Method and device for measuring neighboring cells

Abstract

The present application provides a method for measuring neighboring cells, including: receiving SMTC information; determining an SMTC window according to the positioning capability of a terminal device and the SMTC information, wherein the SMTC window is used to measure neighboring cells. For a terminal device whose positioning capability meets the requirements, it can determine a more accurate neighboring cell signal delay based on its own positioning capability, without the need to eliminate the influence of the calculation error of the signal delay by lengthening the SMTC window. Therefore, the method provided by the present application can enable a terminal device whose positioning capability meets the requirements to use a shorter SMTC window to receive the SSB of a neighboring cell, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the PCT national phase application with a filing date of November 1, 2019 and national application number 201980101572X. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a method and device for measuring a neighboring cell. Background Art

[0003] Non-terrestrial network (NTN) is the fifth generation (5 th In NTN, the network device that receives the signal sent by the terminal device is no longer a base station fixed on the ground, but a network device located in the air, such as a satellite.

[0004] The satellite moves very fast, which causes the distance between the satellite and the terminal device on the ground to change very quickly. For example, the distance between a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a terminal device can change at a rate of up to 7 kilometers per second (km / s). Therefore, the delay of signals sent by different satellites in the NTN reaching the terminal device varies greatly.

[0005] In some cases, the terminal device needs to receive and measure the signals of multiple NTN cells (e.g., satellites) to perform cell selection or cell reselection. The network device can notify the terminal device of the relevant configuration information for cell selection or cell reselection through broadcasting. For example, the network device can notify the terminal device of the time window for receiving the synchronization block (SS / PBCH block, SSB) of the neighboring cell through broadcasting synchronization block measurement timing configuration (SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration, SMTC) information. Since the time delay of signals sent by different satellites in NTN to reach the terminal device varies greatly, the terminal device needs to try to receive SSB within a longer time window, thereby increasing the power consumption of the terminal device. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present application provides a method and apparatus for measuring a neighboring cell, which can reduce the power consumption of a terminal device.

[0007] In a first aspect, a method for measuring a neighboring cell is provided, comprising: receiving synchronization block measurement timing configuration SMTC information; determining an SMTC window according to a positioning capability of a terminal device and the SMTC information, wherein the SMTC window is used to measure a neighboring cell.

[0008] The above method can be applied to NTN or terrestrial communication network. For terminal devices whose positioning capability meets the requirements, it can determine a more accurate neighboring cell signal delay based on its own positioning capability, without the need to eliminate the influence of the calculation error of the signal delay by lengthening the SMTC window. Therefore, the method provided by this application can enable terminal devices whose positioning capability meets the requirements to use a shorter SMTC window to receive the SSB of the neighboring cell, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal devices.

[0009] In a second aspect, another method for measuring neighboring cells is provided, including: determining the positioning capability of at least one terminal device, wherein the at least one terminal device belongs to a cell; sending synchronization block measurement timing configuration SMTC information according to the positioning capability, wherein the SMTC information is used to determine the SMTC window required for measuring neighboring cells.

[0010] The above method can be applied to NTN or terrestrial communication network. For terminal devices whose positioning capability meets the requirements, they can determine a more accurate neighboring cell signal delay based on their own positioning capability, without the need to lengthen the SMTC window to eliminate the impact of the calculation error of the signal delay. Therefore, the network device can configure a shorter SMTC window for the terminal devices whose positioning capability meets the requirements to reduce the power consumption of the terminal devices.

[0011] In a third aspect, a device for measuring a neighboring cell is provided, which can implement the function corresponding to the method in the first aspect, and the function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0012] In one possible design, the device is a terminal device or a chip. The device may include a processing unit and a transceiver unit. When the device is a terminal device, the processing unit may be a processor, and the transceiver unit may be a transceiver; the terminal device may also include a storage unit, and the storage unit may be a memory; the storage unit is used to store instructions, and the processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit so that the terminal device executes the method described in the first aspect. When the device is a chip in a terminal device, the processing unit may be a processor, and the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, a pin or a circuit, etc.; the processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit so that the terminal device including the chip executes the method described in the first aspect, and the storage unit may be a storage unit in the chip (for example, a register, a cache, etc.), or a storage unit in the terminal device located outside the chip (for example, a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.).

[0013] In a fourth aspect, a device for measuring a neighboring cell is provided, which can implement the function corresponding to the method in the second aspect, and the function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0014] In one possible design, the device is a network device or a chip. The device may include a processing unit and a transceiver unit. When the device is a network device, the processing unit may be a processor, and the transceiver unit may be a transceiver; the network device may also include a storage unit, and the storage unit may be a memory; the storage unit is used to store instructions, and the processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit so that the network device executes the method described in the second aspect. When the device is a chip in a network device, the processing unit may be a processor, and the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, a pin or a circuit, etc.; the processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit so that the network device including the chip executes the method described in the second aspect, and the storage unit may be a storage unit in the chip (for example, a register, a cache, etc.), or a storage unit in the network device located outside the chip (for example, a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.).

[0015] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the processor executes the method described in the first aspect.

