The wireless communication method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one first frequency is increased to be greater than the value of the frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one second frequency of at least one second cell of the second network type, and The second network type is different from the first network type.

9. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, further comprising: An indication is received from the radio network node whether a neighboring cell is one of at least one first cell of the first network type.

10. A wireless communication method for use in a wireless network node, comprising: transmitting to the wireless terminal cell reselection information for selecting at least one first frequency that prioritizes at least one first cell of a first network type or prioritizes at least one first cell of the first network type for a cell reselection process, The network type of the wireless network node is the first network type, the cell reselection information includes a cell list of at least one non-terrestrial network NTN cell, and wherein the first network type is NTN, and the selected cell is one of the at least one NTN cell in the cell list, or the first network type is a terrestrial network TN, and the selected cell is avoided to be one of the at least one NTN cell in the cell list, in: The at least one first cell of the first network type is prioritized in the following manner: configuring a cell-level reselection priority associated with each of at least one first cell of the first network type to have a first value that is greater than a second value of a cell-level reselection priority associated with each of at least one third cell of the third network type, and the third network type is different from the first network type, At least one first frequency of at least one first cell of the first network type is preferentially selected in the following manner: A value of a frequency level reselection priority of each of the at least one first frequency is increased. 11 . The wireless communication method according to claim 10 , wherein the first network type is one of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or a terrestrial network (TN).

12. The wireless communication method according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising: An indication is transmitted to the wireless terminal selecting one of the at least one first cell of the first network type as a selected cell for the cell reselection procedure.

13. The wireless communication method according to claim 10, wherein the cell reselection information is broadcast in system information.

14. The wireless communication method according to claim 10, wherein the cell reselection information is in radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

15. The wireless communication method according to claim 10, wherein a range of values ​​of the frequency level reselection priority is extended.

16. The wireless communication method according to claim 15, further comprising: A priority offset is transmitted to the wireless terminal for use in adjusting a value of a frequency level reselection priority of each of the at least one first frequency.

17. The wireless communication method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the value of the frequency level reselection priority of each of the at least one first frequency is increased to be greater than the value of the frequency level reselection priority of each of the at least one second frequency of at least one second cell of the second network type, and The second network type is different from the first network type.

18. The wireless communication method according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising: An indication is transmitted to the wireless terminal whether a neighboring cell is one of at least one first cell of the first network type.

19. A wireless terminal, comprising: a communication unit configured to receive cell reselection information from a radio network node, wherein the network type of the radio network node is a first network type; as well as a processor configured to prioritize at least one first cell of a first network type or prioritize at least one first frequency of at least one first cell of the first network type for selecting a cell for a cell reselection process based on the cell reselection information, The cell reselection information includes a cell list of at least one non-terrestrial network NTN cell, and wherein the first network type is NTN, and the selected cell is one of the at least one NTN cell in the cell list, or the first network type is a terrestrial network TN, and the selected cell is avoided to be one of the at least one NTN cell in the cell list, in: The at least one first cell of the first network type is prioritized in the following manner: configuring a cell-level reselection priority associated with each of at least one first cell of the first network type to have a first value that is greater than a second value of a cell-level reselection priority associated with each of at least one third cell of the third network type, and the third network type is different from the first network type, At least one first frequency of at least one first cell of the first network type is prioritized in the following manner: A value of a frequency level reselection priority associated with each of the at least one first frequency is increased. 20 . The wireless terminal according to claim 19 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the wireless communication method according to any one of claims 2 to 9 .

21. A wireless network node, comprising: a communication unit configured to transmit to the wireless terminal cell reselection information for selecting at least one first frequency for cell reselection process prioritizing at least one first cell of the first network type or prioritizing at least one first cell of the first network type, wherein the network type of the radio network node is the first network type, the cell reselection information includes a cell list of at least one non-terrestrial network NTN cell, and wherein the first network type is NTN, and the selected cell is one of the at least one NTN cell in the cell list, or the first network type is a terrestrial network TN, and the selected cell is avoided to be one of the at least one NTN cell in the cell list, in: The at least one first cell of the first network type is prioritized in the following manner: configuring a cell-level reselection priority associated with each of at least one first cell of the first network type to have a first value that is greater than a second value of a cell-level reselection priority associated with each of at least one third cell of the third network type, and the third network type is different from the first network type, At least one first frequency of at least one first cell of the first network type is prioritized in the following manner: The frequency level reselection priority value of each of the at least one first frequency is increased and is preferentially processed.

22. The wireless network node according to claim 21, further comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the wireless communication method according to any one of claims 11 to 18.

23. A computer readable medium comprising computer readable program medium code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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