[0016] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the processor executes the method described in the second aspect.

[0017] According to a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed by a processor, the processor executes the method described in the first aspect.

[0018] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed by a processor, the processor executes the method described in the second aspect.

[0019] In a ninth aspect, a computer program is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect.

[0020] In a tenth aspect, a computer program is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system suitable for the present application;

[0022] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a method for measuring a neighboring cell provided by the present application;

[0023] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another method for measuring neighboring cells provided by the present application;

[0024] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another method for measuring neighboring cells provided by the present application;

[0025] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another method for measuring neighboring cells provided by the present application;

[0026] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a device for measuring a neighboring cell provided by the present application;

[0027] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another device for measuring a neighboring cell provided by the present application;

[0028] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of a communication device for measuring a neighboring cell provided by the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0030] Figure 1 The communication system 100 includes a network device 110 and a terminal device 120 .

[0031] The network device 110 is a network device located in the air, and may be a high altitude platform station (HAPS) with wireless communication function, and the HAPS may be a hot air balloon, an airplane, a satellite or other aircraft. Taking the network device 110 as a satellite as an example, the network device 110 may be a LEO satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite or a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, wherein the operation period of the LEO satellite and the MEG satellite is different from the rotation period of the earth, and they cannot maintain a relatively stationary state with the earth, therefore, the LEO satellite and the MEG satellite may also be referred to as non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO) satellites.

[0032] The terminal device 120 may be a mobile terminal device or a fixed terminal device. For example, the terminal device 120 may be a handheld device with wireless communication function, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a computing device, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, such as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). rd The 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) includes user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), soft terminal, home gateway, set-top box, etc.

[0033] Figure 1 The double-headed arrow line in the figure indicates a signal between the network device 110 and the terminal device 120. When the network device 110 is a satellite, the satellite can transmit downlink data to the terminal device 120, wherein the downlink data can be transmitted to the terminal device 120 after channel coding, modulation and mapping. The terminal device 120 can also transmit uplink data to the satellite base station, wherein the uplink data can also be transmitted to the satellite after channel coding, modulation and mapping. The present application does not limit the communication method between the network device 110 and the terminal device 120.

[0034] The location of the network device 110 may be referred to as a space segment, and the location of the terminal device 120 may be referred to as a user segment. Optionally, the communication system 100 may also include a ground segment ( Figure 1 Not shown), for example, a satellite control center, a network control center (NCC) and various gateways.

[0035] The satellite control center has the functions of maintaining, monitoring and controlling the orbital position and attitude of the satellite, and managing the satellite's ephemeris. The NCC has the functions of processing user registration, identity confirmation, billing and other network management functions. In some satellite communication systems, the satellite control center and the NCC are combined into one. The gateway station has the functions of call processing, switching and interface with the ground communication network. The ground communication network is a component of the ground segment, which is used to send the satellite's data packets to the terminal device 120 through the core network, that is, the satellite can communicate with the terminal device 120 directly, or indirectly with the terminal device 120 through the ground segment. The ground communication network can be a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a public land mobile network (PLMN) or various other dedicated networks. Different ground communication networks require the gateway station to have different gateway functions.

[0036] In some satellite communication systems, the space segment of the satellite communication system can be a multi-layer structure consisting of a management satellite and one or more service satellites. In the networking of a satellite communication system with a multi-layer structure, the space segment can include one or more management satellites and service satellites managed by the management satellites. The satellites mentioned in this application are not limited to management satellites or service satellites.

[0037] The following is a detailed description of the method for measuring neighboring cells in NTN provided by the present application.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, the method 200 includes:

[0039] S210, the network device determines the positioning capability of at least one terminal device.

[0040] The at least one terminal device belongs to a cell, which can be referred to as the local cell of the at least one network device. Cells other than the local cell can be referred to as neighboring cells. In the present application, the local cell can be an NTN cell or a non-NTN cell, and the neighboring cell refers to an NTN cell. The network device can be a non-terrestrial network device such as a satellite, or a terrestrial network device.

[0041] The positioning capability of a terminal device can be understood as the ability of the terminal device to determine its own location.

[0042] For example, the terminal device can determine its location through the Beidou satellite navigation system or the global positioning system (GPS), or through a base station, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) signal or Bluetooth signal, or by matching a real-time street view with a street view map. This application does not limit the positioning capability of the terminal device.

[0043] In the above examples of the positioning capabilities of the terminal devices, different examples show different positioning capabilities. For example, under normal circumstances, when the terminal device can normally receive satellite signals and base station signals, the satellite-based positioning capability is higher than the base station-based positioning capability.

[0044] When the positioning capability of the terminal device is high, the terminal device can more accurately calculate the time delay of the signal from the neighboring cell to the terminal device, and the terminal device can accurately determine the time domain position and duration of the SMTC window (i.e., the time window for measuring the neighboring cell); when the positioning capability of the terminal device is low, the terminal device cannot accurately calculate the time delay of the signal from the neighboring cell to the terminal device, and therefore, the terminal device cannot accurately determine the time domain position and duration of the SMTC window.

[0045] Based on the above factors, the network device needs to determine the positioning capability of the terminal device in order to send different SMTC information based on different situations.

[0046] The terminal device can report its own positioning capability during the capability reporting process.

[0047] For example, the terminal device can report whether it supports satellite positioning; when the terminal device supports satellite positioning, the terminal device can also report the current satellite signal strength so that the network device can determine the current positioning capability of the terminal device. Optionally, the terminal device can also directly report the current positioning accuracy.

[0048] After the network device determines the positioning capability of the terminal device, it can determine whether the positioning capability of the terminal device meets the requirements based on preset conditions. The preset conditions can be the positioning method of the terminal device or the positioning accuracy of the terminal device.

[0049] For example, when the preset condition is that the terminal device needs to be positioned based on a satellite positioning system, if the positioning method of the terminal device is based on a base station, the positioning capability of the terminal device does not meet the requirements; if the positioning method of the terminal device is based on the Beidou satellite navigation system, the positioning capability of the terminal device meets the requirements.

[0050] For another example, when the preset condition is that the positioning accuracy of the terminal device needs to be within 10 meters, if the positioning accuracy of the terminal device is greater than 10 meters, the positioning capability of the terminal device does not meet the requirements; if the positioning accuracy of the terminal device is 5 meters, the positioning capability of the terminal device meets the requirements.

[0051] This application does not limit the manner in which a network device determines whether the capabilities of a terminal device meet the requirements.

[0052] Depending on whether the positioning capability of at least one terminal device belonging to a cell meets the requirements, the network device has the following processing situations.

[0053] Case 1: The positioning capability of at least one terminal device does not meet the requirements.

[0054] The network device may send SMTC information including first starting time offset information and first duration information. The first starting time offset information is used to indicate: the offset of the starting time domain position of the SMTC window relative to the starting time domain position of the SMTC period in which the SMTC window is located, wherein the starting time domain position of the SMTC period is determined based on the sending time of the SSB. The first duration information is used to indicate: the duration of the SMTC window.

[0055] In case 1-1, the network device configures the SMTC window for the frequency point, and the first starting time offset information can be determined based on the minimum difference between the signal delay of all neighboring cells of a frequency point to be measured and the signal delay of the current cell.

[0056] For example, the delay of the signal of the cell corresponding to the above-mentioned frequency to be measured reaching the terminal device is 4ms. The frequency to be measured corresponds to three neighboring cells. The delays of the signals of the three neighboring cells reaching the terminal device and the delay of the signal of the cell reaching the terminal device are 6ms, 11ms and 16ms respectively. The offset indicated by the first starting time offset information can be 6ms, or other values ​​less than 6ms, such as 5ms, to avoid calculation errors and other factors that may cause the terminal device to miss the SSB of the neighboring cell.

[0057] In the case where the network device configures the SMTC window for a frequency point, the first duration information may be determined based on the interval between the minimum delay and the maximum delay of signals of all neighboring cells corresponding to the frequency point to be measured.

[0058] For example, the frequency point to be measured corresponds to three neighboring cells, and the delays for the signals of the three neighboring cells to reach the terminal device are 10ms, 15ms, and 20ms, respectively, where the minimum delay is 10ms and the maximum delay is 20ms. The duration indicated by the first duration information may be the difference between the maximum delay and the minimum delay, that is, 10ms. Optionally, the duration indicated by the first duration information may also be greater than 10ms to avoid the terminal device missing the SSB of the neighboring cell due to factors such as calculation errors.

[0059] In case 1-2, the network device configures the SMTC window for the neighboring cell, and the first starting time offset information may be determined based on the delay of a signal of a neighboring cell to be measured.

[0060] For example, the delay of the signal from the current cell reaching the terminal device is 4ms, and there are three neighboring cells to be tested near the current cell. The difference between the delay of the signal from one of the neighboring cells reaching the terminal device and the delay of the signal from the current cell reaching the terminal device is 6ms. The offset indicated by the first starting time offset information can be 6ms, or other values ​​less than 6ms, such as 5ms, to avoid calculation errors and other factors that may cause the terminal device to miss the SSB of the neighboring cell.

[0061] In the case where the network device configures the SMTC window for the neighboring cell, the first duration information may be determined based on the interval between the minimum delay and the maximum delay of the signal of the neighboring cell to be measured.

[0062] For example, the minimum delay and maximum delay of the signal from the neighboring cell to the terminal device are 10ms and 15ms respectively, then the duration indicated by the first duration information may be the difference between the maximum delay and the minimum delay, that is, 5ms. Optionally, the duration indicated by the first duration information may also be greater than 5ms to avoid the terminal device missing the SSB of the neighboring cell due to factors such as calculation errors.

[0063] The satellites of multiple neighboring cells corresponding to a frequency point usually include satellites that are farther away. The difference in signal delays of the multiple neighboring cells is usually greater than the difference between the minimum delay and the maximum delay of the signal of a neighboring cell. Therefore, configuring the SMTC window based on the neighboring cells is beneficial to shortening the time for the terminal device to measure the neighboring cells, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0064] In case 1-3, the network device configures the SMTC window for the neighboring cell group, and the first starting time offset information can be determined based on the minimum delay of the signal of a neighboring cell group to be measured.

[0065] For another example, the delay of the signal of the current cell reaching the terminal device is 4ms, and there are four neighboring cells to be tested near the current cell, namely neighboring cell 1, neighboring cell 2, neighboring cell 3 and neighboring cell 4, wherein the delay difference between the signal of the four neighboring cells reaching the terminal device and the signal of the current cell reaching the terminal device is 6ms (neighboring cell 1), 8ms (neighboring cell 2), 17ms (neighboring cell 3) and 21ms (neighboring cell 4), respectively. Then the network device can group the neighboring cells with similar delays into one group, that is, group neighboring cell 1 and neighboring cell 2 into one group, and group neighboring cell 3 and neighboring cell 4 into one group. Taking the neighboring cell group corresponding to the first starting time offset information as an example, which is a neighboring cell group including neighboring cell 1 and neighboring cell 2, the offset indicated by the first starting time offset information can be 6ms, or it can be other values ​​less than 6ms, such as 5ms, to avoid the terminal device missing the SSB of the neighboring cell due to calculation errors and other factors.

[0066] When the network device configures the SMTC window for the neighboring cell group, the first duration information may be determined based on the interval between the minimum delay and the maximum delay of the signal of the neighboring cell group to be measured.

[0067] For example, there are four neighboring cells to be tested near the current cell, namely neighboring cell 1, neighboring cell 2, neighboring cell 3 and neighboring cell 4, wherein the delay of the signal of neighboring cell 1 reaching the terminal device is 10ms, the delay of the signal of neighboring cell 2 reaching the terminal device is 12ms, the delay of the signal of neighboring cell 3 reaching the terminal device is 21ms, and the delay of the signal of neighboring cell 4 reaching the terminal device is 25ms. The network device can group the neighboring cells with similar delays into one group, that is, group neighboring cell 1 and neighboring cell 2 into one group, and group neighboring cell 3 and neighboring cell 4 into one group. Taking the neighboring cell group corresponding to the first duration information as an example, which is a neighboring cell group including neighboring cell 1 and neighboring cell 2, the duration of the SMTC window indicated by the first duration information can be 2ms, that is, the difference between the minimum delay of 10ms and the maximum delay of 12ms. Optionally, the duration indicated by the first duration information can also be greater than 2ms to avoid the terminal device missing the SSB of the neighboring cell due to factors such as calculation errors.

[0068] The satellites of multiple neighboring cells corresponding to a frequency point usually include satellites that are farther away. The difference in signal delays of the multiple neighboring cells is usually greater than the difference between the minimum delay and the maximum delay of the signals of a neighboring cell group. Therefore, configuring the SMTC window based on the neighboring cell group is beneficial to shortening the time for the terminal device to measure the neighboring cells, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0069] Case 2: The positioning capability of at least one terminal device meets the requirements.

[0070] The network device may send SMTC information including second starting time offset information and second duration information. The second starting time offset information is used to indicate: the offset of the starting time domain position of the SMTC window relative to the starting time domain position of the SMTC period in which the SMTC window is located. The second duration information is used to indicate: the duration of the SMTC window.

[0071] The network device can determine the second start time offset information according to the delay of the signal of the cell reaching the terminal device. For example, if the delay of the signal of the cell reaching the terminal device is 2ms, the offset indicated by the second start time offset information can be 2ms or the value of 2ms of the cell.

[0072] The duration indicated by the second duration information may be a time determined by the network device based on preset information (such as a communication standard).

[0073] The terminal device can determine the difference between the signal delay of the neighboring cell and the signal delay of the current cell based on its own positioning capability, and adjust the SMTC window indicated by the second starting time offset information and the second duration information based on the difference.

[0074] Case 3: at least one terminal device includes a terminal device whose positioning capability does not meet the requirements and a terminal device whose positioning capability meets the requirements.

[0075] The network device may send SMTC information including the following information: first start time offset information, second start time offset information, first duration information and second duration information, wherein the time length indicated by the first duration information is greater than the time length indicated by the second duration information.

[0076] For terminal devices whose positioning capability does not meet the requirements, the positioning accuracy is low, and the accuracy of the neighboring cell signal delay calculated by the network device based on the location of the terminal device is also low. Therefore, a longer SMTC window needs to be configured to reduce the risk of missing SSB detection; for terminal devices whose positioning capability meets the requirements, the positioning accuracy is high, and the accuracy of the neighboring cell signal delay calculated by the terminal device based on its own location is also high. A shorter SMTC window can meet the needs of SSB detection. Therefore, the network device can configure different SMTC windows of different lengths for different terminal devices to meet the needs of different terminal devices.

[0077] The several situations described above all use milliseconds as the time unit. This application does not limit the units of the time length, time offset and period of the SMTC window. For example, the units of the time length and time offset of the SMTC window can be time domain symbols, and the unit of the period corresponding to the SMTC window can be time slots.

[0078] After determining the SMTC information according to the positioning capability of at least one terminal device, the network device may send the SMTC information via a system message, where the system message is, for example, a system information block (SIB) x, where x is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0079] The system message may also include at least one frequency point required for the terminal device to measure neighboring cells, and a list of neighboring cells corresponding to each frequency point in the at least one frequency point. The SMTC information may also include information indicating the SMTC period.

[0080] The terminal device may perform the following steps.

[0081] S220, receiving SMTC information.

[0082] S230: Determine the SMTC window according to the positioning capability and the SMTC information.

[0083] For terminal devices whose positioning capabilities do not meet the requirements, they can receive the SSB of the neighboring cell according to the SMTC window indicated by the first starting time offset information and the first duration information in the SMTC information.

[0084] Figure 3 A method for measuring neighboring cells for terminal devices whose positioning capabilities do not meet the requirements.

[0085] There is currently a terminal device and three NTN cells. The terminal device is UE1, and the three NTN cells are cell 0, cell 1, and cell 2. The three cells send SSBs at the same time, and UE1 resides in cell 0. Cell 0 sends SMTC information associated with frequency 1 or cell 1 or cell group 1. After receiving the SMTC information, UE1 performs neighbor cell measurement.

[0086] If the SMTC information is associated with frequency 1, UE1 measures all neighboring cells corresponding to frequency 1 according to the SMTC information. In this example, all neighboring cells corresponding to frequency 1 are cell 1 and cell 2. The SMTC information includes the first starting time offset information, and the indicated offset is D1; ​​the SMTC information also includes the first duration information, and the indicated duration L1 is the difference between the signal delay of cell 1 and the signal delay of cell 2. UE1 receives the SSB of cell 1 and cell 2 in the corresponding SMTC window according to D1 and L1 configured by the network device.

[0087] If the SMTC information is associated with cell 1, UE1 measures cell 1 according to the SMTC information. The SMTC information includes the first starting time offset information, indicating the offset as D1; ​​the SMTC information also includes the first duration information, indicating the duration as L1 (this duration is the duration determined by the network device and has nothing to do with the difference between the signal delay of cell 1 and the signal delay of cell 2). UE1 receives the SSB of cell 1 in the corresponding SMTC window according to D1 and L1 configured by the network device. Optionally, the network device can also send SMTC information associated with cell 2 to facilitate UE1 to measure cell 2.

[0088] If the SMTC information is associated with cell group 1, UE1 measures cell group 1 according to the SMTC information. In this example, all neighboring cells included in cell group 1 are cell 1 and cell 2. The SMTC information includes first starting time offset information, indicating an offset of D1; the SMTC information also includes first duration information, indicating a duration L1 that is the difference between the signal delay of cell 1 and the signal delay of cell 2. UE1 receives the SSB of cell 1 and cell 2 in the corresponding SMTC window according to D1 and L1 configured by the network device.

[0089] For terminal devices whose positioning capabilities meet the requirements, they can adjust the offset indicated by the second starting time offset information in the SMTC information to determine the SMTC window, and receive the SSB of the neighboring cell within the SMTC window.

[0090] Figure 4 A method for measuring neighboring cells for terminal devices with satisfactory positioning capabilities.

[0091] Currently, there is a terminal device and three NTN cells. The terminal device is UE2. The three NTN cells are cell 0, cell 1, and cell 2. These three cells send SSB at the same time. UE2 resides in cell 0. Cell 0 sends SMTC information associated with frequency 1 or cell 1 or cell group 1. After receiving the SMTC information, UE2 performs neighbor cell measurement.

[0092] If the SMTC information is associated with frequency 1, UE2 measures all neighboring cells corresponding to frequency 1 according to the SMTC information. In this example, all neighboring cells corresponding to frequency 1 are cell 1 and cell 2. The SMTC information includes second starting time offset information, indicating an offset of D0; the SMTC information may also include second duration information, indicating a duration of L1.

[0093] Based on its own positioning capability, UE2 determines that the difference between the signal delay of cell 1 and the signal delay of cell 0 is O1, and based on its own positioning capability, UE2 determines that the difference between the signal delay of cell 2 and the signal delay of cell 0 is O2, where O1 is less than O2, then UE2 can adjust D0 according to O1, that is, adjust the offset of the starting time of the SMTC window to D0+O1. UE2 can also determine the duration L2 of the SMTC window as the difference between the signal delay of cell 1 and the signal delay of cell 2. Subsequently, UE2 receives the SSB sent by cell 1 and cell 2 in the corresponding SMTC window based on D0+O1 and L2 determined by itself.

[0094] If the SMTC information is associated with cell 1, UE2 measures cell 1 according to the SMTC information. The SMTC information includes second start time offset information, indicating an offset of D0; the SMTC information may also include second duration information, indicating a duration of L1.

[0095] Based on its own positioning capability, UE2 determines that the difference between the signal delay of cell 0 and the signal delay of cell 1 is O1, then UE2 can adjust D0 according to O1, that is, adjust the offset of the start time of the SMTC window to D0+O1. Subsequently, UE2 receives the SSB sent by cell 1 in the corresponding SMTC window based on D0+O1 determined by itself and L1 configured by the network device.

[0096] If the SMTC information is associated with cell group 1, UE2 measures all neighboring cells included in cell group 1 according to the SMTC information. In this example, all neighboring cells included in cell group 1 are cell 1 and cell 2. The SMTC information includes second starting time offset information, indicating an offset of D0; the SMTC information may also include second duration information, indicating a duration of L1.

[0097] Based on its own positioning capability, UE2 determines that the difference between the signal delay of cell 1 and the signal delay of cell 0 is O1, and based on its own positioning capability, UE2 determines that the difference between the signal delay of cell 2 and the signal delay of cell 0 is O2, where O1 is less than O2, then UE2 can adjust D0 according to O1, that is, adjust the offset of the starting time of the SMTC window to D0+O1. UE2 can also determine the duration L2 of the SMTC window as the difference between the signal delay of cell 1 and the signal delay of cell 2. Subsequently, UE2 receives the SSB sent by cell 1 and cell 2 in the corresponding SMTC window based on D0+O1 and L2 determined by itself.

[0098] Figure 3 and Figure 4In the described example, there is only one type of terminal device in the cell, so the network device can send SMTC information including first starting time offset information and first duration information, or the network device can send SMTC information including second starting time offset information and second duration information.

[0099] Next, combine Figure 5 Describes the scenario where terminal devices whose positioning capabilities meet the requirements and terminal devices whose positioning capabilities do not meet the requirements coexist.

[0100] like Figure 5 As shown, there are currently two terminal devices and three NTN cells, the two terminal devices are UE1 and UE2, the three NTN cells are cell 0, cell 1 and cell 2, the three cells send SSB at the same time, and UE1 and UE2 both reside in cell 0. Cell 0 sends SMTC information associated with frequency 1 or cell 1 or cell group 1, and UE1 and UE2 perform neighbor cell measurement after receiving the SMTC information.

[0101] The network device may send SMTC information including two types of start time offset information and duration information. For example, the SMTC information may include first start time offset information, first duration information, second start time offset information, and second duration information, wherein the time length indicated by the first duration information is greater than the time length indicated by the second duration information.

[0102] UE1 whose positioning capability does not meet the requirements can determine the SMTC window based on the first start time offset information and the first duration information; UE2 whose positioning capability meets the requirements can determine the SMTC window based on the second start time offset information and the second duration information. The specific method for UE1 to determine the SMTC window can be referred to Figure 3 For the corresponding example, the specific method for UE2 to determine the SMTC window can be referred to Figure 4 The corresponding example.

[0103] The above describes in detail an example of a method for measuring neighboring cells provided by the present application. It is understandable that, in order to implement the above functions, the device for measuring neighboring cells includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present application.

[0104] The present application can divide the functional units of the device for measuring neighboring cells according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into each functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing unit. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units. It should be noted that the division of units in the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0105] Figure 6 The device 600 includes a processing unit 610 and a receiving unit 620 , and the receiving unit 620 can perform a receiving step under the control of the processing unit 610 .

[0106] The receiving unit 620 is used to: receive SMTC information;

[0107] The processing unit 610 is used to determine an SMTC window according to the positioning capability of the terminal device and the SMTC information, and the SMTC window is used to measure neighboring cells.

[0108] Optionally, when the positioning capability does not meet the requirement, the starting time of the SMTC window is the time indicated by the first starting time offset information in the SMTC information.

[0109] Optionally, when the positioning capability does not meet the requirement, the duration of the SMTC window is the duration indicated by the first duration information in the SMTC information.

[0110] Optionally, the SMTC information also includes second duration information, the duration indicated by the first duration information is greater than the duration indicated by the second duration information, and the second duration information is used to indicate the duration of the SMTC window when the positioning capability meets the requirements.

[0111] Optionally, the SMTC information is used to configure an SMTC window of a frequency point or a neighboring cell or a neighboring cell group.

[0112] Optionally, when the positioning capability meets the requirements, the starting time of the SMTC window is the time indicated by the second starting time offset information in the SMTC information after adjustment, and the time interval between the adjusted time and the time indicated by the second starting time offset information is less than or equal to: the interval between the minimum delay of the signals of all neighboring cells corresponding to the frequency point corresponding to the SMTC information and the signal delay of the current cell; or, the interval between the signal delay of the neighboring cells corresponding to the SMTC information and the signal delay of the current cell; or, the interval between the minimum delay of the signals of the neighboring cell group corresponding to the SMTC information and the signal delay of the current cell.

[0113] Optionally, when the positioning capability meets the requirements, the duration of the SMTC window is greater than or equal to: the interval between the maximum delay and the minimum delay of the signals of all neighboring cells corresponding to the frequency point corresponding to the SMTC information; or, the duration indicated by the second duration information in the SMTC information; or, the interval between the minimum delay and the maximum delay of the signals of the neighboring cell group corresponding to the SMTC information.

[0114] The specific manner in which the apparatus 600 performs the method for measuring neighboring cells and the beneficial effects produced may refer to the relevant description in the method embodiment.

[0115] Figure 7 The device 700 includes a processing unit 710 and a sending unit 720 , and the sending unit 720 can perform a sending step under the control of the processing unit 710 .

[0116] The processing unit 710 is used to: determine the positioning capability of at least one terminal device, where the at least one terminal device belongs to a cell;

[0117] The sending unit 720 is used to send SMTC information according to the positioning capability, where the SMTC information is used to determine the SMTC window required for measuring a neighboring cell, where the neighboring cell is a non-terrestrial communication network cell.

[0118] Optionally, when the at least one terminal device includes a terminal device whose positioning capability does not meet the requirements, the SMTC information includes first starting time offset information, and the first starting time offset information is determined based on one of the following conditions: the minimum delay of signals of all neighboring cells corresponding to the frequency point to be measured; the signal delay of the neighboring cell to be measured; the minimum delay of signals of the neighboring cell group to be measured.

[0119] Optionally, when the at least one terminal device includes a terminal device whose positioning capability does not meet the requirements, the SMTC information includes first duration information, and the first duration information is determined based on one of the following conditions: the interval between the minimum delay and the maximum delay of the signals of all neighboring cells corresponding to the frequency point to be measured; the interval between the minimum delay and the maximum delay of the signals of the neighboring cells to be measured; the interval between the minimum delay and the maximum delay of the signals of the neighboring cell group to be measured.

[0120] Optionally, when the at least one terminal device includes a terminal device whose positioning capability meets the requirements, the SMTC information includes second duration information, and the duration indicated by the first duration information is greater than the duration indicated by the second duration information, and the second duration information is used to indicate the duration of the SMTC window when the positioning capability meets the requirements.

[0121] Optionally, when the at least one terminal device includes a terminal device whose positioning capability meets the requirements, the SMTC information includes second starting time offset information, and the second starting time offset information is determined based on the following conditions: the signal delay of the cell to which the at least one terminal device belongs.

[0122] The specific manner in which the apparatus 700 performs the method for measuring neighboring cells and the beneficial effects produced may refer to the relevant description in the method embodiment.

[0123] Figure 8 A structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided by the present application is shown. Figure 8 The dotted line in the figure indicates that the unit or the module is optional. The device 800 can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. The device 800 can be a terminal device or a network device or a chip.

[0124] The device 800 includes one or more processors 801, which can support the device 800 to implement Figures 2 to 5 The method in the corresponding method embodiment. The processor 801 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor 801 can be a central processing unit (CPU). The CPU can be used to control the device 800, execute software programs, and process data of software programs. The device 800 can also include a communication unit 805 to implement signal input (reception) and output (transmission).

[0125] For example, the device 800 may be a chip, the communication unit 805 may be an input and / or output circuit of the chip, or the communication unit 805 may be a communication interface of the chip, and the chip may be a component of a terminal device, a network device, or other wireless communication device.

[0126] For another example, the device 800 may be a terminal device or a network device, and the communication unit 805 may be a transceiver of the terminal device or the network device, or the communication unit 805 may be a transceiver circuit of the terminal device or the network device.

[0127] The device 800 may include one or more memories 802, on which a program 804 is stored. The program 804 can be executed by the processor 801 to generate instructions 803, so that the processor 801 performs the method described in the above method embodiment according to the instructions 803. Optionally, data may also be stored in the memory 802. Optionally, the processor 801 may also read the data stored in the memory 802, and the data may be stored at the same storage address as the program 804, or the data may be stored at a different storage address from the program 804.

[0128] The processor 801 and the memory 802 may be provided separately or integrated together, for example, integrated on a system on chip (SOC) of the terminal device.

[0129] The device 800 may further include an antenna 806. The communication unit 805 is configured to implement the transceiver function of the device 800 through the antenna 806.

[0130] The specific manner in which the processor 801 executes the method for measuring neighboring cells may refer to the relevant description in the method embodiment.

[0131] It should be understood that each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by a hardware-based logic circuit or a software-based instruction in the processor 801. The processor 801 can be a CPU, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, such as discrete gates, transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0132] The present application also provides a computer program product, which, when executed by the processor 801, implements the method described in any method embodiment of the present application.

[0133] The computer program product may be stored in the memory 802 , for example, a program 804 , which is finally converted into an executable target file that can be executed by the processor 801 after preprocessing, compiling, assembling, and linking.

[0134] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a computer, the method described in any method embodiment of the present application is implemented. The computer program can be a high-level language program or an executable target program.

[0135] The computer-readable storage medium is, for example, a memory 802. The memory 802 may be a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, or the memory 802 may include both a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory. Among them, the nonvolatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0136] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the above-described devices and equipment and the technical effects produced can refer to the corresponding processes and technical effects in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0137] In several embodiments provided in the present application, the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, some features of the method embodiments described above can be ignored or not performed. The device embodiments described above are merely schematic, and the division of units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, and multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system. In addition, the coupling between the units or the coupling between the components may be direct coupling or indirect coupling, and the above coupling includes electrical, mechanical or other forms of connection.

[0138] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0139] In addition, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this article. The term "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0140] In short, the above is only a preferred embodiment of the technical solution of this application, and is not intended to limit the protection scope of this application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of this application should be included in the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for measuring a neighboring cell, performed by a terminal device, It is characterized in that include: The terminal device receives synchronization block measurement timing configuration SMTC information from the network device; The terminal device determines an SMTC window according to the positioning capability of the terminal device and the SMTC information, wherein the SMTC window is used to measure a neighboring cell, Wherein, when the positioning capability meets the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, the SMTC window is shortened by adjusting the start time of the SMTC window, and the offset of the start time of the SMTC window relative to the start time position of the SMTC period in which the SMTC window is located is adjusted to the sum of the time interval determined by the terminal device and the offset indicated by the second start time offset information in the SMTC information, wherein the time interval is less than or equal to: The interval between the signal delay of the neighboring cell corresponding to the SMTC information and the signal delay of the current cell; or The interval between the minimum delay of the signals of all neighboring cells corresponding to the frequency corresponding to the SMTC information and the signal delay of the current cell; or The SMTC information indicates the interval between the minimum delay of the signal of the neighboring cell group and the signal delay of the current cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The neighboring cell is a non-terrestrial communication network cell.

3. A method for measuring a neighboring cell, applied to a communication system including at least one terminal device and a network device, It is characterized in that include: The network device determines the positioning capability of at least one terminal device, and the at least one terminal device belongs to a cell; The network device sends synchronization block measurement timing configuration SMTC information according to the positioning capability, wherein the SMTC information is used to determine the SMTC window required for measuring the neighboring cell, Wherein, when the positioning capability of the terminal device in the at least one terminal device meets the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, the terminal device shortens the SMTC window by adjusting the start time of the SMTC window, and adjusts the offset of the start time of the SMTC window relative to the start time position of the SMTC period in which the SMTC window is located to the sum of the time interval determined by the terminal device and the offset indicated by the second start time offset information in the SMTC information, wherein the time interval is less than or equal to: The interval between the signal delay of the neighboring cell corresponding to the SMTC information and the signal delay of the current cell; or The interval between the minimum delay of the signals of all neighboring cells corresponding to the frequency corresponding to the SMTC information and the signal delay of the current cell; or The SMTC information indicates the interval between the minimum delay of the signal of the neighboring cell group and the signal delay of the current cell.

4. The method according to claim 3, It is characterized in that The second starting time offset information is determined based on the following conditions: The signal delay of the cell to which the at least one terminal device belongs.

5. The method according to claim 3, It is characterized in that The neighboring cell is a non-terrestrial communication network cell.

6. A terminal device, It is characterized in that It includes a receiving unit and a processing unit. The receiving unit is used to: receive synchronization block measurement timing configuration SMTC information; The processing unit is used to: determine an SMTC window according to the positioning capability of the terminal device and the SMTC information, wherein the SMTC window is used to measure neighboring cells, Wherein, when the positioning capability meets the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, the SMTC window is shortened by adjusting the start time of the SMTC window, and the offset of the start time of the SMTC window relative to the start time position of the SMTC period in which the SMTC window is located is adjusted to the sum of the time interval determined by the terminal device and the offset indicated by the second start time offset information in the SMTC information, wherein the time interval is less than or equal to: The interval between the signal delay of the neighboring cell corresponding to the SMTC information and the signal delay of the current cell; or The interval between the minimum delay of the signals of all neighboring cells corresponding to the frequency corresponding to the SMTC information and the signal delay of the current cell; or The SMTC information indicates the interval between the minimum delay of the signal of the neighboring cell group and the signal delay of the current cell.

7. The terminal device according to claim 6, It is characterized in that The neighboring cell is a non-terrestrial communication network cell.

8. A communication system comprising a network device and at least one terminal device, It is characterized in that The network device comprises a processing unit and a sending unit. The processing unit is used to: determine the positioning capability of at least one terminal device, the at least one terminal device belongs to a cell; The sending unit is used to: send synchronization block measurement timing configuration SMTC information according to the positioning capability, and the SMTC information is used to determine the SMTC window required for measuring the neighboring cell, Wherein, when the positioning capability of the terminal device in the at least one terminal device meets the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, the terminal device shortens the SMTC window by adjusting the start time of the SMTC window, and adjusts the offset of the start time of the SMTC window relative to the start time position of the SMTC period in which the SMTC window is located to the sum of the time interval determined by the terminal device and the offset indicated by the second start time offset information in the SMTC information, wherein the time interval is less than or equal to: The interval between the signal delay of the neighboring cell corresponding to the SMTC information and the signal delay of the current cell; or The interval between the minimum delay of the signals of all neighboring cells corresponding to the frequency corresponding to the SMTC information and the signal delay of the current cell; or The SMTC information indicates the interval between the minimum delay of the signal of the neighboring cell group and the signal delay of the current cell.

9. The communication system according to claim 8, It is characterized in that The second starting time offset information is determined based on the following conditions: The signal delay of the cell to which the at least one terminal device belongs.

10. The communication system according to claim 8, It is characterized in that The neighboring cell is a non-terrestrial communication network cell.

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